Thoughts on the Sermon on the Mount

I found this blog post on Jason Upton's website (Upton is one of my favorite worship leaders). This was written by Eberhardt Arnold.

How do we respond to the Sermon on the Mount? The Sermon on the Mount is
the first step on the way of discipleship, and it is of decisive importance to
me that our church consider this deeply. If we grasp the Sermon on the
Mount and believe it, then nothing can frighten us - neither our own
self-recognition, nor financial threats, nor our personal weakness.
The
dedication demanded in the Sermon on the Mount is not a new law or moral
teaching. Instead it is forgiveness. Its vital element is the light
and warmth of the Holy Spirit. Here is Christ: the essence of salt, and
the strength of the tree that bears good fruit. The Sermon on the Mount
shows us the character of a community, which shines like a light for the whole
world.
The Sermon on the Mount is not a high-tension moralism, but we must
grasp it as the revelation of God's real power in human life. If we take
our surrender to God seriously and allow him to enter our lives as light, as the
only energy which makes new life possible, then we will be able to live the new
life.

To read more visit this link

YES!

Do you ever read something and you feel like your heart leaps up and shouts, "Yes!"? Well, this hit me that way:

God loved you before you were born, and God will love you after you die. In Scripture God says, "I have loved you with an everlasting love." This is a very fundamental truth of your identity. This is who you are whether you feel it or not. You belong to God from eternity to eternity. Life is just a little opportunity for you during a few years to say, "I love you, too."

If you dare to believe that you are beloved before you are born, you may suddenly realize that your life is very, very special. You become conscious that you were sent here just for a short time, for twenty, forty, or eighty years, to discover and believe that you are a beloved child of God. The length of time does not matter. You are sent into this world to believe in yourself as God's chose one and then to help your brothers and sisters know that they also are beloved sons and daughters of God who belong together. You're sent into this world to be a people of reconciliation. You are sent to heal, to break down the walls between you and your neighbors, locally, nationally, and globally. Before all the distinctions, the separations, and the walls built on foundations of fear, there was unity in the mind and heart of God. Out of that unity, you are sent into this world for a little while to claim that you and every other human being belongs to that same God of Love who lives from eternity to eternity.

Henri Nouwen. Finding my Way Home:Pathways to Life and the Spirit. pg 129-130. Crossroad Publishing Company.

"Flesh and Bone make my home"

That is one of my weirdest post titles ever! It connects though. You'll see.
I was reading through my old journal that encompasses most of the last school year. I found an entry that I really liked and thought I would share.

October 5th, 2007

So I did my Bible study last night (On the theme of Immanuel seen throughout the Bible) and it went well. The Bible study was about the temple Solomon built and how God had a promised, designated place for people to worship, sacrifice, pray and repent. We then talked about the new covenant implications found in 1 Corinthians 3:16-17:

"Do you not know that you are a temple of God

and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?

If any man destroys the temple of God,

God will destroy him, for the temple of

God is holy, and that is what you are."

The first thing is that we are a new temple. We don't need (or want!) a geographic location to go to if we need to pray, worship, repent, etc. God has found a new dwelling place inside every believer. What is so beautiful is that first, though God chose to not be boxed in to one geographic location, He chose to make His dwelling place, His temple, even in my walls of flesh. What is amazing is that, just like in Solomon's temple, God has made a promise to be there 24/7. There aren't visiting hours in this temple. It doesn't have vacation days.

What stuck out to me is that God chose to make His temple within the human frame. He is there, and we are still His temple, now matter what we feel. Whether we feel lost, doubting, ashamed, fantastic, on fire, so-so, persistent, or any other emotion He is there.

When God chose to build His temple this time, He chose not brick, stones, fancy tapestries, fine gold pieces, elaborate altars or lamp stands. He chose walls of flesh, altars of physical and emotional brokenness, the decoration of our uniquely made hearts, souls, minds, and spirits, and the worship, the songs of an in-process, renewed people.

He chose to make His dwelling place in the weak, broken, sinful, needy human frame.

He promised to hear, forgive, restore, show mercy, and accept sacrifice and praise and that is what He is doing.

"But will God indeed dwell with mankind on the earth? Behold, heaven and the highest heaven cannot contain You; how much less this house which I have built." 2 Chronicles 6:18

Unattractive news: Kenya

For the last month or so there has been this incredible clash amongst two tribes in Kenya. It all started with an election that is thought to be rigged. People have been killed. Families have been displaced. Just last week the leaders of the two opposing parties have announced plans to work together for peace.
Kenya has been on my heart lately and this story had me upset today. It also upset me that this isn't seen as important. It isn't newsworthy. Since it isn't getting much coverage anywhere else I'm posting it here.

Kenya School attacked

Everything you see is a gift from God

This song is simple, child-like, and contains powerful truth. It's also catchy. It brings a smile to my face!

Life in your arms

This break has been really good. Relaxing. Reading. Journaling. Napping. Christmas shopping in a fun and yet efficient way. Seeing old and cherished friends.
Right now I am with my family. It has been great. I love catching up on what has happened and what is happening in people's lives. Things can change so drastically in just a few months. Often times spending time with family and catching up with people starts with getting aquainted with all the changes that have occured. It's a process of remembering who they are, figuring out the balance between who you know them to be and who you see before you, with changes, questions, new opinions, new wisdom. But it's also leaving them space, that amazing freedom, to keep growing and changing.
Right now I am sitting in my sister's house rocking my niece Zoey's chair thing with my foot. When I glance over we catch eyes. She smiles and coos at me. I love being able to carry her around and letting her fall asleep in my arms. It's amazing that I can hold this life in my arms. I can rock her and swing her. And it amazes me to think that I will see her grow up, from toddler-hood to mother-hood. And now, for this fleeting and thus precious, moment I can still hold her in my arms.
I think babies do this to people. They make them pause and wonder and marvel at life in their arms, and thier own lives flying past them too.
(Watch out people, I'm having an advent/christmas moment.)
I think this is part of the reason God loved the idea, the reality, and the implications of sending His son into the world. God enters the world in weak human flesh as Jesus. He's fully God and yet so obviously man. You could hold him, rock him, kiss his cheek, sing him a lullaby. And all the while you know, well...Mary, Joseph, and a handful of others knew or recognized, that they were holding Life in their arms. And later in His life you could eat a meal with him, you could put your arm around him and feel him sweat. And then he would go and raise the dead or heal the lame and blind, or calm the storm, and you knew he was God. Life right there with you, Life was your friend.
I'm so thankful for those chances that come along. Those chances to know that something marvelous and significant and once-in-a-lifetime is happeinging. The word in greek I think that fits so well here is Kairos. Kairos means-the perfect time, the fullness of time or as one of my professors has said, "that moment when earth's time and purpose intersects with God's time and purpose", it's when you feel that something holy, precious, and wonderful has happened.
I'm so glad that God has given me so many chances to slow down and recognize those Kairos moments, whether I'm holding Zoey or talking for hours on end with an old friend. I'm so thankful that God loves to interupt our lives, schedules, and thoughts just in time.

Thoughts on The Call...a month later

A month ago I was flying into Nashville to meet two friends from school Cayla and Ben. It's amazing to think of all that took place during that one day and all that has happened since. Looking back it all seems so surreal. I know that The Call was a turning point, not only for me but for the Church and the nation, even though the full impact has yet to be seen. It's difficult to even put into words all that I experienced and all that God did but I will try.
The morning of the 7th we got up early and hopped a taxi with a few others from our hotel. We were meeting with thousands of others for a repentance walk. The walk was a 2.7 mile walk down Church Street from the park to the stadium. The focus of the repentance walk was not to point fingers at sinners on our way but to repent for our own sins and for the sins of the Church. Lou Engle said before the march (paraphrase), "The reason we have no voice in our culture is that we are consumed by the same sins as those outside of the Church."
Thousands of people started the day on their faces weeping, interceding, and repenting.

Then we started to walk. The whole walk was done in complete silence and as we started walking through the grass it sounded like rushing water, which reminded me of the passages in scripture about a "voice like many waters." It was so powerful to be united in repentance and prayer as we walked down Church street. As we got closer to the stadium we could hear the music and the voices singing "Holy, Holy, Holy." We walked into the stadium and moved from repentance to praise.

The Call officially started at 10am with corporate repentance and forgiveness. Leaders from various people groups would ask for forgiveness for the sins that group had committed against other groups. For example, white leaders asked for forgiveness from Native Americans and African Americans for the sins committed against them. Once this happened specific ethnic groups were asked to stand and we prayed for our brothers and sisters in Christ. Typically I am not one to cry or like crying but I couldn't help weeping most of the morning. That morning my tears became my repentance, praise, and intercession.

Throughout the rest of the day we would transition from worship, intercession, confession, personal and group prayer, and short lessons on themes of The Call. I received a huge breakthrough and freedom from past sins. I had waited so long to be free from that sin which hurt me and caused injury to other relationships. That was a huge part of what God did in me during The Call. I left feeling free and new.

God also used The Call to remind me who I am in Him and what I am called to do. It was very encouraging.
Another powerful part of the day was corporate communion. We all took communion together and committed ourselves to the Lord.

Worship was also powerful that day. The expression of 'warring in worship' was definitely the case. Since a-capella with 50,000 people is also something I highly recommend. Most of the time we would be gloriously stuck singing "Holy, Holy, Holy!" for long periods of time. I think that when God brings so many together to consecrate themselves to Him that is the most fitting thing to sing.

Just a week or so ago I received another huge breakthrough of feeling God's presence, enjoying being with God, and receiving revelation on the Word again. It's been months, starting maybe a year ago and really intensifying in February. He was faithful to lead me, teach me, and strengthen me during this time. I feel like the verse "I would have despaired unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living" Ps 27:13 was so true. There were so many times where my only choice was to cling to the truth of His word that He would reveal Himself again. He is so good!

P.S. I'll probably post some pictures of the event soon.

Fasting!!!

I am heading to The Call this summer and I am way excited to be partnering with God's heart and interceding for my generation and this nation. Here is some more information about the 40 day fast leading up to The Call. Be sure to check out www.thecall.com for more information. If God lays it on your heart please pray for those who choose to fast, for the grace to fast and press into Jesus, as well as praying for the event itself (they are expecting 100,000 people to come).

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God has graciously raised up Lou Engle to call America to a 40 day fast. Lou has mobilized thousands of leaders who are committed to this vision as well. All the major Christian TV networks are announcing it to get the word out - it is time for America to fast and pray as a nation. The article below, written by Lou, explains the urgency behind this initiative. The IHOP-KC family is standing with The Call and believers during these 40 days. Please forward this to everyone you know who has a heart for America.
www.fastandpray.com



There are moments in history when a door for massive change opens, and great revolutions for good or evil spring up in the vacuum created by these openings. In these divine moments, key men, women and even entire generations risk everything to become the hinge of history, the pivotal point that determines which way the door will swing.

The rebellious generation of the ’60s seized its moment, and history crashed into the deep abyss of drug addiction, sexual immorality, hatred for authority and a rejection of the law of God. In 1967, there was a culminating and defining moment in that rebellion, when 100,000 young people, ages 15–25 flocked to San Francisco to experience the hippie movement. This mass convergence was sparked by the hit song, “San Francisco” (Wear a Flower in your Hair). Once there, these young adults experimented with LSD, pot, casual sex and Eastern mysticism in what became known as the “Summer of Love.”

When these newly recruited ‘Flower Children’ returned home at the end of the summer, they brought with them new styles and ideas, flooding the cities of the US and Europe with a message that opposed authority and scorned conservative morals. This counterculture rebellion was fueled by music and art, which rapidly shifted global culture.

For 40 years, we have been falling headlong into a black moral morass in America along with the western world. We are reaping the waves of destruction in every sector of our post Christian society. Can America survive another 40 years? We are declaring “NO! A thousand times NO!” Unless a massive spiritual shift occurs at this moment, our children will live under an antichrist system and Godless enculturation that will bring about the demise of America, as we know it.

But God has a prescription for such a massive shift and it is revealed in the power of the great transitional 40-day fast. God, in His sovereign control over the parade of history, delivered the Israelites out of Egypt. Longing to release a moral code that would give foundations for righteousness, for time and eternity, God summoned Moses to a 40-day fast on Mount Sinai. Through this fast, all of history changed and the law of God was delivered from Heaven to Earth. Therefore, if America is going to return to God, it must recover that law again as its foundation for truth.

Elijah, at the height of Jezebel’s cultic dominion over Israel fasted 40 days, broke the spell of Jezebel off of his own life and received a mandate to anoint the next generation. Elijah’s fast unleashed a movement that toppled Jezebel’s regime of hell, which perpetrated the destruction of family, the killing of innocent children, the silencing of the voice of God’s people and the widespread culture of sexual immorality. The fruit of this fast culminated in the utter destruction of Baal worship in Israel.

Also in the fullness of time, the Glorious Gospel era was born when Jesus fasted 40 days and those who sat in darkness saw a great light. Clearly the 40-day fast is Heaven’s great transitional prescription, moving nations from failure to fulfillment of promise. Is it any surprise that when Jesus was to enter into His great sacrifice—where death would be swallowed up in victory—Elijah and Moses appear with Him on the Mount of Transfiguration. All three were together as the 40-day fasters. They presided over the great transitions of history.

When the Israelites were poised to move into the Promise Land, spies were sent out for 40 days. When they returned carrying an evil report, a whole generation was infected with unbelief and they turned their back on the Promise Land. God’s sentence on that generation was “And your sons shall be wanderers in the wilderness for forty years and bear the brunt of your infidelity until your carcasses are consumed in the wilderness. According to the number of the days in which you spied out the land forty days, for each day you shall bear your guilt one year, namely forty years, and you shall know my rejection.” (Numbers 14:33–34) It was 40 years of judgment for 40 days failure.

Conversely, the great prophet Ezekiel received a 40-day prayer assignment for a 40-year failure of Judah’s iniquity. “Lie again on your right side, then you shall bear the iniquity of the house of Judah, forty days I have laid on you a day for each year.” (Ezekiel 4:6) It was clearly 40 days prayer for 40 years of failure.

When Jesus fasted 40 days and was tempted of the devil He quoted from the book of Deuteronomy saying “It is written man shall not live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.” And again, “You shall not tempt the Lord thy God” and again, “You shall worship the Lord your God and Him only shall you worship.” Jesus, in His victory over Satan, was quoting the book of Deuteronomy, the portion of scripture delivered by Moses to the generation who failed in the desert. Jesus, in His 40-day fast, was clearly identifying with that passage of scripture and the generation that came out of Egypt. As an intercessor in His 40-day fast, Jesus was fulfilling what a generation had failed in for 40 years.

Forty years are up! Could the Church of America in a 40-day fast deliver a nation out of a 40-year curse? We have scriptural precedent to believe for such a turning! Therefore, we are trumpeting a call to 40 days of fasting like Moses, Elijah, Ezekiel and Jesus. We must bear the iniquity in 40 days of fasting and intercession for the past 40 years of divorcing God in America, embracing a culture of sexual immorality, hedonism, materialism, abortion and the rejection of Christ in public places. But we are also calling for 40 days of fasting and prayer for the greatest outbreak of Kingdom power, in signs and wonders, and the spiritual awakening in America that will collide with this present darkness and topple its cultural dominion over our people. Thousands went on 40-day fasts in 1946 and in 1947, the great healing revivals broke out. In 1948, the Latter Rain outpourings began, Bill Bright and Billy Graham’s ministries were born, and Israel became a nation. Could it be that the 40-day fast preceded this explosion of power by the Spirit? After Jesus’ 40-day fast, the scripture says He returned in the power of the Spirit. Yes the promise of Joel 2 is that after the fast, “I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh…”

Forty years ago, in 1967, the Jesus Movement broke out. A youth revival started on the streets swept across the country, exploding on college campuses and coffee houses. People were being saved everywhere. Now 40 years later, we are crying out for God to do it again, way beyond the Jesus Movement!

In 1967, in a war and obviously by the supernatural hand of God, Jerusalem was taken and once again brought under the control of the state of Israel. This was a monumental signpost in the shifting of eras. The dispensation of the times of the Gentiles was now beginning to shift to the times when Jerusalem will become the last days focus for God’s activity in the Earth. For 40 days, we are joining Israel in a 40-day fast crying out to God that Israel would see their Messiah and they would begin to receive their greatest spiritual awakening since the days of the Apostles.

Brothers and sisters, moments like these come only once in a lifetime. To miss such a moment could mean missing the purpose of God for a generation. The generation that refused to cross over the Jordan did not know that they had only one day to make the decision, and missing that day meant 40 years in the desert.

Even now we are receiving reports that other countries are calling 40-day fasts. Could we be in a Global 40-day season of fasting (like Jesus), to see a global outbreak of light when great darkness is covering the Earth? Beginning the evening of May 28, we are calling two generations to 40 days of fasting and prayer culminating on 7–7–07, the perfection of time. In a massive, national gathering of fasting, intercession, repentance and worship, we seek to declare our desire to remarry the Lord. We want to cross over into the promise land of national revival. We want to break this 40-year curse. May thousands seek God in water, juice and Daniel fasts from May 28 through 7–7–07, The Call in Nashville.
What would happen in America if for 40 days we sealed the electronic cultural sewer that flows nightly into our living rooms and instead, spent our strength seeking the Lord? What if tens of thousands of fathers and mothers across our nation fasted for 40 days repenting and cleansing themselves of inward toleration of sexual immorality, pornography, addiction to food, entertainment and materialism? What if they prayed daily for their spiritual and physical children to see them converted to Christ and freed from rebellion, from addictions, depression and suicide? What if the young generation fasted for 40 days to be cleansed from lust, media addiction and rebellion toward there parents, believing that a double portion of the Holy Spirit would come upon there lives?

Moses fasted 40 days and mentored a spiritual son named Joshua, which means the Lord saves. Elijah fasted 40 days and threw his mantle on a double portion son, Elisha, which means the Lord saves. Also, John the Baptist fasted in the desert and prepared the way for a double portion son named Jesus, which means the Lord saves. Jesus fasted 40 days and unleashed the apostolic glory of the eternal Son of God into the Earth. What if we are preparing a generation for the greatest day of salvation in history? And so, what if tens of thousands of both generations fast together and gather on 7–7–07 for The Call Nashville in LP Field, to cry out to God in a Joel 2 moment for great national returning to the Lord?

The parade of history has brought us into a profound generational landmark, and a great vacuum has opened again. If the church does not seize this moment, Muslims will! Antichrist rage will! Sexual perversion will! Anarchy will! But now is the time for key men and women, even an entire generation to risk everything to become the hinge of history, the pivotal point which determines which way the door will swing in America and in the nations of the Earth. It's 40 Days or 40 Years—seize the day!

We will be launching this fast with a worldwide simulcast on GOD TV on May 26, 2007. For all information on the 40-day fast and The Call Nashville please visit our websites.40 Days for 40 Years

Ponderings of late...

No big ta da or anything. This is what I have been thinking about, studying, praying through.

In the prologue of John the idea of Jesus being the Word and the Light of men is introduced. From there it is elaborated on. (see for yourself here).
Here is an excerpt from my journal regarding Jesus being the Light:
"Personally, the phrase, "The Light has overcome the darkness." has been big for me.
I try to imagine this One in whom there is no darkness. I imagine this holy, inescapable, unstoppable light blasting sin and darkness from me.
I imagine that when we see Him or when He appears that many will shrink (1 John 2:28) from Him, much like when you turn on a light in a dark room where everyone is sleeping. How scary will it be when some look for relief in a shadow and only find light, light, light? When God appears no one can hide in the shadows any longer. Everything is exposed in the Light.

" This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God." John 3:19-21

Another theme I am studying is healing in Jesus ministry.

Some things I am aiming to see are:

• What are the pattern's Jesus established when He healed. (compassion. mercy. faith)
• If Jesus only did what He saw the Father doing (see here) then what does this say about the Father.
• To become familiar with these passages of scripture
• To apply, through the guidance of the Holy Spirit, these things to my life and ministry to others.

Lastly, here is something cool I found in an old journal (from Dec 16th, 2004)

Based on Romans 11:33

"The fact that we can understand the unknowable, search the unsearchable, and discern that which we could never before see is what makes His wisdom and knowledge so rich. It is valuable because we do not have the right to know, the capacity to understand, or the worth in ourselves to deserve the understanding of the things of God, but we can and we do. This is what makes this wisdom and knowledge infinitely valuable to our lives."

I heart adoption

The concept of adoption can be tricky to grasp sometimes. For me, it was always a natural knowledge of my adoption and my parents love for me. However, there are times when I tell people I'm adopted and their reaction is usually :
1.) What? No way!
2.) The look that almost says, "Wow. I'm so sorry." (surely some images of orphans comes up in their minds)
and
3.) Barrage of questions regarding my adoption.
If it weren't for some good books to help straighten us out, our society would still have a weird look regarding adoption. Just kidding about that last part. In reality, adoption is seen more as a last resort for couples that cannot conceive. However, that is starting to shift, especially in the church. That makes me excited! My outlook on abortion and adoption has changed significantly in the last few years.
I grew up in a fairly liberal home and remember the family getting excited about bumper stickers that said, "Keep your laws off my body" and the like. Though my parents clearly supported adoption(my sister and I are both adopted) they also were (and still are) pro-choice, something that confused me, especially as a teen. It was natural for me to follow my parents lead and I considered myself pro-choice from a young age. That started to change after I became a Christian, went to a high-school that became the safe-haven for pregnant teens from the large city 30 miles away, and started to pray about these issues. I'm coming out of the liberal closet and letting you know I am pro-life (some people don't know that).
Before you get your panties in a bunch I want to explain some of my beliefs concerning adoption and abortion and why. I am not going to try argue the old arguments of "When does life begin?".

1.) Pro-life for all ages If you are going to be pro-life that includes babies as well as murderers. If you shouldn't have the choice to abort then you shouldn't have the choice to kill adults either. Pro-life means being anti-death penalty. I hope that you agree.

2.) A Culture of Life-If we want an end to abortion we need to cultivate, encourage, and participate in a culture of life now. It seems that a lot of people are upset with Christians who picket against abortion because they seem so apathetic towards the actual people dealing with these decisions and situations. If we want make abortion illegal or limit it through legislation we need to support adoption agencies, homes for teen-mothers, and the women in our everyday lives (tithing? Just a suggestion). We as the Church especially need to set the example of taking care of these women and children. We who have experienced the adoption into God's family( look here and here) can and should be the first to adopt and support this act of love and mercy. That means support families that are adopting and even adopting children into our own families.

3.) No child is illegitimate to God- I really hate this term' illegitimate' that our society uses for children born out of wedlock. In reality the word is defined as being born out of wed lock or illegal and unlawful. However, the unsaid meaning of this word can mean something as no good, worthless, or unwanted. No person is any of these things to God. He delights in His creation, "Then I was the craftsman at his side. I was filled with delight day after day rejoicing always in his presence, rejoicing in his whole world and delighting in mankind." Proverbs 8:30.
With that being said, that doesn't mean that God delights in sin. I think that's pretty clear. Henri Nouwen says it best ,
"We often confuse unconditional love with unconditional approval. God loves us without conditions but does not approve of every human behavior. God doesn’t approve of betrayal, violence, hatred, suspicion, and all other expressions of evil, because they all contradict the love God wants to instill in the human heart. Evil is the absence of God’s love." -Bread For the Journey, 1996
4.) Judgment=death- "Wow! That is quite a bold statement", you might be thinking. Well, let me explain. From personal experiences I have see first hand the judgment upon those who have had a child out of wedlock. Sadly, I saw this mostly within the Church. While many were supportive of these people, many were not secretive with their opinions at all. At one point I had announced the birth of their child and asked for prayer as the baby was still in bad shape at the hospital. I think the prayer request was lost as they reeled in shock and objection of the situation. It was at that moment while I was sitting in my church pew, disappointed with the congregation that had shown a lot of love to me, that I realized how much I did the same thing.

As I said before, our high school became a haven for pregnant teen mothers who need a place to live out their pregnancy without friends knowing about it. I judged those girls harshly, thinking, "How could they be so stupid!" I realized that I should have been supporting these girls in their decision to keep their child or give it up for adoption. It dawned on me that it was judgments like this, attitudes like this, actions like this, that motivates women to abort their children. We as a society and as the Church so harshly condemn them, showing no grace, that out of shame, fear of rejection and humiliation these women feel like abortion is the only choice. (I know that there are special situations, but I think this is the majority of cases, especially among teens.) Once when I was talking with a pro-choicer they said, "Nobody, wants babies to die." True. So why don't we do something?

That being said, being pro-life is more that waving picket signs, protesting, bombing abortion clinics. In fact, I think it is none of those things. Being pro-life outwardly may look like supporting adoption agencies or people who are adopting, or helping mothers who choose not to abort. But mainly, being pro-life is an attitude and overflow of the heart. We can look as pro-life as possible on the outside even while our hearts are filled with judgment, indifference, and a lack of compassion. We need to examine our own hearts for "The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks." Luke 6:45

"For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him" John 3:17 (we usually stop at 16. It's time to move on)

Sidenote: another great post about adoption:Finding Intercession in the Craziest Places by Randy Bohlender

One body, One Lord

If you needed any proof that all Christians are in the same church and body of Christ then just keep your eyes open and talk to your brothers and sisters. I think you will be amazed to see at the things God does individually in our hearts across the corporate body. I was very encouraged to stumble across this post by Brent Steeno (http://steeno.wordpress.com/). I feel that this is where I am at right now, especially the part I will bold/highlight below. I am not alone. God's loving kindness is better than life.

March 14th, 2007
Do I Really Believe?
I am finding that it is much easier to talk about situations then to actually walk through them. On the front side it is easy to give advice to someone about the trials that we go through in life and on the back side it is easy to look back and remember that it was not as hard as it seems. But in the middle of trying circumstances and situations it is not as easy as one thought. Your heart is put to test in the middle of it. Everything you have believed is suddenly put right in your face and the challenge is to fully embrace what the Lord is doing in your life.

I find myself it such a season. It is a season that I have thought about for some time, knew I would enter into and tried to prepare my heart for the best way that I knew how. But I realize that it was a subject that I seemed relatively comfortable to talk about but now that I am in that season I realize it is more arduous then I at one time thought.

My challenge in this season is this: Do I really believe in the nature and character of God? Do I really believe that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him? Do I really believe that the great “eye” of God is searching to and fro through out the earth looking for those whose hearts are fully given to Him? Do I really believe that the hand of God is upon my life and He is directing my steps?

Again, on the front end I could say yes without much of a struggle and I know that at the end of this season I will say yes with the utmost confidence. But it is this time, the great in-between, that I feel the Lord is testing my heart and really getting at the areas of unbelief that I have tried to conceal deep down in the depths of my own heart.

This is a painful process but one that is very much needed if I am going to go the places with the Lord that I want to go. I have to learn to trust the leadership of God upon my life and lean into in every season, even the seasons in which I feel as though His “eye” is not upon me. The more I think about the more I realize that it is in the seasons that you think His “eye” is not upon you, that you are just another person lost in the masses of humanity, it is in that very season, that very time that His great “eye” is upon you all the more. His eye is upon you wanting you to respond to Him correctly in this season. The joy the Father must feel when in these times, the times when no one is looking and we feel forgotten, that we choose to still give ourselves to the Lord. Oh the overwhelming emotions that must well up in the heart of our Father when we choose to live by faith and not by sight. When we choose to love Him back and cultivate our heart in meekness and humility knowing that this is what our Father in heaven wants for us.
So, I guess I know realize that it is in this time, when I feel alone and on the backside of the mountain that His eye is even more intensely upon me, watching how my little heart responds. Yikes! That KABOD!

Trusting God with Judgment

This is something I wrote a long time ago and I opened it up today and thought, "Hey, that's not bad." I might expound on it more later but I'll just publish it as it is today.

Judgment is a word our culture doesn’t like to hear except maybe in the context of a courtroom drama. Ideas like a harsh judge, an angry parent, or an angry God may come into our minds when we try to understand judgment. A lot of our ideas of judgment come from our misinterpretations and misunderstandings of the Old Testament ideas of judgment. Many times we see ourselves as the ones at the end of God’s wrath and thus shy away from this concept.

First, I want to discuss this idea of being objects of wrath. The Bible says that “God is a righteous judge, a God who expresses wrath everyday” (Psalm 7:11. NIV), so yes, it is something we need to understand. What we commonly misunderstand is who God’s wrath is against. God is a judge but he is also our advocate. God hates anything that gets in our way of getting to Him. God desires to strip away those things in the world and in our lives that block us from Him. God does judge our sin, but it is more out of desire to free us from sin than to condemn us for it.
Ephesians 2:3-5, says,
“All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying our sinful nature and following judge, desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were objects of wrath. But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in our transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved.”
It’s clear that though we were objects of wrath, Jesus had covered our sins. Therefore, we can look at Jesus as our advocate and ask him to judge areas in our lives that are keeping us from the fullness of knowing God and bring them into alignment with His word and heart.

Our idea of God also influences the way we view judgment. If we do view God as anything less than He is, basically anything human, than we reduce his obligation and desire to judge. If God is righteous, loving, holy, and is good then He must judge. If He is righteous He will not stand that which is sinful. If He loves He will not allow the world to be consumed and ravaged by sin and the suffering that accompanies it. If He is holy He will not stand for that which profanes the good things He has created. Judgment is necessary for restoration and reconciliation. If we do not believe that these things motivate all of God’s actions then we cannot trust him.

So why else can we trust God to judge? The answer is Jesus. Jesus is our judge. In Revelation 5, a search goes out to find one worthy to open the scrolls that will release God’s judgments on the earth. But no one was found worthy, not “in heaven or on earth or under the earth could open the scroll or even look at it” (Rev. 5:3). Finally the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, Jesus, was found to be worthy. What makes Jesus worthy? Isaiah 53 provides an answer. Jesus the man knew our sorrows and suffering as well as taking upon himself our transgression and iniquities. Jesus suffered under the wrath of God and understands the depths of God’s judgments. Also, Jesus, the Son of God, knows better than anyone the heart of the father. He too, desires that none would perish, but would know God (2 Peter 3:9).

Think what would happen if we were responsible for judging our own or others wrong doing. When it comes to human nature the idea of Occum’s Razor applies here, “Power corrupts. Absolute power corrupts absolutely.” The one who is fully man and fully God is perfectly suited to unleash God’s judgments. He is the truth and can be trusted with the rod of justice.

Prepare, Sow, Persevere, Reap

Galatians 6:7-9 and Hosea 10:12 are verses that God has really highlighted to me in the past few weeks and I also feel are important to Sterling College :

Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. Let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap if we do not grow weary. Galatians 6:7-9

Sow with a view to righteousness,

Reap in accordance with kindness;

Break up your fallow ground,

For it is time to seek the LORD

Until He comes to rain righteousness on you.

Hosea 10:12

(fallow ground: land that has not been used for a period of time. So....expose and prepare those areas in your life that you have allowed to lie dormant to be used. This referred to Israel's idolatry so today's application could be to bring some hidden on ignored sin before God to seek forgiveness and restoration.)

Let us seek the Lord and sow in faith for things in our future, first exposing those areas that need some attention to God, expecting Him to rain upon them in righteousness.

This is the prayer of my heart: That God would prepare my heart by breaking up the hard ground, exposing and uprooting the weeds, and preparing it to receive His word, Spirit, and love, as well as help me to persevere in my side of tending to my garden.

The God of Restoration

I feel like this is a very important scripture to Sterling College right now. We need to know what God is planning. I feel like this is what is on His heart. In the places of death, God desires to bring life!

Isaiah 35
Joy of the Redeemed

1 The desert and the parched land will be glad;

the wilderness will rejoice and blossom.

Like the crocus, 2 it will burst into bloom;

it will rejoice greatly and shout for joy.

The glory of Lebanon will be given to it,

the splendor of Carmel and Sharon;

they will see the glory of the LORD,

the splendor of our God.
3 Strengthen the feeble hands,

steady the knees that give way;
4 say to those with fearful hearts,

"Be strong, do not fear;

your God will come,

he will come with vengeance;

with divine retribution

he will come to save you."
5 Then will the eyes of the blind be opened

and the ears of the deaf unstopped.
6 Then will the lame leap like a deer,

and the mute tongue shout for joy.

Water will gush forth in the wilderness

and streams in the desert.
7 The burning sand will become a pool,

the thirsty ground bubbling springs.

In the haunts where jackals once lay,

grass and reeds and papyrus will grow.
8 And a highway will be there;

it will be called the Way of Holiness.

The unclean will not journey on it;

it will be for those who walk in that Way;

wicked fools will not go about on it.
9 No lion will be there,

nor will any ferocious beast get up on it;

they will not be found there.

But only the redeemed will walk there,
10 and the ransomed of the LORD will return.

They will enter Zion with singing;

everlasting joy will crown their heads.

Gladness and joy will overtake them,

and sorrow and sighing will flee away.

I feel that right now we need to be doing what verse 3-4 talk about: strengthening and encouraging those who are weak and anxious. We need to prepare ourselves as well for this new season. I had this image in my mind of someone in front of Cooper (where the chapel is) and they were raking the ground. The ground was full of cracks and dry,dry dirt. Someone walked by and started mocking the person who was raking. However this encouraging came, "This is wisdom". It is wisdom to prepare in this way, even those places that look hopeless. It will soon be worth it to labor for things that look foolish now. Keep going! Keep praying! Keep fasting! Keep studying! Keep encouraging others!

Death's Perspective

The other day I was hanging out with Jesus and discussing with Him what this current time in my life is all about. I asked Him whether or not I was headed into another long season where praying and reading the Word seemed boring and if I needed to prepare to press through. Or is this just a hard time of transition for me as I adjust to a new semester, new schedule, new staff that I'll be working under, etc? I wondered why I had to be in this place again, possibly for a long period of time, where I feel so weak and tired and busy and burdened and bad for not spending more time or getting more out of the time I spend. Why do I have to be in this place that is seemingly barren? And then I felt the Lord put this phrase in my head:
"It is only from the perspective of death that He speaks to me about life."
or in other words
"It is only from the place/perspective of death that we can understand life."

That made so much sense to me! Think of all the times where God lead His people into the desert or wilderness and then spoke to them. In Hosea 2, God tells Hosea to tell His prostitute wife (really check it out, it's a cool book in the Bible), a.k.a God is saying this to unfaithful Israel, "Therefore I am now going to allure her; I will lead her into the desert and speak tenderly to her." (Hosea 2:14)

It seems like those who are most afraid of death, talking about it, being around it, fearing their own death, are those who don't really know how to live. It is only when we examine and understand that this life really is just a breath, just a vapor, just a moment that we start to live.

So, even though I hate that place of barrenness and weakness I will embrace it, knowing that every time I say 'yes' to putting part of my own desires, dreams, thoughts, strength to death, God will truly bring life, and life to the fullest, to those things. God is the God of the resurrection and the life. I guess I'm ok with that.

(note to self: He is more committed to perfecting you, strengthening you, teaching you, loving you, etc. than you are. Remember that. God is faithful)

"He who has found his life will lose it, and he who has lost his life for My sake will find it. " -Jesus

Matthew 10:39

Let's not be afraid of death (to ourselves) or the pain of death any longer friends. Let's embrace it and find out what living is really all about.

Immanuel

God with us. Immanuel or Emmanuel-your preference. Immanuel is a name that usually gets pulled out around Christmas time due to the prophecy in Isaiah 7:14. Jesus the Son of God, born of a virgin, put on human flesh and dwelled among men. That in itself is amazing and profound and will probably take all eternity to fully understand.
I don't think that this promise was meant to be shelved away and taken out when it's time to put up the manger set in the living room. I think this is a reality that we need to examine daily in our own lives. I'll put it another way: We can't afford to ignore this reality. Why? Because Immanuel is something bigger that the great things of the Christmas season, the appearances of God to Moses, Elijah, other prophets, and the reality of God coming to earth as a man. Running through all these things stands the desire of a Holy God to be with His sinful, broken, defiled people. That is stunning!

First off there is the original set-up of God-to-man relationship, the Garden of Eden. God created this place where his creation could interact with Him in a very real, tangible way. In Genesis 3:8 it says that God walked around the garden. Imagine living in this time before the fall. Nothing stood in the way of you being with God. God desired to be in uninterrupted relationship with man.
Fast forward to the 'historical books' section of the Bible (which some consider the boring part) where this desire is seen even in the rituals and mosaic law of the Hebrew people. Ritual cleansing, food laws, laws on dealing with lepers, and accidental defilements all had one purpose: to make it possible for God to dwell among the Israelites. Just check out these passages:

"I will dwell among the sons of Israel and will be their God." Exodus 29:45 (emphasis mine)

"Moreover, I will make My dwelling among you, and My soul will not reject you." Leviticus 26:11 (emphasis mine)

"You shall send away both male and female; you shall send them outside the camp so that they will not defile their camp where I dwell in their midst." Numbers 5:3 (emphasis mine)

"You shall not defile the land in which you live, in the midst of which I dwell; for I the LORD am dwelling in the midst of the sons of Israel. Numbers 35:34 (emphasis mine)

The passage that sums up the whole of the God's desire to be with man is, in my opinion, found in the book of Revelation chapter 21:

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth passed away, and there is no longer any sea. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, made ready as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, "Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men, and He will dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be among them, and He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away." And He who sits on the throne said, "Behold, I am making all things new " And He said, "Write, for these words are faithful and true." Revelation 21:1-5

A lot of people sing songs and pray prayers that speak of their desire to be in heaven. This desires aren't wrong but even greater than our desire to be in heaven, God Himself wants to dwell among us on earth! This is a desire that runs throughout the entire Bible. God longs to dwell with His people. The same God who Moses was afraid to look at because he would die wants to dwell with man. Like Jesus prayed, "Father, I desire that they also, whom You have given Me, be with Me where I am, so that they may see My glory which You have given Me, for You loved Me before the foundation of the world. " John 17:24.

Not only goes God want to dwell among man, but He wants us to live in that place of perfect peace with no death, mourning, crying, or pain. He is going to wipe all those things out. All of creation will look on in wonder as God steps down from heaven and makes His home among men( Ephesians 3:10). Before this can become a reality a lot of things have to happen. Similar to the way the Israelites had to guard against defiling the camp and cleanse themselves and their camp God will bring about a cleansing and consecration like the world has never seen (see the rest of the book of revelation).

Everything that God does, whether it's raising up or bringing down leaders in the world, allowing natural disasters to happen, changing things in the church, allowing political unrest, or more personal things of everyday life it is all in accordance with His will and desire to dwell among men.

This can give us great comfort as change, pain, or other difficulties come into out life. Not only is this according to God's plan, but look at the plan He has! I would say yes to anything if that is what I will get to experience forever! It can also give us great hope. When you say 'yes' to Jesus and the plan of His Father you are saying yes to a kingdom that is not founded on manipulation or seeking power at the cost of anything or anyone, but founded on meekness and humility. You are saying yes to an eternity without death, mourning, crying or pain. You are saying yes to a God who wants people to know and experience Him, even humbling Himself to dwell among people. You are saying yes to a God who cares about every detail in our lives that seems insignificant, a God who wants to give us power to live lives of love, holiness, and peace, a God who wants to give us the best and the greatest of His kingdom and His heart.

This is our hope.

God desires to dwell with you, even in your weakness, brokenness or the mess of your life. Yes, it is true God wants to dwell with you in that place. This is our destiny!

Amazing post!

I am called to be an intercessory missionary. That's right I'm going to go sit in a room with a bunch of other people(or no one) and worship God as well as saying back to Him what He tells me to say (praying) for the rest of my life. I'm so excited!
A place and group of people that has encouraged me, taught me, and I feel a certain attachment to is the International House of Prayer in Kansas City (www.ihop.org). If that is where God leads me, that is where I'm heading after college.
Today I came across a post by Dave Sliker, part of Ihop leadership and author of End-Times Simplified, on his blog He is at the door . The Ihop is undergoing a new season, noticeably different after their 7 year anniversary in September this year. Most noticeable is the new stage and their new partnership with God TV. This post explains the changes going on. This excerpt is my favorite part and is a beautiful and sstunning observation of what God is doing at the Ihop. It makes me excited and a little nervous about stepping into this environment.

"Fast forward nearly four years - December 29th, 2006. On Friday afternoon I happen to check the news during a small window of free time from my conference responsibilities - Saddam Hussein was to be executed that evening.
(For a chilling recounting via some solid reporting of the hours, and events, leading up to Saddam's execution, go here:
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/07/world/middleeast/07ticktock.html?ei=5065&en=528a2d4d48836088&ex=1168750800&partner=MYWAY&pagewanted=print)
I shot a quick email to Mike, Allen, Stuart, and a few others as an FYI. Then I jumped in to lead the 5 PM intercessory prayer meeting, which was probably one of the liveliest, action packed two-hour prayer meetings I've ever been a part of. I did not have a moment to think about the evening or the email.
At about 6:50, as we were transitioning off the platform for the next team, Misty grabbed me. She was a bit worked up, which was unusual in itself. "Mike's been looking all over for you!" She said quickly. She quickly filled me in on what was going on - Mike wanted to turn tonight"s worship time into an intercession time for Saddam and the Middle East, involving the God-TV viewing audience, led by myself and six other intercessors he wanted me to find. He wanted to begin almost immediately after the worship time began. The worship time began in less than 10 minutes.
Misty, Brent, and myself hurriedly rushed to the side of the stage as we all worked together to gather the different intercessors. Allen was out - he was preaching that evening. We found Corey and Stuart. Wes was sitting in the third row. Shelly was at her little spot. Before we could even think about what was happening, as worship was well underway, Misty got the signal from the platform. It was time. We were up. Someone shouted over the music to me - "Line us up!" No one wanted to go first, so I volunteered myself.
Since I constantly find myself in the most interesting of situations, before I knew it I was standing up front, waiting for Mike to finish his prayer so that I could take my turn. I was surprisingly calm. I rehearsed a little bit of what I wanted to pray in my head: that the Prince of Peace would be the true King of the Middle East. That mercy would triumph in Baghdad. I wanted to rebuke opportunistic demons and ask the Lord to hold back the works of darkness. I wanted God to quiet the storm of men's hearts and souls, that the Holy Spirit would establish the peace of God. I wanted God to establish the believers in Baghdad in peace, confidence, and power through His Spirit.
In a minute, it was over for me. I went back down the stairs and reflected for a moment on what had just happened - on what I had done and what we, together, were doing.
Rory and Wendy Alec, the founders of God-TV, have a vision. Their desire is to establish a context for the prayer room to be a vehicle to interpret judgment and revival for the nations in the days to come. It occurred to me that in that very moment, in that little arena with 15,000 people; and in front of millions via God-TV around the world, that we had begun to step into that role just a little bit. We had, in a moment, shifted the hearts and minds of thousands of young adults who were part of the group that applauded the execution of Saddam at the beginning of the meeting when we announced it. Now they were huddled in small groups, praying for his salvation.
I sat for a moment in awe of the Lord. "Why us?" I asked quietly in prayer. "We're so simple, so simple" I whispered to myself. The answer came suddenly: "The wisdom of leading a thousand prayer meetings..." The Lord spoke to me in that moment.
I began to weep. And weep. And weep - for quite some time.
The sentence concluded: "so that you are not crushed by the magnitude of the moment."
It was stunning to me, the dignity of our calling as intercessory missionaries. The routine, the mundane, the repetitive and stubborn manner in which we show up to the prayer room, day after day after day, grab a microphone, and ask Him again to change the earth. It struck me that, in the brilliance of His leadership, seven intercessors walked onto a platform in front of millions of people and actually prayed to a Man. They didn't preach, they didn't teach, they didn't get lost in the moment or themselves. They just closed their eyes and talked to a Man. And they weren't crushed by the magnitude of the moment. Simultaneously, hearts were shifted. I believe the heavens were shifted as well - just a little.
As we stepped in that evening in just a little bit to a little piece of our calling and mandate as the International House of Prayer in Kansas City, we did something momentous, something significant, in the plain, simple, mundane act of doing what we do in weakness and brokenness every day.
And I am not sure if, after those moments, anything will ever be the same here again. We have come to a turning point as a people as a ministry. A true new season is upon us. It will surely be messy, and truly be painful at times. But it will also be glorious for those who signed up for the honor and the privilege of watching the true Leader of the prayer movement orchestrate His great plan to usher in the end of the age, and the final moments of history that culminate with His return.
I can't wait to see what's next."

(Un) offended

Again, and it's one of those times you really hate repeats, there is turmoil on campus. For the 2nd semester in a row people are on the chopping block at Sterling College. Recently both our President of Academic Affairs and our VP of Student Life were fired for no reason. It is incredibly sad because they were both incredibly strong men of faith. There are rumors that more faculty will be cut when we leave for break. This is putting the students under incredible stress and in situations like this tend to make people angry. Here are my thoughts:

Though injustice needs to be dealt with, its not an excuse or reason to be angry with God. Only by digging into the word and having it written upon our hearts while coming before God in prayer and asking, "What is on Your heart?' over and over again will we remain unoffended. It's not that we're necessarily asking God to break down His plan step by step for us, but instead asking that our hearts would become like His. That (Having and knowledge and understanding of God's heart) will transcend and permeate any situation we are in or will be in for the rest of our lives.

Hedged in

Author's note:
After considering deleting this post I decided to go ahead and post it. It's not as eloquent as I want and it barely scrapes the surface of the issue and my feelings. Well, whatever...

God has such a beautiful way of dealing with and moving in the human heart. Recently I have been reviewing one in particular in my own life. It's the concept of being hedged in.

Often times there comes a season in a Christian's walk with God where things seem dry, dull, boring, or distant. It can be a dramatic and painful contrast to seasons where God's presence seems to surround you and worship, prayer, and Bible study grip your heart every time. This is often referred to as a desert season. I have found myself in this place, this season, recently.

When entering this season it is easy to assume ,"I've done something wrong! I better start repenting of every horrible thing I've ever done. That will make this feeling go away," however, though the feeling of distance from God can be from sin, this is often a season of growth. God has bigger purposes than we can imagine.

These seasons are often used to shake us out of our comfort zone, to disillusion us to the things of this life, and to make us realize how much more God has for us. In this wilderness, this dry and barren place, God is enlarging our capacity to love Him. It's another interesting paradox: a barren place is where we can find life and when we mourn for more of God we will be comforted.

These are not seasons without purpose. God knows our hearts. He knows how easily we are distracted and allow ourselves to be distracted. This is where He hedges us in. We try to find satisfaction in human relationships. WALL. We try to numb the ache inside with entertainment. WALL. We try to fill our emptiness with substances. WALL. We try to run. WALL. We search for satisfaction in everything but God and every time we come up empty. This is our gift.

He is calling us to meet Him in this place, where we're boxed in by our own dissatisfaction and finally look to Him.

Justice and Injustice in Everyday Life

When we think about justice and injustice in our lives what exactly do we think about? Do we think about the war in Iraq, genocide in Sudan, children starving in third world countries, and other Oprah-worthy acts of social injustice. How do we or should we define justice and injustice?
A few weeks ago in Wednesday Chapel James Cole, the assistant Chaplain, gave his definitions.
First, he defined power. Though power is often attributed to money or position he defined power as influence.
Injustice: the use of power to oppress others.
Justice: the use of power to liberate others.

He further defined oppression as dehumanizing someone and liberation as humanizing someone. This leads to his complete definition of the terms being:

Injustice : The use of power (influence) to oppress (dehumanize) others.
Justice: The use of poor (influence) to liberate (humanize) others.

James continued to say that injustice is not just something that we see on the news but something that we experience in our everyday lives, mostly in relationships with others.

In our relationships with others, whether it be with parents, friends, significant others, or people we lead, we have the opportunity to use our power (influence) justly or unjustly. There are ways in which we act unjustly (dehumanize) : lying, manipulating, gossiping, etc.
And opportunities to act justly (liberate): telling the truth even when it's painful, being supportive, breaking up when in an unhealthy dating relationship, etc.

We have the chance to free people from chains, perhaps even chains we've put them in. No longer is injustice only seen in poor foreign countries, it's in poor western relationships.

It's time to be liberators and not oppressors.

"He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God." Micah 6:8

"The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor." Jesus. Luke 4:18-19 (also check out Isaiah 61:1-3)