23

It is my birthday today, In case people haven't noticed. This is but one more step until I am over the hill, 23/40 = 58% over the hill. If you really want to get me the best gift ever, you could find a Taylor 410 CE and buy it for me (list price of about $2000).

I got back from Alaska on Wednesday night (after a 2 hour plane delay) and I have noticed some really interesting things. In Ketchikan, I feel like there is an abundance of faith. People believe that if they pray for their friends, they will get saved; if they cry out to God long enough, He will step in and alter the situation to His glory. I find that I lack that here sometimes. I tend to look more toward the thing I am doing and less to the thing God is doing. I feel that there are many things that God will ask me to do for Him, but instead of saying to God, "Look at what I am doing for You" I should be saying, "I did what You asked, what is next?"

The place of waiting and trusting the Lord is where I need to be and where our ministry needs to be.

The Lord showed me a cool picture (I know how you feel sometimes Joy, because this is hard to convey properly). We were at the prayer meeting in Ketchikan on Tuesday night and about 80+ people were there. We listened to this cool soaking prayer thing, I don't know who it was by but it was very cool. There was a part where he talked about the room of intercession in the heavenlies and it floored me!!! I was standing in the back and I saw a picture of a person in the spiritual armor of God. This armor was very functional and well used. The armor was in really good repair and the person was ready for battle and experienced in warfare. The armor was customized and was perfect for the individual, allowing them to move freely and effectively. I am reminded of a verse in Song of Solomon 3:7-8. The people who wear this kind of armor are people who have been in the wars and have seen things most people have not.

Compare this to other people who just went to the store and bought their armor yesterday. It is shiny and new and it is strong enough, but you can tell it has not been used much. You can always tell the people who are just getting into a new activity, say hiking or fishing etc... They always have really new gear that somebody at the store told them was good or they are using the outdated gear from their grandpa. They have not taken the time to make the gear perfect for them. You can always tell the duffer or the weekend warrior by the gear they use. In battle, improperly working gear could be the difference between life and death.

I want to be a person who has the fully functional armor and who is ready for battle. I don't relish battle or wake up thinking I need to crush some demons face in order for my day to be a success, but if it come to that, I am ready to do that in gear that has been fitted and tested and well used by me.

Are we Christians who have the overriding faith that God is bigger? Just because we have been called to ministry (Ignite leaders) doesn't mean that the work is done. We are like the people who have been issued our armor, now we need to get to work. The spiritual battle here in Tacoma is huge and we cannot back down. The weekend warrior won't go out and fight if it is raining or if they feel a little pain (from an old war wound, to be sure). The seasoned professional will battle through any odds. We are called to a full time ministry here on campus, whether we know it or not and we need to press through the little things that hold us down and rise up to the big things that God is calling us to.

Pastor Terry in Ketchikan said it very well when he talked about C (or Sea) level Christians. They can get by with living in a compromising situations and compromising their faith, God has grace and forgiveness. But when you get to the B level or A level, you will have to make some serious commitments. If we rise to this level and we don't begin to clean our lives up, we begin to take His grace and forgiveness for granted. We also allow a door to be opened for satan to come in and have his way in our lives and in our ministry. We have been chosen to be a higher level of Christian than we were and I know that is our heart. Lets go for it and not hold back or be held back...

Much love to everyone.

No really I mean it, I love you all

Happy Birthday to ME!!!