So, things have been getting crazy at the Furnace prayer room I've been going to lately. God has been building me up, teaching me, and drawing me closer to Himself in this short time...more so than I expected would ever happen in any less than a year, ha. I've been learning the importance of allowing God to speak His truths to us through our imaginations. Kind of a weird thought at first, but man, God has done some pretty cool things through this. The director of the Furnace told me today it would be a good idea to write these down, so here we go.
At the Collegiate Day of Prayer nearly a month ago, I was having a hard time worshiping for some reason. I was just distracted and couldn't focus on God as much as I wanted to. As I tried to focus on Him, I suddenly got a picture in my head, like I was standing a few feet back looking at myself. Everything started to get darker, including myself, as I watched. It felt like there was a huge pressure building inside me, and little beams of light started to crack out of my body as I watched. It was like the power and light of the whole sun was just barely being contained inside me...the Holy Spirit. That's what He's like. God used that to re-focus me on Him so I could worship Him without being distracted. Then, a couple minutes later when I sat down, the same thing happened again. This time, I could feel the pressure rise even more, and all of a sudden....BOOM! I watched myself explode in a ball of light! Whoa. That is the kind of light that is in us as children of God: explosive, all-encompassing, unstoppable light. Wow.
A couple Mondays ago, I was worshiping at the Furnace, and praying that God would heal me because I was really sick. I pictured myself before the throne of God and the Lamb Who was wounded so I could be healed. As I pictured Jesus as the Lamb...He looked at me, and I could feel it. Then He started walking toward me from the throne. Whoa. As if that wasn't enough...I could feel the Holy Spirit in me focus His attention on me, and then the Father put His gaze upon me. WHOA. I felt the weight of the gaze of the Almighty God bearing down on me in love and majesty, and it was almost too much to handle. Wow, God loves me and each one of His children SO MUCH! I spent half of the rest of my time there unable to stop shaking, haha. Definitely the most spiritually, mentally, emotionally, and physically intense experience I've ever had.
Just last night I spent a long time talking and praying with my good friend Justin. During that time, God used him to really convict me about a part of my life that he knew was really causing me stress because I hadn't given it to God yet. We talked it out for quite a while, and God softened my heart enough so that I was finally ready to fully give it over to Him (I know this is vague, but it's close to my heart, and this was even harder to give to Him than Colorado was). After we prayed and asked God to take my plans and expectations, I sat up and got a picture of Jesus standing before me. He looked at me and gave a kind of sideways smile. He was holding the plans I just gave Him, and I got the impression that He was incredibly excited that I had finally given them up to Him. He had been waiting for years (which is nothing to Him, I know) for this, and after He showed me how excited He was, He turned and immediately began working on His own plan for me. Awesome. People I met today commented on how I looked a lot happier than previously, like my face was shining, haha. Well, it's hard, but everything is better when you surrender to Jesus's plan and don't keep anything from Him.
There's more...but these are some of the more intense and personally meaningful pictures God has shown me. Pretty sweet. God likes to use our imaginations to reveal more of His beauty and love, and to show us things we can't physically see. I love it.
Peace.
Wednesday, March 20, 2013
Lansing...again?
So, I just moved back home almost two months ago. Living at home has been great. Being around my family more, eating homecooked meals, saving money on food and rent, and being in the country...all great things. Driving to Lansing pretty much every day kind of sucks, though, and in a few months when my old roommates move, I won't be able to bum a couch in South Lansing to save gas money.
The other day I visited a friend who lives near downtown Lansing. As I walked around the main floor of his house, I discovered a very, very small, empty bedroom. I asked him about it, and he explained that the landlord had been looking for someone to fill it, that he was a Christian, and this is one of four houses he owns in Lansing which he calls Intentional Faith Communities. After telling me about his current housemates, I started getting all sorts of great ideas about the house and saw a huge potential for what Jesus could do there. I voiced all of this to him, and he said:
"Yup. I've been thinking and praying about all those same things for a while now, and I've just been waiting for someone to come alongside and help."
Whoa.
God has made it very clear that until He gets me to Colorado on His time, I need to not only wait, but also look for why He hasn't taken me there already. So far I've had a hard time seeing the purpose for staying...but this opportunity might at least be part of it. I've been trying to set up a time to meet with his landlord and talk cost for the room, and also calculating out whether or not I could/should rent the room. So far, it looks like something I can do. I would be less than fifteen minutes away from pretty much everything I do in Lansing, and would be able to work more overtime at work (which they're always asking me to do).
I really don't like living in the city, but I'm actually excited for the opportunity presented here. Jesus has really big plans for that house, and I would love to be a part of it.
Peace.
The other day I visited a friend who lives near downtown Lansing. As I walked around the main floor of his house, I discovered a very, very small, empty bedroom. I asked him about it, and he explained that the landlord had been looking for someone to fill it, that he was a Christian, and this is one of four houses he owns in Lansing which he calls Intentional Faith Communities. After telling me about his current housemates, I started getting all sorts of great ideas about the house and saw a huge potential for what Jesus could do there. I voiced all of this to him, and he said:
"Yup. I've been thinking and praying about all those same things for a while now, and I've just been waiting for someone to come alongside and help."
Whoa.
God has made it very clear that until He gets me to Colorado on His time, I need to not only wait, but also look for why He hasn't taken me there already. So far I've had a hard time seeing the purpose for staying...but this opportunity might at least be part of it. I've been trying to set up a time to meet with his landlord and talk cost for the room, and also calculating out whether or not I could/should rent the room. So far, it looks like something I can do. I would be less than fifteen minutes away from pretty much everything I do in Lansing, and would be able to work more overtime at work (which they're always asking me to do).
I really don't like living in the city, but I'm actually excited for the opportunity presented here. Jesus has really big plans for that house, and I would love to be a part of it.
Peace.
Thursday, March 7, 2013
Spring to summer, fatherless to Fathered
So, this post will have a little more thought put into it than my last couple, which have mostly been blurted ideas or vague descriptions of what I've seen God doing lately. Yay for clarity!
First, let it be known that I'm probably not going to Colorado in May/June, like I was talking about. After some thoughts, prayers, and remembering other things God has said to me since I got back from my original trip out there, I've decided it would be better to wait until God presents the right moment instead of forcing His hand. It would also be really nice to have enough extra money to make sure my van is in top condition for making the journey and staying alive once I'm out there, haha.
Soon after I got back to Michigan, I had plenty of people (including people with no invested interest in keeping me around) telling me, "Wow, it sounds like God is definitely going to get you out there! Now, just don't rush His timing!" He's clearly given me confirmation after confirmation that He is going to bring me there...so why should I try to push the timing along myself? God's timing is perfect, and mine is not, so I will trust Him and see what He has in store. My personality leans really heavily toward running away to adventure...so I have to watch out for that in myself. The summer camp I was looking at seemed really awesome, but it never really seemed like it was an opportunity from God, even though I tried really hard to convince myself of it, haha.
All that being said, I'm still praying for August as the date to leave, but I've also given it to God so I don't idolize that time or freak out at Him if it doesn't happen. Who knows? He may have a much better time planned.
I mentioned previously that God has been teaching me lately how He is my Father. After doing a short study on the instances of God being referred to as Father in Scripture, one thing that stood out in connection with those references was God as Teacher. I never had a dad growing up to teach me how to be a Godly man, so seeing this connection has been really helpful. In Matthew chapter twenty-three, Jesus tells us not to call anyone Rabbi, Father, or Teacher, other than Himself/God, because He alone is truly all of those to us. Whoa. God is the One Who can teach us best. He alone is free from error, always truthful, and always looking out for our best interests. Who is a better choice to teach children how to live and grow than their only true Father? No one. God wants us all to grow up together as images of Him on earth. Jesus, our co-heir in the inheritance of the Father, and in a way our big Brother, came first as the perfect example of how to live in our Father's will and thus bring glory to Him.
God gives good gifts to His children (the best, in fact), and what's better is that He always knows exactly what we need most. Even though it may not seem like what we need (especially if it's more like His discipline), our Father only gives good and perfect gifts, and all of them work for the good of His children and for His glory. Wow, what an awesome family we're a part of!
Our Father wants us to rest in His loving arms as His children, knowing we are safe and secure from everything. He runs out to meet us where we are, throwing His robe around us, placing rings on our fingers, and preparing a feast for us with Him at His table. Wow, does He love us! The Creator of the universe, the Great Physician, mighty God, everlasting Father, Prince of peace, Lord of lords, the great I AM...He wants us to be His children, and He loves us. Whoa. If God wants to be our Father, and is the ultimate, perfect fulfillment of what it means to be a father...I still don't get it, haha, but man, that's crazy.
Peace.
First, let it be known that I'm probably not going to Colorado in May/June, like I was talking about. After some thoughts, prayers, and remembering other things God has said to me since I got back from my original trip out there, I've decided it would be better to wait until God presents the right moment instead of forcing His hand. It would also be really nice to have enough extra money to make sure my van is in top condition for making the journey and staying alive once I'm out there, haha.
Soon after I got back to Michigan, I had plenty of people (including people with no invested interest in keeping me around) telling me, "Wow, it sounds like God is definitely going to get you out there! Now, just don't rush His timing!" He's clearly given me confirmation after confirmation that He is going to bring me there...so why should I try to push the timing along myself? God's timing is perfect, and mine is not, so I will trust Him and see what He has in store. My personality leans really heavily toward running away to adventure...so I have to watch out for that in myself. The summer camp I was looking at seemed really awesome, but it never really seemed like it was an opportunity from God, even though I tried really hard to convince myself of it, haha.
All that being said, I'm still praying for August as the date to leave, but I've also given it to God so I don't idolize that time or freak out at Him if it doesn't happen. Who knows? He may have a much better time planned.
I mentioned previously that God has been teaching me lately how He is my Father. After doing a short study on the instances of God being referred to as Father in Scripture, one thing that stood out in connection with those references was God as Teacher. I never had a dad growing up to teach me how to be a Godly man, so seeing this connection has been really helpful. In Matthew chapter twenty-three, Jesus tells us not to call anyone Rabbi, Father, or Teacher, other than Himself/God, because He alone is truly all of those to us. Whoa. God is the One Who can teach us best. He alone is free from error, always truthful, and always looking out for our best interests. Who is a better choice to teach children how to live and grow than their only true Father? No one. God wants us all to grow up together as images of Him on earth. Jesus, our co-heir in the inheritance of the Father, and in a way our big Brother, came first as the perfect example of how to live in our Father's will and thus bring glory to Him.
God gives good gifts to His children (the best, in fact), and what's better is that He always knows exactly what we need most. Even though it may not seem like what we need (especially if it's more like His discipline), our Father only gives good and perfect gifts, and all of them work for the good of His children and for His glory. Wow, what an awesome family we're a part of!
Our Father wants us to rest in His loving arms as His children, knowing we are safe and secure from everything. He runs out to meet us where we are, throwing His robe around us, placing rings on our fingers, and preparing a feast for us with Him at His table. Wow, does He love us! The Creator of the universe, the Great Physician, mighty God, everlasting Father, Prince of peace, Lord of lords, the great I AM...He wants us to be His children, and He loves us. Whoa. If God wants to be our Father, and is the ultimate, perfect fulfillment of what it means to be a father...I still don't get it, haha, but man, that's crazy.
Peace.
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