A world of Visionaries.....

I have to admit that I am becoming evermore certain that I want to fight for dreams and visions to become tangible realities! I feel passion and excitement to discern what it is that God has for our lives, to grasp and make it happen. I mean why should we be held back by our fears of unattainable bench marks , our fear of failure or the fear of going against the grain. To truly live out what Paul claims in Philippians 3:8, "Indeed , I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord," do I really live this way? Do I rest easy knowing that my worth and assurance comes from Christ that He made me the way He wants me.. hmm honestly I greatly wrestle..
I often wonder therefore under what authority do I live my life. How do I use my voice, the power behind having a voice and the ability to be courageous and challenge.. I believe that every follower of Christ is called to make a stand under God's authority, how faithful am I to the fundamental calling of living by His word. I think of how Peter and John described, " for we cannot but speak of what we have seen or heard," (Acts 4:20) , that the greatest desire of my heart is to live out what has changed me (and hopefully will continue to work in me),  what attracts my attention and has captured my heart...
Many times I feel we shy away from being bold and just deciding to go for things, perhaps what we grow up around has a bigger effect than we often think. I wonder if I 'pray as if it all depends on God and live as if it all depends on me', I wonder how much I grasp the total amazing reality that ' For me to live is Christ, and to die is gain', ( Philippians 1:21) this often encourages me to really want to discover what Christ wants me to stand for, how He wants to use me and use my voice, that while I am here, I am here for Him !
In my understanding to love and to do so spiritually we should recognise the undeniable stamp that Jesus gives ALL men, that this type of love is not wrapped up in desire but serves - beyond our greatest imagination of what this truly means, born out and bound solely to the word of Jesus Christ. This thing that has changed us , that has brought new understanding and desires - we owe to others! What I guess I'm getting to us that love and fellowship with others is not an ideal but a divine reality - 1 million percent spiritual.
For me I am greatly motivated to fight for others, I often hear ' Open your mouth for the mute, for the rights of all who are destitute,' (Proverbs 31:8) resounding in my head or the challenge of James of True Religion to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world ( James 1:27) , I mean we all have this great responsibility and duty to fulfill.... I just long to grasp it more and more every day to never be unaware of others, to listen attentively to God to know His voice and to not simply be stirred by and fail to act - I long for authenticity, to walk humbly.
Admittedly at this point I just scratch on the surface of many things, much more could be said on many of the tangents I have thrown out here, I realise my ability to spiral in all sorts of directions, my thinkings out loud are so random..
I am greatly challenged by the words of Jim Belcher " When you talk about justice the world loves you, when you talk about Jesus the world hates you, " how much we must continue to strive for the proclamation of Christ , Jesus is Justice - the complete embodyment of, That proclamation and demonstration can never be divorced.
I just want to see a world not afraid to dream, I don't wish to be defined by accomplishments or success by any imagination- I want to hold firmly to the unfathomable knowledge that just by existing I hold soo much worth in God's eyes, ( something I feel that I am admittedly yet to fully grasp myself )yet I want to dream big - For Him !

I am left thinking of Lawrence of Arabia :

"All men dream: but not equally. Those who dream by night in the dusty recesses of their minds wake up in the day to find it was vanity, but the dreamers of the day are dangerous men, for they may act their dreams with open eyes, to make it possible."


Wow ! I hope we all strive to see more clearly our true potential in Christ , to dream and not be paralysed by fear .. Let's Go ! 

Something there is that doesn't love a wall ...

This line has always stuck with me after studying good old Robert Frost, that and a few other old favourites... One farmer in complete predicament over why he and his neighbour continue to re-build a wall between them each spring..... 'Mending Wall'...


                                        Something there is that doesn't love a wall...

I guess it just gets me to thinking about the 'walls' we create in our lives - the intentional and those that we aren't even aware are present. The thought that these two men meet together in a habitual manner to purposely re-build the barrier between them and enforce the segregation that has just learnt to be, doesn't seem to sit easy with me. But I guess we are all guilty of building superfluous 'walls' with not much justification, -  it definitely feels some what 'safer' with the necessity that we often attribute to the boundaries we find ourselves implementing.  We all do it - even the guy in this predicament is guilty of taking action when the wall is damaged to rebuild.- somewhere inside of him he is only to happy to have that wall..
I guess it comes down to the fragility we hold and how it's not comfortable to feel vulnerable, it's our human tendency to want to protect ourselves to monitor who or what we let into Our lives.
This does bring about the challenge however of the 'walls' we place in relation to the community and togetherness God calls us to. Paul tells us'Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ,' (Galations 6:2), there is no denying how we are meant to let people help and support us, that it is in fact God's desire- Love is God's way. Not only to let people in but to be people ourselves who relate and get along side people and truly love and support.
There is no ignoring the fact however that many of us struggle in not letting our defensive mechanism have gates, that we avoid the entire process. I wonder if we realise however, the magnitude of walking in and out of someone's heart felt issues, to recognise what it is to share with them- although I am aware that many people do not find this an issue at all. The issue is deeply wrapped in trust, reliability and honesty - to step up and know that we can't just plunder in and out - every experience has a lasting effect. I strive to not only acknowledge these needs around me but to ultimately set out to grow to the opinion of Something there is that doesn't love a wall ... It is necessary to grasp the ultimately satisfying love and acceptance that comes from Christ and to make this Our first place of safe dwelling - that being totally open and honest with Him is something so precious and amazing. One totally wants to eradicate completely any risk of becoming self reliant, distant or unaware of others - yet on re-evaluating stance on things it  is more than comforting to know the truth of the Gospel.

As we wressle with issues such as this and knowing ourselves in relation to others and being wise in that , at times I am admittedly left wondering the level of truth behind ,  “Good fences make good neighbours.” ?
                                                   -The humanity of defence and protection tackling the up most desire to love and become closer to God - it's time to get our hands dirty- in realising our challenges and not remain apathetic !

The Vision ......

So this guy comes up to me and says "what's the vision? What's the big idea?" I open my mouth and words come out like this… The vision?

The vision is JESUS – obsessively, dangerously, undeniably Jesus.

The vision is an army of young people.

You see bones? I see an army. And they are FREE from materialism.

They laugh at 9-5 little prisons. They could eat caviar on Monday and crusts on Tuesday. They wouldn't even notice. They know the meaning of the Matrix, the way the west was won. They are mobile like the wind, they belong to the nations. They need no passport.. People write their addresses in pencil and wonder at their strange existence. They are free yet they are slaves of the hurting and dirty and dying. What is the vision ? The vision is holiness that hurts the eyes. It makes children laugh and adults angry. It gave up the game of minimum integrity long ago to reach for the stars. It scorns the good and strains for the best. It is dangerously pure.

Light flickers from every secret motive, every private conversation. It loves people away from their suicide leaps, their Satan games. 

This is an army that will lay down its life for the cause. A million times a day its soldiers

choose to lose that they might one day win the great 'Well done' of faithful sons and daughters.

Such heroes are as radical on Monday morning as Sunday night. They don't need fame from names. Instead they grin quietly upwards and hear the crowds chanting again and again: "COME ON!"

And this is the sound of the underground The whisper of history in the making Foundations shaking Revolutionaries dreaming once again Mystery is scheming in whispers Conspiracy is breathing… This is the sound of the underground

And the army is discipl(in)ed.

Young people who beat their bodies into submission.

Every soldier would take a bullet for his comrade at arms. The tattoo on their back boasts "for me to live is Christ and to die is gain".

Sacrifice fuels the fire of victory in their upward eyes. Winners. Martyrs. Who can stop them ? Can hormones hold them back? Can failure succeed? Can fear scare them or death kill them ?

And the generation prays

like a dying man with groans beyond talking, with warrior cries, sulphuric tears and with great barrow loads of laughter! Waiting. Watching: 24 – 7 – 365.

Whatever it takes they will give: Breaking the rules. Shaking mediocrity from its cosy little hide. Laying down their rights and their precious little wrongs, laughing at labels, fasting essentials. The advertisers cannot mould them. Hollywood cannot hold them. Peer-pressure is powerless to shake their resolve at late night parties before the cockerel cries.

They are incredibly cool, dangerously attractive inside.

On the outside? They hardly care. They wear clothes like costumes to communicate and celebrate but never to hide. Would they surrender their image or their popularity? They would lay down their very lives - swap seats with the man on death row - guilty as hell. A throne for an electric chair.

With blood and sweat and many tears, with sleepless nights and fruitless days,

they pray as if it all depends on God and live as if it all depends on them.

Their DNA chooses JESUS. (He breathes out, they breathe in.) Their subconscious sings. They had a blood transfusion with Jesus. Their words make demons scream in shopping centres. Don't you hear them coming? Herald the weirdo's! Summon the losers and the freaks. Here come the frightened and forgotten with fire in their eyes. They walk tall and trees applaud, skyscrapers bow, mountains are dwarfed by these children of another dimension. Their prayers summon the hounds of heaven and invoke the ancient dream of Eden.

And this vision will be. It will come to pass; it will come easily; it will come soon. How do I know? Because this is the longing of creation itself, the groaning of the Spirit, the very dream of God. My tomorrow is his today. My distant hope is his 3D. And my feeble, whispered, faithless prayer invokes a thunderous, resounding, bone-shaking great 'Amen!' from countless angels, from hero's of the faith, from Christ himself. And he is the original dreamer, the ultimate winner.

Guaranteed.

I have always been aware of the great purpose that prayer has in living in relationship with God, it was in fact the amazing revelation that prayer had within my own life that further attracted me to wanting to know God more.

 I feel unavoidably challenged however as to letting this passion dim, how can I refrain from continuously recognising the total blessing of being able to talk to God?

The undeniable gift that prayer is, not only within our personal relationships with God but as a community of believers exceeds anything beyond imagination, none the less I seem to fail in grasping this.

Personally I feel such a privilege when someone allows me to be a part of their journey, the special nature of being able to hear their heartfelt emotions.

 I wonder if I take enough time to realise how precious people are, how valuable and of the much worth they hold, that they are continuously being battered from every angle by the opposition that they need people to pray and let their hearts be broken on their behalf, to not only feel their pain but to bring before the Father in heaven.

 The realisation that when we pray for others that we are able to bring them back to the reality of God, to know His truth within their lives is what we hold to.

I feel incredibly aware of the possibility of bringing people myself, when God is the greatest comforter, ever.

 I am blown away that the Creator of the Universe not only wants to listen to me but that He answers my prayers! 

 Do I put my whole trust and total belief in God- who does hear me, whose sovereign nature will prevail and who is the ultimate winner!

Knowing what counts...

I think it is fair to say that recently in life I have found it very easy to deminish, perhaps with out intention, the true desires and wants of my heart. I suppose I am talking about the 'ethos' of my life , what my motivations, hopes and dreams are founded on and if they are prominent in the ongoings of my daily life. There is absolute no doubt in my mind that the Love of God and His precious undeserving gift should be the most forefront knowledge in both my heart and mind alike,  but it is with what do we do with this.(This is something that I admittedly could talk about for a long time and something that will contain many differing threads than what this snipet will portray , no doubt to be returned to many times.) There are times when I find myself needing to take a step back , like totally remove myself from a situation and re-evaluate. How am I rooting my life , what am I putting time into and what is clogging up my thinking.
In my heart I know that I long to know how to love people , I know that I continuously mess up on this and fall so short of the mark. This is something I always want to refresh myself in , to always strive to love in the knowledge and belief that love is the only thing that matters and the only thing that can make a difference and create hope. How great a weight that small word has ! its more than what its even defined as - surely it should have no limits ! Its this love for others and the realisation of the worth that each hold , that should motivate us to fight and challenge those who need us to speak for them - that our love isn't bound up in terms and conditions but the opposite that it delves straight into the unknown , dark and unlikely places - its ok to get your hands dirty ! However I let the passion of this and my desire slip , in my human nature I let myself become bombarded with stresses , pressures and in short the things in life that easily take a hold and take attention from what counts. How come mediocrity can slide so easily into our lives, although it has no place it comfortably resides.
I know I def need to focus more on the things that I want to let my life work towards but to most importantly be devoted to live my life fully for the One who gave me it. What counts matters when freaking out, when you hit the 'wall' ,  what counts draws us back to earth and I def feel challenged in my life to further explore what I believe counts. What I want to fight for, what I want my mind to be caught up in, what I would like other people to catch a vision for and how I can work towards fulfilling further whatever the part I have to play.
I don't want things to hold me back, I want to fight for things to be possible and not live weighed down by a fear of the impossible - I guess I truly want to know what counts- to me. 
However openly I can be so tortured by the paradoxical trait of the human nature a battle I perhaps will never escape...