Saturday, December 25, 2004

the gift

"So deep and passionate was the Father's love for ALL of humanity, that He freely gave His only Son, that whoever trusts in Him will never perish, but live in the Father's presence forever."

- Jesus, John 3:16, paraphrased.

Wednesday, December 22, 2004

living

Excerpts from Wayne Jacobsen's Blog at Lifestream.org:

"We have to remind ourselves and each other that Christianity is a life lived in Father’s reality. It is not at its root a theological system, though it does have a coherent theology. It is not primarily an ethical system, though it will teach us to live in God’s righteousness. It is not observing rituals or ethical mandates. We live the life of Christ as we learn to abide in him, like a branch in a vine. He yearns to teach you how to do that. All you have to do is ask him, lean into him every day and watch his glory sort out in the real experiences of your life."

"Live each day to the fullest. There will never be a day when God will love you more. There will never be a day when more grace is available to you. Too many people waste time pining away for a future that never comes or envisioning a future revival instead of living deeply in God each day they are alive. Religion has to keep you hoping for a better day, but knowing God lets you live every day in the adventure of following him."

- Taken from "A Life Lived, Not A Theology Observed" (June 10, 2004) and "Sharing the Journey With An Elder Brother" (July 5, 2004).

Tuesday, December 21, 2004

freedom

Excerpts from an email to a friend discussing the Father's work in my life:

As far as what the Lord is teaching me, I think it can be summed up in two words: Father and Freedom.

Father: I have been brought back continually by the Holy Spirit to the simplicity of a day by day, moment by moment, living relationship with My Father. He is to be my continual Life and all in all. He is the only One I need to please. I need only walk with Him, hand in hand, spirit to Spirit. He will make known to me the path of life and in His Presence there are surely pleasures forevermore (Ps. 16:11).

Freedom: My relationship with Father releases me to walk in complete freedom, knowing that I need only walk with Him in love and simplicity. Walking with Him, I am free from the expectations of others (whether it be individuals, groups, or movements). I need only speak what I hear Him speaking. I need only do what I see Him doing. I am free from the compulsion to "be something great" or "do something great" for God. I am free to follow Him wherever He leads. Of course, this freedom will be challenged and tested, but this freedom is in Him and He is in me, so ultimately no one can touch it. It's not that I am even looking for freedom or desiring freedom, it's that when I walk in simplicity with Father, I have it in Him.

Monday, December 20, 2004

elder son

"And he said to him, 'Son, you have always been with me, and all that is mine is yours.'" - Luke 15:31

"The words of the text are familiar to us all. The elder son had complained and said, that though his father had made a feast, and had killed the fatted calf for the prodigal son, he had never given him even a kid that he might make merry with his friends. The answer of the father was: 'Son, thou art ever with me, and all that I have is thine.' One cannot have a more wonderful revelation of the heart of our Father in heaven than this points out to us. We often speak of the wonderful revelation of the father’s heart in his welcome to the prodigal son, and in what he did for him. But here we have a revelation of the father’s love far more wonderful, in what he says to the elder son."

- Andrew Murray, The Deeper Christian Life, Chapter II.

Saturday, December 18, 2004

Friday, December 17, 2004

fellowship

Excerpts from an email to a friend discussing the Father's leading in regards to fellowship:

I have seen over the past several months that as I walk with Father, He connects me with those of like heart and mind, completely apart from any planning or effort on my part. It just happens. Even though I see "house church" as a nice form/method for "doing church," I see that WE are truly "the church" and that as we are vitally connected to the Head, we will be connected by Him with those of like heart and mind. I see myself as part of one huge family - the Body of Christ - that cannot and will not be contained and restrained by the man-made barriers of groups, movements, and denominations.

In regards to our fellowship, the Lord is teaching me to completely release and lay down all expectations I have of others, my relationships with others, and even "house church" or "fellowship." I am to release others to follow the Lord as their heart leads. I am to embrace, accept, and love them as my brothers and sisters. Whereas six months ago, I would have been crushed if our "house church" had disbanded or ceased to meet, now I have a peace that the Lord will build His church whatever the outward circumstances. I don't doubt that I was looking to "house church" or our "fellowship" to meet needs in me that the Lord is jealous to meet. Now I know that whatever happens with our house church/fellowship, the Lord will connect me with dear brothers and sisters or send me out into a desert/wilderness with Him - it's ALL good when it's Him and when He's our Life and Source - when He has preeminence in all things.

I'm also seeing that it's NOT about house church, liquid church, emerging church, simple church, organic church, relational church, 24/7 prayer, worship, intercession, warfare, the Bible, prophecy, healing, deliverance, revival, etc. It's about Him and Him alone. He alone is enough!

Thursday, December 16, 2004

bible study

Excerpts from an email to a friend discussing the Father's leading in regards to studying "difficult" passages in the Bible:

In light of the Lord's current leading in my life, I don't feel an obligation to "reckon with" every one of the words that are written in the Bible in hopes of resolving every "difficulty" or "seeming contradiction." I don't feel obliged to compare specific verses of Scripture related to Calvinism and Arminianism in hopes of reconciling them. The Lord may be requiring that of you at this point in your journey, but I can honestly say with a clear conscience, that He is not requiring it of me.

Likewise, at this point in my journey, the Lord is not requiring me to wrestle with or explain difficult passages. I don't feel the need or the calling from God to square particular verses of Scripture with my "theology."

I am content to simply walk hand in hand with My Father, trusting that He will reveal all good things to me in His time. One of the verses of Scripture that rings loud and true to me right now is Psalm 36:9 - "For with Thee is the fountain of life; in Thy light we see light." Amen! Simply being with Him, resting in His Presense, captivated by His wondrous beauty - that is LIFE to me right now. In the Light of His Presense, He will reveal to me ALL that I need to know and understand about Him.

My passion is to know Him and love Him more deeply, and the Scriptures are definitely a means of grace for me in accomplishing this goal as they reveal the beauty of His nature and character.

Wednesday, December 15, 2004

his voice

Excerpts from an email to a friend discussing the ways in which the Father speaks to us and the reality of His voice in our lives:

I believe your most pressing question relates to my view on the final authority in our lives as believers, especially in matters related to doctrine and practice. Who or what is MY final authority? The Lord Himself and the Word He speaks - whether it be through the Scriptures, an angel (Acts 10:3), prayer (Acts 10:9), a trance/dream (Acts 10:10), a voice (Acts 10:13), a vision (Acts 10:17), the Holy Spirit (Acts 10:19), divine direction (Acts 10:22), a revelation (Acts 10:28), a command (Acts 10:33), or a message spoken by a fellow believer (Acts 10:34).

Ironically, in the 10th chapter of Acts, the Lord uses all of the aforementioned means EXCEPT the Scriptures to communicate His authoritative Word to man. Each of the Lord's different means of revealing His Word is seemingly given equal weight and authority. At no point, does anyone make the suggestion to check with the Scriptures to see if what is being communicated (through angel, trance, voice, vision, Spirit speaking, etc.) "lines up with" the Scriptures. I believe the primary reason why they didn't appeal to the Scriptures to validate what was being communicated was because the Holy Spirit within them confirmed that what was being communicated was indeed the Word of the Lord.

Can we err in interpreting what we believe the Lord is speaking to us in our inner man? Absolutely! Can we err in interpreting what we believe the Lord is speaking to us through our open-minded study of the Bible? Absolutely! What's a believer to do? I believe that the New Testament teaches that the Father sent a Teacher to live within us - the precious Holy Spirit. Will the Holy Spirit ever contradict the Word of God? Absolutely not. Will the Holy Spirit ever contradict what WE believe the Bible "clearly" teaches? Absolutely, but thankfully, as we grow in grace and the true knowledge of Him, this tends to happen less frequently.

My confidence is fully in the Lord's ability to speak and make His Voice known to me. I can't begin to express the joy I feel in knowing that He is a Living Person, and that He lives in me - speaking to me moment by moment, guiding and directing me by His Voice within - the blessed Holy Spirit. A Living God - A Living Voice - A Living Relationship! Glory!

Tuesday, December 14, 2004

a child

"I was visiting once in a wealthy home, where there was a little adopted child, upon whom was lavished all the love and tenderness and care that human hearts could bestow, or human means procure. And as I watched that child running in and out day by day, free and light-hearted, with the happy carelessness of childhood, I thought what a picture it was of our wonderful position as children in the house of our Heavenly Father.

"This life of faith, then, about which I am writing, consists in just this - being a child in the Father's house."

- Hannah Whitall Smith, The Christian's Secret of a Happy Life, pp 21-22.

Saturday, December 11, 2004

Thursday, December 09, 2004

his heart

Well is it when our eyes are filled with His beauty and our hearts are occupied with Him. In the measure in which this is true of us we shall recognize the correlative truth that His great heart is occupied with us.

- Hudson Taylor, Union and Communion, p 30.

Wednesday, December 08, 2004

perseverance

King David gives us insight into obtaining the "one thing" we desire - "Wait for the LORD; be strong, and let your heart take courage; yes, wait for the LORD" (Psalm 27:14).

By repeating the phrase "wait for the LORD," David emphasizes our need for perseverance in beholding the Lord. If we don't immediately see His face, we must continue waiting with the heart of Jacob - "I will not let you go unless you bless me" (Genesis 32:26). Shortly after prevailing with God, Jacob testifies to the reward of his perseverance - "I have seen God face to face" (Genesis 32:30).

"The LORD is good to those who wait for Him, to the person who seeks Him" (Lamentations 3:25) is His sure promise to you.

Tuesday, December 07, 2004

surrender

In 1 Corinthians 2:10 Paul explains the work of the Holy Spirit in revealing the things God has for those who love him - "For to us God revealed them through the Spirit; for the Spirit searches all things, even the depths of God."

In beholding the Lord, we need to fully surrender to the Holy Spirit within, humbly acknowledging our complete dependence upon Him to reveal the Lord before the eyes of our heart.

"And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you forever" (John 14:16) is His sure promise to you.

Monday, December 06, 2004

faith

Hebrews 11:6 says that "without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him."

In beholding the Lord, we need a childlike faith in Him that enables us to wait expectantly with quiet confidence, fully assured in our hearts that He will reveal Himself to us as we seek Him.

"And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart" (Jeremiah 29:13) is His sure promise to you.


Autumn sunrise in Lancaster County, PA Posted by Hello

Sunday, December 05, 2004

beholding

As for me, I shall behold Your face in righteousness;
I will be satisfied with Your likeness when I awake. (Psalm 17:15)

What is involved in beholding the Lord?

1. Faith - believing the Lord will reveal Himself to you

2. Surrender - yielding completely to the Holy Spirit within

3. Perseverance - waiting patiently for the Lord to reveal Himself

Your eyes will see the King in His beauty; (Isaiah 33:17)

Saturday, December 04, 2004

gazing

"Many have found the secret of which I speak and, without giving much thought to what is going on within them, constantly practice this habit of inwardly gazing upon God. They know that something inside their hearts sees God. Even when they are compelled to withdraw their conscious attention in order to engage in earthly affairs there is within them a secret communion always going on.

"A new set of eyes (so to speak) will develop within us enabling us to be looking at God while our outward eyes are seeing the scenes of this passing world.

"When the habit of inwardly gazing Godward becomes fixed within us we shall be ushered onto a new level of spiritual life more in keeping with the promises of God and the mood of the New Testament. The Triune God will be our dwelling place even while our feet walk the low road of simple duty here among men."

- A.W. Tozer, The Pursuit of God, pp 95-97.

Wednesday, December 01, 2004

abide

"So abide in God, do what the Lord Jesus always did. Father, do you want this? Father, is this what You desire? Father, is this Your way?

"Jesus lived His life in full view of the Father. And He would not speak, or do one work unless the Father told Him to. What is true of the Lord Jesus has got to be true of us all."

- T. Austin-Sparks, "That They May All Be One, Even As We Are One" - Volume One, pp 21, 81.

Tuesday, November 30, 2004

Monday, November 29, 2004

his goodness

For the Father is good;
His lovingkindness is everlasting,
And His faithfulness to all generations. (Psalm 100:5)

The Father is good to all,
And His mercies are over all His works. (Psalm 145:9)

"Father, you're so good." These are the words that rise from my heart as I see His goodness all around me. This year has been a fresh discovery of the Father's goodness, and a daily journey into His loving Fatherheart.

Surely goodness and lovingkindness will follow me all the days of my life,
And I will dwell in the Father's house forever. (Psalm 23:6)

Saturday, November 27, 2004

the attitude

"...The whole attitude of the Lord's being...his whole thought, his whole delight, was in the thought, in the will, in the being of his Father. The joy of the Lord's life, that which made it life to him, was the Father; of him he was always thinking, to him he was always turning. ...His thought was ever and always his Father. To its home in the heart of the Father his heart ever turned."

- George MacDonald, Unspoken Sermons, p 171.

Wednesday, November 24, 2004

the answer

What is the Father like?

Father invites us to come to Him.

Father delights in ever-deepening love relationship with us.

Father waits for us to come and climb into His loving arms.

Father says to us, "Seek My face."

Father carries us along by the wind of His Spirit.

Father understands everything about us and loves us still.

Father longs for us to abide daily in His loving presence.

Father works to bring us into the home of His heart.

"O taste and see that the Father is good" (Psalm 34:8)

Monday, November 22, 2004

the question

"Full fellowship - the 'whole measure' of spiritual maturity of which Paul spoke - the 'full gospel' Jesus came to reveal, is fellowship with His Father.

"To move toward intimacy with Father, therefore, requires that we acknowledge the following with honesty and humble self-examination: It is easier than we may have realized to think we know a great deal 'about' God the Father without knowing Him personally.

"What is the Father like? This is the most important question of our existence. It is the universal quest. Finding the answer and forming a proper heart response to that answer is the ultimate journey upon which our earthly footsteps are bound, the pilgrimage toward our destiny as human beings."

- Michael Phillips, God: A Good Father, p 17.

Saturday, November 20, 2004

the process

"After a time of teaching about how Father extends his grace to us while he reshapes our lives, a brother shared something he had discovered: 'I think I finally understood something today, I have thought that God was only pleased by my perfection. Since I never measured up to that I have always struggled. But I am beginning to think he not only wants me to be whole, but that he actually enjoys the process of getting me there.'

"What else explains why Father just doesn't wave his arms over us and make us all perfect overnight. He wants us to reflect his glory from the inside out. He patiently shapes our lives until Christ is fully formed in us. Like a potter spinning a new pot, he's not just excited about getting it done, but he actually enjoys the whole process--softening the clay, kneading it in his hands, and fashioning with great care into that which he sees in his heart.

"If we only think him satisfied when we get it all together, I'm afraid our lives will be filled with frustration--for ourselves and others! But if he enjoys the process, shouldn't we also? He is fashioning you so that Jesus can take form in you. Can you see how he's doing that? But if we can with him enjoy the process of him allowing Jesus to take form in us, then we too can be more patient with our still-glaring deficiencies."

- Wayne Jacobsen, "Every Day, Every Moment," BodyLife, May 1998.

Wednesday, November 17, 2004


Autumn pond in Lancaster County, PA Posted by Hello

his desire

"That error is this: the assumption that God the Father cannot be known with the same approachability as Son and Spirit.

"The inevitable but false conclusion: it is impossible to know the Father with intimacy or personal immediacy.

"Of all the falsehoods perpetuated by the theologies of men, this must surely be one of the most heartbreaking to God Himself. For it is His Father's heart He desires us to know most of all! This is where intimacy of relationship begins. The Fatherness of God provides the very foundation for both other aspects of His divine nature. Without Fatherhood there could be neither Son nor Spirit.

"The Father sent both Son and Spirit to illuminate His being precisely because He can be known...and He wants to be known."

- Michael Phillips, God: A Good Father, p 10.

Monday, November 15, 2004

working

"The Father is always working. If I don't see him moving in my life, it's not because he isn't, it's because I'm not seeing him. Jesus lived his whole life with his eyes on his Father, never doing anything on his own. He invited us to live exactly the same way. There is never a moment when God doesn't want you to be aware of him and his work in you and around you."

- Wayne Jacobsen, "Getting on Father's Page," BodyLife, Sept 1998.

Saturday, November 13, 2004

one thing

What does it mean to behold the face of God?

To gaze upon Him with the eyes of our heart.

Where can we find this in Scripture?

"The upright will behold His face" (Psalm 11:7)

"One thing I have asked from the LORD, that I shall seek: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the LORD" (Psalm 27:4)

"I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened" (Ephesians 1:18)

Friday, November 12, 2004

our father

"The most important truth in all the universe can be stated in four words: God is our Father."

"The world literally hangs together by this central truth. Without divine Fatherhood, there is no life, there is no love...there is no universe."

"To the extent we apprehend God's Fatherhood will our life be integrated, whole, and complete in relationship to the Creator who made us and to the surroundings in which He has placed us."

"Seeking and finding God's Fatherhood is the great story, the essence of history, the meaning of the hidden thread weaving through every human life. It is the story of God's people in the Bible. It is the reason Jesus came."

- Michael Phillips, God: A Good Father, p 44.

Thursday, November 11, 2004

destiny

"This is and has been the Father's work from the beginning - to bring us into the home of His heart. This is our destiny."

- George MacDonald

From back cover of God: A Good Father by Michael Phillips

Wednesday, November 10, 2004

his embrace

"The demands upon me now were greater than ever before, and I needed a relationship with Him that was built upon more than just occasional crisis encounters with His power. I needed a loving Father's arms to crawl into daily so that I could cast all my cares upon Him. I needed to trust so much in His loving nature that I could daily believe that He was present to meet my need for comfort and nurture, even in the times I could not sense His fatherly embrace. This was a defining moment in my journey into dwelling daily in the Father's love."

"Father longs for us as His children to enter into this kind of relationship with Him. He wants us to enter a place of faith in His goodness and love where we know deep in our heart that He is always with us seeking to meet our need as a caring Father, not just during times of dramatic encounters. It is in this place of abiding daily in His presence that His loving nature displaces our insecurities and fears and where we are being conformed into His image of love."

- Jack Frost, Experiencing the Father's Embrace, p 172.

Tuesday, November 09, 2004

Monday, November 08, 2004

longing

Is your heart longing to know Him in a deeper way?

"As the deer pants and longs for the water brooks, so I pant and long for You, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and behold the face of God?" (Psalm 42:1,2)

"Deep calls to deep" (Psalm 42:7)

Saturday, November 06, 2004

easy

"How good it would be if we could learn that God is easy to live with. He remembers our frame and knows that we are dust. He may sometimes chasten us, it is true, but even this He does with a smile, the proud, tender smile of a Father who is bursting with pleasure over an imperfect but promising son who is coming every day to look more and more like the One whose child he is."

"Some of us are religiously jumpy and self-conscious because we know that God sees our every thought and is acquainted with all our ways. We need not be. God is the sum of all patience and the essence of kindly good will. We please Him most, not by frantically trying to make ourselves good, but by throwing ourselves into His arms with all our imperfections, and believing that He understands everything and loves us still."

- A.W. Tozer, The Root of the Righteous, p 16.

Friday, November 05, 2004

spirit wind

"The wind blows where it wishes and you hear the sound of it, but do not know where it comes from and where it is going; so is everyone who is born of the Spirit." (John 3:8)

I thought about naming this post "blown away," because that's my reaction when I look back on the past ten months and see the Father's hand guiding me -

From the bedside of a comatose college friend and roommate...

To the Carolina basketball reunion where this same friend, healed by the Father's hand, rose to acknowledge the loving applause of 200+ fellow lettermen,

From a house church that had ceased to be an environment of life for me...

To a gathering of believers where there is a passion for the Father's heart and a freedom in the Spirit unlike anything I've ever experienced.

The wind of the Spirit has carried me along, bringing me into situations and relationships through which the Father continues to reveal the depths of His love and mercy and grace.

Wednesday, November 03, 2004

his face

Turn your eyes upon Jesus,
Look full in his wonderful face,
And the things of earth will grow strangely dim,
In the light of his glory and grace. (Helen H. Lemmel)

When Thou didst say, "Seek My face," my heart said to Thee, "Thy face, O LORD, I shall seek." (Psalm 27:8)

What is He saying to you?

Tuesday, November 02, 2004

be still

Over the past several months, few verses of Scripture have come to mind as often as Psalm 46:10 -

"Be still and know that I am God;
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth."

These words cause me to look at my heart. Am I worried? upset? discouraged? "Be still (cease striving, let go, relax) and KNOW that I am God." The revelation of who He is brings peace.

These words cause me to look at the Father and His perspective. What does the future hold? "I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth." The revelation of who He is brings security.

"Peace, be still."

Autumn sunrise in Lancaster County, PA Posted by Hello

Monday, November 01, 2004

his government

While praying for Tuesday's election, this verse came to mind -

"There will be no end to the increase of His government or of peace,
On the throne of David and over his kingdom,
To establish it and to uphold it with justice and righteousness
From then on and forevermore.
The zeal of the LORD of hosts will accomplish this." (Isaiah 9:7)

Whatever the outcome of Tuesday's election, "there will be no end to the increase of His government." His kingdom will continue to come in the hearts of men, women, and children throughout the world.

Whatever the outcome of Tuesday's election, His kingdom will continue to be established and upheld. "The zeal of the LORD of hosts will accomplish this," not political leaders, lawmakers, or judges.

"Thy kingdom come.
Thy will be done,
On earth as it is in heaven."

Sunday, October 31, 2004

father

"What is a Christian? The question can be answered in many ways, but the richest answer I know is that a Christian is one who has God for his Father."

"You sum up the whole of New Testament teaching in a single phrase, if you speak of it as a revelation of the Fatherhood of the holy Creator.... If you want to judge how well a person understands Christianity, find out how much he makes of the thought of being God's child, and having God as his Father.... 'Father' is the Christian name for God."

- J.I. Packer, Knowing God, pp 181-182.

Saturday, October 30, 2004

living room

"A prayer room is first and foremost a living room - a place where the Father waits for His children to come and climb into His loving arms."

"Jesus introduced a new depth of understanding about God the Father.... He dared to call God Abba (Mark 14:36), a word used by any normal kid at the time to express love for their Dad. The single key that explains everything Jesus did was this intimate relationship He shared with His Father."

- Pete Greig & Dave Roberts, Red Moon Rising: How 24/7 Prayer is Awakening a Generation, pp 67-71.

Friday, October 29, 2004

fatherheart

Why the name fatherheart? What does it mean? For me, it expresses the essence of who God is - a Father who delights in ever-deepening love relationship with His children.

"The LORD your God is with you,
he is mighty to save.
He will take great delight in you,
he will quiet you with his love,
he will rejoice over you with singing." (Zephaniah 3:17)

Thou wilt make known to me the path of life (Ps 16:11) Posted by Hello

Thursday, October 28, 2004

come

"Oh, that Thou wouldst rend the heavens and come down" (Is 64:1) - the come of revival - our cry to Him.

"Come up here, and I will show you" (Re 4:1) - the come of revelation - His call to us.

Where come down and come up meet is our place of encounter with Him.

Come.
A simple word, a powerful word.
An impassioned plea, an open invitation.
Our cry, His call.
Come.