"The Fighting Diamond" by Doug Sweet

The “The Fighting Diamond” is a Spiritual Warfare Technique/Tactic/Procedure (TTP) FOR ALL BELIEVERS. Never fight alone. Lone rangers are dead rangers. Who is surrounding you. Learn more @ theroadmap.org and sign up for “THE HEROS RETURN.” For Veterans, First Responders, and Civilians in desperate need of restoration and healing in Jesus’ name. More info: dougsweet3@gmail.com more about FAB: @for_all_believers (instagram) twitter @ forallbelievers

Get All The Way Free!

The Spirit Prayer Activation (SPA) experience

The Spirit Prayer Activation (SPA) experience ministered to me deeply! I would have never thought 10 years ago that I would have signed up for something like the SPA. I grew up highly critical of “prophetic ministry,” or anything that was “spirit led,” but, God has completely delivered me from the anti-deliverance mindset, thinking only males can minister to me, and a critical spirit.

I was invited to the SPA from Candi Christman, a member of Heritage Christian Fellowship in San Clemente, CA. Pastor Roger Gales introduced me to Candi and I immediately felt her spirit and knew she was all about healing, recovery, and spiritual freedom. There were four months between the time I met Candi and when I attended the SPA and I looked forward to it the entire time expecting to see the Lord at work in a miraculous way.

The SPA is advertised as “Spiritual Renewal: a ministry of Heritage Christian Fellowship.” It is conducted on the 2nd Saturday of every month from 10:00 to 12:30pm. It is conducted on the church property and contains four ministries designed to “draw you closer to God.” I experienced the four ministries in this order:

• Prophetic art station
• Prophetic ministry station
• Healing prayer station
• Soaking prayer station

Prophetic Art 

I was led to the art table and a girl named Harmony prayed over me. I closed my eyes. The entire time was conversing with God and had my hands opened and palms facing up symbolizing a posture of humility and willingness to receive whatever God had for me. Harmony showed me her painting; it was a tree! I started crying and saying, “that’s incredible.” I knew she had heard from the Lord. It was the same exact tree that I had been drawing since 2014. It was a tree with roots showing! I showed her the back of my pocket sized ESV Bible, my preaching Bible. It had the tree next to it! She explained that God is rooting me in him. That was a different perspective that God gave me for the same tree. 

Prophetic Ministry

After returning to the waiting area, I was led to a room with four ladies. I was immediately grateful that the Lord would have four women pray over me. The ladies told me later on that the spirit I brought into the room was peaceful.  I told them once my session was done that I was thanking God because he had delivered me from sexism years ago. 

When the session started, I was asked, “Have you ever had prophetic prayer before?” I answered, “yes.” They explained that they have no other agenda, but to listen to the voice of God and communicate what He was telling them.  It was silent for a minute. The first girl to speak was Candice (?). She said, “Ryan. I’m getting an image of a tree.” I couldn’t believe what my ears were hearing. Another lady (Sandy?) said, “I’m seeing that tree as well. But I see that you are the tree and that you will provide shade for others to enjoy.  The gal next to her said, “I’m seeing you as a Ninja Warrior but spiritually.” She had no idea that I had competed in Ninja Warrior type games. The gal across from me said, “God is telling you to continue being a shepherd and he wants you to continue to feed his sheep.”

The first girl who spoke said she saw that God was putting me back together and healing me. At that point, I began sobbing uncontrollably. I came into an agreement with all the prayers. I received their prophetic words. I received them with joy and hope (full expectation). 

Sandy looked at me and asked me, “Do you know where Trestles is?” “Absolutely! I live there” I replied with joy. She told me to go down the Trestles Trail and find a mighty Oak Tree. She said that the tree is special and her son finds it easy to hear truth there. I gladly accepted her recommendation.

Everything these ladies were communicating was spot on and in line with my life. When my session was over, I asked them if they had spoken with the other stations; they laughed. They had no interaction with the prophetic art table and I knew that, but thought I’d ask anyways.

Prophetic Healing  

The third station was for healing. Once again, led by all ladies; three this time. Lorra looked over my paper that I filled out at registration and told me, “You have been through so much trauma. And God is healing you.” This was the only station where someone took notes for me. This is what the scribe wrote during my session:

Presence of the Lord to give forgiveness to those who have hurt you and handed people over to the Lord. Released them from their debt because you have forgiven me my debts. God is the judge. Break soul ties. Choose again to forgive until gone. Forgive for consequences you have endured. Bless with Grace, mercy & peace.

The leader of this group asked me to close my eyes and imagine myself meeting Jesus in a special place. The first place that came to mind was the Mighty Oak Tree down the Trestles Trail. She asked me to visualise meeting Jesus there and handing him over every person that I have ever needed to forgive. I started going down the list in my mind. She led me through a “repeat-after-me” prayer, but at the end the Spirit took over and gave me what to say and prayers flowed out of me. Prayers of forgiveness of naming people who have hurt me, what they did, how it made me feel, and ending with a prayer of blessing on them. I asked God to bless every single person who has caused me harm.

The word I kept hearing in this station and in the soaking prayer station was, “God is my defender.  Ryan, I am your defender and you never need to defend yourself.”

The Next Day

The next morning I got on my bike and found the Oak Tree.  Actually, I had no idea what an Oak Tree looked like so I picked one and started to go down my list of people I needed to forgive. What the SPA reiterated for me was the importance of ongoing work in forgiving those who have hurt me. It’s not a one-time deal, but ongoing and daily. 

I highly recommend the SPA for anyone wanting to hear from God and experience inner healing. Humble yourself and he will lift you up.

7 Root Causes of Suicide

Imagine a tree. The fruits represent destructive behaviors and the roots represent beliefs and attitudes. The point is behaviors (fruits) are simply manifestations of beliefs (roots) that hide underground and out of sight. When roots remain in the dark, they get bigger and stronger. In worst cases, it can gain strength, destroy the foundation house. How are roots killed? By digging them up and exposing them to the sun. Roots that are dug up and thrown onto the pavement will shrivel up and die and the fruits will inevitably disappear.

Resurrection Prayer For All Believers

2k years ago today a guy named Jesus resurrected from the dead! Because he lives, believers can rise above anything life throws. Never ask God to calm the storm; just start surfing. Below is a string of verses used for imaginative prayer. ---------------- From the rising of the sun to its setting, your name is to be praised! - Psalm 113:3 I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. - Galatians 2:20 For we died and were buried with Christ by baptism. And just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glorious power of the Father, now we also may live new lives. - Romans 6:4 ...You were also raised to new life because you trusted the mighty power of God, who raised Christ from the dead. - Colossians 2:12 Let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance…” - Hebrews 12:1a ...Looking to Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising its shame and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. - Hebrews 12:2 Present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God. - Romans 12:1 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for you are with me; - Psalm 23:4a The Lord himself goes before you; he will be with you. He will never leave you or forsake you. - Deuteronomy 31:8a Those who trust in the Lord will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint. -Isaiah 40:31 Jesus said to her, I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he dies, yet shall he live. - John 11:25 The spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you. And just as God raised Christ Jesus from the dead, he will give life to your mortal bodies by this same Spirit living within you. - Romans 8:11

Destructive Behaviors and Spiritual Warfare

Spiritual fitness entails successful spiritual warfare. Spiritual defeat may be the result of becoming spiritually unfit. In any case, the reason why people engage in destructive behaviors are due to spiritual reasons versus physical. Engaging in (physical) destructive behaviors are indicators of (mental) agreements made with the (spiritual) enemy of the soul. Before someone executes a destructive behavior, an agreement is made with the enemy to believe a lie. Whether that agreement is in being hopeless after a breakup, self-identifying as a failure due to a job loss, a bad parent because of a child's poor decisions, overeating to find “comfort,” or in excessive exercising in reaction to a harsh criticism, the agreement to engage in destructive behavior came after the fact of a settlement or agreement with the voice of the enemy.

    The “enemy of the soul” is anything or anyone in opposition to God and his pure and righteous direction for mankind. The Apostle Paul refers to “the world,” “the Prince of power of the air,” and “the flesh” as such. These three are also known as, “the world, the flesh and the devil;” all are enemies of God. In his letter to the Saints in Ephesus, he writes:

And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.
Ephesians 2:1‭-‬3 ESV

In spiritual warfare all three entities are appropriately alluded to as an “enemy” of the believer in Christ. Similar to military warfare, the enemy is a threat to freedom and safety regardless of what uniform they wear. Paul's most explicit statement on spiritual warfare is found in Ephesians 6:12:

For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.

The church at Corinth has a reputation for being the worst of all churches in the Bible due to their indulgence in sins of the flesh. However, in helping the Corinthians Saints prepare for spiritual warfare, Paul exhorts them to use spiritual weapons only:

    

For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ...2 Corinthians 10:3-5 ESV

The context reveals that Paul is referring to his critics who falsely accuse him: “I beg of you that when I am present I may not have to show boldness with such confidence as I count on showing against some who suspect us of walking according to the flesh.” 2 Corinthians 10:2 ESV It is important to note that this is not a command, but rather a description of Paul's approach to false accusation; he uses spiritual weapons that destroy enemies of God and takes those negative thoughts captive so that they obey Christ. All of this takes place in the spiritual realm.

    The primary application of this passage is Paul's dealings with his critics. A secondary application can be for dealing with personal thoughts. If the thoughts of others can be taken captive, it is safe to say the thoughts planted in one's mind by the enemy can also be taken captive and made obedient to Christ. This means that dealing with physical addictions (i.e. strongholds). are first and foremost spiritual battles. Once the negative thoughts have been taken captive, the physical outworkings, which are often labeled, “addictions” never manifest.

    Jesus’ younger brother, James, explains the relationship between physical behaviors and spiritual warfare. The source of all behavior begins in the heart. James chapter 3 reads:

3:14 But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast and be false to the truth. 15 This is not the wisdom that comes down from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic.16 For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice. 17 But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere. 18 And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.

The cause of (outward) quarrels and fights amongst children of God is due to (internal) spiritual warfare. In one sense, people are never the enemy, but rather victims of the enemy who attacks the mind with lies and destructive ideas. In chapter 4 James asks his readers:

4:1 What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you? Is it not this, that your passions are at war within you? 2 You desire and do not have, so you murder. You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. You do not have, because you do not ask. 3 You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions.

Similar to Paul, James believes victory in spiritual warfare comes by using spiritual techniques, tactics, and procedures. In verse 7, he gives ten commands in regards to spiritual warfare:

7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8 Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. 9 Be wretched and mourn and weep. Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. 10 Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you.

    Peter ensures that his readers be aware of the devices of the true adversary by commanding them to, “Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour” (1 Peter 5:8 ESV).  A contemporary application of this command indicates that the believer in Christ ought to be aware that the enemy is hungry and on the loose looking for someone to enslave with all sorts of sinful behaviors. And if the devil is prowling around looking for children of God to devour, it is safe to say, all humans are fair game. The devil might want all humans to be enslaved to addictions and destructive behaviors since all humans are created in the imago dei, in the “image of God.”

Gospel Fluency by Jeff Vanderstelt

Just finished Gospel Fluency (Crossway Books) by Jeff Vanderstelt for the 4th time! Gospel fluency is a beautiful metaphor. Fluency is a byproduct of learning a language, speaking it, being spoken to in it, and living immersed in the culture where it is primary. Simply put, those who speak, practice, and become immersed in a gospel-centered community will likely become gospel fluent.

Gospel fluency cannot be attained without full immersion. Gospel fluency means that the gospel has become a way of life. I get the sense that Pastor Jeff believes that part of the problem today with gospel illiteracy is a result of the pre-packaged “sinners prayer” from the 80s/90s. The “where-would-you-go-if-you-died-today” pitch inadvertently attracted the self-serving desires of the flesh.

If I’m looking out for #1 then I’ll be attracted to that gospel, which is no gospel at all. It might be safe to assume that the majority of today’s church grew up inundated with some version of a self-serving gospel. I am refreshed at the call to renewed thinking that goes beyond cliches.

 Jeff emphasizes that “Jesus didn’t die just to remove our sins from us, but also to destroy the power of sin over us.” The implication here is freedom in daily living; freedom from every idol that tries to make something matter more that doesn’t matter most. Jesus strategic objective of restoring identity rooted in the image of God obliterates the power of sin in our lives. That is the foundation for gospel fluency; namely, clarity on the implications of the gospel. There is hope.

I see more and more people saying yes to God. They are surrendering and their curiosity of the gospel is leading them to dive into spiritual community where true connection and intimacy happens. I see the gospel making a comeback! Now, I see the dominant theme as life transformation. And it’s not the 1989 “Lordship Salvation” pitch that sought to scare people into heaven. It’s a genuine, come and die to yourself and be set free type of gospel. It’s the true gospel of Jesus Christ that says, why settle for anything less than what Christ created you for, which is completely free from you, your neighbor and your spouse!

Golden Nuggets/Notes from Audible 

"The gospel doesn’t just bring about forgiveness of sins and save us from hell. The gospel of Jesus Christ empowers us to live a whole new life today by the same Spirit who raised Jesus from the dead."  

“The only way you can grow in gospel fluency is to learn how to speak the gospel into all of life.”  

"Temptations come in all forms, but every one of them is an empty promise leading to an unfulfilled longing." 

"Standing firm in the gospel means we continue to put faith in him for our past, our present, and our future."

Section 2 / 00:06:02 - Sanctification means becoming like Jesus...and...becoming like Jesus requires believing in him more and more in every part of your life.

Section 3 / 00:18:13 - Too often when giving people answers to their questions or solutions to their problems we give them something other than Jesus.

Section 4 / 00:44:42 - Fluency is a byproduct of immersion.

Section 6 / 01:25:06 - the THREE Phases of Salvation!

Section 6 / 01:22:17 - best response to "I've been saved since I was 10." Q: Saved from what?

Section 7 / 02:09:11 - 1. God is great; so we do not have to control. 2. God is glorious; so we do not have to fear. 3. God is good; so we do not need to look elsewhere. 4. God is gracious; so we do not have to prove ourselves.

Section 7 / 01:51:46 - I've observed this plenty of times in my parenting. yes!!!!!

Section 7 / 01:53:51 - Instead of shaming Adam and Eve after they had sinned, God asked them where they were, why they were hiding, and who told them they were hiding.

Section 7 / 02:00:31 - Confession is an affirmation of growth in the gospel.

Section 8 / 02:14:29 - “I have come to believe that the main reason people don’t talk about Jesus is not that they lack training. I am convinced it is that they lack love.”

Section 8 / 02:22:52 - The Holy Spirit is the best at bragging about Jesus.

Section 9 / 02:34:38 -  The world is everything that stands against the rule and reign of God.

Section 10 / 03:02:15 -  “The roots of our faith produce the fruit of our life.”

Section 10 / 03:05:23 -  The fruit to root illustration!

Section 10 / 03:10:11 -  Confess the sin beneath the sin. Confess the root, not just the fruit.

Section 11 / 03:28:22 -  pray throughout the meal!

Section 12 / 03:44:44 -  gospel thankfulness: we are better than we deserve.

Section 13 / 04:14:50 - universally true: everyone has a savior...

Section 14 / 04:32:23 - Francis Schaffer's approach to counseling: 99% listen 1% talk.

Section 14 / 04:39:06 - The Holy Spirit goes ahead of us and prepares conversations ready for us.

Section 14 / 04:43:02 - The idol of power/needing to be right/needing to be heard.

Section 15 / 04:57:51 - Reflecting the character of God in the community!!!!!! Genius.

Section 15 / 05:11:34 - The ministry of advocation!!!!  

Thankful I Don't Need Jesus! (Thanksgiving Sermon)

This thanksgiving I'm truly thankful in all things because I believe I don't need Jesus...because I HAVE Jesus.  It has changed my prayer life and how I engage in spiritual warfare.  I no longer ask God for help; I thank him for the help that he has already provided in Christ and through the Holy Spirit.  ALL the promises of God are YES and AMEN and I choose to live in light of victory instead of uncertainty and wishful thinking.  Realizing that I possess the living God has changed my perspective and my life.  Join the revolution.  We HAVE Jesus.

Exegesis

Give thanks (2168)(eucharisteo [word study] from eucháristos = thankful, grateful, well-pleasing - Indicates the obligation of being thankful to someone for a favor done <> in turn from eú = well + charizomai = to grant, give.; English - Eucharist - root of these words is charis = grace) means to show that one is under obligation by being thankful. To show oneself as grateful (most often to God in the NT).

NOTE: Don't miss the fact that give thanks is in the present imperative which calls for this to be our habitual attitude and action! The active voice means that his is a personal choice (enabled by grace and the Spirit) we each must make continually.

Here's the "power pack" of verses that keep me thankful in all things!

Genesis 1:27 ESV

So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.

Galatians 2:20 ESV

I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

Romans 6:4 ESV

4 We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.

2 Corinthians 5:17 ESV

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.

Colossians 3:4 ESV

For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.

Just imagine what our communities, our families, and our congregations would look like if we all believed that we have been crucified in Christ and we no longer live but Christ lives in us.  Wouldn’t we then be thankful in ALL circumstances?  Thankful when disrespected.  Thankful when betrayed.  Thankful when our boss puts us down.  Thankful when a kid spills milk and throws a tantrum.  Thankful when we don’t get our way.  Thankful when we get cut off in traffic by the person texting.  Thankful when our spouse doesn’t see something the way we see it.  

We CAN be thankful in all circumstances because we now know WHO WE ARE and who we were always meant to be.  FULLY HUMAN as God intended us to be.  Naked and unashamed.  FULLY HUMAN as Christ was; always responding to adversity without anger and in the spirit of not-my-will-but-yours-be-done.  YES AND AMEN!

Thanksgiving.  It's impossible!  But it is… Him-possible!

In closing, consider these four points...

One, Now, I wonder if you’re thinking, "man, that sounds good, it preaches, well, but its impossible and I'm just not there..." What if I told you that you ARE there!?  What if I told you that, whether or not you feel delivered, that in you, in reality, in Christ have been completely set free!  Over and out!  Period!  Done! Ad Infanitum!  FOR-EV-VURRR!  And what if the only reason you and I weren’t experiencing the Joy of TRUE THANKSGIVING was because we were believing a lie!?  Something that was never true about us.  What then????  What if I confessed that lie as a sham and renounced that lie then went immediately into thanksgiving and repentance.  Wouldn’t it then loses its power and push me right back into freedom – freedom that Christ created me to walk in?  yes and amen!

Two, We were never meant to be THANKFUL IN ALL THINGS on our own strength!   From the beginning we were created by and for God.  So, if you feel like you can’t “do it” praise God!  Say this, “Lord I can’t GIVE THANKS right now!  But thank you that you do it for me and through me and that I no longer need to draw on my own strength to be thankful.  Thank you that apart from you I can do nothing! (John 15:15).  Thank you that I was never meant to do anything apart from you.  Thank you that it is NOT my life goal to not need you as much today as I did yesterday!  Thank you Jesus!!!!

I wonder how this might change the way we live - if we admit that we can’t do anything apart from him, nor were we ever meant to! - and that everything righteous we do is because the Holy Spirit is empowering us to do so.  

Three, Jesus lived the perfect life.  He showed us what it looks like to be thankful in all circumstances.  Jesus showed us what it looks like and what it means to be fully human as we were intended to be. We can do whatever he did because we have the same power source.

Four, We can be thankful in ALL circumstances because he lives in us.  We can do this because he empowers us.  We can do this because we died to ourselves.  We can do this because HE has not left us alone.  Just look around you…

Notes

http://www.preceptaustin.org/index.php/1_thessalonians_518_commentary

Spiritual Formation Retreat (Day 3)

It’s day three and I have no idea what day it is!  This day has been a tremendous reminder of just how much I am in desperate need of the community.  There is no freedom apart from the community (i.e. the body of believers, which fosters confession and communal putting to death of the flesh).  My wife and I are all caught up on sleep deprivation.  It is really hard for me to think of catching up on sleep as obedience to God.  But it is!  If I am called to be ready for whatever God has for me for the day (and it probably has something to do with being an attentive and present listener to another person), then I must be operating at optimal health.  I must eat, exercise, rest, and repeat so that I am at optimal health.  And that is what we did this morning.  We caught up on sleep.

It wasn’t too long into the day before I felt my flesh start to kick.  That silly old enemy told me to become angry, but I preached the gospel to myself and renounced that old idol of control and conform.  This half ounce of anger in my heart was a distraction in the morning worship.  I dozed off for a second during the reflective music portion.  By the time we transitioned to the male/female breakout prayer session I felt that my attention was back in tune with the Spirit.  I was focused.  I said to myself, “I’m back.  Here we go, thank you, Lord, for your forgiveness.  Let’s do this!”  We were guided to form a circle and silent pray for the brother on the right.  No words were spoken, just prayer to the living God for 1-2 min and then to move to the next person until all the men were covered.  The words came to me for each brother.  The Spirit was at work in my soul and giving me exactly how to pray.  

This morning session enabled me to experience the “Kairotic time,” which was explained to us as a mix of kairos (appointed time/season) with chronological (sequential time).  A kairotic time is a time where heaven and earth intersect.  Hence, a time “here on earth as it is in heaven!”  I love this idea because it is a reminder of what the Gospel is; namely, experiencing the freedom that we can look forward to in heaven, but here on earth. Where in the world did we get the idea that I have to die in order to experience freedom?  Does not the gospel mean that I can experience heaven here on earth?  I think so.  I think the gospel is that “good.”  We don’t have to wait.

There was a portion of one of the sessions where we covered many Bible passages and even broke them down exegetical/hermeneutical style.  I have to admit, I get excited when we tap into disciplines with which I am familiar.  I’m a bible study junkie and trained in systematic theology.  But the phrase that knocked me upside the head was, “It’s not whether or not you know these things, it's whether or not you are living them out.”  Wow!  How easy has it been for me my whole life to be comfortable in knowing versus living/application?  

Throughout the discussion on getting to root causes and breaking down common lies that the enemy feeds us all: The fear of exposure, the fear of failure, the fear of rejection, the fear of condemnation, and the fear that nobody understands are all mitigated with truth.  The exercise included taking a sticker dot and placing it on ourselves for every lie that we have believed.  For every lie mentioned in the lecture, we were to put a sticker on ourselves if we had ever believed it.  I was covered in stickers!  Then we listened to a reading of Max Lucado’s “You Are Special.”

After the exercise, we broke into two groups - men and women.  As the contemplative music played in the background we began to pray for each other and, as priests, took off each other’s dots.  As I took dots off my brothers I declared truth!  “you are holy…you are clean…you are healed…you are a child of God…you are perfect.”  As the men finished up I looked over to the women and rejoiced at the sight of women surrounding my wife and with tears in all of their eyes, embrace each other celebrating and rejoicing in the truth that there are no more dots!

This is what community should look like.  Kinda like the Wesleyan group method of gathering and simply discussing the condition of the soul.  How are you doing? is a very powerful question in a roundtable of believers who are not afraid to be broken with others.  And Spiritual Direction is embedded in the true community.  Unfortunately, post reformation, the reality of spiritual direction began to dwindle.  Not to mention the fact that the advent of the printing press/Gutenberg press privatized Christianity.  Pre-Gutenberg, communities had to gather to collect and hear stories of how the Lord was working in and through each other.  I can imagine the revelation that came as a result of the printing press (yes! Now I can have my private devotional time anytime I want!  This is great!).  Little did the Church know what impact the convenience of a printed book would have on the “gathering” of the saints.  But God can redeem and revive community for today. Amen!

The day concluded with the “Family Sculpture” exercise.  Several of us formed a live sculpture of our family background.  I had several people play a scene that is taking place in my family right now.  There were three family members on their knees facing the cross with arms around each other.  There was one family member about to join the group before the cross and there were others in the background.  It was a picture of imminent revival that is coming to my family.  It is a picture that briefly mentions brokenness, but quickly highlights divine redemption and restoration that takes place when people are obedient and postured to allow God to have his way.

This is always explained better over a cup of coffee :)