Pixels, pixels flashing on a screen
skin on skin a digital fantasy.
What’s the real name of that girl on the other side?
Is she really having fun or does she wanna run and hide?
Is this the life that she dreamed of as a little girl?
Objectified, observed by the watching world?
She’s a slave to the passions and pleasures of men,
Slaves themselves, trying to hide where they’ve been.
Bought and sold, like a trinket, time and again.
Used, abused, addicted and forgotten.

Where are the men that are meant to protect her?
Cherish her, honor her, love and treasure her?
Oh, they’re the ones with the supply and demand.
They’re the ones with the money going hand to hand.
Eyes filled with darkness, hearts heavy with shame
Listening to the lies, and won’t take the blame.
Caught up in the action on one side or another
Looking for a thrill or another hundred dollars.

And what about that girl out there on the street.
Says she’s a woman, but she’s only 13.
That makeup, hair and smile, all made to appease
Pay the price and she’ll do anything you please.
Takes another drug to numb the pain.
Tells herself she’s better here than home on the plain,
parent’s sold her for some supposed “gain”.
Where’s her Prince Charming,
where’s her Daddy dear?
Where are the dreams of this young girls heart?

Adam oh Adam, what have you done to Eve?
She’s the bone from your bone and flesh of your flesh.
Now you treat her like an object, one you can take and leave.
Is this the way it was meant to be?
Sure, we hide it, ignore it, say, “oh no, that’s not me!”
But who’s the guy with his fingers on the computer keys?
Rolling the mouse over another picture,
feeding the mental fantasies.

My friends, oh my brothers, this should not be!
We’ve been set free,
no longer to be subject to a yoke of slavery!
Once we were dead, but now we’re alive
Once blind, but our Savior has opened  up our eyes!
Tell yourself the Truth and step out of that closet.
Shut the door with a bang, turn the knob and lock it.
Throw away the keys to that secret life of sin
Get down on your knees and start over again.

You are the warrior, the knight in shining armor
Made to rule and reign not cower in the corner.
You’re life is in Christ, you’ve got the victory, now use it.
Go fight for love and justice – you’re the one to do it!
Let your secret life be making war in the heavenlies,
praying in the Spirit, wearing holes in the knees of your jeans.
Use the money in your pocket to set the prisoners free,
and treat every woman you know like a true beauty.

One of our friends who is a gifted writer (among many other things), Denise Rowe (http://www.metaphormakerpress.com/), wrote a piece for us in response to the event.  I thought it was beautiful.  Enjoy!

The Call ~ 11/11/11

(for Jessie)

My call from God’s been crystal clear
I live to intercede ~
through praise and worship, prayer and song
it is the air I breathe.

Corporate gatherings at State
fire up my heart
intercession for Detroit
I went to do my part.

That kind of call’s not hard for me
to hear and then respond ~
there came a call the other day
I did not want from God.

My wife, my little girl and I
were waiting for some joy.
The due date was still months away
we were to have a boy.

But as my intercession rose
with thousands on that night
I got a message on my phone
that things just weren’t right.

The scripture says the Spirit groans
with things too deep for words
and as I raced to be back home
my prayer language was heard.

Too soon to leave his mother’s womb
(so tiny and so small)
our little boy bid us goodbye
and answered heaven’s call.

The pain we feel is raw and real
and tears of grief must flow to heal.
Our Samuel was “asked of God”
a gift we had to yield.

Long ago another root
of Jesse came and died.
It too did break His Father’s heart
His tears now flow with mine.

Copyright Denise Rowe 2011

Friday night, I was in Detroit at The Call (www.thecall.com), when I received a text from my wife that she was in premature labor and would soon deliver our baby.  Usually, news like this is exciting.  But, we were only 16 weeks into this pregnancy.  There’s no way for a 16 week baby to survive outside of the womb (it has no lungs and cannot breathe).  I was in shock and ran from the stadium and to my car in a blur.  I called Erica as I sped all the way home (about a 1.5 hour drive).  Between tears and contractions, she tried to explain what was happening.  I felt helpless.  Her phone kept dropping the call (reception in the hospital is sketchy).  I resorted to lots of praying and asking God to transport me there supernaturally to her side, so that she would not be alone.  A friend from church was watching our daughter, Chloe, at our house.  I called and found that everything was ok with them.  I felt a bit better knowing that Chloe was safe at home and sleeping.

I arrived at the hospital as they were doing an ultrasound.  The baby was alive, good heartbeat and all.  And, Erica was having serious labor.  This baby was coming.  I stepped out and talked to our doctor.  I asked him what was going to happen.  Basically, he said the baby was going to be born, and we could not stop it.  ”And then what?”, I asked.  ”Well, the truth is, he won’t live.” he said, with a tear in his eye.  And, he put his arm around me as we walked back to the room where Erica was.  He’s a good doctor.  They were not sure what had caused this premature labor.  The best they could figure was that an infection had grown in the womb and was the threatening baby and mother.  The body’s response is to get the baby out.

So, going through labor for this baby wasn’t an expectant rush to see our new baby, but more like being subjected to an unwelcome process that we could not reverse.  Erica wanted to fight the progression, but knew she could not.  She endured each contraction reluctantly (and with a few tears) as I tried to comfort her and coach her through the pain.

Labor progressed to a long painful transition period, and in a moment, without so much as a push, our son was born at 11:47pm.  There was what felt like an eternity of silent stillness as the medical staff looked at him, laying on the bed.  It took a long minute for me to realize that he was actually out.  From my vantage point by Erica’s head, I couldn’t see anything (he was so small and did not cry).  As I moved toward the foot of the bed, I saw him, and the doctor began to take hold of him and clip off the umbilical cord.  He was alive.  He was moving.  The nurse wrapped him in a warm blanket and let me hold him as he continued to make small, slow arm and head movements.  I spoke to him.

He was tiny (7.5 inches) and so light.  He felt like nothing in my arms.  His skin was not fully formed, so he was pretty transparent (I could see all of his tiny blood vessels, etc.) and purple.  But, he was beautiful.  He had the most amazing teeny tiny little fingers and toes, arms and legs.  I could see that he looked like me.  His eyes were not fully formed and his nose and mouth were not yet opened.  I told him that I loved him.  His movements became less and less.

I stood with him by Erica’s side as they tried to remove the placenta.  It would not come out (this happened with our first child, too).  Every attempt to “help” it brought an excruciating scream from Erica.  She looked several times at our child as she endured the poking and pushing, sadness in her eyes.  The placenta was not coming out.  A surgery would be needed (again).  Everyone left the room for a moment to call the surgical staff and prepare.

Erica took our son into her arms and examined all of his precious parts and held him to herself.  She kept saying, “Sorry”, as if she was somehow to blame.  I tried to reassure her that she was not at fault.

Soon, the medical team was back in the room explaining anesthesia and whisking her off to the operating room to remove the placenta.  This would be the second time that modern medicine saved her life in childbirth (an un-removed placenta would cause her to bleed to death).  I am thankful for modern medicine.

I was left with our son and transferred to the recovery room that Erica would be brought to after surgery.  He hadn’t moved in a long time.  He didn’t feel warm any more.  I cradled him and walked and talked to him and prayed, and cried.  I thanked God that we got to meet him, even for a moment.  I was sad that we didn’t really get to know Him.  And, I thought, perhaps he is one that “this world is not worthy of” (Hebrews 11:38).  And, as I searched for thoughts of how to explain this to our three and half year old daughter, I thought “I guess Jesus wanted him back”.  That thought brought me comfort.

We hadn’t yet settled on a name for him, but as I waited there with his body (he wasn’t with us any more, I was pretty sure), I felt him — what did his hands feel like?  His teeny tiny nose; his head?  And, I thought, “Samuel”.  We’ll call him Samuel, because he was given back to God for all of his days (I Samuel 1:27-28).  Samuel had wonderful long fingers, and I wonder if he is ministering to the Lord on the piano in Heaven.  We will see him soon.

Though his life on this earth was only a flicker, we have been forever changed.  We love this baby boy that we hardly knew, and we miss him. He was bone of our bone and flesh of our flesh.  We know he’s in the best possible care now, so we’re only sad that we have to wait so long to get to know him.  But, on the other hand, he is one blessed baby, who never has to deal with the fallen, sinful world that we all live in.  He got an instant promotion.  We’ll have a lot of time to hang out in Eternity.  Maybe we’ll even play some piano duets.

Many thanks to those of you who have expressed sympathies.  Your many kind words are much appreciated.  We don’t understand why it all happened this way, but we DO know that God is God, and He is good.

To review: I spoke in post #1 about the “Divine Exchange”, how we are invited to come to God and give Him our junk and in exchange we get His goodness (!). In post #2 I pointed out the reality that we ALL (every person on the planet) NEEDS Jesus, and must receive his salvation and forgiveness. This is all VERY good news. Losing the strength of these truths causes the Gospel to be “no news”.

So, say you receive the salvation that Jesus offers. What is the full impact of this? You are forgiven (awesome!), you are given right standing before God (awesome!), and you have an eternal home in Heaven (yeah, awesome!).

But, is there MORE to it?

“Does there need to be more?”, you may be thinking. In fact, yes, there IS more and actually, there MUST be more than this. I tell you, if you have received salvation in Christ, the truth is you HAVE been changed. You are NOT who you once were!

2 Corinthians 5:17-18 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ

We were born into sin, condemned and worthy of hell, predisposed toward all kinds of evil; sin even written into our genetic code!

Romans 5:19 For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous.

Through the first man (Adam) all of humanity was tainted with sin — affecting us spirit, soul and body. But through the obedience of Jesus, those who receive him will be MADE RIGHT. That means, through Him, and in our receiving Him ALL the wrong things should be made right:

1. Our sinful nature is removed and we are given a NEW nature: a righteous nature that is no longer pre-disposed to sin, but made for holiness.

Romans 6:2,4 We are those who have died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? . . . . just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.

2. Our sickness and disease are healed.

I Peter 2:24 “He himself bore our sins” in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; “by his wounds you have been healed.”

3. All of our emotional brokenness, baggage, disorders, etc. (infirmities) are taken away.

Matthew 8:17 “He took up our infirmities and bore our diseases.”

When sin entered the world, all of creation was subjected to corruption. All of creation: humans, animals, nature, et al, have been tainted by sin. And, all long to be redeemed and brought back into the perfection for which we were created. There is a longing, and even more than that, a NEED to be CHANGED and TRANSFORMED.

Romans 8:20 For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it in hope; 21 because the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. 22 For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now.

We, who are children of God, have ALREADY been liberated (and we will be completely freed from decay when Jesus returns and we are given our glorified bodies). Soon, ALL of creation will be re-created (“Behold, I am making all things new” Revelation 21:5). Until that day, we have the glorious privilege of living out NEW LIFE right here, right now, and bringing that to our world.

Unfortunately, there’s a problem. Somewhere, someone convinced many Christians that because we are “born in sin”, we will forever be broken and sinful.

REALLY?? What kind of Gospel is that, that leaves us the same way it found us — lost in sin, brokenness and corruption? That is not good news at all! No, it is NOT the Gospel. It is a LIE. For, while it’s clear that we are born in sin and with it comes much brokenness, we have been delivered OUT of that kingdom and are being made into the image of God. THIS reality is what brings TRUE GLORY to God. Consider this story:

John 9 1 As he went along, he saw a man blind from birth. 2 His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?”3 “Neither this man nor his parents sinned,” said Jesus, “but this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him. 7 the man went and washed, and came home seeing.

So, we see here that from no choice of their own (the parents or the blind man), the effects of fallenness were evidenced in this mans life – he was blind. This condition was NOT okay with Jesus, so what did He do to show us how God works in our situation? He HEALED HIM.

This is our story. And, it MUST be our story. We cannot accept the broken state we are born into (by nature) as “okay”. We must declare it “NOT okay” and let Jesus heal us. We may be born in any number of fallen conditions: physical deformities, broken families, pre-disposition to alcoholism, homosexuality, violence, mental difficiency . . .

Even if it could be proven that these things might be written into our DNA as some suggest (but has never been qualitively proven), does that make them ok and good? Nope, because we are born in fallenness, whether or not it’s encoded in our genetic makeup is irrelevent. If we can find evidence of our behavior in animals, does it mean that it is God-ordained? Nope, because nature is still under the oppression of fallenness, and therefore does not reflect the true intention of God.

What if we are “born that way”? Well, we are all “born that way”!! We are born into iniquity– fallenness, sin (see Psalm 51:5; I Corinthians 5:22; Romans 5:12-21)! We are born in a corrupted image– human, created in the image of God, yet marred by inherited sin; born under sin’s curse.

HOWEVER, Jesus redeemed us from the curse, and became the curse, FOR US, so that we NO LONGER are obligated to live according to the ways of sinful humanity (Romans 6:1-6)! Those who are in Christ are a NEW creation — He makes us anew! So, perhaps you can find a genetic code to expalin why someone has a natural inclination to be a murderer, or and alcoholic, or homosexual . . . and some say they have. They were “born that way” and can’t help it. Does this mean that God “made them that way”? Or, does it mean that they’re simply bearing the marks of sin nature? And, if the sacrifice of Jesus is to set us free from that, then surely He WILL re-create us in His imagine AND free us from the natural propensity to sin, EVEN IF it’s genetically encoded!

I understand that we want to validate people and let them know that they are valuable. YES! Every human being is valid and VERY valuable! THIS is WHY the Son of God would come to redeem us to Himself and transform us into His very own image (without sin!). Some people may get offended when it’s suggested that what feels so “right” is said to be wrong. Perhaps that is the offense of the Gospel.

I bet it felt very normal and natural for the man born blind to not see. I mean, it’s all he ever knew!! But, Jesus knew he was meant to see, so, He took the man’s blindness, and gave Him sight!! And, the man was VERY glad that Jesus did!

Isn’t this our story? It should be. THIS is good news. This is the Gospel. Jesus came to make all the wrong things right, staring with you and me. Let us not be found embracing brokenness and sin, calling it “natural”, “good” or “right”. And may we never forsake others in blinded darkness, calling their blind condition “good” just because they were “born that way”. Let’s invite Jesus to come and give us REAL SIGHT! May the Lord forgive us for embracing what He came to save us from. Amen.

I believe the Truth about Jesus — known as the Gospel, which actually means “Good News”– is THE essential fact in all the Universe, past, present AND future!  The Life offered by Jesus’ death and resurrection stands as the crux of human history and the necessity for every living soul.

But, we have a problem.  There’s this idea that “everybody’s ok”.  We’re told that it’s “not right” to say that the way anyone is living is wrong, to “judge” them.  We’re told that we should accept people’s decisions and actions and even celebrate them — that this is the way to be “loving”.  And, after all isn’t God “loving”?  [For more on that idea,check this blog post]

Well, if you’re ok, and I’m ok, then who needs a Savior, really?  If everything we do and everything we are is okay, and nothing needs to be “judged” or changed, why did Jesus need to die??  What was the wrath He bore for?  Why did He have to be beaten and torn up, far beyond human recognition (see Isaiah 52:14)?  Doesn’t that seem a little bit extreme?  Couldn’t He have just come down to Earth, been the nice guy that He was, tell us how much God loves us, teach us about God, and then ascend back in to Heaven?  Why a gruesome, torturous death [followed by a glorious resurrection]?

Something must have been terribly wrong with our situation, to demand such an extreme sacrifice.  Clearly, God thought there needed to be some serious renovation to the human condition.  It seems that He even decided to whisper something about this to his friend Isaiah, a few hundred years ahead of Jesus’ birth.  “We all like sheep have gone astray . . “

Speaking about Jesus, Isaiah says:
[Isaiah 53:]
4 Surely he took up our pain
and bore our suffering,
yet we considered him punished by God,
stricken by him, and afflicted.
5 But he was pierced for our transgressions,
he was crushed for our iniquities;
the punishment that brought us peace was on him,
and by his wounds we are healed.
6 We all, like sheep, have gone astray,
each of us has turned to our own way;
and the LORD has laid on him
  the iniquity of us all.

I guess God thought some JUDGMENT was needed and necessary here.

The Son of God did not shed His royal blood . . . just to start another religion  . . . one of many, that people can choose to take or leave.  It wasn’t just another “good idea” that may be “okay for you, but not for me.”

There is no other name that will save people (see Acts 4:12).  No one will be truly “ok” without giving their lives over to the One who can make them truly right.  You can’t be “good enough” apart from His sacrifice given to remove your sin, transgression, iniquity.  Being a devout follower of another “good” religion will still find you as a sheep astray in the wrong pasture, with your iniquity still piled up on you; ripe for His judgment and condemnation. Yes, really.  But, those who will acknowledge that they are “not ok”, who will come to the feet of the One who willingly drank the cup of God’s wrath — are freed from ALL condemnation and guilt (Romans 8:1)!!  Oh, now THAT’S Good News!!!

And that salvation is offered FREELY to all who will embrace it.  No one is forced into it, but neither is anyone swept in by accident.  One man (Adam) freely chose to sin.  Another (Jesus)  freely chose to die for that sin.   Now each of us must freely choose whom they will serve:  self, or Jesus.  Make no mistake.  It is black and white.

Contrary to some popular beliefs, the Bible doesn’t say that ALL people are children of God.

John 1:9-13
9 The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world. 10 He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. 11 He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. 12 Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— 13 children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.

Acts 4:11-13
11 Jesus is“‘the stone you builders rejected, which has become the cornerstone.’ 12 Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.”

To become children of God, we must not merely BELIEVE but also RECEIVE Jesus as He is.  He is the pure and holy light of Truth.  Children of God are those who embrace Jesus, the true Light, and thus become children of Light, living in his holiness and truth.  There’s a transfer out of darkness (the ways of this fallen world) and into light (God’s kingdom).

Ephesians 5:8
For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light

1 Peter 2:9
But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.

Colossians 1:13
For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves,

So, Jesus’ death and resurrection are GOOD NEWS that EVERY person must CHOOSE to embrace or reject.  In doing so, we declare our allegiance to walk in His Kingdom of Light, or to stay lost in a kingdom of darkness.  A serious transfer happens here.  A major CHANGE, to become children of God who dwell in Light.  We are provided with what we COULD NOT do for ourselves — a remedy for our lost-astray-ness; peace (because punishment has been taken); freedom from transgressions (sin) and iniquities (brokenness/sickness) because they were all laid on Jesus; and NEW LIFE (because He died!).  I LOVE THE LIGHT!

The state of humanity [apart from Jesus] is broken, fallen, wrong.  But, God is SO good He decided to make the provision and pay the price for redemption, ALL BY HIMSELF — and to make it available to all people.  Awesome! We all need Jesus!

So, (if) we have received such a great grace — we are forgiven!  Double awesome!  It is just forgiveness that we have received?  Right standing with God is GREAT.  But, when we receive and embrace this marvelous Light in the person of Jesus, are we the same person, now forgiven, or something more?   - – - – that’s for the next post!

The “Divine Exchange”

Isaiah 61

1 The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me,
because the LORD has anointed me
to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
to proclaim freedom for the captives
and release from darkness for the prisoners,
2 to proclaim the year of the LORD’s favor
and the day of vengeance of our God,
to comfort all who mourn,
3 and provide for those who grieve in Zion—
to bestow on them a crown of beauty
instead of ashes,
the oil of joy
instead of mourning,
and a garment of praise
instead of a spirit of despair.
They will be called oaks of righteousness,
a planting of the LORD
for the display of his splendor.

Jesus read this Scripture and said: “Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.” (Luke 4:21)

WOW!!  That is some GLORIOUS news!!  Surely the Jews of that day (who He was speaking to) knew this Scripture, and had LONG awaited for the day when this would be TRUE, not just a future hope.  Jesus, the Messiah, finally here on the scene, declares:  “It’s YOURS!  NOW!  Yep, TODAY, because I am here!”  He was the Good News personified.  The hope of all mankind is made real and available in the person of Christ!!  How awesome is that!  Anyone who will receive Him receives the FULL promises of Isaiah 61 (above)!  God’s heart desire and will for your life is COMPLETE REDEMPTION and RESTORATION.  It looks something like this:

You bring Him your sin. He gives you salvation and forgiveness!
You bring Him your sickness. He gives you healing!
You bring Him your brokenness. He makes you brand new!
You bring Him your shame. He gives you glory!
You bring Him your mourning.   He gives you joy!
You bring Him your burdens. He gives you lightness!
You bring Him your issues. He sets you free!

I could go on, but hopefully you get the point.

THIS IS CRAZY!!  But, it’s absolutely TRUE!!  I call it the “Divine Exchange”, and it’s not “fair” at all!  We give Him our junk, and we get all of His GOOD!  No wonder some people just wanna SHOUT in praise! I do!:)  The best part is, it’s His offer, his idea.  We don’t have to earn it or convince Him to give it to us.  It’s FREE — paid for by the Jesus’ own royal blood.  Amazing!  That is some GOOD news!!!  SO GOOD!

Too bad that many people are carrying around urns full of their ashes like a trophy.

“I’m broken”
“I’m hurt.”
“I’m wounded.” . . . .

Not only do I hear believers identifying the ashes they’re still carrying around (um, why?), some even seem to find their IDENTITY somewhere in that garbage bag their dragging around behind them.

Wait.  Have you met Jesus??

He says that you can trade all of that in.
TODAY.

What are you waiting for?  Why hold on to that?  Do you really prefer ashes over beauty?  Brokenness more than healing?  Do you enjoy mourning and dispair?

I don’t know about you, but I’m trading it in.  Everyday.  I want what Jesus has!  And, if He wants what I have, by golly, He can have it!! I’m taking the Freedom and running with it!!

2 Corinthians 5:17
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!

I’m a new creation!  HALLELUJAH!!

Now, that’s GOOD NEWS!!!  Get some!!

This is such a powerful reality. So RICH, so True.

And you and me, we were made for this LOVE.  So, it’s essential that we understand it, and receive it — and learn to give it.

Unfortunately, there are a LOT of different opinions on what Love looks like. I mean, really, how many books, songs, movies, poems, etc. are written on the subject of love?  We humans are so hungry for love , much of life revolves around the concept of love — finding love, love found, love lost, loving when it’s hard . . .  I wonder why?

Maybe it’s because, in REALITY, we are all very separated from True Love?

Human love is very flawed.  Our reach to find Love usually leads us to try and give some “love” to another, but our ulterior motive is usually to get something in return.  .  . .
Brokenness seeking wholeness from another broken person = more brokenness.

So, the true source of Love is. . . . ?
Well, you knew I was going to say God, right?  But, who is the One who Is Love?

We spend our lives so preoccupied with a very humanistic view of love.  So, even if we “know” God (or something of Him), when we hear that He is the true source of Love, we make a huge mistake:  we place all of our humanistic, warm-fuzzy notions of what love is on Him.

And, it doesn’t work.  Because His way of being Love is way different than our way of feeling and thinking.

So, let’s start from the beginning.

If God is Love.  If the very essence of His being and nature is Love — and, it IS.
Then, who gets to define what Love looks like, feels like, acts like?

Yep, He does!  Which means that our notions — as noble and honorable and “good” as they may seem — mean nothing, really.

So, does that make it a complete mystery?  Does it mean that we can never truly know what Love is?

No.  But, I think it means that we probably don’t know as much about true Love as we like to think.  And, there is much that we do NOT understand.

So, where to start?  Well, I think that the most important truth that must be in place FIRST, is this: GOD IS GOOD.  So, whatever He does is good.  He will never do anything that is not good (in fact, he can’t!) and what He does is absolutely right (as much as we would like to accuse Him of wrong sometimes, or as much as we don’t understand His ways).  Similarly, we must understand that all He does is birthed out of this: His true nature– Love.

With that foundation in place, then, where do we begin to get a picture and some understanding of who He is, and therefor begin to learn what Love is?  Two sources:

1.  The Bible.  All of it, Old and New Testament.  This is the love story of His heart!  It IS His Story (or, “history”, if you prefer).  It is the chronicle of every movement of His heart and interactions of love with the object of His affection: mankind.  From Creation to the eviction from the Garden at the Fall, to the Flood, to the giving of the Law, the Exodus, wandering in the wilderness, entering the Promised Land, good kings, bad kings, judgments, deliverance, the strong words of the Prophets, the arrival of Jesus, His death and Resurrection, the early Church, the letters of Paul (and others), the drama of Revelation and His final wrath.

Yep, ALL of it = Love.

That might be a hard pill to swallow as you look at some aspects.  But it must be true, if God is Love!

2.  Jesus.  He is the exact representation of God (Hebrews 1:3)!  How cool is that??  Now, again we’re not just talking Jesus “meek and mild”.  Remember He said Himself, “I came not to bring peace, but a sword “(Matthew 10:34).  His jealous, zealous Love caused him to make quite a ruckus in the “church” gathering (the Temple, see Matthew 12:21-13; Mark 11:15-17).  Of course in Jesus’ life we also see lots of miracles, healings, teachings about God . . all of it: Love.

Most people would say they like Jesus… but, they might be quick to add, “but, I really don’t like the ‘God of the Old Testament’”.  Well, I hate to break the news, but Jesus IS the God of the Old Testament (well, He’s always been a part of that Beautiful Trinity)!!  You don’t find Him apologizing for anything that He (God) has done or abolishing anything that He had established before (except sacrifices, by making Himself the sacrifice!). In Jesus’ keynote address (we call it the Sermon on the Mount), He said this about the Old Testament (“the Law and the Prophets”):

“Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished. Therefore whoever relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 5:17-20)

and, the Law and the Prophets hang on Love (Matthew 22:40)– it’s where they were all derived from!
So, Jesus actually affirms the reality of our God of Love in ALL of Old Testment HIS-story, and places Himself as the CONCLUDING CHAPTER on this story of Love — the fulfillment of all that was being built and established!  And, when we come to embrace Him, by faith, those Truths become ALIVE and real and FULFILLED in our life (not by our works, but by His POWER at work in us! — this is how we “exceed the righteousness of the Pharisees”).

It really is AWESOME — all that He IS and all that He does — ALIVE in us, as we believe and follow Him!  He calls us to be Friends, to share in His heart and His ways.  What an honor and a privilege!  His ways, so much higher than ours (Isaiah 55:8-10!  This gift of love is PRICELESS!

So, don’t settle for a cheap, human-centered view of Love.  Look for the True, the Noble, the Just, the Excellent, the Praiseworthy — the True Love of God (Philippians 3:9-10).  It is NOT out of reach!  It is incomprehensible AND YET, it is His desire to cause us to experience it in it’s Fullness!

“. . .that according to the riches of His glory He may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in Love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know[experience] the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.”  (Ephesians 3:16-18)

I encourage you to pray this for yourself and for everyone you know.  It is powerful.  It is Real.  It is Love.

Read the Book of Love (the Bible) and seek to know Jesus — then you will know True Love.  Accept no substitutes!

“We must move from prayer “meeting” to a prayer CULTURE” These words were shared at a city-wide rally/prayer gathering early this month by visionary/revolutionary leader Lou Engle (see more at www.thecall.com).  He was explaining that to see true transformation in our state and society, and for the Gospel to prevail over all the competing influences, ideologies, and religions, we must truly LEAN in and DEPEND on God.  We can’t simply be people who add prayer to the list of things we do.  We have to make prayer (communicating with God) our very life-breath, pervading everything and ALL that we do.  This is who Jesus is, isn’t it? [“He who fills everything in every way, Ephesians 1:23] all].  We want His fullness to be manifest in EVERY way, in EVERY thing.  This is why the Furnace exists!  And, we are seeing the culture shift as a result of an emerging culture of prayer.  Lou will be bringing “The Call” (an event gathering the nation for prayer) to Detroit on November 11, 2011. 

A “House” of Prayer

This Fall, as I embarked onto the campus to do this ministry full-time, the Lord strengthened me by reminding me that the place He wants to be is where prayer is happening (“my house shall be a house of prayer for all nations”, Mark 11:17).  I’ve been sharing that message, knowing that it’s not about a building, but a culture and an IDENTITY among His people.  Slowly and steadily, a heart of prayer has been growing among individuals and groups on the campus.  We’ve seen such a UNIFIED expression among Christians as we’ve emphasized our common mission to lift up the Name of Jesus, and to PRAY as we minister to the campus.  I am STUNNED at what THE LORD has done.  And, it truly has been HIS DOING — as I had little to do with some of it – it has been a MOVEMENT emerging at MSU.    Let me line up this semester for you:

• The Furnace currently hosts prayer every day Monday-Friday on campus, joining individuals and ministries in intercession for our campus
  .
• February 24^th we hosted a WHOLE DAY of prayer for the Collegiate Day of Prayer, ending with an all-campus prayer meeting that drew 150 students representing 14 different ministries and many different races and denominations.
• March 20-25 was the campus-wide outreach “Pictures of Hope” where we helped oversee a 24-hour prayer tent that was running concurrently for all five days of the outreach [it was freezing cold that week, but you could find up to 25-30 students in the tent in the late watches of the night, praying together for hours, and enjoying it!  The prayer tent was a favorite event of the week, not to overshadow several who gave their lives to Jesus that week as well!!
• April 10-17, University Christian Outreach helps sponsor a 24 hour prayer room for the week.
• April 16- one of our Furnace prayer leaders (Shannon Obrien, more on her below) hosted a campus-wide PRAYER walk, covering all areas of campus (this actually happened the same days a huge prayer walk in the city of Detroit!).  It was a VERY cold, wet, rainy day, but faithful ones from several ministries still came out to walk and pray, exercising God’s dominion! 
• -April 17-21, Red Cedar Christian Fellowship and Asian Christian Intervarsity are hosting (as I write!) a 24 hour prayer room (in the MSU Library!) for Holy Week!

It would seem that God Himself is orchestrating things in such a way that the fires of prayer are constantly burning, creating for Himself a “house of prayer” where He can dwell with us on campus!  THIS  IS EXCITING! 

Shannon (pictured at left) leads one of our weekly prayer times.  I asked her to share her story with you (and you can look forward to hearing other student stories in future newsletters.  In her own words, Shannon says:

Since coming to MSU, I have been pained to see the division in the Christian body on campus.  The different campus ministries seemed disconnected and far apart, even competitive for members at times.  The Furnace has truly been an answer to my prayer, and of many other students like myself.  It gives students the opportunity to come together and pray for campus without labels and obligations, providing a free environment for worship, prayer, and fellowship.  Leading a prayer meeting through the furnace empowered my intercession for campus, but it has resulted in the direct answer to prayers of unity on campus.  Prayer meetings are diverse in race, age, and denomination, and equally just as empowering to each student’s personal relationship with Christ.  The Collegiate Day of Prayer event was amazingly powerful, and was an eye opener to many as to the importance and power of unity on campus.  Several ministries were present in full numbers, allowing students to fellowship and make connections, as well as lift each others ministry up in prayer.

Personally, the Furnace has encouraged me to be more open and diverse in how I pray and communicate with God.  It has given me boldness in prayer that I had never experienced before. The Holy Spirit Seminars hosted by Jessie and the Furnace really helped me grow my relationship and spurred my desire to go deeper in God.  It opened my eyes to the unlimited possibilities of a deeper relationship.  In addition, leading a furnace prayer meeting has given me a new sense of purpose and vitality. I LOVE PRAYING! Before, I didn’t really have a good prayer outlet outside of my own personal prayer closet. But now I can get together with other students for prayer almost every day of the week!  It has also given me a way to share my personal testimony and minister to people that I otherwise wouldn’t have the opportunity to do.   Since joining with the Furnace, I have had so much joy, peace, kindness… ALL the fruits of the Spirit, and they just continue to grow as the Spirit flows more in my life through prayer.

One day when I was thinking about unity on MSU among the body of Christ, God showed me that the Furnace represents the cardiovascular system, with all the veins and arteries. It pumps blood, with nutrition and heat, throughout the whole body.  It connects the Body and brings LIFE to all of its members!!!! Prayer is at the heart of any relationship with God, and without prayer, the body of Christ has no heart!

Your support helps fuel the dreams and visions that God is planting into passionate young leaders like Shannon.  Shannon has a heart to minister in other nations.  After she graduates next month, she’ll be doing just that!                                     THANK YOU FOR BEING A PART OF IT ALL!!

All for Jesus,   -Jessie

If you’re interested in supporting this movement, visit the Join the Team page!  Thanks!