How Did He Do That?

I tell you the truth, anyone who believes in me will do the same works I have done, and even greater works, because I am going to be with the Father.  You can ask for anything in my name, and I will do it, so that the Son can bring glory to the Father.  Yes, ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it!.....John 14:12-14

Music for Meditation

How did big brother Jesus do all the amazing things He did?  Yes, He was Dad in the flesh, so is that how He did it?  Did He just pull out His “God card” whenever He wanted to make things happen?  Yes, He was Dad in the flesh, but no, that is not how He did it, for He was also human. 

Philippians 2:5-8 tells us that even though Jesus was indeed Dad in the flesh, He set aside all His Godly power in order to know what it is like to be limited as a human.  This is also how He was the fulfillment of Scripture such as Hebrews 4:14-16.  So how did He perform all the miracles He did?  The answer is found in His baptism.  Not only do we find this answer here, but also one of the most beautiful illustrations of the harmony of the trinity as well. 

In Matthew 3:13-17, we see God the Son, Jesus, submitting his human will to God the Father and, as a result, being empowered by God the Holy Spirit to do everything God the Father wanted Him to do.  In submitting His human will in performing all the miracles He did, Jesus didn’t do all He did for show or based upon what His humanness may have been tempted to do (Matt  4:1-11, 26:36-42, 26:52-54), but what Dad wanted Him to as attested to in John 5:19.  He submitted His human will as God the Son, to God the Father, and since Dad won’t say no to His own will, that is why Dad empowered Jesus with the Holy Spirit to do it and how Jesus did all He did. 

So why do I share all this?  Because, the exciting part is, Jesus told us in John 14:12-14 above, that we are capable of doing all this, and greater things, as well by following His example.  As professing followers of Jesus, if we too submit our human will as children of Dad’s, to His will, He will empower us to do all He wants us to do as well.  The often common problem though, is that upon realizing and accepting we are His children and, as a result, receiving his Holy Spirit, we stop there, content to just be saved, and then just wait around for Jesus to return. 

I’m not suggesting not being grateful for being saved.  What I am saying though is that Scripture suggests that while we who are redeemed are sitting around waiting for Jesus to return, His return is waiting on us to go.  Being redeemed by Dad doesn’t stop with us as Jesus attested to in Scripture such as Mark 16:15-18.  Once we believe and receive His Holy Spirit as our ancestors did in Acts 2, we receive it not to just sit around, but to then go and do as He commanded in Scripture such as Acts 1:1-11, suggesting that works performed as such are from something other than Dad is blasphemy of the Spirit as Jesus eluded to in Matthew 12:22-37, and anything less has eternal consequences attached to it as He eluded to in Matthew 25:14-46. 

With that, if you are reading this and either aren’t in a relationship with Dad or aren’t sure of the status of your relationship, please click here, read, reflect, and respond as led to.  If you have any questions, comments, or need more info concerning anything here or on the site, please respond either here, via email, or on face book privately or publicly.  If you make any decisions in response to anything in this article or the site, please feel free to share as led to.  With that, may Dad continue to bless you all richly!

Delivering Hope Homeless Outreach:3-17-11

For who is powerful enough to enter the house of a strong man like Satan and plunder his goods? Only someone even stronger—someone who could tie him up and then plunder his house.....Matthew 12:29

And it is through that strength, fasting, praying, and switching to Thursday evenings that we finally broke into and began to loot the enemy’s house. 

Since info we had been receiving didn’t produce any results, we began this evening by approaching a homeless person with a sign named Tim.  By Dad’s grace, we got to both serve him and pray for and with him.  We also connected with a local men’s homeless shelter and made arrangements to provide some meat weekly for the men who stay there.

And with that, the ministry Dad called us into produced its first fruit!  J

As always, you can get involved by continuing to pray for us, donating monetarily or supply wise through this site or Delivering Hope, and/or bringing some supplies and joining us on Thursday evenings at the site located on the sign to the right of this screen.  You can participate by engaging one, any, or all of these options, and don’t feel obligated to come out every Thursday if you can only do it sometimes. 

Finally, if you are reading this and either aren’t in a relationship with Dad or aren’t sure of the status of your relationship, please click here, read, reflect, and respond as led to.  If you have any questions, comments, or need more info concerning anything here or on the site, please respond either here, via email, or on face book privately or publicly.  If you make any decisions in response to anything in this article or the site, please feel free to share as led to.  With that, may Dad continue to bless you all richly!

Delivering Hope Homeless Outreach:3-11-11

Afterward, when Jesus was alone in the house with his disciples, they asked him, “Why couldn’t we cast out that evil spirit?”

Jesus replied, “This kind can be cast out only by prayer and fasting.".....Mark 9:28-29

 

In light of the events involved in our first attempt out, Dad revealed the truth of the above Scripture concerning this particular ministry.  He also revealed that the homeless community of Ross County are victims of both abuse and secrecy in terms of being forced to hide and, as a result, difficult to find and hesitant of receiving help when found. 

The first revelation of abuse was confirmed when, in researching on the internet about our homeless brothers and sisters in Ross County, the first thing discovered was a video of a homless person getting exhaust blown in their face while being told to get a job.  Fortunately, a web search renders different results now.  The second issue of being forced into hiding and the hesitancy of being discovered was also confirmed when in our second attempt out, we found a homeless individual who ran from us upon attempting to approach and assist him.  That was basically the extent of our second night out. 

By Dad’s grace though and a daily growing love for both Him and our homeless brothers and sisters, we continue to fast and pray concerning this scenario, rebuke the enemy, and will continue to be out weekly anticipating Dad slowly, but surely, utilizing us to heal the wounds of abuse inflicted on our brothers and sisters and, as a result, giving them permission to come out of the shadows of the enemy’s corners they’ve been forced into, to embrace the nourishing light of their Dad and brothers and sisters who love them. 

As always, you can get involved by continuing to pray for us, donating monetarily or supply wise through this site or Delivering Hope, and/or bringing some supplies and joining us on Thursday evenings at the site located on the sign to the right of this screen.  You can participate by engaging one, any, or all of these options, and don’t feel obligated to come out every Thursday if you can only do it sometimes. 

Finally, if you are reading this and either aren’t in a relationship with Dad or aren’t sure of the status of your relationship, please click here, read, reflect, and respond as led to.  If you have any questions, comments, or need more info concerning anything here or on the site, please respond either here, via email, or on face book privately or publicly.  If you make any decisions in response to anything in this article or the site, please feel free to share as led to.  With that, may Dad continue to bless you all richly!

Delivering Hope Homeless Outreach:3-4-11

Music for Meditation

Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour.  1 Peter 5:8

We have been doing Dad’s work He’s led us into entering into seven weeks now and beginning with this, I will attempt to journal our progress along the way. 

We viewed our first week out as an awesome way to celebrate my sister Jaime’s birthday which was the same day.  We soon realized though, the enemy had no plans of giving up His territory easily, but rather to crash the party through a rainstorm that nearly stalled one of our vehicles on Bridge Street, our scheduled babysitting falling through, and Jaime’s little girl sucking a bead up her nose which led to an unexpected ER visit. 

Fortunately though, His children Dad chose and will continue to choose to wage this particular battle are warriors at heart.  Even though Satan is like a lion, he is a mere kitten to the One we serve, the King of the lions, the Lion of Judah!  The One we serve bounds and gags the enemy, crushes his head, eats him alive, and leaves him for dead!  And its by this example, power, and authority that as I write this, we are entering week seven (or as my wife put it, I said, no homeless people in Chilli huh?  We’ll see about thatJ

If after reading this, Dad stirs you to get involved, there several ways to do so.  First, pray for us constantly as that is the foundation of all we do.  Second, you can donate either monetarily or supply wise through either this site to the right or through Delivering Hope.  Third, you can gather supplies and join us on Thursday evenings at the location mentioned on the sign to the right of this site.  You can participate by engaging one, any, or all of these options and don’t feel obligated to come out every Thursday if you can only do it sometimes.  

Finally, if you are reading this and either aren’t in a relationship with Dad or aren’t sure of the status of your relationship, please click here, read, reflect, and respond as led to.  If you have any questions, comments, or need more info concerning anything here or on the site, please respond either here, via email, or on face book privately or publicly.  If you make any decisions in response to anything in this article or the site, please feel free to share as led to.  With that, may Dad continue to bless you all richly!

Crazy!.....Like a Dove

That is why I tell you not to worry about everyday life, whether you have enough food and drink, or enough clothes to wear. Isn’t life more than food, and your body more than clothing?  Look at the birds. They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns, for your heavenly Father feeds them. And aren’t you far more valuable to him than they are?  Can all your worries add a single moment to your life?  And why worry about your clothing? Look at the lilies of the field and how they grow. They don’t work or make their clothing, yet Solomon in all his glory was not dressed as beautifully as they are.  And if God cares so wonderfully for wildflowers that are here today and thrown into the fire tomorrow, he will certainly care for you. Why do you have so little faith?  So don’t worry about these things, saying, ‘What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear? These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs.  Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.  So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today.....Matthew 6:25-34

The advice contained above is often easier said than done, and in the current season my family and I are in where it often seems we are being asked by Dad to do more in regards to advancing the kingdom than our tangible budget appears to be able to handle, its often more so. 

Having said that, Dad came to me in a dream recently concerning this.  In the dream, our boys were at my mom’s house.  They became hungry and let my mom know.  My mom responded by giving them a credit card to get what they needed. 

For many obvious reasons, I had a reaction of shock.  Interestingly though, it had nothing to do with them being kids and whether or not they would even know what a credit card is or how to use it.  It was more of “Mom! What are you doing?  Don’t you realize they won’t use it for just what they NEED?”

I was even more surprised though when my mom seemed to not share my concern, they did use it solely for what they needed and then gave it back, and this whole series of events went down as smoothly and naturally as if my boys had asked me for it…..or would it have went down the same?.....and Dad soon revealed to me that is the point!  My reaction to this series of events revealed more about me than them. 

As dad, am I always as open to meeting others needs as I should be, or does the concern of having what it takes(physically, mentally, and/or spiritually)hinder that at times?  This relationship of exchange does often seem to go more naturally between grandparents and children versus parents and children, for reasons parents reading this can relate to.  I believe Dad showed me this though to reveal that He’d like to strike more of a balance in His relationship with us that combines elements of both the loving responsibility of a parent with the freedom that often comes with being a grandparent.  As the reader, “hopefully that just makes sense” for I’m quoting what Dad said to me when I asked Him to expand on it as well.  

More importantly, as Dad’s child, am I embracing a relationship with Him where I believe I can openly ask Him for anything I need?  And do I, in childlike faith, trust His judgment when He answers yes, no, or wait?  Sure, as His child, I’ll pout and tantrum sometimes(probably more than I’d like to admit)when He says no or wait.  In the end though, do I have a relationship with Him that knows He loves me even when I pout or tantrum, and knowing this allows me the freedom to eventually pout or tantrum myself into acceptance of His answer?  For the benefit of you as reader, I purposely left these questions unanswered to promote personal dialogue between Dad and you, much like He did for me. 

The next morning I woke up remembering this dream which was Dad’s way of telling me I needed to share it.  I got our boys ready for school and as my oldest raced out the door to the bus stop, below is a couple of pictures of what was in our front yard to greet us, completely unmoved by our pre-teen bolting past it:

As Mike opened the door, the heavens were opened and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and settling on him.  And a voice from heaven said, “This is my dearly loved Son, who brings me great joy.”.....Matthew 3:16-17 personalized

If after reading this, you want to consciously begin to live a relationship with Dad like this(for the first time or in a more intimate way), click here, read, and respond as led to.  If you respond to this invite, have had similar dreams or other encounters with Dad, or wish to share any other comments here, please do so…..and may He continue to bless you all richly!