Bethel Church.

Two weekends ago I spent some time at Bethel Church in Redding California.

Many of you have been asking how it was.  Apparently word has been getting out about the miraculous things that are happening at this place.

I went for many reasons.  I do want amazing things to happen in peoples’ lives, and I had heard that amazing things were happening there.  I’ve also been looking at ministry schools, and they have one which my friend Phillip attends.

A great opportunity came up to go with my friend David, who needed to take a trip up north anyway.  It worked out beautifully.  David and I made the 8 hour drive from Los Angeles with high hopes.

I wasn’t exactly sure what to expect; I’ve heard about people being healed from cancer, blind people seeing, and deaf people hearing.  That’s not something I’m used to, but those are the stories coming out of there.

I knew I couldn’t expect Bethel to look “normal” because of the extraordinary things I’d heard were happening there.  So when I saw people rolling on the ground laughing, and others twitching because they were affected by the Spirit, I tried not to judge it.    I saw people laying hands on each other to pray for them.  In one sanctuary during a healing prayer session a woman came up to the microphone and shared her story.  “The doctor told me that they were going to have to operate on my knee.  I told him I don’t accept your sentence.  I came here and the Lord healed me!”  She shouted this as she jumped up and down and danced.  Then she grabbed the mic again.  “I wasn’t able to walk up stairs, now look at me!”  I stared at her, amazed, and thought to myself, yeah, it’s weird, or rather, it’s different then what I’m used to.  But people are being healed.   I’d rather it be different and people be getting healed than a service I comfortable with where nothing happens.   I saw another woman who’d received healing dancing with her cane because she no longer needed it.

My friend David and I may not have received healing for ourselves that day, but we left hopeful, and feeling greatly blessed.

Check out the stories yourself if you want to hear more: http://www.ibethel.org/site/testimonies

It’s not about what we do.  It’s what God does through us.  We just have to allow Him.

“Passion and the anointing run in parallel courses. A person with passion will take risks. Everything you want in the realm of the Kingdom is found through this veil of difficulty by stepping into the realm of inconvenience. You don’t get it by coasting on yesterday’s breakthrough. You were born for expansion.”

-       Bill Johnson (Pastor at Bethel Church)

within those who believe

Sitting on the living room couch of my old apartment in North Hollywood, the loose blinds allowing strips of lights to come through, I can hear the soft hum of cars driving on the roads outside, wet from the rain. It makes me feel a bit more comfortable being inside where it’s warm. Funny how it is when you can see things outside of you for what they are; it can make you feel glad for what you have within.

I’ve been reflecting a lot about this weekend. It’s tuesday morning, and the weekend still weighs heavy on me. The reason is because I experienced things that I will not easily forget. But more than that, I found that as I continue to grow in knowledge and wisdom, there is more and more room for me to grow. As I seek after God, I become hungry for more of God, and the more I discover the more I want to discover and find the more there is to be discovered. It’s like coming up over a hill because you’re curious at what’s at the top. Once you get to the top you see that there is a sprawling city below you and mountains in the distance. There is so much to be discovered in this wonderful land. How much more is there to be discovered in the things of God?

My roommate and I went for a little walk yesterday to get some groceries. He was asking me some questions that led to the topic of the culture of heaven. “Matt, do you remember when we went to Spain, and in the village library we were trying to work?” He nodded and smiled because he knew what I was getting to. “Then we ended up being kicked out of the library at 2pm because they needed to close down for siesta!”

To us that was crazy. Because we had an American culture. Who closes anything at 2pm in the states? Our American culture was so a part of us that this idea of stores closing everywhere at 2pm seemed nuts. We had work that we wanted to finish for Pete’s sakes!

As believers in Jesus and followers of his way, When you surrender your life to the living God, you start being influenced by the kingdom culture. And things don’t make sense to the earthly culture, but make total sense in the kingdom… even things that are impossible to man. As Jesus said in the book of Mark “With man it is impossible, but not with God. For all things are possible with God.”

The kingdom of God holds the realm of possibility. It is unseen by most, and it dwells within those who believe.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Having anything you imagine.

I once stepped into a white space. There was nothing around me but white. I don’t know how I got there, I just knew that I was. I just knew that I was. In this Space, I was able to have anything I could imagine. I simply had to imagine beyond the white space. I wanted to sit and think for a moment, and suddenly, there to my side, was a chair. I sat and thought. I closed my eyes, and I allowed my thoughts to drift in. Whatever could come to my mind came. I imaged I was in the center and others were around me. They seemed to be waiting for me to say something, but nothing found it’s way to my lips. There was nothing because my imagination was limited. I was justifying and wondering what they were thinking I might say. If I said nothing they would always be curious. If I said nothing there would be no mistakes; I could never fail. I opened my eyes to the white, just me and my chair. I was glad I wasn’t in the center with nothing to say. I stood up wanting to walk. There was no need for the chair anymore, so I blinked and it was gone. A path appeared before me. As I thought of the things that I liked, I could hear the birds singing and from the white, like fog, trees emerged. There was a breeze that softly swayed through the trees. The path seemed to rise to meet my feet and I pressed on unsure of exactly where I was going, but glad for the simple fact that I could walk. I wanted to see a lake, so as I walked a clearing of trees opened up to a lake that was calm and tranquil. The sun was bright and beautiful with just a few clouds in the sky because I like clouds. I desired to rest, so I let my body drift down to a soft patch of grass. Slowly I felt myself sink into the earth inch by inch. I sank drifting downward until I could open my eyes and see a hole that my body had formed. I felt protected like in the cleft in a rock, as if I was in the arms of a loving mother, my mother, and that she was the most loving of all. I felt comfortable and small. I sensed that there was nothing for me to do; just simply be, to rest, and to know that I was. I thought about God and what he made, about the minds of man and creativity, and imagination. I loved the grass he made and the trees and the breeze. I don’t know why I liked it, no… I loved it. I don’t know why, I just know that I did. I allowed myself to drift back upward, inch by inch I made my way to the surface again. The earth below pushing me up. The soft grass beneath me came back to the level ground. I laid on top of the grass now, the lake near me and the sun warming my face. Then, I opened my eyes even wider and found myself in the center of a group of people waiting to hear from me as if I had something to say. I looked in their bright and curious eyes, and smiled. I opened my mouth and spoke.

Life’s little Challenges

We all face opposition at one point or another.

A friend of mine from Montana, in away, has a second chance at life after surviving from a bad car accident.  I haven’t seen him in quite a while.  It’s been years since I have returned to the last best place (Montana).

When I was younger,  I found myself working with my friend digging post holes and putting in fences on his parents ranch.  Or shooting hoops with him, and shooting rifles at gophers, and then being distracted and shooting gas caps at old abandoned cars.  Thinking that they would blow up from the heat of the bullet like in the movies,  and the two of us would some how survive .  I don’t know why we did that.  I remember even then thinking it was a bad idea .  The car never blew up.  And we lived to tell about it.  I was older and yet, not nearly as brave as him.  I would often find myself at the brink of trouble, even disaster following along with some of those schemes.  I eventually grew out of doing those things. But, I didn’t grow out of taking risks or searching out an adventure.  I was just more mindful and wise, you could say, with what I chose to get myself into.

And as I have matured, choices and life itself really haven’t gotten easier…

We can be told we are not good enough, smart enough, tall enough, fast enough, good looking enough, able enough… We start to have all sorts of doubts in others and in ourselves.  We begin to believe in all sorts of lies.  It’s time to stop listening to the lies.

Finish strong in your work and know this world is forever different because you’re in it… and that’s pretty much science… yeah it is…

So, when your changing things… like the world with the choices you make, be aware of your actions; they help define you.

Reputation is what men and women think of us; character is what God and angels know of us.
-Thomas Paine

Having nothing to hold on to was just what I needed.

Having nothing to hold on to, was just what I needed.

The greatest gift was giving it all away.

That’s everything an artist is.  Someone who gives away their gift.  Some give it to a canvas, some to an audience, some give it to their keyboard and mouse hours at a time.  Some give it through food, others through invention.

Any form of Creative expression can be seen as art.

You, yourself, are a great work of art.  You just may not believe it.  You, yourself, are a form of creative expression.

Do what it is you do crazier than anyone else.   Live wildly, love passionately, give generously, hold nothing back!  Give freedom a new definition when you break free yourself.  When others describe you… may they do it radically and be searching for words they can’t find.  Find lines to stay out of, boxes to think outside of, walls to climb, barriers to break, bridges to build, hands to hold.

Lift someone up as if they were everything that mattered, smile as if to say “you’re a Miracle.”

“bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.” (Luke 6:28)

Light someone’s way.  Give someone what they don’t deserve and expect nothing in return.

And remember…”Don’t die with your music still in you.”

May you inspire Heroes of Children and leaders of men.  May you be brave and bold to do the unthinkable.

And believe in the source of Hope, Love, and Faith.  May you see the invisible and grasp the intangible.

May you Be… truly alive.