“After he had fasted 40 days…” Matthew 4:2 Those words are palpable… especially after our 21 days of ’sun up to sun down’ or ‘The Daniel Fast’  or whichever  way it was you  participated  in the fast.

I cannot now imagine how Jesus  fasted a full 40 days as he prepared Himself as  my Lord and Savior… I have read that passage in Matthew my whole life but, it has never had meaning  until now.

I am so proud of our church family…. we are coming together and finding our ‘heart’ and ‘purpose’ as a last days local church here in America, more specifically the Sacramento region.   We are learning that God’s answer for the desperate needs of people will not be found in creating another ‘Disney Church’ experience, but in getting to the real ’cause and affect’ of God’s kingdom… that being prayer, fasting, total community and repentance… resulting in salvation, transformation, miracles and wide spread revival…

I am wondering if we could embrace the idea that this Awakening Fast was in many ways the ‘pre-season’ and not the Super Bowl of commitment?  I know that is my outlook, I am pressing in to see what God has next… will you join me?

stay hungry… stay tuned!

You’ve heard me mention my mom’s double knee replacement a lot this week… I still can’t get the image of a 72 year old woman gritting her teeth like an Olympic athlete as she bent her new knees a few more degrees than she did the day before.  I asked her how she was able to keep doing this… she lifted her finger to the sky and gave Jesus full credit… I then asked her this question…. ‘do you think mom you would be able to ‘face and embrace’ this kind of crazy pain each day if  you weren’t seeing PROGRESS?   Maybe it’s incremental, but knowing there’s progress and results on the other side of the pain… somehow gave mom a sense of  empowerment to face her pain once again the next day!

Huge lesson in this.

People need to see progress …  or their commitment to sacrifice comforts, such as food during a fast, will wear thin and they will lose heart.

So what God-results are you seeing during the AWAKENING fast?    We need to share those results with each other.  Why?   So God’s gets the glory, [remember moms uplifted hand?]  we also need to share our ‘progress reports’  because others need their hearts ignited, like mine was when i saw mom’s courage and perseverance.  People need stories.   Even if it’s incremental progress, the drive to face pain and further growth is enhanced if we believe  that our investments are working.

stay strong… stay enthused

i want to strongly encourage all of us to pay close attention to the ‘details’ of God’s presence, direction and voice during the fast… for guys like me, I tend to think about something key and specific, then lose it over time, I’m taking a different approach this time.

I am paying attention to the details!

Whenever you do something revolutionary for the first time,  there is always the question in the back of your mind…’ is this just an experiment that is doomed to fail?’   ‘Or, will a life giving habit emerge when this is all said and done?’

More about that in a second.

First though, have you ever wondered where the LAST  mention of fasting is located in scripture?  Here it is.

“Paul and Barnabas also appointed elders in every church. With prayer and fasting, they turned the elders over to the care of the Lord, in whom they had put their trust”   Acts 14:23

1 major  thing strikes me about this fasting passage… (1)  Paul and Barnabas were the recipients of spiritually focused leadership when they were sent out. Acts 13:3 ‘… so after more prayer and fasting, the men laid their hands on them and sent them on their way.” Paul and Barnabas were now the ‘leadership’ overseeing the new works that were started during the first missionary journey.  But as itinerant missionaries they had no intent on settling down in any given city.  But in order to keep the work of God strong and sustainable, Paul and Barnabas needed to release leaders (elders) to oversee the work.

So they used the same process of fasting to secure a sense of safety that the right men were in place.

It’s easy for me to practice intense spirituality  when I begin something … or if I am the recipient of something …  but I find it hard to maintain that focus, especially  if it benefits or applies to someone else…  as the last week of our fast unfolds I ‘m asking myself, “what are my take always?” …. or more importantly,  ”what spiritual experiments will now become my spiritual ‘habits?‘.

Also, did you notice in the Acts 14:23 passage,  that Paul and Barnabas  “turned the elders over to the care of the Lord…..”

it doesn’t say , “they turned the church over to the care of the elders”  This verse shows the true nature and theology of biblical leadership, that leaders must feel cared for … by the Lord…before they can care properly for the people.  That’s a beautiful picture.

stay true .. stay tuned!

Last night was night of power at mars hill… I sure hated missing our corporate prayer time last night at Mars… but  my role as ’son’ took precedence over my role as ‘pastor’.  My dear mom, Beverly, recently had DOUBLE  knee replacement surgery and is going through grueling rehab this week in Grand Rapids.  When she was contemplating the surgery I told her I would do what ever I could to come visit her and be with her for a few days during rehab, this week was the only window to make  the trip, I’m so glad I did.  Watching her yesterday ‘press’ through her enormous pain while keeping her ‘eye on the prize’ was so inspiring!

Thanks for praying for my mom!  Her name is Beverly.

Now something that caught my eye this week about fasting and our AWAKENING journey.  There’s a short story involving what I call ‘practical fasting’ that caught my eye.   In Acts 13: 1-3,  it says that a small collection of early church leaders were gathered in Antioch.  Their purpose?  We are not quite sure.   It only says that they were ‘worshiping and fasting..”   They were not looking to ‘do’ something nor  ’send’ someone into ministry. They were just worshiping and fasting.   Then suddenly, the Holy Spirit speaks ultra specific instructions to this band of God-seekers… they are told ’set apart‘ Barnabas and Saul for a ‘special work’. Then it says, ‘after more prayer and fasting‘, they laid hands on them and sent them out…

2 things … fasting creates the  ’conditions’ so if God  wants to speak or direct,  He feels welcomed!   Fasting should not always be motivated because  something is  bearing down on my life  … Like  in this case of the Antioch God-seekers, it was designed, along with worship, to set the table and ‘mood’ so God would feel comfortable speaking.

Fasting usually is the ‘result’ of something we face [present] or because something we’ve faced. [past]  But here it was used to set an atmosphere… My hope during this fasting  season is that I will incorporate a more regular approach to fasting in the same way I incorporate worship as one of my regular disciplines as a Christian… not because I’m facing dangers or decisions, but because I want to  create the kind of conditions that welcome  God’s  voice in my life!  Hope that makes sense!

Final week and beyond of our AWAKENING… stay true to everything God has asked of you!

much love …

Travels and busyness has keep me from posting much over  the last few days, so let me catch you up on a couple of things.

First,  I found myself on a cross country detour today while traveling to Grand Rapids, Michigan to visit my mom who recently had a double knee replacement.  She is doing extremely well, I missed her first grueling week of  recovery,  so the mom I saw today really doesn’t tell the story of  what she has been through.  A very painful journey.  But she wanted the quality of her life to improve, her  issue wasn’t life threatening,  but her mobility was greatly hindered.  So basically she invited  extreme pain into her life because the desire and dream  for a better life was bigger to my mom than the temporary pain and recovery process.

Way to go mom!

It’s also fun to visit the city  where our family spent five years as pastors of Grand Rapids First Assembly of God church.  Pastor Sam Rifkogel is doing a fantastic job.  Still, it’s January!  Which is the coldest month of the year for Grand Rapids.  It’s icy, windy and pretty much uninhabitable for more than a few minutes outdoors.  But we do miss the many friendships we formed in Grand Rapids…

The fast continues to bring focus to my life. I’m grateful.

I am blown away by how many people have jumped in at some level of participation in our 21 days of fasting. Our church is stronger already.

Sunday was great!  It was a ‘game changer’ for our church.

God is touching men and making them ‘LEADing men’

Get ready mars…. ‘From Neighborhoods to Nations’ is about to become part of your everyday language!

Over the past few days this verse has topped my ‘heart charts’ … Philippians 4:6 “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.” With that in mind I posted a question to a buddy of mine and asked him what guys in particular wake up and feel ‘anxious’ about.  He gave me some great answers.  I posted his answers on face book and got a whole new slew of responses…  I have posted that whole thread on this blog.

No question, unchecked anxiety is a life and faith killer!  Anxiety in a biblical sense means far more than feeling ‘nervous’ about something.  It actually means to ‘promote one’s self interest’  That sounds like an odd definition, but here is the power and application of Philippians 4:6.  Anxiety,  which is a form of fear, can so overtake someone that they promote ’self -survival’ at all costs.  Every thought, every decision, every turn is processed with self survival in mind.  A person living like this has little impact on the world around them. That is why anxiety is such a faith killer.  When my life gets so wrapped up in my concerns for survival,  my neighbor or world gets nothing of God’s potential in me.

So here is what most guys are anxious about … according to my friend Rick…

1. Am I good enough? Do I measure up in front of my peers? 2. Age. Do I look old enough to be taken seriously? Do I look ridiculous keeping up with younger guys? 3. Money. Things cost more but I’m making less. I have to tell my kids “no”. I can’t do what I want to do because there is not enough $.

From Sarah “things I get anxious about: do i have what it takes? (to be a mother, to accomplish the things i want to). my memory: I forget the most important things sometimes, trying to remember the small things. as a woman: will i b enough to “wow” my future husband, till we leave this earth? concerning god: will he say”well done my good & faithful servant…”

From Greg  “as you can tell by the time of this post, I have trouble closing my eyes. I am anxious because as every day passes, I worry that I have not done enough. I was raised a certain way and I feel I have a lot to do to make the work done by others be fruitful! I have made a lot of mistakes!! If I close my eyes for good, will my mistakes do me in? That is the type of thing that makes me anxious.”

From Melanie “My brain never shuts off…I worry about everything! And then I feel guilty cuz I’m not “giving it over” 2 the Lord. The other 2 comments about “not measuring up” are right on target. Within every human being is a huge space that aches to know were significant…that we matter. I recently heard it described like this…”Do you see me?” What a perfect description…”

I am praying that the Awakening Fast works on all my anxieties…

Sorry for ‘clustering my days’ and reflections, but this weekend was BUSY! Great sunday that included our sunday night UNITY service. Nearly 4,000 people crammed into Capital Christian Center for a night of world-class music and worship and a compelling message from Sam Rodriguez! Very moving. Thoroughly inspiring! Over the weekend I hosted a good friend of mine and the Mars Hill family, Roger Bain. We are exploring the possibilities of launching the Mars Hill Leadership College this fall. It would begin as a 20 plus student cohort in partnership with the School of Urban Missions in Oakland, CA.

This weekend was hectic … but not so hectic that I forgot I was a part of a larger fasting and prayer journey with my church family. We are one third of the way though this ‘Awakening Fast”. Daniel chapter 10 talks of Daniel’s ‘emptying’ when confronted by the presence of God. Daniel’s strength and breathe left him. He was face down … almost lifeless… then came the touch that change the world. New strength filled Daniel. He rose slowly, first stablizing himself on his hands and knees trembling. Like a suddenly beaten boxer struggling to rise from the canvass … Daniel finally stood … but not in his old strength, but in new strength. In God-strength. The strength ‘transfusion’ was complete! That is the hope for all of us during this fast. That we would have a ’strength transfusion’... not an infusion … which is nothing more than a mixture of something new with something already there, but an actual ‘transfusion’… a total replacement. You see God is not going to ask you to do something new but ask that you do it with an old measure of past strength… like Daniel, God touches us with new strength!

I know this post is little long, but if you can take a moment to read this portion of Isaiah 53 from the Message Translation it will bless your fasting commitment!

“Who believes what we’ve heard and seen? Who would have thought God’s saving power would look like this?
The servant grew up before God—a scrawny seedling,
a scrubby plant in a parched field.
There was nothing attractive about him,
nothing to cause us to take a second look.
He was looked down on and passed over,
a man who suffered, who knew pain firsthand.
One look at him and people turned away.
We looked down on him, thought he was scum.
But the fact is, it was our pains he carried—
our disfigurements, all the things wrong with us.
We thought he brought it on himself,
that God was punishing him for his own failures.
But it was our sins that did that to him,
that ripped and tore and crushed him—our sins!
He took the punishment, and that made us whole.
Through his bruises we get healed.
We’re all like sheep who’ve wandered off and gotten lost.
We’ve all done our own thing, gone our own way.
And God has piled all our sins, everything we’ve done wrong,
on him, on him.

He was beaten, he was tortured,
but he didn’t say a word.
Like a lamb taken to be slaughtered
and like a sheep being sheared,
he took it all in silence.
Justice miscarried, and he was led off—
and did anyone really know what was happening?
He died without a thought for his own welfare,
beaten bloody for the sins of my people.
They buried him with the wicked,
threw him in a grave with a rich man,
Even though he’d never hurt a soul
or said one word that wasn’t true.

Still, it’s what God had in mind all along,
to crush him with pain.
The plan was that he give himself as an offering for sin
so that he’d see life come from it—life, life, and more life.
And God’s plan will deeply prosper through him”

Not a ton to report.  But I am getting all these small tiny ‘winks’ from heaven that lets me know God is watching.  It is really cool to experience… and faith building.  How am I feeling?

Crummy!    Kind of a  ’godly but grumpy’ feeling on day 4.

Volitional  hunger [fasting] in some small way  creates in us a kind of self-imposed suffering.  Why do it?  It helps in a mysterious way to clarify my  dependence and RECOGNITION of Christ’s love for me because He also  suffered that I might live.  It also creates in me compassion for others who are suffering or starving…realities that might have just passed me by had I not been feeling a sense of hunger personally.  That can only be good for my soul!

I have to be honest, when I have sat down to write this blog …   my mind feels ‘creatively’ unplugged.  Usually when I’m writing a book or an article I get my heart and mind right..  AND ….I also get  a large Jamocha Almond Fudge Milkshake from Baskin Robbins…  [why did I have to write that]  The sugar buzz gets me alert and I guess somewhat creative.  This time of fasting as a church family for me though hasn’t produced any deep insights to give away… [yet].    Personal closeness to Jesus? absolutely yes!  I told Karen it feels like I have entered the land of ‘blankville’.  Hopefully the  ’blog blahs’ will pass soon and I will have something interesting to write about. But this I know,  God is so  Good !  Wouldn’t you agree???

My third day of the ‘Awakening Fast’ was dominated by the Haitian  tragedy!  It feels  biblical in proportion.  Our  ’21 Days of Fasting’   has only heightened it’s spiritual impact on me.  I had the opportunity  in the late 80’s   to preach in Port-au-Prince.  I have a photo of me standing in  front of the now destroyed Presidential  Palace.  It still lingers as a vivid spiritual  memory. Why? Because  just outside those iron gates of the presidential palace… gates that served to separate the president from the people … were several starving children … their bodies covered in flies … their stomachs protruding from malnutrition.  Yet, no further than 20 yards away… just inside  the iron gates… was a lineup  of Duesenberg automobiles (Rolls Royce’s) owned by then President ‘Baby Doc’ Duvalier.

It was mortifying.

I also remember how  Port-au-Prince  would come alive with the noise of  Voodoo and it’s grotesque rituals once the sun had set.   It was unlike any place on earth I have ever been. I feared for my safety, I sensed demons everywhere.

Much like 9/11 … the events of  Tuesday  will characterize the early moments of this 2010  fast for me.

I was talking with some college students about this today and  how they categorize an event like this  while also trying to defend the ‘character ‘of God.  What I mean by the ‘Character of God’  is His behavior and actions based on the consistency  of His purpose and promises.  In other words, if God is real and truly  loves the world,  how can He then  neglect to protect the innocent in a natural disaster of this magnitude?   Or, if this was somehow an ‘Act of God’ designed to judge  evil, then how could a loving God  allow so many innocent children to die?

This Sunday I will be addressing this major question during my  teaching time.  I just need more space than a blog to answer this incredibly important question.

Somewhat along these lines … I wanted to pass along this VERY controversial story  about the Haitian earthquake.  I would like you  to read this short excerpt and let me know your thoughts. Agree or disagree?

“But during bicentennial events in 2004, Haitian Christian leaders led a national campaign to “break Voodoo’s curse” on the nation, Williams said. That year, he assisted pastor Jean Chavannes Jeune, who sought the Haitian presidency in 2005, in hosting the first-ever national prayer breakfast at the national palace, as well as national prayer event in Port-au-Prince “to claim that going forward Haiti would be a Christian nation.”

“They had quite an enthusiastic and symbolic breaking of Voodoo on the island,” Williams said. “I believe by faith that [the curse was broken], and I think the Haitian Christian leadership believes that’s what happened as well. No doubt.”

Though Voodoo is still prevalent in the nation, Williams and Jeune believe Haiti’s problems are political.

“That’s why you’re seeing with this earthquake just an absolute inept response from the government,” Williams said. “Until the government gets their act together-and obviously we believe as Christians the only way that’s going to happen is if they put the Lord first-Haiti is never going to be the nation it could be. The people, many of them are saved and many of them are on fire, but they’re just oppressed people.”

Despite the flap, one Christian leader publicly came to Robertson’s defense Thursday morning. The Rev. Gary Cass, head of the Christian Anti-Defamation Commission, said Robertson’s comments were “well within the bounds of historic Christian theology.”

“Maybe that’s the real problem after all,” Cass said. “Man is offended by the fact that he is not God. They resent God’s providence. A simple reading of the Bible shows how God uses natural disasters to further His purposes. Earthquakes, floods, famine, locusts, etc. they’re all there, but man hates it.

“Rather than humbly acknowledging that God’s ways are not our ways, man rails against and accuses God. The last thing they will do is cry out for His mercy in Jesus Christ.”

Thoughts?

Hey, I encourage you to stay the course and set realistic goals for yourself during this fasting window at Mars Hill Community. Take time to enjoy the devotionals.  Everyday new people are jumping into our ‘21 Days of Fasting”…  Check out all the resources and ideas available to you and your family on the website under the “Awakening 2010″ tab.  There is a place for everyone during these ‘21 Days of Fasting”.  Karen and I love you and we are with you during these  21 days and beyond of seeking after God!

Day 2 was all about the ‘loss of speed‘ – not the loss of strength, but speed.  It really feels like things went slower today, and that is good! My day didn’t feel so busy and shallow.  I had a lot of ‘normal’ business and church stuff, but somewhere along the way I just felt less scattered and more aligned with  God’s plan for day.  Prayer also felt more real today.  I felt sharper and attuned to what needed to be done.  Remember, fasting AND prayer eliminates distractions, which in turn creates mental focus, supernatural energy for what maters most  and best of all,  intimacy with Jesus.

So was it all perfect? … no… I lost my phone!  Actually, I think Jesus hid it from me!

For  awhile there all I could think about was the back log of people getting mad at me for not calling or texting them back… I had to let it go… I  began thinking about the simpler life when it came to communicating with people.   For the first two thirds of my life all you had to do was wave at people, maybe smile, maybe yell at them through the open car widow… pretty easy stuff,  and there was no bill at the end of month. Now?  Well,  I have my home phone, a cell phone, cell phone voicemail, cell phone texting, a personal office email, a general office email inbox, a personal home email account, my Twitter account AND Facebook … in  other words I’m just like you, too many portals and too many ‘half sentences’ flying around… What I am saying is that I spent very little time on the computer during  Day 2,  the loss of my phone for the day kind of created a cool widow of simplicity.  I am hoping this fast will show me some ways to live more like that after the 21 days are done!

Great reality from Psalms 37:16  ”Less is more and more is less.  One righteous will outclass fifty wicked,  for the wicked are moral weaklings but the righteous are God-Strong: (MSG)