.... and now a quote from Wayne - "I can’t begin to comprehend what it would be like to wake up tomorrow morning and find myself free of everything that hinders or distract me from life in Jesus.
No longer would I have to grope through the fog of my own selfishness to get a fading glimpse of God’s presence for I would see God’s face as clearly as he sees mine. No longer would I entertain, even for a moment, doubts about his love for me or his ability to draw me into the fullness of his life. No longer would the ravages of fleshly appetites lure me into bondage that can suffocate me in my own amusements.
I can only imagine what it would be like if every appetite for sin was suddenly silent and all I wanted was what God wanted for me. How would it be to live without a hint of fear, self-pity or envy because the demands of self have been swallowed up in the greatness of God? I would have nothing to hide, nothing to prove and nothing to win, because I would be so fully satisfied by God himself, and totally at rest in whatever he gives. What would it be like to have no needs to harass me, no conflict to afflict me, no pain or disease to limit me and no sorrow to wound me?
Then I could enjoy unlimited time and unrestricted insights into the beauty of God’s nature and the wonder of his person. I could finally search out just how high and wide and deep his love runs for me and enjoy forever his infinite creativity and his boundless wisdom. What a life that would be!"
Wayne Jacobson does it again. check it out http://www.lifestream.org/current.html
To those of you that live in Las Vegas…
Well we did it. We finally made our neighbors mad enough to move. I wonder what it was that finally did it. Maybe it was me leaving my trash cans out for the whole week. Or was it me leaving the trailer out in my yard for a month. It could be me driving my Camaro and spewing oil all over the street. It could be the massive amounts of cars that are parked in the rocks on a regular basis (against the requests of my home owners association). Regardless, the house across the street from me and the house next door are both for sale. Here is a chance to live in a close community with us Christians and live everyday praying and singing songs with each other each and every morning!!! What a life! Ha-ha-he-he!!
What is church anyway?
With the changes that are taking place at apex, and people getting frustrated, I feel that I should put in my $.02 (and since this is my journal and I don’t think that my thoughts are worth much - take it for what it is worth).
I have learned more form you guys in the past 4 years than I have ever before – this includes all my expensive schooling. You have shown me that an open mind is a source of true power. Asking difficult questions and exploring them should require no guilt. Seeing the passion of my King in the eyes of strangers who are willing to listen to me attempt to teach and never make a demeaning comment – now that’s power. Watching people gather for only the sake of worshiping the Master and not the preacher. Being able to throw bananas, eat cookie dough, draw on walls, and light more candles than a catholic church all to the glory of God and everybody seeing it that way. And to think that we haven’t changed.
Look, I know we are pursuing simple churches and a simpler life while basking in the love of the father, but what about people who are just starting to ask the same powerful questions that we did 3-4 years ago? What is available to them? I honestly don’t think that the house church is going to help – yet. It wouldn’t have helped me when I was so used to the whole big church thing. In fact, it would have repulsed me. If I walked into the house church that now meets at my house 4 years ago, I would have thrown the bible at them and take the drink that they offered me and leave dramatically.
I guess that, in my opinion, the freshmen need a place that is comfortable to them but not conformed to the way of the secular church system. So, if we are going to make a performance, we shouldn’t do it half ass. Let’s make the worship experience similar to the past and allow them and us to experiment with worship and new ideas. People will come for a show. People will pay for a show. It is then that we will tickle their minds with freedom. It is then that we can show them true power and love that only comes from the Father.
I could go on about church – specifically house churches, but I’m going to sit back a take a long lingering sip of shut the hell up:). Thanks for letting me speak.
