My own private Eden...

Here is one of my favorite shots I took this weekend at the Grotto.
If you can not pray in this place and discover the face of God in nature than you are blind, deaf and dumb.
I truly was walking with God in the cool of the day....my own private Eden.

Hey buuuuuddy....

Here is Jason Miller, one of my best friends that I visited down in Portland this weekend. it is the first time I have seen his kids in years. I joined him at his church which is called Imago Dei for Sunday service. They have 3 services on Sunday (close to 1000 people) and the majority of the congregation are in their 20-30's. It was weird being one of the older ones there...

The monastery at the Grotto...

This is a shot I took of the monastery at the Grotto in Portland Oregon.
I always wonder if someone is looking at me looking at them when I stand here.
I also wish I could have a place devoted to just seeking God...sometimes I imagine what would happen if I went up and knocked on the door?

Doing it differently but the same....

Truth remains the same, but you have to LEARN to make it new and exciting to your spirit and in your walk with the Lord- Dr. John A. Tetsola

There's More Than The Missionary Position
I think learning truth in a new way is similar to marriage/sex/relationship. I think we have to add various different elements, positions, places, patterns and words to keep the freshness alive. If all one did with their spouse was the same thing, the same way, the same place and at the same time...that relationship would grow so painfully predictable and stale. Many people do grow bored of their spouses because they have not learned how to make their life together, new and exciting.

I think life in the Spirit and the church is the same.
So often we stay in the same mode, the same places, the same faces, the same music, the same words, the same everything...and people just get bored and move on to another church. Not because there was something so bad at their church but simply because they couldn't ever cook anything other than the same meal day in and day out.

Bored Out Of My Mind
People move on out of extreme monotony of spirit.
They long for something spoken in a way that stirs them, something fresh, something new...a new word, or how about new faces! Sometimes seeing the same people over and over again with no new birth or no new people to add to the flavor gets real stale too.

I think the Lord would desire His people to explore the various ways to take an eternal message and make it new every morning. Just like the dawn. Every day is a new day but every day we can expect the same thing to happen but God does the same thing every morning but different. I think that is the way God is...the same and yet not. Stable, secure and orderly but with a wild unpredictability and holy chaos that makes every dawn or dusk ripe with new possibilities. You never see the same day twice but you can always be assured the sun will rise, that is the glorious newness of the God.

Just Do It...but Do It Differently
Unfortunately we rarely see such characteristics within the average church. I think we need a renaissance in how we experience life in the Spirit in church gatherings, church ministries and simply discipleship. New speakers, new paths of discipleship, new ways of presenting the word, new arrangements of how we sit or the flow of our times together. How about the use of color, painting, imagery, scent and sound. How about architecture and the predictable use of space, form and function of our buildings. How about dreaming new ways to facilitate spiritual growth among a congregation that goes beyond the tried and true methods we've grown accustomed to relying on out of complacency instead of a spirit of adventure.

All of this translates down to seeking new rivers of spiritual refreshment in our own private devotional life too. A new ministry, a new bible translation, a new journal, a new place or time to seek God, a new book, new mentors or at least add some fresh voices. How about a new small group or new worship music.

These are all very simplistic steps but there are far more daring steps for the more adventurous dreamers but that is for another discussion...-Eric Blauer

Baby Got Book...

This music video is hilarious!

If you don't have a sword...

The attackers march like warriors and scale city walls like trained soldiers.
Straight forward they march, never breaking rank.
They never jostle each other; each moves in exactly the right place.
They lunge through the gaps, and no weapon can stop them.
(from Joel chapter 2)

These are warriors not consumers.
They are wild men and women who long for something that makes their blood tingle in their veins.
They want gasps not yawns.
They long for a company of warriors that guard each other's back.
They revel in the skill of their comrades.
The stronger each is, the more they accomplish.
They abhor the skill of only a few, what good is it?
They train for war not peace.
They serve one who came with a sword
and offered them a life of service
without the assurance of peace.
(excerpt from a prophetic word I gave on April 6 2004)

If you don't have a sword, sell your clothes and buy one! -Jesus (Lk 22:36)

A bored spirit...

The second entrance of sinful attack is a boring spirit.
Being bored with what used to excite and ignite you will create a door to seek an alternative excitement or interest, and it does not matter what kind of interest or excitement, as long as it is an alternative, it is fine to a boring spirit. Boredom means to weary by monotony, it means to weary by doing or repeating the same thing. A boring spirit is a spirit that is tired and weary of repetition. Truth remains the same, but you have to learn to make it new and exiting to your spirit and in your walk with the Lord.

When a person has a boring spirit, four things happen.
First, your focus becomes affected and becomes diverted to an alternative, and normally the alternative is that which is contrary to our assignment.

Secondly, your pursuit becomes affected and diverted to an alternative. David was called to lead a nation and to conquer territories. Unfortunately, he became distracted in his pursuit, and began pursuing a woman instead.

Third, your commitment becomes affected and you no longer commit to that which used to feed and give you life. David was no longer committed to his assignment, but was instead committing himself to a woman. The principle is, whatever is valuable to us at certain times in our lives is what we often commit to.
Commitment is covenant. What you commit to, you will sleep with.

Finally, the last thing that is produced from a boring spirit is the birthing of an Ishmael. Prophetically Ishmael is the manifestation of a wrong decision and represents that which God has not ordained. A man with a boring spirit has no restraint. And where there is no restraint, there is the gratification of self-pleasure.
-by Dr. John A. Tetsola

I finally figured out what has been wrong with my life for so long...I forgot the crystals...LOL, sorry couldnt help it, I just love Napoleon Dynamite. 

Here is one of my favorite pictures of myself playing the guitar in the devotion room at a Christian youth hostel in Amsterdam. Special moments of living out ones prophetic dreams. I've shed a lot of tears in this room for the dear Dutch people. Ive seen a number of people give their hearts to Jesus there and seen God touch my heart in ways that are hard to explain. 

Prophetic words don't change our lives

Much dreaming and many words are meaningless...-Ecclesiastes 5:7

How foolish it is to think that you can take a revival meeting or a dynamic weekend to change the way a city thinks, all by shouting at the air. This is not an air thing. It is a mind thing. It is a mindset or a way of thinking that has been sown from one generation to another. And it will take more than shouting in the air to dismantle and destroy it. Instead, you have to get a generation to renew their minds and be re-brainwashed, and then the power over the mind is broken.

Most people don't like to hear about dismantling the strongholds, because it puts the responsibility on them. They want people to lay hands on them, shout at them, spit on them, and then they can go free. That is nonsense. Prayer works well when you are playing your role properly. Prophecy or prophetic words don't change our lives. They just indicate what the Father wants to do for you. Your job is to find your role or your responsibility in the Father's plan and do it. If you won't do anything, nothing will happen in your life.

-by Dr. John A. Tetsola

A little more sponge...

The whole Dobson/Spongebob subject really doesn't interest me that much but the general issues of how we engage this culture that is growing more and more confused about sexuality, morality; and learning to live among those who don't share our views of truth does interest me a lot. This quote below summarizes my apprehensions about the ring that has been built be Christian hands and those who are getting thrown within it. I am worried about the bullying nature that truth often seems to breed. I have witnessed it within myself and seen it's ugliness among those I have walked with.

Religion often seems like a black widow that mates for its own needs
and than eats those who it has lured into it's web. -Eric

"How much harm has been done to the church and to the cause of Jesus Christ because Christians have placed other considerations alongside or above the command to love as God loves? In the name of truth, Christians in the past have sometimes destroyed people, even physically torturing and murdering them. In the name of holiness, Christians have often pushed away and shamed those who don't meet their standard, creating their own little holiness club to which struggling sinners need not apply. And in the name of correct biblical doctrine, Christians have frequently destroyed the unity of the body of Christ, refusing to minister or worship together because of doctrinal differences, sometimes viciously attacking those who disagree with them."

"The unsurpassable worth of the person who doesn't share our truth, doesn't meet our definition of holiness, or doesn't agree with our "correct biblical doctrine" has all too often been neglected or denied. Which means that in such cases the truth, holiness, or correct doctrine we have defended was altogether worthless: clashing cymbals, resounding gongs, religious noise, nothing more. Such noise tarnishes the reputation--the glory--of God. It also explains why the church generally has been known for many things other than love and many things that contradict love." -author, Greg Boyd

OK, I am trying to take all my audio messages from the church and convert them to mp3s so I can put them on my blog for people to download and listen to if they desire. I would also like to get them on CD to get our church into the 2000s. Those crappy tapes just got to go. So my plan is to get the new Mac mini because it's fairly cheap and will allow me to record the messages in digital, (if you know of a better plan, let me know). The quality of sound from audio to digital is killing me when I upload them onto my computer. The sound stinks, a lot of hissing, warbling and distortion. So I am working towards solving the problem with this new little betty...I can't wait!
 

My iPod review

I got an iPod for Christmas.

My lovely wife won it through her bank and gave it to me...ah, what a woman.

 

For those who don't have one, basically it is a music organizing, playing, storing system.

It's small but holds thousands of songs depending on which one you get. I have the 20 gigabyte one which holds thousands of songs. It comes with a software program that synchs with your iPod. You upload all your CDs onto your computer and than download them onto your iPod. You do all your arranging, play lists, etc., on the computer than update your iPod.

 

I love it! No more carrying all those CDs around. You can download music from the Internet for about 99 cents a song if you like, which if you think about it you never really like all the songs on a CD anyway. Just pick and choose the ones you want to hear.

 

There are a few accessories that I want to buy for it...iPod armor which is a little case to carry it in to protect it from scratches on the screen and dropping it. I would also like to try different headphones, the little individual ear pieces just bother me for some reason.

What spirit are you of ?

Just for the record...I don't have a beef with Dobson, he/they are doing many great works through their ministry. That said, I still think much of the anti-homsexual agenda just doesn't sit right with me.
I understand their point, their fears, their concerns but I don't understand the feeling I get when I hear and read their rhetoric. It almost never reminds me of something Jesus would say or do.

Deep down inside I just think there has to be a better way to engage a culture on its moral confusion. Granted truth always has enemies but it seems we have exchanged the love your enemies path with another that simply leads to anger, villainous overtones, hysteria, fear mongering and gnat straining. Sometimes I feel like we are going to hear about some of these ministries wanting to sew pink triangles on homosexuals clothes like the nazis did.

I know that seems extreme to say but I am just being honest. There are a lot of other agendas out there that worry me more and frankly I would think are of a more concern to Jesus. Personally I think there needs to be a good diversity education in school because we are not the school of yesterday. We do have a multitude of diverse ethnic, religious, family units, and backgrounds. There needs to be an understanding among the new Americans based on our pitiful history of racism, prejudice and hate crime in this Nations past. I think based on recent history and present reality we should educate for something different. It would be foolish to not capitalize on the advancements of tolerance, acceptance and civil liberties won by noble Americans and various civil rights movements towards equality.

Many times I think we sound like the disciples of Jesus asking to call down fire on those who don't receive us or what we desire to teach. The response of Jesus seems to fit...you do not know what spirit you are of, I did not come to destroy mens lives but save them

Right-Wing America's Most Wanted...

So James Dobson and Focus on the Family are after Patrick and Spongebob but what about these two...

The notion that we could raise $35 million by buying a book of stamps is powerful! As you may be aware, the US Postal Service recently released its new "Fund the Cure" stamp to help fund breast cancer research. The stamp was designed by Ethel Kessler of Bethesda, Maryland. It is important that we take a stand against this disease that affects so many of our Mothers, Sisters and Friends.

Instead of the normal 37cents for a stamp, this one costs 40 cents, the additional 3 cents will go to breast cancer research. A normal book costs $7.40. This one is only $8.00. It takes a few minutes in line at the Post Office and means so much. If all stamps are sold, it will raise an additional $35,000,000 for this vital research. Just as important as the money is our support. What a statement it would make if the stamp outsold the lottery this week. What a statement it would make that we care.

So why not do two things TODAY:
1. Go out and purchase some of these stamps.
2. E-mail your friends to do the same. 

Dreamers Of the Day
BLAZE YOUTH CONFERENCE
May 13-14 2005
Spokane Washington

"All people dream but not equally.
Those who dream by night in the dusty recesses of their mind,
wake in the day to find that it was vanity.
But the dreamers of the day are dangerous people,
for they may act out their dreams with open eyes,
to make them possible."
-Lawrence of Arabia

Your sons and daughters will prophesy,
Your old men will dream,
your young men will see visions.
-Joel 2:28 

What I see...

What a day!
Wine streaming off the mountains, milk rivering out of the hills, water flowing everywhere...a fountain pouring out of Gods sanctuary, watering all the parks and gardens. -Joel 3:18 (the message bible).

Old men you are dreaming...visions young men you see...daughters speaking prophecies...this is what I believe.

Painting by Bonnie Mincu

Eveline and Christa, two of my dear Dutch friends in Amsterdam, Holland.
 

Are you a dreamer?

I will be starting a new message series on Saturday night: Detours, Deadends or Destiny: Life lessons from the life of Joseph, Part 1: The problem with dreaming.