Here is a shot that I played around with in the photo editor software. 

Revenge of the Sith was awesome! Austin and I snuck away this afternoon and indulged our Starwars addiction. I am torn between this one and Empire Strikes back now...I am not sure which one is my favorite.
 

Walking in the fields

Here is the latest progress on my art piece that I am doing with pencil and colored pencil.
It's more colorful and has more dark light contrast in person.

Seeing...but through a glass darkly

Words are hard to find to explain the awesome things God did at Blaze this year...it was very much a catalyst for new things to emerge that have been stuck. It was a spiritual midwife and helped get some stuff out of the birth canal. We were sooooooooooooo blessed by Gaz Kishere from Bournemouth England. He was a God send for us and for the conference. I can't even put into words the prophetic clarity that he spoke into our lives and how liberating and energizing that was to receive, when so often we are giving it out all the time but rarely get to experience it for ourselves.

But there was far more of an Apostolic reality that he brought for us too. Not in a father figure role or anything like that, not over us but along side us in a ministering and foundational way. He brought blessing to who we were...more than what we were doing. He spoke to the issues that were critical within us and have been affecting things around us.

Stuff concerning the church, our role in it, our dreams and plans concerning church and living out the kingdom among us, all kinds of stuff. But most importantly it was simply refreshing to be with someone who understood and could speak to the situation not just judge it or just deconstruct it, but help us see where to go in it.

We have already begun working out the implications of this weekend and change is already taking place. The main point to sum everything up was...moving from unreality's to realities in relationships, church life and living out the truth as we know it inside and not constantly allowing other peoples truth determine our ability to speak the truth in love. Facing how we really feel and think and moving out of an enabling mode that keeps things safe but not real.

C'mon!!!!

Here is my most current drawing that I am working on, it's my rendition of Wehle's piece called Christ Going Through The Wheat Fields. This one of his is one of my favorite biblical art works. The original that I have seen is black and white but I thought I would add some color. I felt like this picture captures my feeling of this weekend...simply walking with Christ and hearing His deep wisdom.
 

Destiny dancing. This is my favorite picture from BLAZE this year. My 10 year old daughter dancing to the spontaneous drum rhythms from our youth church team. She is dancing barefoot just like her mommy. She is fearless to lead the way in exploring the new sounds of worship, like her father. Nothing thrills my heart more or gives me hope for the future than to see my own daughter taking hold of and carrying the dream into the future.
 

Gaz Kishere from England shared life in ways that were so refreshing and powerful. We were blessed to have such life shaping words imparted to us this weekend. Words that have been born out of pain and carried in hopes hands for many years. His words were not hollow but pregnant...dangerously pregnant. Plus he had the coolest T-shirt ever...lucky!
 

dream palanquin

Here I am taking the dream leap. Our dreams if they are God dreams cannot be fulfilled alone. They will be caught by waiting hands and carried by a tribe of people that love seeing God work through each other. Together we will go places in ways that we never could before or alone.

Dreams being redeemed. Chains falling off in a moment of prophetic intensity that I will never forget. Fathers hearts turned to the children and Children's hearts turned towards the fathers and the curse being broken. Powerful life altering stuff! God is giving us stories to tell...
 

God brought two nations together this weekend that will forever impact both. The ripples of destiny were born out of love and are being propelled by humility, passion and prophetic dreaming. All of that was experienced and ignited in an atmosphere of love. people coming together to love God and end up loving each other in deeper and more authentic ways than before. New relationship were made that will birth God's purposes in the days ahead. Real fathering took place that liberated people from chains and anointed them to live out the dreams of God with boldness, confidence and humility. If apostles are real or the apostolic ministry described in 1 Thessalonians 2:7-12 is taking place today, it came on the heart and hat of Gaz Kishere from Bournemouth England. I will forever be indebted to him for the words, prayer and love he extended to LeeElla and I this weekend. Thank you Lord for sending Gaz to us this year.
 

God downloading dreams and reviving visions. There were seismic shifts in the spiritual lives of many who participated. I know of massive movement that is taking place already that will change the spiritual landscaped of many lives, churches and cities. God is dangerous...and to approach Him means you are willing to dive into the unknown and lose all for the kingdom of the dawn. He will call you to step out of the boat...
 

This year the worship band was simply amazing! This years CD is going to be powerful and one of the best CD just to listen too...it rocked! I am amazed how the Lord fits this group together and blows us away with sounds of heaven and rhythms of earth. It was explosive and completely disruptive to the dark kingdom within people and without. It was fiery. I thought the dead were going to crawl out of their graves during the song God Is Here!
 

Ministry taking place this last weekend Blaze. This year was different in that the ministry times were deeper and less emotional but far more profound. They also seemed to happen in the flow of what was going on and not at the end of something. Fluid is the best word to describe the flow of ministry. Spontaneous and eruptive not planned.
 

Day two of my Mark Twain picture. I am pleased though I have more shading and detail. I will attach this quote to the picture...Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did. So throw off the bowlines, Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover. -Mark Twain
 

Many Christians live as though the Law is for us now, but our relationship with the law was settled in Acts 15:

We have heard, that some of our number which went out from us, have troubled you with words, subverting your souls, saying, Ye must be circumcised, and keep the law: to whom we gave no such commandment. -Acts 15:24
It amazes me how many people submit to rules that trouble and subvert the soul and bring one under an endless weight of duty that Christ actually liberated us from. Many Christians want to peek in your pants and see if you are circumcised. They want you to follow their laws that they have adopted to determine who is in and who is out. Laws help them feel superior and OK with God. Laws are safe, predictable and measurable. But laws are like rabbits they multiply endlessly until they dominate everything.
Think about us Americans...we love laws. We have rules for everything. Where you can pee, how fast you drive, seatbelts, helmets, building permits, outdoor licenses, food and drink laws, noise laws, parking rules, laws for property, taxes, voting, business, education, walking your dog, what you can do with your own house..on and on it goes and they just keep growing! Soon we will have laws for breathing!
The same madness goes on in the church. Each group has their own signs of circumcision and particular laws that define them. Thankfully Jesus came to give us LIFE not laws and there is a huge difference between the two. One leads to freedom and the other to bondage.
Like Paul, I am thankful to be able to proclaim that I have died to the law. Choose life not law and beware those who would try to bewitch you into following Jesus by the works of the law. Remember it was for freedom that Christ set you free.
 

This is one of Christians frogs enjoying my fountain. Christian caught him last year at summer camp and has been taking care of him along with three other frogs. Sometimes it sounds like we are camping because of all the croaking going on in his room.
 

Here is my current in process art project, a portrait of Mark Twain, one of my favorite authors. I am using charcoal and pencil. I want to document the process, so there will be more pictures to follow. 

How beautiful you are, my dearest, how beautiful! Your eyes behind your veil are like doves, your hair like a flock of goats streaming down Mount Gilead. -Songs 4:1. Happy mothers day weekend to my lovely bride. I love you more than words can say. 

Austin and Micah watching the parade...well, maybe not Micah. 

Destiny enjoying the parade.