Enjoying Idaho

We are enjoying the beautiful mountains of Idaho, and I must say that I am pleasantly surprised. All of these years, the name "Idaho" only conjured up thoughts in my head of giant potatoes and the very plain plains that I saw in the movie, Napoleon Dynamite. Oh, yes...and the sand dunes where Napoleon's grandma broke her coccyx. The drive from Boise to Cascade is very beautiful. Along the winding road, the river flows and its banks are dotted with yellow flowers that make their way high up the mountain to draw your attention to the snow that is still nestled on top. Just three weeks ago, everything was covered in several feet of snow. It amazes me that so many vibrant flowers were just waiting to be born. As we drove along, I could not help but think of Rich Mullin's song, The Color Green, in which he says:

And the streams are all swollen with winter
Winter unfrozen and free to run away now
And I'm amazed when I remember
Who it was that built this house
And with the rocks I cry out

Be praised for all Your tenderness by these works of Your hands
Suns that rise and rains that fall to bless and bring to life Your land
Look down upon this winter wheat and be glad that You have made
Blue for the sky and the color green

Steven Curtis Chapman and his Daughter

Here is a video of Steven with his daughter, Maria, who passed away tragically last week. Keep this family in your prayers.

School of Supernatural Ministry

I have had several people ask me, "What in the world is the School of Supernatural Ministry? It sounds freaky." Here are two links to an overview of and course description of Bethel School of Supernatural Ministry in Redding, CA. We were part of planting one in Maui and now it is coming to Texas!
http://www.ibethel.org/schools/ministry/?page=128
http://www.ibethel.org/schools/ministry/index.php?page=55

We live in desperate times in which we see destruction, disease, and broken relationships on a daily basis. The Bible says that Satan came to kill, steal, and destroy. We see his fingerprints everywhere we go. The Bible also says that Jesus came to give LIFE more abundantly. He healed the sick, cleansed lepers, raised the dead, and then He told us to do what He did. We are to destroy the works of the devil. This world must see God and His Kingdom come. Jesus said to pray, "Our Father, who art in Heaven, hallowed be Thy name. Thy Kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth as it is in Heaven....." Why would Jesus tell us to pray that? After all, does God really need our prayers so that His will be done? Apparently, He thinks so. He is inviting us to partner with Him to bring His Kingdom to this world....not at a later date. He wants to touch His creation now.

Last week, we saw Prince Caspian and I was really blessed by the film. It gave me a good picture of the kind of world we are in right now. We have to come to a place where we are willing to sacrifice everything to see "Narnia" restored. And Aslan is coming! In fact, He is with us now.

Movie-Making Revelation

Finally, I get to fall into bed after a nine-hour day on a movie set with my daughter. I have a few thoughts to jot down here before I go to sleep:
Today, as I watched scene after scene being shot from every possible angle, numerous times, I thought about the saying that is associated with film-making...."Hurry up and wait!" Throughout the film-making process, there is this constant hurry, yet sometimes it is so stinking slow. Over and over, take after take, hours of filming that only equal a couple of minutes of a movie. It is a start-and-stop, stop-and-go process, which can be very frustrating.
As I pondered this fact, I thought about how it relates to our lives in the Kingdom of God. Jesus said, "GO!" Go and make disciples. Go and tell. We are also told to "be still and know that He is God." We are told to wait on the Lord. So, which is it? Go or be still? Action or cut? Is God trying to confuse us? Is the Producer trying to confuse the actors? NO!
There is a purpose. Each moment and each season simply requires us to obey the voice of the Master. When that is accomplished, we end up with a beautiful, wonderful result. The Kingdom of God is constantly advancing. With each second that is captured on film, there is an advancing taking place. We are one more second closer to the masterpiece. Even the time spent waiting is an advancing, when we keep our eye on the prize and focus on the Director's vision. It is then that we partake in the glory of completing the task and seeing the big picture.
So, before I fall asleep tonight, I remember to stay focused no matter what season I am in. "Go! Wait! Action! Cut!"