The blog that didn't get blogged

Supposedly I never blogged on this and I actually haven't checked to see if it was actually blogged or not.
So either a fresh story, or a re-visitation to an old one.

This summer I bought a movie that several people told me that I would really like to see.
I was watching it alone and felt very convicted about it. A lot of sketchy stuff. I turned it off and left it at that.
The next day my curiosity was getting the best of me and I wanted to watch it again.
I went to get it to put it back in the DVD player and one of the biggest surprises of my life - it was back in its original wrapping with the seals and everything on. All the stickers - everything back as if never opened. Even if I tried to carefully wrap it up again it would be impossible to do.
I stood there baffled.
In awe.
I guess God didn't want me watching it after all.
I opened it and destroyed the DVD to be sure not to be tempted to watch it again.
Praise the LORD.

Tears are a flowing...

Last year at the War College I got a nickname - the weeping prophet (yes, I know I share it with Jeremiah).
This week I think I have fulfilled my name yet again.
I was walking home from work on Thursday afternoon and I was praying for revelation of the JOY of my salvation.
I started to sing a song to myself "Thank you Lord, for saving my soul. Thank you Lord, for making me whole..."
As I was singing it God gave me a vision of how He had rescued me from Hell. It was graphic, and I burst into tears in the middle of the street. Alone.
I came home and I couldn't stop crying. I shared with some of my housemates about the JOY of my salvation and the deep sorrow for those who are on their way to hell. I kept crying. Crying. Crying for their souls.
I cried all the way through Kneedrill. I wept and wailed.
On Friday night we went out for ExPRO and my partner and I went and talked to this woman, Renee. I told her that she was beautiful and that she was created in God's image. I asked her if I could pray with her and she said "yes". In the middle of the prayer I heard God say something to me. "Renee, Jesus wants to give you a hug. Can I give you one for Him?" She just opened her arms wide and kissed me as I embraced her. I felt like Jesus was hugging her through me and it made me weep, yet again.
On Friday night - the all night of prayer for 614 Vancouver. On one of the hours we went prayer walking and I went to me old hotel - the Balmoral - with two others. We overheard a woman being slapped and pushed into walls and we were praying. She came out (it was 4:30am) and we got to talk to her.
I went back to where we all were gathered and wept some more.

Tears for the JOY that comes with Hope and Salvation. Tears for the souls of those bound for hell. And tears for the Christian brothers and sisters - that we would not be really good at praying the prayers, but we would live out the prayers.

test

This is a test

Woah!

So I think that I finally figured out a plan for my rations (devotions).
I wake up really early 4:30am, so I didn't really want to wake up at 3:30am to do my rations then, and for some reason I just couldn't nail down an ideal time, because coming home to a house with 15 people coming and going - there's never really any peace and quiet time.
Today I just stayed at work and extra hour (which isn't ideal, but nothing has been). Anyway, it was beautiful and the LORD definately gave me peace and a great blessing.
I was given a new revelation - Praise God!
Many people say that our only OFFENSIVE weapon (as oppose to DEFENSIVE) is the sword - the inspired word of God. But, in 2 Corinthians 6:7 it says that we have righteousness as our weapon, both to ATTACK and to defend ourselves.

Anyway - I don't know if that struck anyone else like it struck me, but I was really excited reading that in Starbucks this morning.

I ask that the LORD would speak to His church and that we would have ears to listen! Let us be excited that our Maker longs to speak to us and share things with us when we call upon Him. (Jeremiah 33:3) Praise God!

Heaven on Earth

I was leading worship and Kneedrill last night, and it was so powerful.
At one point we kept singing the line "And I'll stand in awe of You", over and over and over again, and then someone started reading/praying "Holy, holy, holy is the LORD, God Almighty, who was and is and is to come" back to back until the song finally faded away.
You can't really translate in to blog-speak the intensity of it - but I honestly felt like I was in heaven.
We were worshipping the LORD and really looking back into His face. It was glorious. Hallelujah.
I love those moments when you get a taste of heaven on earth.
PRAISE BE TO YAHWEH!

Also two million residents of Greater Vancouver have been advised to boil their cloudy water after heavy rainfall created mudslides in the region's reservoirs, the widest water warning in Canadian history. Intense. There was this massive storm, and Starbucks (and obviously all other coffee shops) are not allowed serving anything with water, so basically all the drinks that we make. There were some other crazy things going on too - buildings being blown over, trees falling into houses. Nothing too drastic at all happend to me, except I had an interesting time walking to work with my umbrella. I was being blown all over the place. Actually, in hindsight it was pretty funny.

ExPRO

Last night we had ExPRO (Extreme Prophetic) and it was such a great time.
It's this class that I teach - although it's not really a class, but anyway.
We started off in prayer and humbling our hearts before Yahweh, then we did the five fold blessing on someone we didn't know (Father, Friends and Family, Future, Finance, Physical).
Tonight when we hit the streets asking GOD what He wants to say to the Downtown Eastside. We got some pretty cool stuff. (These will be put into posters to plaster everywhere).
Just a few of the revelations that were heard:

"I see your tears"

"Come home"

"Naomi won't love you. I will" (this one's my fav)
The Naomi project is a government run program that gives free heroine to people in the streets. There have been approximately 70 people that have died from this program, and in many many cases people addictions skyrocket. It's basically from the Devil.

Please pray for ExPRO as we go out each week - that the LORD will have His way and that people will get saved in the DTES! Hallelujah.

The Word of the DAY

The Word of the day is: REJOICE
This morning I really felt that burning in my Spirit, and the LORD gave me an abundance of Joy (this is all pre-coffee, so you know it's good).
The LORD wants us to see that His JOY is in all things. Amidst suffering, grief, pain, exhaustion, his JOY is in all things, and in ALL things we can REJOICE in the LORD.
Hallelujah.
Take heed to this word. Don't let the Devil steal your JOY. Choose the higher path.
The world will think we're crazy when they see our joy when we're in suffering.
I am sure that the birth of gospel music probably was totally unexpected. People are suffering, under oppression, in the midst of persecution, and yet they choose to sing praises?
The LORD is good. We choose to see that the LORD is good.
Rejoice in the LORD always, and again I say REJOICE!!!

(The 'word of the day' kind of reminds me of Sesame Street. The Word of the Day is 'Rejoice', brought to you by the numbers 6, 1, and 4. heehee)

Ghetto Superstar Part II

So as a follow up to the first Ghetto Superstar, I must share this story with you.
I got home from Nightlights (ministry to Prostituted People in the Downtown Eastside) and go to the appartments (where I live).
To my surprise I see Stephen Bell standing there with a butcher knife, and Jeremy strain with a big shoe in his hand. It didn't take me too long to clue into what was going on. They were trying to trap and kill a mouse in the kitchen.
This is my ghetto life.
They cornered the mouse into this area on our kitchen counter top. It was currently under the microwave. Stephen kept stabbing under the microwave to scare the mouse into coming out, which of course he would be encountered by the big shoe in Jeremy's hand.
It took a few tries, but eventually they got him and the mouse went splat. Oh man... my life always has adventure.

Butcher knife + Big shoe and 2 guys desiring to retreat into the 'hunter gatherer' mentality = Priceless.