Gathered Around the Fire

THE GREAT EXCHANGE OF LOVE part 3  We have all seen a pair of young lovers who gaze endlessly into each other's eyes and will kiss each other publicly at the drop of a hat. Like every two minutes, they wrap their arms around each other and just cling to each other endlessly. Most of us are uncomfortable with their behavior, we look away, embarrassed for these kids who do not know how improper it is to display their affection so publicly. And yet a part of us secretly wonders where all the electricity and chemistry has gone in our love relationship? We used to carry on just like them back in the day before we discovered what it means to be proper. What has changed? As I was laying in my bed awake at 4 am contemplating leading prayer this monring on revival and the church. God brought the Song of Songs to my mind. BTW*  -   This is not our favorite book of the Bible.   Must of us are not very comfortable with it, because the two lovers are very mushy, poetic and seeml

Prayer Part one This morning I had the opportunity to lead my first 20 minute session of prayer at Potter's House of Prayer (PHOP). As I was preparing for this, many things went through my mind, in fact in the middle of the night just a few hours before stepping to the mic, God was challenging me to take a fresh look at prophetic intercession and worship. The night before in the PHOP 10 WK Intensive, during the class on prayer, Max Thomas shared that,  "Prayer in essence is  the connection between two hearts." I thought that was profound. If we forget that... we can: act as though prayer is a transaction focus on the words discount our relationship status with Holy Spirit  make prayer a  one-way monologue miss hearing his voice speaking to us  focus on our needs  miss hearing His desires As God has been challenging the traditional approach to prayer over the last several months, I have come to see  that we are very comfortable with asking for things

WORSHIP UPLOAD? (part 3)  In much the same way as we have made prayer a transaction, a one-way upload of what is going on with us to Heaven, We can make our praise and worship a one-way transaction as well, just the UPLOAD of an mp3 file from our mouths to Heaven.   Is it wrong to think that God is expressing His love to us at the very same time as we are praising Him? Human Lovers do..." Man:  "I love you" Woman: "I love you more" Man: "you look beautiful" Women: "you are very handsome too." You get the picture. Do our expressions of adoration, affection, desire have to be one-sided? In both prayer and worship to the natural mind, it seems just fine that all the traffic is traveling in the same direction, from us toward Heaven.  At its essence however both prayer and worship are expressions of love and of two hearts connecting.  They should flow back and forth in the same instant, much like a kiss, that is bot