Our season: where we are at on the journey!

My wife and I are spiritual equippers mainly. Less builders and more wanting to give people the tools they need for spiritual growth. We like to resource people especially around their identity, spirituality and creativity. Those are the three recurring themes in my own life and hers.

I like to help people bring their creativity and their spirituality under the same Kingdom roof. And give people insights to help them continue to grow.

Of course, over the years, we’ve learned that people have to desire to grow first, and seek it out. When they do, He has given us some good tools and counseling skills to help out.

As we get older our focus narrows and becomes more efficient-our symbols mature!

 We are both prophetic and creative, and that combination has always made sense to us. The baptized imagination has discernment insight into people and situations and is often shown things which are needed next in others journeys.

Along the way, i have studied spiritual development and formation, as well as religious history, and specifically The Bible itself, which is where i daily return to meet God and for insights and categories of perception.

I pray for people, and see things for them. I’m often given words of knowledge and sometimes words of wisdom for people. Usually i can see blocks as well as how He sees their future selves. This has become true with people, cities and nations. And in the past 10 years, He has focused my attention on Europe, and the nations.

I often get dreams about these things, write them down and try with His help to understand them.

In the meantime, we have started an arts community which we ran together for six years, trying to help fine artist integrate their spirituality with their creative process. During that, we realized we were doing too much pastoral and administrative things to stay spiritually healthy. So we let it end after a while. But learned much.

After living at Labri in Switzerland, and several art communities all over the world, and allowing God to integrate my own creative pursuits with my spiritual passions, I have been able to help others both in a church context and outside it in the art world, integrate these two key areas.

I am also interested in what true identity is, and what it means in relationship with Christ—how we lose ourselves in order to find ourselves daily. How we receive our true names by coming closer to His. As Peter did.

I think prayer and study have become my main practices for my own growth and formation of the Life of Christ within me. Speaking and travel and translating cultures and their symbols continues to interest me as well. I love reading history through its symbolic life. And thinking about how to heal the imaginations of places and people.

 We move in a stream of mentors who have also integrated their imaginations into their spiritual life. People like George MacDonald, CS Lewis and others who were able to meet God through their creativity, and express that meeting, and dialogue.

 We have tried, over the years, to share the resources we have been given—the many teachers, who speak well about the arts and faith. And the many healers I have both studied under and learned from through books. We try to make these resources available for both artist and those who want to know God through their creative pursuits.

I have a heart for nations, and cultures. Amy has a keen mind for the details of His Kingdom, and a close intimacy with Father God. This has allowed her to teach many women over the years, how to know God as Father. She is a teacher. I would say, I am more a prophetic teacher or guide. As I get older, i want to do more spiritual directing for those I am uniquely called to—often creative people who also have a hunger to grow in God.

I work in and out of the church, and like Jeremiah, spend much of my time in the outer courts of the temple, where the people are talking. Yet, i also spend lots of my own time in a more priestly pursuit of prayer and study and vision in Him. In this sense, I am a mystic. I also like to express it all. The expresser part is prophetic, in that I love communicating what God is saying, in His Tone of expression. This is where the artist and the mystic meet for me. I see and hear, and then really desire to express it well. That will probably not end in me.

 We are so happy to be coming into new seasons of early eldership now, and beginning to get a heart to really mentor others better and more efficiently and wisely.

 To become good spiritual parents. I think He has given me a gift to discern and express His Thoughts and His Heart. Jeremiah is my model and favorite prophet. And he was given in such a time as his, and our times are very similar. Spiritually sensitive leaders are most needed now. One’s on insight and caring, and vision and passion to express it well.

 Creative expressers and teachers and counselors and hopefully equippers, are some of the things I think we are, and therefore do. We have integrated our art part and our spirit part in an active deepening relationship with Our Friend Jesus, and His Father. The Father of all Life. We hope to share that passion and radiance with others wherever we are.

 We are at an early eldership stage. It is good to know where you are on the journey. I was trained in art therapy, religious studies and counseling, and as an artist. I think He has been combining all three in recent seasons. I worked mainly as a prophetic counselor for many years, and leader or father in the arts, which I think i still do. Yet, I think He is adding to me knowledge and the ability to teach with more of His depth. Making me a more rounded spiritual father and mentor. This is to aid others in spiritual growth, and like St Paul be able to father and mother people in the Spirit. I’m excited about the new spiritual seasons we are entering at this time. And look forward to more thoroughly blessings other people, cities and nations.

 I am forming identity and creative workshops in which I facilitate spiritual growth and integration of creativity and spirituality founded in true identity. It’s fun framing some of the teachings He has given me over the years, and offer them more clearly to others.

 Sort of a spiritual counselor and cultural consultant especially to leaders in the arts and church leaders, is where i see my role heading. I would also like to do some mentoring, or spiritual direction, and offer people the resources I have found most helpful. I look forward to this new season of fathering in the arts, the church and among the nations. Let’s keep growing.

Helping others locate themselves spiritually, and think about what they need next. What spiritual practices they need. How to balance health in every area of life. And what types of changes they may need to make to accomplish a fuller life in Christ.

I also get insight into leaders and what they struggle with, and how to help counsel them. I enjoy this role of encouraging them into their next level of spiritual growth as well. Counseling leaders, especially in the church has been a growing passion of mine. Just letting them be themselves in Him, and speak their hearts and find their next in Him.

Often my role with leaders is to be an authenticator. Someone who is just themselves in Christ. Not needing persona or mask to be spiritual. But trusting Christ to let us be ourselves in Him. His enjoyment of the poems we are. This is a gift I’ve been able to offer many leaders who struggle with religious expectations or performance orientation which comes with ministry. Just to let them be themselves and just be with Him again in the midst of shepherding responsibilities. It’s a hard balance, and many just need a safe space to be seen heard and work it out. To be themselves again off stage.

I grew up with mostly church leaders and have seen their struggles over time. I enjoy helping them get free to be. I also grew up among artist and around art school and have a heart and insight into their struggles for identity. The common enemies of materialism, sorcery or witchcraft that come against them. Sexual darkness, drug use, addiction etc. I have known these enemies of theirs.

I also enjoying offering artist a higher context for their creativity—something higher than art school or often the church has offered. A Kingdom context. This is one of my passions, and I think i move in that integration, and can offer it to others.

 So church leaders (often the creative ones, or ones in between or on the edge; missionaries, church planters, worship or arts workers etc) and artist (often high impact ones) are where I shine. They are my global people groups I usually am led to bless into. For both, i am usually given insights which are helpful to them. It is a privilege to serve His Church and artist and bring them both more deeply into His Grand Kingdom! The enormous room above which is centered in Jesus Christ, Our King! And the Lord over every dimension of who we are. Father God loves all of us so deeply and on every level of who we are. He is the Author and Finisher of us all, and is able to make us more one, even as He is One! Amen.

From an article I’m working about the state of the church now. And what to be praying for. Specifically what types of leaders are needed now. It’s sort of an open prayer article…

  MLK said that the church is meant to be the conscience of the nation. Let her rise up and be that now, and speak as loving, unconfused, and informed (spiritually enlightened by His Spirit) priest in clarity interpreting these troubled days. For the categories of interpretation have been usurped and confused. The frames of discourse are not true. Bring us Your’s instead Lord. For You Alone are the Way, The Truth and The Life to live it by! You are the path of each nation, the truth about her story and the Life to empower her to live it!

And rise up wise men and women of God. Stir clear our consciences! Let us be readers of the times from His perspective. For we, as Jesus taught us, are responsible to be able to read the times from a spiritual perspective. Let’s. This is urgent in times of great interpretive confusion and such leadership crisis.

We were not good priest after 911, I ask that we would do better in the midst of this current crisis of confusion. God is a God of distinction–this is not also that, as we see in the Creation story. So we pray for those who can discern and make clear distinctions in our hour.

We know that you picked a sensitive Jeremiah type leader for such a time as his. And a Seer like Daniel to be in leadership, one who carefully studied the prophets and times, had visions and saw Your Throne of Authority, who was a practical mystic acquainted with Your Ways. We ask you raise up these types of leaders now.

Lord we need your Jeremiah’s now: those who can manifest and know both Your Heart and Mind about this present age. And speak in clarity and boldness, and in Your Peace (so Peace bringers; for we cannot gain understanding if we ourselves are not in Peace! Let us discipline ourselves in the ways of Your Peace as a practice and prayer for our times), from Your Voice. Stir us to pray and see and speak from Your Voice, and in Your Ways and tone (for the Tone of Love is the Voice of God; wherever you hear Love, go there, that is His Voice!) in our hour.

Daniel was seeing straight into the throne room of God. Where the seats of judgement are. His name means, “God is judge”, so he had to know intimately, be experientially acquainted with the throne or judgement room of God, where God interprets things and judges between the nations. We are able to interpret from that place of being near His Throne of authority. The place from which He judges. It is said that Solomon had the wisdom to render justice. That is what it requires—wisdom!

Choose your enemies wisely, because they will define you. So if your enemy is the other gender, rich people, the west, other religions etc—not a high enough enemy. Who is the real enemy of True Life? The enemy of Life to me is the one who aims at my friend Jesus. He is jealous and rebellious (so anything which moves in jealousy and rebellion is of his ways)—so jealousy is a way of the enemy of Christ. And witchcraft itself, manipulation based on jealously of the true Power Jesus was and is given. Choose at least a higher enemy than capitalism! Come on. Choose the enemy of your Friend. The one who is truly anti-life! If it is true, that the enemy is the prince of the air or atmosphere around things—including elections and whatever field you are in. Discern that, and instead choose to live in the atmosphere of heaven and its King. That’s a choice of environs. Make it. Choose to live in the atmosphere of heaven rather than the temporary passing airs of here! We are responsible to follow Our Master. Not the world or the prevailing spirit of our age. Let’s. Our Master ask us to love our enemies, to care for the poor, the protect the orphans etc….to love our enemies.

Poetry of being

today, i talked  Soren Kierkegaard with a local priest,

caught a paper airplane in mid air, and threw it back

tagging the back of a local  daughter’s neck and said, you are special,

thanks for throwing that plane my way-we were kids again for a second.

i also saw a hawk, which landed on our tree, and

i walked my dogs in wonder of them, and  me in their ways…

i looked into a friend’s eyes with true care and wonder, and meant it,

and felt the wind on my body, mostly my neck and arms, and paused

considering where it came from—the distance wind travels in us.

It was a good day.

Jesus as the way, the truth and the life…

 Christianity is centered in who Jesus is (that’s what makes it a unique religion): The Way, The Truth, and The Life-as He called Himself. He claimed to contain all three. The way of life, the truth about life and the life force to live well—i.e. according to His Ways or Nature.

 I think each people group or culture tends to emphasize one of these three areas of God—the way, the truth, or the life. They tend to meet God as the principles of being or way (the Tao—more eastern); the truths about what is Real (the greek and roman mindset we inherited in the West); or the Energy of life force of living (perhaps body oriented cultures, even aboriginal, tropical island folks, and first nations peoples)—how to really live out your ethics or best ideals. These three dimensions of human spirituality are all in Him!

 So Jesus was claiming to be: the path of how to live, the truth about what life is, and the energy to live it correctly, empowering our ethics through the gift of His Own Holy Spirit, and active yielding to His Life’s formation in us. Our actions then begin to be based on the law of Love in Him, which He taught as truth—love God and love others. To do so, we need His actual Life in us! Then we will know the path or way–the “paths set beforehand to be our ways!” (Ephesians 2:10) as well!

 We, as followers in union with Him, claim that through union with His Nature and death to ourselves, we find true Life, even our true selves, and get better at loving Him and one another. Our ethics get empowered through His Spirit and formation of His Life in us. We start to grow in the way, the truth and the Life aspects of who He is.

We lose ourselves into Him to find the way, the truth and the life in Him. That’s Christianity in a nutshell—that Christ is the way, the truth and the life to live it!

 As we enter into Him, ever more deeply, we grow in all three! And can start to love into cultures which emphasize one of these aspects of His Identity! He is the way to live, the truths about what is, and the energy and life to align with what is real life! That’s what we believe. And that is the journey we are on, as true believers, and followers of the One who is the perfect representation of The Father; the One who is the Way, the Truth, and The Life!

 Practical: Which area of the three do you feel like you know Him the least in? Do you tend to know Him as the Life, but less concerned or intimate with The Truth aspect of His Life? Which area of Him is He growing in you in your current season? Which of the three do you think is most developed in those around you, or your city or culture? Does it tend to emphasize the way the truth or the life? What does that say about it’s identity? And how has the enemy of life come in to offer counterfeits in each area! How can you help them grow in the other less developed areas of their spiritual lives. Fun exploring all three aspects of who He is! And pressing on, into letting more of His Life to bloom within us! And challenging ourselves to grow into new parts of Him, and allow Him to form them within our hearts! We can then move in all three areas of knowing and manifesting Him as the Way, the Truth and The Life! Let’s!

 When you think of Jesus as a way or path of being, then as the truths about Reality itself, and then as the life energy and force to live out according, or in full accord with The Father’s Ways, we each need to come into a greater incarnation of His full Identity in all three aspects, in order to be both salt and light-people who can preserve and bring healing, and can bring full understanding and interpretation to the world around us, and in order to shine in the poetry of who He really made us to be!