Sunflowers

Sunflowers are not what one considers to be a dainty flower. They often grow to be 3 meters in height and are more a cluster than a single flower. Sunflowers need fertile, moist and well-drained soil just as a Christian can only grow in soil that is fertile - infused with life giving resources - and not dry, but saturated with the water of the Word, which needs to be fresh and not stagnant.

Most of the sunflower heads are turned toward the east, which is where the sun rises from. Flowers that are immature and in the bud stage will follow the sun as it crosses the sky and at night return to the direction of the east to await a sunrise. The flower grows the best in full sunlight. These are things that Christians must do to grow - keep their face to the son and stay in direct sonlight.

As the flowers mature and reach the blooming stage, though, they cease to follow the sun across the sky. The stem stiffens and freezes the flower in the Eastern direction. In this state the flower becomes loaded with seeds. The seeds are used as fruit and also can be changed into oil. This is quite a parallel to what Christ desires of us. To have fruit and be ready to be changed into oil. Often as Christians reach this place, they get set in their ways and perhaps a bit "stiff necked" toward God, just as the flower does. There are 2 types of sunflowers. One will continue to keeps it's head turned to the sky, but the other will lose it's stiffness and bow it's face toward the ground. Gardeners prefer the kind that "looks nice", but the farmer prefers the one that bows as it reduces the damage caused by the birds and the loss from disease.

Transition

Cloud by day. Fire by night. What would it be like at the time of transition - the changing of day to night and night to day? I do not think that one would leave and the other one come. That would create a void. God does not like voids. So one must think that there would be an overlap of the two - a simultaneous presence of both. This could be a fearful time and not at all what one would be accustomed to during the day or during the night.
In the seasons of our lives when God is shifting us from the night season to the day season (or the other way around) it can seem like a confusing and conflicting time with much going on around us. We need to learn to not be shaken during these times, but trust that it is just a time of progressing from one state to another. If we allow ourselves to be shaken by this display of seeming opposites converging we may be tempted to retreat back into the season that God is calling us to leave. Keep pressing through. It will not always be this volatile. The transition will take you to the cloud or fire by itself, but there will always be a presence.

Enough Virga Rain

Far too long now the body of Christ has been content with virga rain. We send prayers into the Heavens and when the rain of the Spirit comes we settle for virga instead of a downpour. Virga is rain that does not reach the earth. It makes a spectacular view and the clouds are certainly promising of something big, but it remains in the Heavens and does not reach where it was sent to. We send prayers up, but don't pull the answers all the way down. We give up before the moment of contact.
We are often content with the show of God's power, but not wanting to see the full demonstration of it. We want to look good, more than we want to see results. The upper levels of Heaven are doing there part, but the lower Heavens are not charging the atmosphere to pull the rain to the earth. It is no longer enough to have virga rain, we need to pull down a saturation of Heaven for the miracles and signs and wonders...answers to our prayers.

What will it take to pull down the power? Love. Love sent from the earth to the Heavens to pull down the love from Heaven. Loving enough to pull results from Heaven, not just enjoying a show. The earth is dry and crying out for a rain of His presence.

Faces of Israel

The faces of Israel...each has a story. Some are just beginning, some have many chapters. The faces of the children as they take in the mysteries of the moment. Do they wonder about their future? Do they have a hope and an expectancy? Will fear take root in their hearts?

The faces of the women as they go about their daily routines. Do they know that God hears their prayers? Do they know joy...or only the travail in the desire for peace?

The faces of the men as they carry the burden for the nation. Does the heart of the Father beat in theirs? Do they know the strength that He would gladly give them?

May the rest of their stories be bathed in peace and joy and fulfill all that God has destined for them. May they come to know the One who has life more abundantly and gives freely of His grace and mercy.

Life Out of Death

This unassuming picture from Israel doesn't seem like much at a first. It looks like a pile of rocks. In reality it is the ruins of what once was a prosperous area. This is all that is left of the walls that used to contain people and the vibrancy of life.

Long ago it was crushed and destroyed by the hands of men who's only desire was to bring death. Every person within the city perished.

As one looks at these rocks the destruction is evident. Without hardly being notice, though, are the green bushes that have pushed their way through the rubble to seek the sun for new life. They are a hope of a fresh tomorrow, of new life and new hope. It doesn't matter how solid the rocks on this earth are, the green plants always press their way to the surface.

In our lives when we experience times of destruction and death of dreams and futures, God will always bring forth new sprouts of life that are colorful, beautiful and vibrant. Out of every death He will always bring life...and that more abundantly.

Upper Room Moment

I believe that God is always trying to speak to us and show us things that we often miss because we do not tune in to Him. When at the Upper Room in Jerusalem where the Last Supper was believed to have taken place, I felt like I was missing something. So I prayed and waited on the Lord as I strolled around the room. What is it, Lord? Is it something in the people that are here praying and observing? Is it something in the room itself, perhaps a detail overlooked? Then I felt compelled to look straight above my head. On the ceiling was this round disc that had a figure carved on it. The figure was actually raised. It looked more like a ram with wings. I tried several times to take a picture to capture it, but the flash seemed to wash it out. I tried holding the camera still and not use a flash and the imaged showed up much better.

The verses in Genesis 22 immediately came to mind. Abraham set out to offer Isaac as a sacrifice, but God stopped him and provided a ram in the thicket to sacrifice. I thought of how Jesus became our sacrifice after the meal in the Upper Room. The carving on the ceiling became very significant at that point. The wings represented a divine sacrifice from Heaven for our sakes. It spoke very deeply to me of what Jesus went through for us.

Salvation is not free. We were bought with a price that only He could pay.

Who was and is and is to come

Shortly after arriving in Jerusalem I heard the Lord speak that we had come expecting an experience, but God was going to give us an encounter. He said that many had come to the land seeking the God that was and they left with an experience of walking where He walked. We had come looking for the God that was and is and is to come. That is exactly what we found.

We could see where Jesus had been as He lived on this earth and also what God was doing in the land and in the people today. He showed us prophetically what was to come in the fullness of His time. We knew we were a part of a bigger tomorrow.

This picture captures the word He spoke. In the background is the old city...what was. The center is the new city...what is. The flowers in the foreground express the blooming of what is to come. He holds the past, present and future...of the earth...and of our lives. May it be more than an experience...let it be an encounter with the Living God.

New Beginnings

Back from Israel. Amazing journey of a lifetime. So many things to capture that cannot be fully expressed in photos or words. Praying that the memories will not too quickly fade.

Even in the places of trama and toil with barrenness of land, there is a vibrancy of life that springs out of the most hidden of places. A beauty that cannot be described, only relished for what it truly is.

There is beauty in peace. Why do so many want to destroy that peace and that beauty? Why take away the essence of what is life and love? Hope is the springboard for the future. We can hope for understanding and tolerance. We can hope for love to prevail. We can hope that there will be enough tomorrows to reshape the world that exists there.

Shalom. More than a greeting. It's a prayer.