Recycleship?

'Round here we pour a lot of our focus into spending time with our neighbors. Especially the kids and teenagers. Naturally, as a result, many of them are in discipleship relationships with our missioners. It's a beautiful thing - combining McDonalds Double Cheeseburgers, Hi-C and one another's lives and it's working, we're seeing our young people grow in Christ.

Well...not too long ago I had a couple of my cell group boys show up at my door - they're both 6. They came to have a 'meeting' with me.

"How come you don't take us to McDonalds once a week like Travis takes Fred?" they asked...very seriously of course, because this was a matter of supreme justice...

"Well..." I responded, "Travis and Fred are in discipleship and that's what they do...it's like cell group but with just one or two people and you talk about more stuff."

"And you eat double cheeseburgers?"

"Yes, sometimes."

"Well we want to have recycleship! Will you recycle us?"

Whats in a name ?

I was thinking about names today, probably because I was at a baby dedication.

God Bless Justice Andrew Mikles, you are cool !

But also during our students debrief this week they had to share highlights of their year at The War College. One student in sharing pulled out a paper with everyones name on it that she got to minister to this year, wow. Now our big thing here in Charlotte when we invite people here to minister is, get to know your neighbors name. We believe that if you can know everybodies name then God can open the door to the hard work and let love flow through, it may seem too simple but it works for us. So she shared this page with us and it had almost 200 names on it, and not just random names but names of people that she got to love, weep with, share her food and most of all share Jesus with. That's cool that one girl in a 'hood could change what it looks like both in the physical and spiritual all by introducing herself. That's community and that's Jesus.

Who are the people in your neighborhood ?

Whats their name ?

The Army Spirit is hovering over at Jesse Green's blog these days... check it out!

"But who is to go (today)? You!
You who read this; who else is there to go?...
You are saved.

You say your sins are forgiven, and that you belong to the family of God. You say the promises apply to you; why not the commands?

Have one and shirk the other?
Never, never, never!
They are united. Do not say you are a child and not a servant.

You must go yourself. This is a personal call which comes down through the centuries to you! You cannot evade it and remain true to your self and your God."
General William Booth

This is an amazing picture to me, why, because a month ago this house was filled with dead bodies after a shoot out. Today little girls are playing out front celebrating life. The Psalms say that a cry from a baby will send the enemy running, just imagine sidewalk art from children drawing God's love as they see it. I do not think that the enemy could run from that, I think Jesus would make him watch.

They will rebuild the ruined cities.

24/7 TYI

Wow, we've just returned from Camp Keystone, Florida and the Territorial Youth Institute and it was truly amazing. Our responsibilities were to be counsellors, lead three seminars and to oversee the 24/7 prayer hut. Overall, Jesus was lifted high, Amen!

We started praying on Sunday at noon and the prayer room had someone continually lifting up Jesus until the next Sunday at noon. How can we measure the increase of God's power and presence because of intentionally choosing to abide with Him all day and all night? I could look at stats and try to figure out a difference from years past, but then I would miss the entire point, so we will just have to measure it by love, and man, there was love.

It was amazing to watch as God made a tangible deposit of His glory in these young people - lives were won for the Kingdom; bought back from hell and written in the Lamb's book of Life.

The part that bears witness to this increase of God's presence is this: if all of us adults had just left the building it wouldn't have mattered. The young people as they were led, just began to minister to one other, and they were leading one another to Jesus for Salvation, deliverance, healing and holiness; it was rich. They were led by Holy Spirit and we could not have stopped them from running closer to Jesus with all our might.

Now there were several elements that fueled this increase and all of them were essential, but the 24/7 prayer and worship, I believe, tipped the scales. It is God's promise that if we call He will answer and that when we pray in fullness He can then come in with fullness. Let it be.

Young people, from every nation, gathered and got dirty in prayer. They truly were an army advancing on its knees. God grant victory and favor to this generation of warriors.

There was some serious revival seedin' preachin' goin on too, as Captain M. Platt brought fire from above with his sword and shield. Captain Marion also brought testimony and truth of the Lord's second blessing of perfect love, and I believe many delegates received this blessing as a result of his testimony, teaching and the cry that was in their hearts for holiness.
God, please command your angels in concerning this man of God.

To top it all off though, the best quote of the week was this ...

"I know it now, God is real!"