Prayer

I have been involved in two conferences since Monday down on the beaches of the Oregon coast where the beauty of the land and sea co-mingle in a rush of the miraculous.  The salt water washing the sand of the expansive shores only inches deep, giving its tide only to receive it back again to churn and roll in a never ending white noise; giving, taking, rolling, foaming, and then again, and again.  The incrediblely flat shores often give way to towering rock monuments bearing the names of what they charade – Haystack and Needles.  Every chance I received between sessions I would be wooed by the sirens of the sea to join them, so I would obey and leave the conference center heading towards the surf. I brought out the skim board I constructed in my garage bearing a flying dragon penned by my oldest son.  Throwing the board down, running, jumping and landing to skim across the thin coating of sea water for 30 yards, creates a joy I can’t explain. I don’t think it is actually the gliding I enjoy as much as the fact that I can actually accomplish the task of skimming at my age.

This much coveted time in the sun and on the surf mixed with the conference speakers echoing in my mind has been so good.  Refreshing. Healing. Good.  When I am alone like this I am confronted with silence. A silence in my soul.  Through which my Lord speaks. I have heard many times this weekend the same theme.

Prayer.

I do pray…without ceasing. I pray a lot. I plead to my God for the safety, protection and souls of my sons. I pray for my wife so many times throughout the day I lose track. I pray for our Church and their confidence in the King. I pray for God’s miraculous and abundance and the transformation of Seattle itself. But is there more?  Prayer is like the line between the land and sea; miraculous.  There is amazing beauty in the land, wonders that are unbelievable, majestic, and awe inspiring. There are equally amazing wondering in the great expanse of the sea, which is so overwhelming incredible.  But that place between the terra firma and the big ponds brings the two wonders together in a third wonder. A place that connects, but lives with its own identity; its own miraculous; its own beauty.

We can know only the land. We can know only the sea. Or we can know the bringing together of the two.  If our mortal lives are represented by the Land and the spiritual is represtented by the Sea, Prayer is represented by the Shore where it is all brought together.

Prayer.

Pray and experience a miraculous like you have never before. Spend time on the shoreline of the mortal. Pray.

Hard to Blog

It’s been a very hard road to the blogging world.  My time is so spent and putting a few minutes to blog something that is slightly coherent is ridiculously difficult.  My mind is plastered in hundreds of different places in two hundred different ways.   I think therefore I don’t have a clear thought and can’t assume that I am.

But I am so thankful for the many ways God is at work in Seattle. I have seen him create a church community called Epic Life right here in the midst of a torn city on an Avenue that represents the tear.

Please keep praying that we are able to be Christ’s hands and feet to the community, our neighbors. But to do this requires a team, a family, a community of men and women who are outwardly focused and intentionally determined to make a great difference in the lives of those who have no intension to follow God.

Things I am praying for:

Epic Life influence in the Aurora and 105th community.

Multiplication, Transformation, and Salvation in the lives of hundreds.

The finances to be able to continue this trek.

Abundant Grace, both from God and between each of the core group of Epic Life.

For God’s wisdom, strength and provision as I strive to shepherd the Epic Life flock, which as of last week has grown to roughly 70 strong.

 

Please keep praying for us. I am confident that God has placed us in the exact place he can use us the best.

Walking

Today I will be walking on Aurora praying for the street and the employees and business owners along the 90-110 stretch. I want to discover how we can minister to these specific people; men and women who see the neighborhood every day in unique ways and often times depressed ways. I will be praying specifically for the following:

• The Adult book stores. (Praying that they would close because of a lack of clientele; that the owners and employees would come to know Jesus even before they get out of the business; that the clientele would feel a deep urge to seek Jesus before seeking this addiction.)
• Cindy’s (The restaurant that is supposedly going to be turned into a strip club; praying that it wouldn’t; praying that if it does we can minister directly to the dancers and clientele and owner.)
• The Warehouse. (The 30k sq. ft. building that is empty and for sale that we want to turn into an indoor skate park, climbing wall, volleyball courts, a creative environment to mentor kids and the Create Cafe; this is an impossible dream, but God is the God of impossible dreams; praying that the owner would cut the price in half or just out right give it to us.)
• Influence (Praying for influence in the communities of that area; with the youth, residents, police, community boards, business owners.)
• The Oak Tree Mall Theaters (Praying that we would be able to move into the theaters come October 4th and that we would be able to secure the entire building in the near future; influence with the owners and the mall community.)
• Praying for specific divinely appointed conversations with several people who God is drawing to himself.

Please pray with me as he leads my feet to the places he needs my mouth to speak his words.

First Sunday

I apologize for the lack of connection with my fingers to the keys on my computer plunking out the epic story that is unfolding here in Seattle. Several of you have been asking for more conversation from my end as God directs and leads this grand play that is unfolding within every hour that passes.

Yesterday the 10th of August, 2008 was our first service as a church body. It was amazingly fantastic! God has given us a home with a family room that can hold 40-50 tightly packed worshiping bodies, which makes such a splendid place to begin the work God has given us. This, our first Sunday morning corporate worship time, included the fifteen of us in a circle. D-Vic lead into worshiping through music and I got the wonderful opportunity to share a message that I feel God picked just for us at just this time.

I have been studying Colossians 3, a letter from Paul to the church in Colosse penned in A.D. 60, because my mentor Al Jarvenin pointed me in that direction. Out of this chapter leaps a few sentences we commonly refer to as verses 12-17, in which Paul calls us to clothe ourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, patience, forgiveness and love.

It is a beautiful word on actively and intentionally putting on these virtues. Virtues a team who is called to plant a church must actively and intentionally persevere to a commitment of action towards. (I will write specifically on each of these virtues briefly in following blogs).  Anyway, God was evidently present and working in our hearts and lives and can be praised for speaking through me.

We spent the rest of the day together eating and playing, took Samantha to work at 2pm and picked her up at 10pm, as we finished up a four hour gut laughing game of signs at 11:30.  We also received our first guests into our home, the Colleys, whom we stayed with in Gig Harbor over the past few weeks. Refer to earlier blogs.

Now I am sitting in The Allegro coffee shop in the U-District getting some much needed work caught up.

Please pray for Ken and Diane our neighbors across the street and for Cathy and her what seems to be blended family again across the street. Also the house right next to us just became empty and is for sale. Pray that God brings a family with whom we can minister to and with. Or pray that God will give us the house so we can turn it into a safe home for young women who find themselves on the streets of Seattle. Pray also for Patricia and Patrick, a couple of houses behind us. He was raised Catholic, she was raised Jewish, they are currently practicing Budists.

Thank you so much for your prayers and support, I can’t tell you how important you are to us. And I can’t wait to tell you how, because of your prayers, lives have been changed.

I will pen more later, we have some Epic dreams, and God is the God of the Epic proportions.