Welcome the Holy Spirit

Throughout all that God has taught me about the Holy Spirit, he has also laid a song deeply on my heart for this time of learning in my life.  I first heard the song played by The Cody Dunbar Band, but below I have attached the song by the original artist.

Here are the lyrics:

There is nothing worth more

That will ever come close

Nothing can compare

You're our Living Hope

Your Presence

I've tasted and I've seen

Of the sweetest of loves

Where my heart becomes free

And my shame is undone

Your presence Lord.

Holy Spirit you are welcome here

Come flood this place and fill the atmosphere

Your glory God is what our hearts long for

to be overcome by your presence Lord.

Your presence Lord

There is nothing worth more

That will ever come close

You are our Living Hope

Your presence Lord.

I've tasted and I've seen

Of the sweetest of loves

Where my heart is set free

And my shame is undone

Holy Spirit you are welcome here

Come flood this place and fill the atmosphere

Your glory God is what our hearts long for

to be overcome by your presence Lord.

Let us become more aware of Your presence

Let us experience the glory of Your goodness.

Lord

Holy Spirit you are welcome here

Come flood this place and fill the atmosphere

Your glory God is what our hearts long for

to be overcome by your presence Lord.

Here's the video:

I hope you sat with eyes closed and heart open as you worshiped the God who inspired this song, and if not, I challenge you to play it again, but this time with a receptive heart.  

The lyrics to this song are so simple, yet so incredibly powerful.  To welcome the Holy Spirit is a huge step, yet it can be one of the most amazing steps you ever take.

Have you ever actively sought out the Holy Spirit?  Do you think the Spirit feels welcome in your presence, or do you constantly shut it out with all the "stuff" of life?

How can you be more open and receptive to the Spirit of God?

Semester Reflections: The Holy Spirit

As I am approaching the half-way mark of my semester, my bloggings will start to include an increasing amount of reflection posts from this side of the half.  I have noticed three huge themes God has used in my walk with him this semester:  wisdom, the holy spirit, and the poor.

Although those are in the order of significance, my posts will not be.  I'm starting off by expanding on what God has taught me about the Holy Spirit, which will lead into a series of posts about the "greater gifts" of the holy spirit (as mentioned in last Friday's post,) and then I will present a series of posts featuring Spiritual Gifts, and what these look like in our every day lives.

As I said, for now I would like to share with you what God has taught me in regards to the Holy Spirit.  Throughout this journey, he lead me to several different passages that teach us more about the Holy Spirit, and who he is.  The book I just reviewed, Dream Language, also pointed me to the dig further into specific scriptures that dealt with the Holy Spirit.

First, a little introduction of "The H.S."  If you have studied the Bible at all, you know that our sin eternally separated us from fellowship or communion with God, but because of his infinite love for us, he sent his Son to come live with us, teaching us and instructing us in the ways of God, then ultimately giving his life up for us, thus restoring our connection and relationship with the God of all creation.

It was for this reason, that Jesus' disciples worried about how they would communicate with God when Jesus arose back into heaven (John 16.)  Of course, as always happens when we are worried, Jesus assured the disciples that this communication method had already been worked out and blessed far beyond our understanding.  "But I tell you the truth: It is for your good that I am going away.  Unless I go away, the Counselor will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you." (John 16:7)


Therefore, the Holy Spirit's language is even greater for us, that the words coming from Jesus' physical mouth.  Not only that, but it is only through the Holy Spirit that we can reread the words of Jesus' physical mouth and fully understand them.  How great is our God to bless us above our own imaginations!

The Spirit gives us access to a secret language between our spirit and God's.  In 2 Corinthians 2:6-8 we are told that the language that comes from walking with Christ is quite different from the language of the world.  The Bible says it is "a message of wisdom among the mature...a secret wisdom that God destined for our glory before time began."  How cool is that?

The idea of a "secret language" between our hearts and God's makes me think of my elementary school days when Pig Latin and Ong language were cool.  My friends and I would speak these silly dialects all day long, laughing and enjoying the fact that no one else knew what we were saying.  It was our own secret language.

Until of course, everyone else discovered it...


The thing about the Holy Spirit is that it is closed to those who are not believers.  Verse eight says, "None of the rulers of this age understood it, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory."  Did you get that, none of the rulers.  That means the rich and famous people we look up too on earth--they don't understand this secret language because they are still living in the world, not turning away from it and walking with Christ.

A life given fully to God is a hard and painful one, but the blessing of the Holy Spirit is one reward for choosing this difficult journey.

Verses 10-12 really taught me something insightful.  Only the Spirit knows both the depths of our heart, as well as the depths of God's.  How beautiful.  The Word of God says it is only through the help of the Holy Spirit that we are able to heal and understand the depths of our souls, and with that, we are able to hear God's spirit too.  His spirit.  The depths of his heart that are so rarely searched out.  This is where the Spirit soars and longs to take us.

Those without the Spirit do not understand the Spirit.  Verse 14 says, "The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned."  How much the unbeliever misses.

I promise you readers, if you had a taste of the heart and Spirit of God--you would never in a million years turn it down again.  In fact, you would spend the rest of your life trying to fill that craving with a new taste of his oh-so-filling Spirit.  Think about that for a minute...

Dream Language: What the book is all about

James W. and Michal Ann Goll have a long history of studying and interpreting God’s secret  language of dreams with mankind.  Co-founders of Encounters Network, Michal and James teamed together to write an insightful book called Dream Language.  


As described in his book, James spent his entire life receiving and interpreting dreams from the Lord.  Michal Ann joined him on this journey in young adulthood, when they were married. The two of them were members of the Harvest International Ministries Apostolic Team, until 2008 when Michal Ann went on to be with the Lord.

The stories and understanding of Michal Ann and Jim naturally give them authority to write such a book as, Dream Language.  The book covers three fundamental ideas for receiving and understanding the dream language.  First, they lay out the framework for this idea: where do dreams come from, how is it biblical, how does it apply to us now.  These are all questions that the first part of the book explores through scripture, experience, and wisdom.  

Part two is entitled, “Learning the Vocabulary.”  In this section of the book readers learn about the diversity of dreams, the interpretation of dreams, and how to better understand these dreams.  Personally, this was my favorite section.

Finally, the reader will learn how to walk in wisdom with the gift of dreams.  Through this part we hear from Michal Ann’s personal dream journey, and are again reminded of the importance to write our dreams down immediately after awakening.  The Golls offer thousands of other insights and ideas throughout the book, each grounded deeply in biblical doctrine.

One thing I would have liked to see done differently, is more expansion on the dream categories themselves.  I wonder, “How do I categorize my dreams, and how do I determine the level of the dream itself?”  I love the organization Goll has laid out, but I would like to know how to utilize it more.  

Of course, the third part of the book really emphasizes turning to God for interpretation, and using the spirit as our main guide, I would just like to have seen the book expand in these areas more.

Overall, I found the book to be deeply spiritual and eye-opening to the encounters and words of God himself.  I told God this morning that I was still processing all the information I have received from that book. I feel like the aftermath of Dream Language will be more like a journey, and less like another book nestled on the shelf.


I recommend this book to anyone looking for a deeper level of intimacy with the Lord. The reading level is appropriate for all levels, and the content can help strengthen any one's faith.

Article first published as Book Review: Dream Language: The Prophetic Power of Dreams, Revelations, and the Spirit of Wisdomby James W. and Michal Ann Goll on Blogcritics

Sex God: Book Review

Pause with me just a moment and think. I want you to go back to a place in your childhood when you really and truly felt alive. Think about the defining moment of your existence. For some of you it may be the day you met your best friend. For others it may be a special time between you and your father. Think about your moment, and think about how it made you feel. You were full, you were alive, you were connected. That is what Sex God is all about.

The book Sex God was written by Rob Bell and published by Zondervan in 2007. The book includes nine chapters of separate but related topics relating to spirituality and sexuality. One of my favorite chapters explained the essence of humanity and sexuality. Bell paints the picture that although we are less than angels, and more than animals, we still have a very wonderful purpose for our souls and bodies.

In other chapters Bell intricately describes the ancient Jewish weddings and all of their meaningful customs. As he explains the customs, he explains how this ties into the original meaning of many passages of the Bible, thus proving that God is a very intimate and passionate lover of our souls.

When I first began reading Sex God, I was thoroughly confused and doubtful about the whole thing. Sex and God. Who would think of comparing the two, much less combining them. Although Bell made some excellent observations in the first third of the book, I was still unsure of the message, but after persistent reading I was soon captivated by the book and read the entire thing in one sitting.

Author Rob Bell, is the founding pastor of Mars Hill Bible Church, a sister ministry of Mark Driscoll’s Mars Hill Church. Bell and his wife Kristen, along with their three children, reside in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Bell graduated from Wheaton College in Wheaton, Illinois. He also graduated from Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, California. Three of Bell’s books have been on the New York Time’s Best Sellers list: Sex God, Love Wins, and Velvet Elvis.

The subtitle for Sex God is, “exploring the endless connections between sexuality and spirituality.” This is definitely what Sex God is about. The basic human needs for passion, desire, and connection are made perfectly clear and tangible in this book. The only downfall is the end of the book, because it leaves you wanting to read and learn so much more. This would be an excellent book to study with a group of same-sex friends, or between a married couple. I think the book is more appropriate for post-adolescent minds, simply because the rich content might be hard for a hormone-filled teenager to handle.

I loved this book, and I hope you will too, should you choose to read it yourself. For more on Sex God and Rob Bell check out these links:

http://marshill.org/ 

http://www.zondervan.com/Cultures/en-US/Product/ProductDetail.htm?ProdID=com.zondervan.9780310263463&QueryStringSite=Zondervan,

http://www.amazon.com/Sex-God-Exploring-Connections-Spirituality/dp/0310263468

Article first published as <a href='http://blogcritics.org/books/article/book-review-sex-god-by-rob/'>Book Review: <I>Sex God</i> by Rob Bell</a> on Blogcritics.

Making the Stand

If I can write a post to the girls in their vulnerability, I think I owe the guys something too.  Especially because I just finished reading Wild at Heart by John Eldredge.  Yes, it is the male version of the book I mentioned in  my last post.  (Just so you know, the male version came first.)

Wild at Heart has taught me that just as women have been deeply wounded in their femininity, so have men been wounded in their masculinity.   Again, I will not go into all the details, for they are in this book which I so highly recommend reading.  The point I want to make, is that you will never be the man God designed you to be if you don't let him heal your wound.

The similarity on both the male and female side of things, is that the process of healing for both is hard, painful, and revealing.  You're looking into the depths of your heart for crying out loud, it should be painful.  The preciousness that lies within your soul is the key to all things male.  Everything you dreamed of as a boy, and everything you hope to be for your (future) wife, family, and kids is in this deeply treasured place.  Don't mistake my words, men and women are very different, but the journey to finding self is equally painful.

So why do it if it's painful?  Because you are what this world needs.  You are the MAN she's been waiting for.  You are the leader, the fighter, the powerful lover that the church has waited for.  Your son needs you so he won't walk through life wounded.  Your daughter needs you so she won't look for love elsewhere.  And your wife needs you to fight for her, thus unveiling her beauty.

I realize many of you reading this are single, that's all the more reason to fight for your soul now.  God designed you to be this man from the beginning.  Find that man now, so when the beauty comes along you will have the love and confidence to fight for her with a holy passion and protection.  The movie and song Courageous have spoken out on this need.  The people in your life speak out on it everyday, only you don't realize it, and they probably don't either.

The truth is, you hold a special place as a man.  From a woman's point of view I can definitely say that we need you, we urge you, and we want you to step up for us and lead the way.  Spiritually you have such an adventure to grasp, and I hope you choose to take the hard path of discovery into being THE man God made you to be.

Part 3: When You Date

Part 3

When You Date

- “Dating” or “Talking”

o Boundaries

§ Know ahead of time and write them down!!

· Ex: I won’t kiss a guy I’m not dating, never hang out alone-temptation, no-no square rules

§ Early on let him know your boundaries

· I will not go any further than holding hands.

§ Pray for strength

§ Group dating makes keeping these boundaries a LOT easier!

o Accountability

§ Have a mentor, or close Christian friend that will help keep you accountable.

o Stick to your standards

§ If he turns out to be anything less, move on before either of you gets emotionally attached. Unless of course you enjoy getting hurt.

§ Pray for God’s guidance and wisdom.

· Isaiah 11:2 -pray this for wisdom

- Being in a relationship

o Let God lead

§ Pray continuously!! 1 Thessalonians 5:17

§ Stay in the word. Do your quiet times consistently.

§ Stay in his will—HE is the center of your life, not your man!!!

o Let him lead

§ Spiritually- you should know this before you agree to go out with him.

§ Emotionally- HE HAS TO MAKE THE FIRST MOVE.

· To ask you out, to say he likes you, etc.

§ Girls DO NOT CHASE!!

· We weren’t made for it.

· They value stuff they chase more.

· We actually want to be chased.

o Princess/knight, attention, etc.

· It’s a turn off to most guys.

o Priorities

§ Faith

§ Family

§ Friends

All of the above were here first. You need both, not just him.

Don’t lose your friends/family/faith over a guy, because when you lose the guy you will have nothing.

§ Guys