February Love Month.

 

We are having some fun at the Upper Room Worship Center! I love being with this crew they are creative, encouraging, outofthebox thinkers and love people. It's been fun resting and learning as we are launching into our new adventure.

This month is Love month we are encouraging people to use one of the calendars below to practice kindness. Actually that's the only way people see and experience kindness. Action. Doing. Stepping out. Loving people. Being kind.

Why not join us, practice for a month and see what happens to the world around you. Use the Calendar or be creative and develop or practice your own thoughts. 

We also have  serve and love boards in the foyer of the church. People can pick up a card to serve or go to the kindness board where people can pick up a heart and love someone in the community. 

It's all fun and very missional.

 Here is brief Update also some thoughts on purpose.

If it doesn't work ... It's probably American.

 
It's been a good two weeks. I'm in Warrington, England with my friends Mike and Jane. They were pastors of a church I helped plant in Scotland. They sold everything and moved to Warrington a few years ago to plant a new generation church called Oasis. 

Oasis is amazing. I love the energy, the way people are encouraged, and how they reach out to the community. Many of the people who now attend were reached, met Jesus, were then baptized, now are disciples and function as band members, creative arts people, outreach participants or serve in other ways.

One of my Bible college professors stated, "If a principal works in any culture it's God. If the principle doesn't work in any culture, it's probably American."

Serving their city works.
Oasis serves the community mainly through acts of kindness. They have served the people of the city from day one. In this culture nothing is free, and there is always a catch. When people receive a small gift, a coke on a hot day, a small bag of treats, or chocolate to celebrate Warrington people are impacted. The simple acts of kindness reaches the heart. They ask questions. Many receive prayer. Some meet Jesus then begin to attend Oasis.

We've gone out to the main shopping area in the town center. As we've served more than one person asked, "What's the catch?" We were able to share why, have great conversations, and pray with people. 

One day the police came down after seeing us serving on CV monitors. Their response, "Oh, it just Oasis." 

I prayed for a police woman. I simply stated, "I'd like to pray for your protection. Would that be ok?" She replied, "Thanks that would be nice." We prayed for her. Invited angels to be with her. Declared protection over her. We declared she'd have eyes to see and ears to hear and God's presence would be near her.  We noticed her smile, gratitude and genuine up beat response. "I'm protected now. Thank you."

One lady who had pain in her back was shocked when her pain level moved from an eight down to a two. Most people we prayed for encountered the love of Jesus through the  presence of the Holy Spirit.

Several people mentioned they would like to pop in and check Oasis out. 

They have a family service at 11am. At 6 pm a new generation service starts. This service is mainly made up of 20's and 30's. The style is fun, upbeat and has an amazing house band who lead worship. Last week there was a tangible sense of God's presence as we worshiped.

Since I've been here there has been a shift into prophetic encouragement and prayer. People are now stepping into the next phase of outreach. As they pray for people they are receiving insight, knowledge and encouragement for the people they serve. This connection to the Holy Spirit is wonderful to see and experience. 

Rick Rusaw and Eric Swanson wrote a best selling book The Externally Focused Church. My favorite line from the book. "Good deeds, creates good will, which opens hearts to the good news." 

Oasis ... They are serving their way into the hearts of people... Tiz working in Warrington, England.

This is what Pattie and I do. We encourage, and in return we are encouraged. If you'd like us to come to your church or support us in prayer of giving. Simply click Invite Steve or Donor Box link.

Hope...Helps.

Hope:

Towards a Psychology of Hope is a great article. (click link for full article.)

"We all know that hope is a good thing, even an essential thing: there is no life without hope, or so the saying goes. Psychologists believe hope might be the most important feeling, state, or emotion we can experience. Hope is a skill you can acquire. It is active—you can cultivate and nourish it. 

It is self-perpetuating—hopeful people tend to be more resilient, more trusting, more open, and more motivated than those less hopeful, so they are likely to receive more from the world, which in turn makes them more hopeful—which is why it’s so important."

How do we gain hope? Some thoughts.

Now
May the God of all hope
Fill you
With all joy and peace 
in believing
So that
You may abound in Hope
By
The power of The Holy Spirit. 
Romans 15:13:NASB

By believing; by praying and receiving. Believe you will abound in hope.
Hope will be poured into your life and your hope will exist in great quantity.
You will be rich in hope, and you will be well supplied with hope.

You will be filled with hope. You will over-flow or teem with hope.

You will have all joy and peace in believing. 

Pray:
God of all hope, fill me with all joy and peace so that I will abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. Come Holy Spirit empower me with Hope. Thank you now for filling me.   

Look forward in hope:

Hope is a confident expectation of good things to come.
Hope looks to a future bright. The light at the end of the tunnel is not an oncoming train.

Jer 29:29 NASB 
For I know the plans that I have for you,' declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope.
 
Proverbs 23:18 (NIV)
There is surely a future hope for you, and your hope will not be cut off.

Hope is future, Faith is now. In hope see ahead, believe now.

Hey 11:1 NASB 
Now faith is the assurance /  confidence / substance of things
hoped for,
(Faith is) the conviction / evidence of things
not seen.

What things?
What are you believing, looking for, hoping for? 
Activate your faith and hope toward what you are believing.  
Develop a positive mindset by reading hopeful articles and the Bible. Fuse belief by offering thanksgiving and gratitude. 

Hope is the seed bed of faith. 

These three remain:
"Faith, Hope and Love...these three but the greatest of these three is love." I Cor 13 

Hold on to hope long enough until hope becomes faith.

Hope is the connector that creates faith and love. Faith and love spring from hope. 

Col 1:5 NIV 
The faith and love that spring from the hope stored up / secure for you in heaven

It's important to speak hope, to speak in faith, to declare, and to believe.

Ps 62:5 NIV  
Yes, my soul, find rest in God, my hope comes from him.

Lamentations 3:24 (NASB)
The LORD is my portion," says my soul, "Therefore, I have hope in Him."
 
The biggest question, "Where do we place our hope? Who is our hope?"

Where is your hope, your expectation placed? 

Hope, by definition is a person, or a thing, in which expectations are centered or focused upon. 
Who are you trusting / looking to? People? Places? Things? Jobs? Governments? Leaders?

My wife and I are in transition. We don't know where we are going, nor how provision will come. During this season we often have to shift our mindsets, focus and declare:

"Our hope is found in you Jesus. We declare ___________ is not our Savior. Where we go, or where we stay will not save us, nor provide for us. In You, and You alone is our hope. All of our hope is found in You. Thank you, our future is secure. Thank you for providing for us."

The Reality.
Jesus is our only hope. Hope is embodied in Him. He is the hope of glory.
Our hope is secure and steadfast...

Heb. 6:18-20 NIV 
We who have fled to take hold of the hope set before us may be strong / encouraged. 

We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and steadfast. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain, where Jesus our forerunner has entered on our behalf.

Jesus is the better hope.

Heb 7: 9 NASB
for the Law made nothing perfect), and on the other hand there is a bringing in of a better hope, through which we draw near to God. 

Heb 7:22 NASB
so much the more also Jesus has become the guarantee of a better covenant. 

It's interesting and encouraging...The eye of the Lord is upon those who hope and who hope for something tangible, yet supernatural, His lovingkindness.

Ps 33:18 NASB
Behold, the eye of the Lord is on those who hope for his Lovingkindness.
 

"Our trials are turned to gold." Keith Green.

Trials do one thing well... if we hold on, we don't give up and we continue... Trials produce a hope that does not disappoint. In hope... we hope.

Rom 5:1-5 NASB
Therefore, since we have been made right in God’s sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us. 

2 Because of our faith, Christ has brought us into this place of undeserved privilege where we now stand, and we confidently and joyfully look forward to sharing God’s glory.(hope)

3 We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. 

4 And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. 

5 And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love.

Running with Percy.
There is something to be said about perseverance. Perserverenc enables us to keep on keeping on, to lean forward by faith, and to look into the future in hope. 

Sometimes we need to run with our friend Percy. Running with Percy produces a hope that does not disappoint. It's important to faint not; to not grow weary and never give up.

Trials of life show us what we are made of. Trials reveal our metal. They test our metal.

People of our world need hope. They are lost without hope, and without God in this world. We are the hopeful ones. We have a future and a hope. It is secure. We can draw from heavens hope and give what we have received away.

We can have joy and peace and abound in hope. The connector... in believing.

"My Hope is Built on Nothing Less"
by Edward Mote, 1797-1874
 
My hope is built on nothing less

Than Jesus' blood and righteousness;
I dare not trust the sweetest frame, 

But wholly lean on Jesus' name.

On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand;

All other ground is sinking sand.
 
When darkness veils His lovely face,

I rest on His unchanging grace;

In every high and stormy gale

My anchor holds within the veil.

On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand;

All other ground is sinking sand.
 
His oath, His covenant, and blood

Support me in the whelming flood;

When every earthly prop gives way,

He then is all my Hope and Stay.

On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand;

All other ground is sinking sand.
 
When He shall come with trumpet sound,

Oh, may I then in Him be found,

Clothed in His righteousness alone,

Faultless to stand before the throne!

On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand;

All other ground is sinking sand.

Lost...

 Lost:
   My friend Matthew and his young daughter went to Target to shop. They were walking around the store when Matthew got distracted. Minutes passed and suddenly he sensed something wasn’t right. Turning around, he couldn’t find his daughter. She was missing from his presence; she wasn’t near his side. His heart was pounding and with deep concern he began to look for her. He ramped up his search by notifying the store manager and other store workers to help him find his daughter. Time went by, one minute became two, and two became ten. To Matthew it felt like an eternity. His daughter was indeed lost.

    As his sense of loss was turning to hopelessness he noticed movement in a clothes rack. This is when he saw her peeking out from where she was hiding. He dropped to his knees and called her by name. She came running into his arms. She had been lost and away from his presence, but now she had been found. She was back in his arms.
    When he asked her why she hadn’t come out of hiding when he called her name, she said she was afraid. She was afraid she would be in trouble. She assumed he’d be angry. Matthew embraced her, told her he loved her, he wasn’t angry, and he was just so grateful he found her.

    This is really a great picture of God’s love for humanity. People are away from God’s presence. They are hiding, covering themselves up. They are afraid to come into His presence. The reason they are afraid…they believe a lie. A lie which tells them God is not a loving Father. He is an angry Father. Therefore, if they turn toward an angry God, He will give them what they know they deserve…judgement and punishment. 

    This is not true! At the core of His being He is love. He offers salvation as a gift to those who turn toward Him. 

    He is always willing to receive those who come to Him at any time. He is not willing any should perish. He takes no delight in the death of those who do not know Him. He offers His relational connection by grace, the grace is found in His Son Jesus. He sent His only Son to illustrate, explain and reveal the love of the Father’s love toward the people who are away from His presence, lost. He is the God of the last chance.

    My father in law was a bartender. When my wife was quite young, he left his wife and five children for his wife’s best friend. Pattie’s mom wept for three days and then began the long process of recovery. 

    Time went on and his new wife met Jesus and her life changed. More years went by and then suddenly my father in law was diagnosed with cancer and given weeks to live. His wife threw caution to the wind and began to speak to him about eternal issues, specifically about where he was going to spend eternity. Her urgent appeal made sense to him and he asked her what he needed to do. She told him to get on his knees, to ask God for forgiveness and invite Jesus into his life. He listened intently and responded by moving himself from the bed to the floor. When he got on his knees he prayed for forgiveness and asked Jesus to come into his life. He was a new man when he got back up. A week later he was baptized. A couple of weeks later he passed away into a new eternity.
    
This is the love of the Father. Pattie’s dad wasn’t condemned for the terrible things he had done. When he turned toward the Father he was forgiven and was welcomed into the arms of His savior.
   
    Jesus asked the woman caught in adultery,
    “Where are your accusers?” John 8 NLT
    There were none; He freely forgave her told her to go and sin no more and restored her hope.
    On the cross, He breathed His last, saying,
    “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” (Luke 23:34, NIV)

    In the parable of the prodigal son the father was continually looking, waiting, and longing for the return of his lost son. When his son finally came to his senses he began his journey home, while he was still a long way off, the father saw him approaching and ran toward his son. He embraced him, welcomed him home, threw a party restoring him to all which was his and more.

    This is a picture of the heart of the Father. He is continually looking for the people who are away from His presence. He longs for them to come home, to come back into His presence, to stop hiding in fear, and to be restored to all He has for them. The love of God removes all fear. 

    The people we meet desperately need to know and experience the Father’s love. They need to hear they can come to the Father through Jesus and be welcomed.

Azman ... Radical Response

My friend Azman, from Belfast Vineyard Church, coined the phrase radical response. It's a good phrase that encourages us to press outward.

Excerpt from Go.Sow.

Develop a life committed to radical response.
    As you go, serve, share, and pray, you will continue to grow. If you decide to begin to share God’s love—untrained—you will soon find yourself—trained. Every step we take to encourage someone enables us to grow in our ability to share our lives with others more freely and effectively.
    Make plans.
    Be determined to talk to and serve your neighbors.     
    Practically love the people you work with.
    When you receive a God prompt, radically respond, and obey and do what you think Jesus would have you to do.
    There will always be reasons why you and I choose not to respond. Our feelings aren’t up. We are tired. It is cold. It’s raining. It’s snowing. It’s too hot. It’s inconvenient. We are insecure. We feel awkward. My kids are too noisy. However, as we make a choice to act on what we value and believe, our no-go, not sharing today, attitude will melt away.
    As I walk through life there are times when I don’t want to be bothered; when I want to hide and keep to myself.
    I’ve discovered it’s in those very moments God often shows up. My weak moments are often the times of His greatest breakthrough; the moments of greatest healing, or the time the greatest touch of saving grace is released. One thing is sure, as I chose to respond, I always learn something from the experience which further equips me for my next encounter.


Miss Dayton
    I wanted to head home from a service after praying and encouraging people. I was tired, and felt somewhat drained.
    While I was heading toward the exit I walked past a young lady receiving prayer. I did notice the people praying for her. In an instant, I knew she wasn’t receiving what she was looking for. The people praying were praying, but I instinctively knew they were not connecting her to the heart of the Father. I did know she was hungry for something more.
    I stopped, turned around, and joined the people praying. I placed my hand gently on her back. I then began to declare and release the Father’s love. She started to weep and gently shake. After a few moments I asked her, “Do you worship in your home?” She said, “Yes, I often sing from my heart and worship.” I gently stated, “I’ve seen you walking in your home and worshiping. The Father wants you to know He loves your worship, and He finds your expression of worship very precious.” She wept. Several other words of encouragement followed. A few moments later I thanked her for allowing me to pray and headed home.

    Months passed. I went to a planning meeting for Hope Over Heroin. At the end of the meeting I gathered my notes and began to walk toward the door. A young lady stopped me and said, “Hey I want to thank you. You changed my life.” 

    I was stunned. I asked, “Really? When did that happen? How did I change your life? I’m not sure I know you. How do I know you?”

    She mentioned when she was a new believer, she didn’t know anything about words of knowledge, or the gifts of the Spirit. She was very desperate to know the Father’s love.
    One Sunday she was receiving prayer at one of our meetings and I walked up and began to encourage her. She told me when I placed my hand on her back she was suddenly overwhelmed with the love of the Father and she began to weep and experience waves of His love. 

    She also mentioned she knew I didn’t know anything about her, yet I had mentioned several things about her life and her relationship with Jesus. As a result she did experience the Father’s love. She then knew the Father loved her and had a plan for her life. 

    Here is the kicker. She was the girl I was walking past. She later won Miss Dayton, and was now praying, and encouraging others. She was flowing in the gifts of the Spirit. She was also using her position as Miss Dayton to further the Good News of the Kingdom.
    I was totally blown away. I thought to myself, “You just never know what a simple obedient response to the Holy Spirit will do to change a persons life. Even when you don’t feel like it.”
    This weekend she came to one of our services and thanked me again and gave me permission to share her story.

Go. Sow. Excerpt. Help the Backward Missionaries.

     

 This years royalties go to the Backward Missionaries. Purchase your copy on CreateSpace.com or on Amazon.com and help them serve in Costa Rica.

Book excerpt.

     It is possible to live out of the overflow. Personal time with Jesus, private worship and prayer, and waiting in His presence are often the key investments we make as we keep our love for Jesus alive. As we position our selves to lean toward Him, He in turn, invests in us. As we draw near to Him, He draws near to us. His promises are true.

     It’s a time investment that I am choosing to make toward Him. As a by product of this time I'm often refreshed as I experience His grace and His love as He leans toward me. I'm then able to pass on what I have received.

    Over time I’ve noticed a change in my heart, and I’ve noticed that I have an increased awareness of His presence in my day. I’m not fully where I want to be but I am pursuing.

    I’ve also noticed an amazing by product of my time leaning in, my steps are often so ordered that I bump into just the right person, at the right time and when I pray for a person they are amazingly touched and impacted by God’s Spirit. 

    I don’t press in for these things to happen. They just happen. I think it is similar to going to the gym. I go to the gym because I like to work out. As a result of going to the gym over a period of time I gain strength, I have better health and I am less stressed. It’s a by product of positioning myself.
    
   One lady, after a simple spoken command, was healed of seventeen kidney stones. She had one kidney and she had a ninety percent chance of dying if operated on. Three days after we prayed for her she went back to the hospital. They discovered the stones were no longer there. All seventeen had vanished! She didn't have a UTI, or any other issues. She was totally healed! I was amazed! It was one of our first major miracles.

   My advice is to find a personal well where you can refill your fountain, a place where the Holy Spirit is moving.
    
    You may want to take some time off to go a location where a well is flowing. There are hot spots all over the world where the Spirit is moving. Why not take a field trip? Go, worship, receive prayer and learn from others who are pursuing more.

     In order for you to receive, seek to return to your first love. Position yourself to go there, to your well, to your place, wherever your place my be—with a hunger and thirst for more. Spend time in worship; rest in His Presence. Lean into the Holy Spirit. Make room for Him. It’s what is most important.
 
     One day during a personal time of worship. I heard this question, “Steve, if this was the only thing you did, would it be enough?” I knew this question was asking more than its face value. I paused and said,”I don’t know. I’m so driven. I want it to be enough. Help me enter this rest. Help me to allow You, Jesus to be more than enough.”

Thoughts in the night. The process of change.

Thoughts in the night.

I met with a wonderful group of leaders recently. They are in process. They have been looking at their strengths and weaknesses. They are asking questions. They are also writing, dreaming, re-adjusting beginning to see what could be. They are in transition. In our meeting I mentioned I saw a couple of pictures of where they were in the process: I saw a person who had pulled a bow string back in preparation ready to let an arrow fly.

Another picture: They were like a wave pulling away from shore, building up, gathering energy, getting ready to move forward and release the energy back upon the shore. 

The action of pulling back, zooming out, is a good  and valuable season. They had been meeting together and had written four great thoughts concerning their transition into their new future and destiny.
  Transition and change tips:

Focusing upon who you are becoming... leads people. 
Focusing and reacting to who you are not... drives people.

Focusing on who you are, who you are created to be is so important. Hitting to your strength is often how personal and corporate growth is achieved. Every person, every group is different. We are all unique and gifted. We have strengths and weaknesses. We all have talents and abilities that we must steward. If you are a leading leader you have gifts found in people to steward. (That is another post for another day.)

We all have a unique identity as sons and daughters. Our identity is discovered, developed and deepened in our secret place. We are who our Father tells us we are. We reflect who were are by our words, actions, and attitudes. We are in process.

Change, transition is important. However, strong change and courage to change should flow out of the foundational principle of knowing who you are, whose you are, and who you are called to be. This is true as an individual and as a church.

This thought, "Being secure in who you are and whose you are", is so important, especially during the process of change, or transition within the context of community.  

Questions to ponder and discuss: 

Who are we? 
What is our strength?
What are we attempting to accomplish? 
Is where we are going, and who we are becoming flow out of who we are?
What is our history, from the perspective of what have we accomplished positively?
What was our initial vision for our city? Is it still relevant? 
How does our community define us? 
Are we still who our community defines us to be? If so, why so? If not, why not?
As leaders have we successfully shifted the language of vision and mission from I, my... to we together? 
Why are we changing? 
Why are we shifting? 
How are we going to begin change, shift? 
When do we launch the shift?
What's our process?

Other questions
Does change flow from our confidence of being who we are together(relationship)?
Do our people know their focused purpose? 
Are people secure in their personal identity as an individual, and as a group together?
If you are the main leader do people trust you?

If some of the above questions are not answered the foundation for change is shaky at best, and the road to change will be a difficult one. 

If the questions are not clearly answered and processed over time, (over time is the central thought) on different relational levels (staff, key leaders, key people and your community of faith) there could be trouble ahead.

Dialogue(conversation between two or more people) is Needed 
This is who we are. This is why we are changing. This is what we are changing. This is how we are going to enter into change. This is when we are beginning to implement change.  

These thoughts help the process, especially answering the big Why? question.

I met a pastor from Ireland. People told me he made a major decision when he first arrived. He knew they(his little flock) needed to focus the first five years on becoming who they were, and who they were called to be, then and only then launch new initiatives. He knew and understood the value and the process of change and the importance having something relationally authentic to give away. Now years later they are blessing their city and their world in a big way. They are currently revisiting identity, being brave and having courage to press forward. He took his time and laid a really good foundation.

One great leader said something I'll never forget, "Never, ever, bring people out of a current vision and mission, unless you have clear understanding of where you want to go and have a process to nurture people into a new season of vision, mission and change."

Write the vision, make it plain so that the reader may read, embrace the vision, and run with it. Habakkuk 2:2 My paraphrase

Proverbs 29:18 Where there is no vision, the people perish NASB. 

Where there is no clear, prophetic vision, people run in circles, become discouraged, lose heart and become aimless. My paraphrase.

Wise leaders make a plan, and make a plan to make where they are heading, plain. Bowen

Making the vision plain is part of the process. Before the change is launched, wise leaders make a plan, and make a plan to make it plain.

Why does moving into something new take time? Answer: people are involved.
 
Some people are fast processors... they hear, understand and are ready to shift.

Some people are visual learners... they need to see the big picture, or paint the picture in their imagination of what the change looks like and why.  

Other people are internal processors... they need time hear, to think, reflect, ponder and understand. 

Some people are verbal processors... they need time to talk and be listened to.

Some people just hate change.

The process takes time. Rule of thumb: The greater the change, the longer the process. Our decisions to change, and more importantly, how we enact change does determine our destiny. 

Thoughts in the night are wonderful to ponder. Hopefully you pay attention to your thoughts in the night. They may be important sign posts for your life.

Entering Rest. You desire to discover new frontiers... It is time to travel."

Trip Stories: 1
You desire to discover new frontiers... It is time to travel."

What an amazing trip to the UK. I was on a recon mission, scouting out the land, reconnecting with people. and meeting new friends.

The Thursday before heading out I was in the Big Room positioning myself to worship, read, and receive. Toward the end of the time. I had an impression to look at my travel documents. I grabbed my ipad, found my AA ticket and looked it over. To my surprise my ticket was booked in my short name not my long name. My passport is in my long name. I thought, "O NO!." My emotion, dread. My thought, "You are so stupid."

 I called AA and asked if the names being different on ticket and passport mattered? Yes it mattered. I could not enter into the UK without my ticket name matching my passport name. I was told the travel agency had to unlock my ticket... they could not. 

Later, I called the travel agency they didn't know what to do. I called AA back. I was told to come to the airport with my passport. 

I went to the airport with passport. The lady at the desk attempted to change my name on the ticket but was locked out. I was told the travel agency would have to change the ticket. I called the agency and was put on hold for 2 hours. Finally I hung up. No one called back. I'm thinking this is gonna be an expensive trip at least $2000 dollars, plus my other paid ticket.

Friday t-minus 3 days. I called the agency through out the day. Finally I spoke to a guy named John. John explained the process and that I'd have to wait until Monday and to send a picture of my passport. "Someone would call Monday because this is the weekend and the people who can fix the issue from support have gone home for the weekend." I calmly reminded John that I was leaving Monday.

During the whole time of this crisis I was seeking to enter into rest and to flow from rest, more than flow from anxiety or stress. It was a battle.  A friend of mine came over on Friday evening and encouraged me. He simply said, "Father is in control." 

Pattie went out and bought a meal at the China Cottage. We were finished eating and she placed a fortune cookie next to me. I opened the note: "You desire to discover new frontiers... It's time to travel." Wow! 

The odds of this happening are like a 1 with a billion 0's. 

The process:
 Machine printed slip. Machine puts slip in cookie. Cookie is loaded into boxes of 350. The right box full of cookies is delivered to Ohio. Boxes are ordered by China Cottage. China Cottage receives boxes of cookies. Person reaches into storage area begins to use a box of cookies and places cookies into a bowl.  

We order food. Pattie waits for exactly the right amount of time then drives to China Cottage. Pattie goes to the desk to pick up the order. The Lady reaches into cookie bowl and places two cookies into our order bag. We eat our dinner. Pattie goes into the kitchen and gets the cookies and brings them into room and places the right cookie with the right slip next to me. I open cookie and get the message. Believe me I got the message. At this point I knew I was traveling.

Monday 
I phone at 5am and connect with John. He says someone will phone by 11am I remind John I have to be at the airport by 1pm. So I hang up the phone and think, "How can I position myself to enter rest?"

I decided to head to my usual place of rest in the big room. When I arrived I didn't grab my guitar and sing. I knew I needed to spend time waiting, listening to music, being quiet and resting. 

At the end of my time I opened my ipad and attempted to log on as Steve but could not. I then attempted to log on as Stephen. Boomya! There was my full long name at the top of the booking. I shouted!

I scrolled down and to my surprise my name on my ticket was still wrong Stephenstrickler Bowen. By this time emotions were in control; faith was in my heart and my thoughts were ordered. I was convinced, I knew with no doubt, I was going on the trip no matter what was written on the ticket. So headed to the airport. 

I parked the car, grabbed my bag and got on the shuttle. As we were leaving the parking lot I received a phone call. The man said, "We fixed your ticket. All you have to do is to return my email I am sending to you." 

I told the man, "Thanks so much. However, my ticket is still wrong. My name is Stephen first name,  Strickler middle name, and Bowen last name." 

He replies, "Hold on I'll be right back." 

I put my phone on speaker and traveled to drop off point and went to the waiting area next to the check in desk at AA. 

Time passed then he came back on the phone and stated, "All fixed just send email confirming." So I sent an email confirming the fix.

He replied, "You are good to go." I thanked the man went to the desk and checked in. 

Misplaced and Anointed Passport

I misplaced my Passport traveling from Scotland, to Ireland during check in. When I realized what I had done, I deliberately took a step back, gathered my emotions and declared, "Jesus I enter into Your rest right now." My Passport was quickly found, and we headed to Ireland. 

Later during the trip in Ireland my passport was on a side table I knocked an incense oil container over. The oil went onto my passport. I cleaned the outside of the passport and put it into my bag. When I arrived at the airport my passport page with name and address was soaked, smeared with oil. 

Again, I practiced leaning into His rest. The supervisor came talked to me, asked for other identification, then put a special stamp on my passport. I was cleared to travel. I had to explain the fragrance the rest of the trip. Let's just say the fragrance preceded me everywhere I went. (I know this was a prophetic happening)

Enter Rest 

Entering rest is a biblical concept Pattie and I have been practicing since she received this word during her daily quiet time. We are learning and we are leaning into His rest. Learning to live from a place of rest is a practice.
 
For we who have believed enter that rest. Hebrew 4:3 NASB

For the one who has entered His rest... His rest

has himself rested from his works...our works

as God did from His. Heb 4:10 NASB

 Sometimes there is a striving to enter in. Emotions, and thoughts go up and down. At some point trust and faith must kick in. I am learning I must push into rest. Sometimes I have to position my heart, steady my emotions, control my thoughts and speak to my environment. It is part of the practice, and part of the process.