Bluesfest ... Awareness... Your future is going to be better than your past.

                               It's hard to see something you are not looking for.

    Life in the Kingdom is really about learning to live life continually aware of God’s presence. Every believer should practice awareness and practice noticing the unnoticeable; then respond. I'm glad God has graciously been training, me, given me the eyes to see, and a heart that seeks to understand. I'm working on responding acting on what I see, or sense.

                        “You have no idea how much I needed this today. Thank you.”

This past summer, Pattie and I headed out to the Fraze, an open-air amphitheater near our home, for Blues Fest. Some great bands were playing and we were enjoying the time together. When we arrived we decided to buy some BBQ. We checked every vendor to see what they were serving and finally came to the last booth. As I walked up I noticed the lady serving. I suddenly had an impression I should encourage her. Specifically I should tell her, “Your future is going to be greater than your past.” As I was pondering just how to navigate and communicate the impression I noticed she had a few tattoos. Then I noticed she was wearing an arrest monitor on her ankle. The impression now made sense.
    
I payed for my food and then said, “You might think this strange but sometimes Jesus gives me encouraging words for people. I have an encouraging word for you. Your future is going to be greater than your past.”

    I gently held her arm as I spoke and continued speaking to her about her life. I spoke into her destiny. I told her how Jesus could change her life and wash away her past and propel her into her future. I then invited the Holy Spirit to come and touch her life.
    She looked up at me and said, “You are making me cry.”
    I replied, “Jesus is here.” I then briefly told her how I was a heavy drug user 35 years ago and Jesus had changed my life.

    She paused and stated, “You have no idea how much I needed this today. Thank you.”

    We grabbed our BBQ, moved past the growing line behind us and walked to a patio to eat. Pattie asked me to explain how I knew what to say and the process of it all. It's not rocket science but it does take practice, and a willingness to respond and to experiment.
   
    Here is what I told her.
    I practice noticing and attempt to live life from a being aware perspective.    
    I seek to notice what's going on around me and I seek to be aware of what's happening from a heaven to earth perspective. I am the earth where His will wants to be done.
    Often when speaking to groups of believers I ask them to place a hand on their heart and to pray, “Your kingdom come, Your will be done as in heaven, in this earth.” At the end of declaring the prayer I then ask them to pat their chest and say, “This earth.” We are the earth where the Kingdom comes from heaven to us…earth.

More stories and tips:

Transition...Boom! Boomers! Believers!

I'm noticing a current common thread... transition.

Boomers are retiring at a rate of 17,000 a day;

as a people group they are in major life change.

...Transition:

tran·si·tion tranˈziSH(ə)n,tranˈsiSH(ə)n/

noun: transition; plural noun: transitions

1.the process or a period of changing from one state or condition to another.

synonyms:

change, passage, move, transformation, conversion, metamorphosis, alteration, handover, changeover; segue, shift, switch, jump, leap, progression;progress, development, evolution, flux

Transition is an interesting place to be for a believer.

Transition is simply moving from one place to another, or shifting from one stage in life to a different stage, or leaving one season by stepping into another season.

However, the process of transition certainly can stir up nervous water.

Faith, Doubt..Trust.
Having a healthy mindset is important in the midst of transition.
Some people believe the best is yet to come...Others, not so much.

The light at the end of the tunnel is a) an oncoming train, b) a new sense of purpose, and destiny is ahead. 

In reality, some people who find themselves in transition often have a bouncing... faith to doubt, doubt to faith pattern until their faith eventually morphs into trust. 

If your faith / trust has been damaged, it may take some time to find your feet. 

The process of transition often reveals what is in our heart.
Do we have faith? Are we living with fear? Why are we afraid? Why are our buttons being pushed? Are we secure in Whose we are, and who we are?

If you have been running full steam ahead. Slowing down will be difficult. One friend told me he felt like a parachute had been pulled... everything suddenly stopped. Time was needed to regroup, think ahead and make a plan.

Most of the time people who find themselves in a season of transition don't see all that is ahead. This can be frustrating.

Sometimes people in transition just have a sense change is coming, or they may only see a glimpse of the next step.

We have lights under our church building's balcony. The lights shine circles that illuminate one small area, then there is a space of darkness until the next light illuminates the next circle of light. Moving forward in the midst of transition is similar. 

Seeking guidance from a friend or counselor before or after moving into the dark spaces can be helpful.

Remember transitioning is a process. 
Here are a few tips:

• Today, becomes today tomorrow, so let go of tomorrow's concerns today.
• Live one day at a time, one step at a time.
• Live life fully in today while today is still called today. 
• Seek to encourage one person every day. 

• Decide what you think really matters.

• Determine to position yourself to increase your faith.
   
• Schedule time to draw near to Jesus in a full assurance. Pour out your heart
  Worship.
  Journal.
  Wait.
  Listen.

• Believe.Believe He is at work beyond what you see with your natural eye. He is at work in you.
  Believe He will never leave you.
  Believe He will always guide you.
  Believe He will always provide for you. 
  Believe He is a good, good Father perfect in all of His ways.
  
  Here is a great quote from Steve Backlund's book Victorious Mindsets:

Believing good things are coming is really another word for hope. 
Hope can be defined as “the confident expectation that good is coming”. 

Hope is an overall optimism about the future. 

It is rooted in a revelation of God’s goodness and His promises.

Bay watch boys... Alert, alarm.

My book Go. Sow. is a book written with tips, stories and principles. Every so often I will share one of the stories with you. Every story represents a personal practice, or a principle. Everyone can develop the skills that are needed to care for our world.

Principle:It is hard to see something you are not looking for.

Progressively move from living unaware, toward a state of being aware. This is the first step toward action. 

Unaware

Aware

Alert

Alarm

Story: Alert, from Go. Sow. www.eyesoutward.com
Posted by Steve Bowen on Saturday, February 6, 2016

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.”

LeRoy An Amazing Christmas Store Connection.

Christmas store fun.

We had a blast in our free store this season. Families came and shopped for their kids. Smiles and tears were common as we served and cared for people. Our team out did themselves serving, with great love. Our prophetic artists really connected with the people who stopped by their tables. 

People wept, laughed, hugged and were amazed by the love and goodness of a Father who knew them well.

LeRoy:
I saw a man pushing a walker and using a cane. I began a conversation with LeRoy and he told me his story. 

He was injured in one of the Gulf Wars. Seems they were on a recon mission and were driving down a road. They saw a plastic bag ahead so they stopped, and shot the bag. Nothing happened, so they drove past the area. 

At some point down the road they realized they were going in the wrong direction so had to turn around. As they drove back past the bag... KA BOOM! an IED blew up.

LeRoy was injured, his pelvic area, his legs, his back were damaged and he received concussion damage to his head and internal organs. 

LeRoy told me he knew why he was alive. He told me just before this mission he wrote PS 91 on a piece of paper and carried it under his shield, his front body armor. 

It was an amazing story. LeRoy was a joyful man. I had the honor of praying for him and seeing the Holy Spirit touch his life. We hugged. 

He then went into our store to pick up presents for his kids.

 

This is the entrance to our store. 

Later, LeRoy went to our prophetic art team area. He sat down, some small talk ensued, and the artist began to draw. Note: She had no idea about our earlier connection and conversation. 

As she waited upon the Holy Spirit she began to draw. She was impressed to draw... you guessed it...  a shield and then wrote PS 91 as she spoke encouragement into his life. 

He was totally stunned, amazed, and greatly encouraged. As he got up to leave, he folded the drawing, and placed it under his coat near his heart. Boom! That's the love and goodness of God in action! Awesome!

This is just one story of many. Almost 200 families were helped this year with free presents for their kids.

James Capital Alliance, Inc were our sponsors for yet another year. They believe in helping the less served of our community. I give them a special thanks.

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