Almost every Tuesday morning I have the priviledge of gathering with the leaders of my church. As the admin assistant, I take notes and interject my opinions and Americaness as often as I think they will tolerate. I feel a little like a square peg in a round hole sometimes. These three Irishmen talk of tractors, building materials, and sometimes even politics. I nod my head and check my email until there’s something of note to record. I had a laugh today as I recalled the years I had dreams at night about being back in Ireland. None of them included shop talk and discussions about construction, and buildings, and “hookers” that are apparently a kind of fishing boat.
​

One particular Tuesday I noticed their shoes. What was it that struck me? Their shoes show their character. No pretense, no show. They are leaders who wear the shoes to get the work done. They might go from laying flooring and fitting doors, to meeting a person in crisis and taking the time to listen and lend a hand. They run from leadership meetings, to work, to planned and unplanned ministry moments, to homes with families and needs of their own. I realized looking at their shoes that day that I want to follow leaders whose boots are muddy. 

Muddy boots mean they walk where it’s dirty. They are spending time where the work needs to be done. Rain or shine (more rain than shine this year), these men are out working— sometimes in a professional capacity, sometimes in a ministerial one. But you would be hard pressed to find the line between those two things. Ministry is work, and work is ministry.  Doing what needs to be done. It’s a lifestyle, not a job-description.
    If we profess to be followers of Jesus, are we willing to get our feet dirty? Jesus even took the time to wash his disciple’s feet as his very last act before being betrayed, arrested, and killed. Why? Because as they walked the roads with him, the disciples’ feet got covered in dirt, dung, and no telling what else. For them, ministry was not confined to the clean floors of white-washed chapels. 
​

We are coming up on two years here. In that time we have built relationships with people who have trusted us with some messy moments in their lives, as we have trusted them with ours. It’s a commmunity of like-minded boot-wearers here. We are in the life-style of ministry. Many days it is just going about our daily lives, getting work done. Sometimes the day is intersected with moments of connection and ministry. Either way, it’s because the path has been forged by those who have, and continue to go, first with their work boots on. We are building a family of believers ready to lace up and get dirty. It’s an honor and joy to be part of this family.

However, work boots aren’t required every day. Sometimes we need dancing shoes to rejoice with those who rejoice, walking shoes for going the distance with people, or my favorite: fuzzy slippers for the more personal and quiet moments. Whatever the occasion requires, Ephesians 6:15 instructs us to arm ourselves with “the shoes of the gospel of peace." Shoes that are ready to bring the message of the gospel and the power of the Kingdom throughout our day.

​Finally, pray for your leaders, the trailblazers and trench-diggers, who wear the muddy boots of ministry. Join them in the work, come along-side with whatever shoes God has equipped you with.

Did you know that our financial support is not just so we don't have to "work"? We are required by government to maintain a minimum level of support in order to keep our visa legal. This financial support ensures that we are allowed to stay in the country and keep our feet on the road of ministry. The work we do here discipling, serving, building, cleaning, teaching, leading worship, praying, and administratively supporting only happens because of Kingdom-minded people who join the mission with us financially. We invite you to consider sowing into our "muddy boot fund" to keep our work here going. In addition to our monthly expenses, by June of next year we will be renewing our visa for another 3 years. Not only is the minimum income requirement raising to £38,000 per year (up from £24,000), but we will also need approxamitely $20,000 for our visa renewal.  You can partner with us in individual gifts or monthly partnerships here. Every gift is a seed sown into the Kingdom! 

I wrote this for a friend, but wanted to share it. It might encourage someone else!

This morning as Eowyn was climbing on me and interrupting my prayer time, I had to be reminded again that is what prayer time looks like for me.
Prayer time doesn’t look like a monk hidden away in a monastery. Bible reading doesn’t look like a scholar huddled in the corner of a University library. 
Quiet time isn’t so quiet with cartoons playing in the background. It isn’t uninterrupted when kids are climbing on my lap and others are asking questions every 30 seconds. 

Sometimes we are distracted and discouraged by what it doesn’t look like, so we discredit what it is.

Balancing Jesus, children, work, home, and marriage doesn’t look easy because it isn’t! You don't have to make it look easy.

Stop looking at what it is not (not clean, not easy, not pretty), and what you’re not (not the best at everything). Stop and look at where and how you’re killing it! Celebrate what it does look like. 
​
It looks like a messy kitchen because you’re a successful business owner.  Celebrate the success!
It looks like hard boundaries because you’re strong in putting God first. Celebrate the wisdom and understanding!
It looks like brain over-load because you’re so busy growing and learning new skills and understanding. What is hard and new now will one day be easy and second-nature. Celebrate what you know now that you didn’t know or do a year ago!
It looks bumpy, messy, unsure— because it is! 
It is growth, not the end result.
It looks like kids watching cartoons because you’re tired…as you are expected and allowed to be!
It isn’t always about doing something better, but being present for the process. 
If God has placed you in a messy, busy, overwhelming situation, then you’re right where God wants you. 
But what needs to come out of your heart to allow room for the mess, the new, and the hard? 
Fear, false burdens, false expectations, other’s projections, disappointments. Sit with Jesus to see what you’re carrying that he wants to take away. 
Celebrate what it is, don’t dwell on what it isn’t. It’s about who you are becoming, not what you are doing. He can speak to you in the busy, chaotic, messy circumstances if you quiet the other voices. 

    Having just celebrated Resurrection Sunday, we hear a lot about the death of Jesus on Friday and the resurrection on Sunday. But have you ever thought about Saturday?    

    Friday is about death. It's about the atonement for our sins, our cleansing. It's about paying our every debt. This is where Jesus finished the work of the Law. He did what no other man could do. A perfect blood sacrifice was made in order to fulfil the requirements on us for righteousness.  Friday is so important. Without it we remain covered and defined by our sin. We stay unworthy, defiled, and hopeless. But, as believers, we can't stay on Friday. It, just every other day, has to come to an end. So many people are stuck on Friday, focused on their sin and shortcomings. They keep focusing on what Jesus took to the cross. They hash and rehash their failures, trying to nail them again and again to the cross. Some people never move past “sinner saved by grace.”

But Jesus said,
​"It is finished." 

Finished...complete, over. Your sin, failures, offences, shortcomings have all been dealt with. Leave them on the cross and stop trying to take them down to relive what a terrible sinner you were. 

      As though written on paper, your sins have been nailed to the cross and once covered in blood, they are no longer legible. They cannot be read and held against you any longer. Stop re-writing the story of your sin. Confess it and leave it. Let Friday come to an end. Jesus didn't die so you could just focus on sin and death your whole life. Let Friday end. 

    As Christians we commemorate, for good reason, Friday and Sunday of this event. But Sunday doesn't follow Friday. Saturday does.

What is Saturday in this story?

What took place on that day? 

    There's no mention of the day save for one thing: Saturday was the Sabbath. A day of rest. The disciples weren't allowed to work, they couldn't run away, they couldn't distract themselves with busy work, they couldn't run from the eyes of the town. They couldn't vindicate the events of Friday. They had to rest; sitting in their houses, dwelling on what had happened.

     What were they feeling? I can imagine they spent the day recalling everything Jesus taught them, revisiting the parables, the healings, the signs and wonders, looking for an answer to this sudden turn of events. 


    The despair. Can you feel the hopelessness of the disciples and family? The disappointment that everything they had given the last three years for was suddenly gone and over with? Can you feel the confusion, the anger? Can you feel the gloating of the religious leaders and government officials? What a dark day. In a sense, darker than Friday. It was the first day in three years waking up without Jesus. Waking up without hope, purpose, and significance. 

    But it was the Sabbath. A day to rest. Why did God institute the Sabbath day? Because he knew we would work ourselves to death. We would self-medicate with our work, accomplishments, even ministry, and forget God. Rest set the Israelites apart from the civilisations around them. No other nation took one day off a week to do nothing. Survival depended upon working. But God said he would be our provider, so we can rest. Saturday is for restoration. But I can't imagine this particular Sabbath felt very restful. Even the women knew there was work to be done. Jesus' body was hastily laid, no oils or balms had been applied. He was simply covered and enclosed because it was the Sabbath. There was no answer for the day except to rest and wait. 

     Saturday is a hard day for believers. Saturday comes after God seems to put to death something that you loved. Something that you thought was the answer, the way, even God's specific direction for you. The death that marks a  Saturday season may bring confusion, disappointment, mourning, even anger or frustration over the turn of events. 

    But there's only one answer, one thing to do in a Saturday season. Rest. Rest and recall the goodness of God over your life. "Be still and know that I am God." There's no toiling, avenging, or running that will bring that dead thing back to life. Don't give in to distractions, new jobs, new ministries. Just Rest. Know God. 

    Eventually even Saturday had to come to an end. Sunday dawned like Saturday did. The second day without Jesus. They were released to work again, to fill their day. Up early, ready to do the unpleasant work of attending to Jesus' body, Mary Magdalene headed to the tomb with her oils and spices. 

    What had seemed like a hopeless day turned out to be anything but that. While God seemed quiet, he certainly wasn’t powerless! It was in the stillness of the Sabbath that Jesus was conquering our enemy. Descending to the depths of hell, he took the keys to the Kingdom, freed the captives and returned to Earth.

Jesus fights our battles while we rest. 

       Finally, resurrected in power, Jesus revealed himself on Sunday in renewed form to his disciples. The only thing he retained of his old body were his scars. They are proof that the debt that was paid never has to be paid again. 

     Leave your sins and shortcomings on Friday, because the only way to enter the power of Sunday is through the rest of Saturday.

    The resurrection of Jesus is for the believer to live a resurrected life. Sunday is another day that believers camp out on. "I'm going to heaven when I die!" Yes! Isn't that wonderful? But the resurrection is so much more than just your eternal destiny. The resurrection is your key to a life of victory and power to overcome all the work of Darkness here on Earth. 

    Jesus showed himself to his disciples. He then revealed himself to over 500 people in the days that followed. He continued to teach and instruct his disciples. There was work to be done! Their commissioning came after Sunday. They couldn't just stay in a place of marvelling at the resurrection, they now were being instructed on what to do with it. 

    This is the life of a believer. When God puts something to death in us, we must respond with rest, for after every Saturday is a Sunday. He will resurrect something new in us with power. But be ready, Friday deaths, Sabbath rests and Sunday resurrections will be followed by the words, “Now go!”

There’s a treasure to be found in the stories of the older generation. They have seen for themselves what God has done; and what God has done we can be assured he will do again. 

A few months ago I write a blog about planting seeds (bulbs) in the hard frozen ground of winter. There’s nothing to show for that toil for quite some time. This week I was excited to see the first blooms of crocuses and camellias showing in our garden. The crocuses caught me by surprise because they were coming up in places that I hadn’t expected (because I hadn’t planted them). I didn’t know to look for them there. They are evidence of those that came before who cultivated the garden.    
​The kingdom of God is like a garden. God is the Master Gardener, he has the plan for what he wants to grow and cultivate in the land. There are many analogies of this in the Bible. We are simultaneously the garden (Song of Solomon 4:12), the soil (Matthew 13:1-23, Mark 4:1-20, Luke 8:4-15) and the seed (John 12:24). In every example our role is a little different. As the garden we are something that he is building, tending, sometimes pruning (like when we are a branch, John 15:1-8). Every garden is unique. Our job is to yield to his plans and let him form us. When we are the soil, God is the one that removes the stones, waters the ground, scares the birds away, and pulls up the thorns so that we can grow what he is planting within us. When we are the seed we are the DNA carriers of the harvest. He puts inside of us what he wants to grow. The seed doesn’t decide what it’s going to grow, it grows what it was designed to grow. The soil doesn’t tell the seed what to do, its job is to nourish the seed and be a good soil for the plant to grow and multiply in. The garden is the product of good soil and properly chosen seeds. All three must yield in their own way to God’s hands.

Every garden goes through a winter season.  And God has been showing the first blooms of winter to remind us that spring always comes, and he has been tending this garden long before we arrived. When we listen to the testimonies of what God has done before and take them to heart, God breaths his warm breath of life on the seeds and dormant plants of the garden to cause them to grow. God’s moves of the past are never dead, but they are dormant, waiting for the right soil to grow in again. Revival is not just a short period of time that the Spirit of God moves. It is when earth begins to look like heaven. There are books written on the topic of revivals so I am not even going to start scratching the surface of how they start and why they fail. But I do know that God’s heart is always to bring his Kingdom.
​

    I am not here in Northern Ireland to make it look American. I am here to “Heavenize” this land (I’m just making up new words today!). For long enough the world has had its way here in Northern Ireland. But as our fellow citizens of Heaven have been praying and fighting for so long here, we are seeing a shift in the atmosphere of this country. The sick are being healed, the demonized are freed, the lost are being saved. The culture of Heaven is invading the church and taking over. 
    It is time for all Expats of Heaven to remember our origin and restore our minds to the nature we had in Christ before the beginning of time. Let’s prove to the world the “the good and acceptable and perfect will of God” by remembering our birthplace and re-learning the ways of God’s Kingdom and take the nations back! 

“Seek first the Kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”  (Matthew 6:33) 

    While there are many things here that don’t make sense to me (like why we still don’t have internet at our house), there are many things that are just different. I found myself resisting some things just because they were different than I am used to. But when I learned to stop and look for the value in the difference my perspective changed, and I was able to adapt to and appreciate the cultural differences. This is what renewing the mind is. It’s changing your thoughts, perspective, and belief on a matter. 

    Americans have a bad name in many countries because of the approach many take to new cultures. “If it’s different than I am used to, it’s wrong!" This has caused a lot of hurt on the mission field as well. We were strongly cautioned to be aware of this and not fall into this pattern. But Christians can fall into this anywhere. Why is there such a prevalent mind-set that we know everything we need to know about God, his Word, and the Church? Why does someone having a different revelation or understanding of something challenge us so much? Could it be that there is more to a topic than we know already? If God is infinite, is it possible that you don’t yet have full understanding?

    Whether you know it or not, God is calling you to deeper revelation of him and his word every day. Your PhD in theology doesn’t impress him. Your learning disabilities don’t deter him. Your born-again age doesn’t matter. Our upbringing, experiences, teaching, even our own understanding of the scripture can lead us to conclusions on a matter that don’t align with God’s truth. There’s always more! 
​
    The culture of Heaven looks nothing like the cultures of the Earth. There is an adjustment period for everyone coming out of the world’s culture into Gods. Take the disciples for example. They were in the world, doing their thing, running their businesses, living their life how they had been taught and how their parents had lived for generations before them. Jesus called them out of their world into his. There were different rules, words, beliefs, and practices. It took some time for them to adapt. But look at them, they took the Gospel to the ends of the known world! They forever changed nations and cultures. What if they had been unwilling to renew their mind? They wouldn’t have sent a single demon fleeing, one fever running, or saved a single soul. What was the key? Jesus taught, corrected, instructed, and empowered them. They tried new things and failed. They tried again. Failed some more. Jesus didn’t give up on them. He immersed them in the culture of Heaven. Then he left the message of the Gospel in their hands. They continued until their death to seek the “more” that God had for them. They didn’t stop pressing in. They were humble and willing to learn.​

    Different isn’t bad. It’s like the slogan for The Chosen series “Get used to different.” What is God challenging you into? What different thing does God want to do that is making you uncomfortable? It’s time to value the shift to the new culture and leave the old one behind. 
​
    Don’t get caught up in the discomfort of culture change. Let God take you to new places, new heights, and new freedoms. Don’t fear getting stuck behind a tractor or having to do your shopping before 5:00. You will eventually appreciate it! ​

A 91% fail rate
    I get it, you don’t want to stay the way you are right now forever. You recognise weaknesses, have new goals, or maybe are bored with the status quo. But change is hard. Even well-intentioned change. Most people lose momentum before the change becomes permanent. According to this website, only 9% of people achieve their resolution. Those aren’t world-changing statistics! 

    For most, the desire to change is rooted in rejection (from self or others), insecurity, and/or pride. Be honest with yourself. If you really evaluated the reason behind the last personal resolution you made (eat less, read more, pray more, give up social media, etc), it was because you wanted to be “better” (slimmer, smarter, richer, prettier, etc) than you are right now. 

    Resolving in your mind to do something limits you to the power of your will. Resolutions come from your own strength, are based on your previous failures, and result in your own glory (or lack there-of).

Resolutions are OUT, Transformation is IN!
    I am going to simplify this down to one simple, essential key to lasting change: a transformed mind. Transformation is really what you’re looking for. I said it was simple, I didn’t say it was easy!
​

Know who you are, forget who you are not!
    As a son or daughter of God you possess every spiritual blessing, spiritual gifts, and the nature of Christ. You lack nothing. This is where that all-important key comes in for your lasting transformation: renew your mind about who you are, leaving behind who you are not.             
Pay attention to the words used in scripture to describe you (italics added):
    
    “Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold all things have become new.” 2 Corinthians 5:17

“For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily; and you are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and power.” Colossians 2:9-10

    “…put on the new man which was ​created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness.” Ephesians 4:24

    “ …since you have put off the old man with his deeds, and have put on the new man who is renewed in knowledge according to the image of Him who created him…” Colossians 3:9-10

“…as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.” 2 Peter 1:3-4

    Do you see it? It’s already been done! You have been made new already! It was the work of Christ on the cross that did all the work to make you everything you need to be. And do you know what else it makes you? Loved, accepted, adored, beautiful, and worthy. It’s not your works in this new year that will be make you more loved, more beautiful, or more significant. It is the work that He has already done. You must only meet one condition: to be in Christ. No other conditions apply to attain being made new, perfect, and lovely. 

Last week was a brisk one for Northern Ireland with unseasonably cold temperatures of -2 degrees Celsius (or 28 for our Fahrenheit friends), heavy frosts and dustings of snow. I felt quite at home since we were watching all the Facebook posts from our friends getting beautiful blankets of snow in Western Washington. But it was my last chance to get flower bulbs in the ground before spring so I donned my warm Carhart bibs, oversized barn coat, and some gardening gloves. As I am not yet familiar with the garden at our new house, I had to try a few locations before finding suitable places for the bulbs to go. Fortunately I was at the early side of the frosty temperatures so I didn’t have to dig far to get below the frost. I do not garden a lot, but enough that I often find myself thinking of Biblical parallels or the parables that Jesus taught while I am working the ground. Humanity started in a garden and all throughout scripture we see God use gardens, trees, and plants as imagery for his Kingdom. 
    I began thinking about several things while I was planting these lovely bulbs of tulips, daffodils, ranunculus, and a few others. The thing about planting bulbs is that they are not very exciting to plant. One of the things I enjoy most about gardening is the instant gratification of seeing beautiful flowering plants tucked into their new homes, cheering up a once vacant and boring place. But bulbs are different, they have to winter over in the cold ground before they bloom. They are not like seeds that germinate in a matter of days. You plant bulbs and then can not even tell where you put them! The soil settles back into its place and there’s nothing to show for your cold, hard digging. But this is the required process for a beautiful spring bounty of flowers. And I began to think about a word that was shared with us prior to our move. A trusted leader told us that we would be coming to Northern Ireland in a (spiritual) winter season and it would be some time before we began to see the fruits of our labor; so we were not to get discouraged but to settle in to do the work because the harvest will come. The process of planting the bulbs so beautifully illustrated this word for me. Here I was digging into cold, hard soil, toiling against rocks and old roots from bigger shrubs for a “harvest” that wouldn’t be seen for months. 
    I started to reflect on the church that we left in Washington and the amazing ways God is moving and working in and through the leaders of that church. I guess there was a part of me that felt like I was missing out. Since moving here, life has been slower, and had a completely different focus than before moving. But immediately the Lord spoke to me about this. He said, “They [the leaders of the church] have had their winter season. They toiled for years with seemingly little fruit to show. Their winter was cold and hard, this is now their season of growth and harvest. Celebrate their harvest time, yours will come in time” And just like it is winter in the northern hemisphere, it is Summer in the southern hemisphere! We are all in a season, but not everyone is in the same season. For a time, we shared in the growing and harvesting season with our Apostles and friends, but it was time to move to a different hemisphere and enter a new season. 
    No two seasons can be compared or competed with. A farmer in Australia could not tell a farmer in Northern Ireland what to be doing with his fields right now because the seasons are not aligned. But even winter is critical for the planting and growing process. Winter is when the ground rests, or a cover crop is planted to enrich the soil in the spring. Bulbs winter over to be activated at the right time. In some cases, the cold kills off bacteria and insects in the soil that can wipe out entire crops. Winter is also an important pruning time for fruit trees. Because the trees go into a deep sleep, so to speak, they are not putting forth the energy into growing, so pruning can be done more effectively; and pruning is essential for keeping a fruit-bearing tree healthy and productive. 
    So what does this have to do with you or me? Every person will go through seasons throughout their life. Some seasons will be these cold hard winters where it feels like every thrust of the shovel is fighting against ice and rocks. It might seem as though you have nothing to show for your hard work. Everything might look dark and barren. You might not even be able to do much work. But don’t waste this time. If you are in the winter season, don’t despair. This is an essential time in your life to allow the Lord to prune you, enrich you, and prepare you for the blossom of spring. When we read about the parable of the Sower in Matthew 13 it’s tempting to think, “Of course I am the good soil!” and we may even find ourselves judging others as the rocky, or shallow soils. But you know what is amazing about soil? Every soil type that is described in this parable can be amended. Rocks can be removed, hard soil can be watered and worked, weeds can be pulled. And do you know when a farmer is going to be preparing this soil for planting? In the winter, before planting season starts. We can be all of those soil types in different areas of our hearts. Some areas we are soft, rich, deep soil ready for whatever God wants to plant in us. But other areas can be rocky, shallow, thorny, and dry. It takes a season with the Lord to allow him to work out those things so that what was once inhospitable soil to seeds can become good soil for His word. 
    Do not judge others for the season they are in. It might look like there’s nothing happening, but deep under the ground a beautiful flower is waiting to blossom. Celebrate others who are in lush summer pastures, or bountiful fall harvests. Your time will come if you are faithful to sow and allow the Lord to work in your heart. 
    This winter season has felt slow and not very productive in ministry terms. But this is the season we are in right now. Thank you to everyone who is continuing to sow into us and into this land. We are learning more and more that Northern Ireland has a deep heritage of Christianity. And while religion has thrown its rocks and thorns to the earth, the water runs deep, and the soil is good. We will see this land amended and it will be a mighty harvest that will spill over into the rest of Europe. Thank you for joining us in this sowing. The harvest is coming!

Oh! And Merry Christmas! 

The Kingdom of God is built on an exchange system. Our rags for his riches, our sins for his forgiveness, our hurt for his healing. This is the message of the Gospel! The life, crucifixion, and resurrection of Jesus makes a way to replace everything sin has brought upon us. But the exchange doesn't stop with our salvation and healing. The exchange is life-long process for those committed to the Kingdom of God.

Jesus will ask you for e-v-e-r-y-t-h-i-n-g in your life; it's the process of our sanctification--setting us apart for Him.  Upon salvation and surrendering to Jesus, we are giving Jesus permission to rule and reign in our lives. It means our lives are no longer our own. Our finances, plans, job, kids, marriage, even our hobbies and entertainment are to be given to the lordship of Jesus. This sounds controlling and manipulative to those outside of the Kingdom, even to some Christians. Many want to have both the salvation of Jesus and the freedom to do what they want. But Scripture calls that a double-minded man, and has a lot to say about that--none of it good (go take a look). To be truly surrendered to the Lordship of Jesus is to let him tell you what needs to be given to him.

God is a very gracious and patient Father. He doesn't expect us to be perfected in a day. He takes us through the process over our life-time. But many people don't understand that when God is asking you to give him something, it is in exchange for something greater. When he asks you to give him your free time, to give up watching TV or certain shows, it's not to deprive you of fun. When God asks you to give a generous amount of money to a ministry or a person, it's not to deprive you of your needs. When surrendering your job or business to pursue what he has called you to, it's not to make you miserable. Every "ask" from the Good Father comes with an exchange for something greater from His Kingdom. 

If someone were to say to you, "I have a brand new version of your car, with all the upgrades; it has that new car smell, and comes with a life-time warranty for all parts. You just have to give me the keys to your old car and it's yours" I am pretty sure you would take it. Right? Who wouldn't take a free upgrade?  But our perception of God is stained by experiences with imperfect people. We often have a wounded view of our Heavenly Father so we doubt, don't trust, or just don't even hear him when he talks to us. In the extreme case, some think God is just trying to control, manipulate, and deprive them. And yet if you examine the entirety of Scripture, you won't find one example of God taking something away just to cause hurt, loss, or depravity. Without turning this into a book about the goodness of God, every example of "taking" something away has resulted in greater peace, riches, provision, protection, healing, wholeness, joy, and fulfillment of promise. But we have to be willing to hand over the old keys to get the new ones. Sometimes the reward of our surrender isn't fully seen here in this lifetime. Some riches will be eternal in nature. But think about it--would you rather have a reward that lasts 50-60 years, or one that you have for eternity? 

There is no such thing as "loss" in the Kingdom of Heaven. There is surrender unto victory, provision, healing, and empowerment. It is a big thing to give up our businesses, friends, family, familiarity of home, and most of our possessions to answer God's call. But it's not a loss. If we didn't give up our house here, we could never receive the house in Newcastle. If we weren't willing to say good-bye to our friends and family here, we couldn't gain the friendship and family of Centre 61. If we were not willing to leave the perceived security of stable jobs and businesses, we would never gain the faith to trust in God's complete provision. Every ask comes with an even greater reward. To receive it we have to go through a continual process of renewing our mind, allowing Jesus to heal our wounds, and even get delivered of strongholds and demonic oppression keeping us from experiencing the fullness of God's Kingdom. 
​
This past Sunday at Sozo Church we were commissioned to go. This commissioning cost us the surrender of our lives. That is all that some people see. "I could never leave the security of my job!" "I love my life here. My family...my house...my friends..." The excuse for not being willing to hear God's call is the very thing he is trying to upgrade. He wants to exchange the world's poor imitation of life for the real thing. 

You can love your life unto death, or you can love your death unto life.  Because only in the kingdom of God does death produce life. The world and God's Kingdom are opposite in every way. The world says you have to earn your reward and riches. But God says, "Die to yourself and I will give you the inheritance of Heaven." It has already been earned, but not by you. Jesus has already won the prize. The only way to share in it is to share in his death. 
​
So what is God asking you to lay down and why don't you want to do it? I pray that the Holy Spirit will reveal to you what is holding you back from the next level of surrender, that you would experience the riches of Heaven in your life. What could he have waiting for you? ​

We go on October 17th. We say good-bye to a lot, but we aren't losing anything. We are gaining an inheritance that we can't earn any other way. Will you join us? You can partner financially and share in the reward of the harvest. Every person that has partnered with us already has said yes to what God has in exchange for them. Will you be next?
Click here to join us!