Wednesday, January 31, 2007

Journal 1/31/07

Father,

I give you my heart and soul. I am yours to do with as you please. My desire is to serve you and honor you. And I seek to be a man who worships you with all my heart. All that is within me I lay down and surrender to you. I praise you as you truly are my all-in-all. So I give you all of me as I live for you alone. From morning to morning I desire you to have your way with me. I give you all of me, every breath that is in me. Please have your way with me Jesus.

There is no one on earth who can touch my heart like you do Jesus and I am ever grateful for Your love towards me. I am blown away at how new Your love is. It is so refreshing. How I wish I could taste and see Your glory as Moses did. You are my desire and I want to please You. Help me to love you and walk as You have called me to do.

Please give me Your heart for people. Help me to reach the lost and use me to advance your gospel. Oh God, use me in this hour; in this moment of time that is called my life. Help my soul to burn for you as you blaze the trail before me that I am to walk upon. In Jesus name I pray…Amen

Tuesday, January 30, 2007

Journal 1/30/07

Father,

I am not worthy to be called your son yet you have called me anyways. Thank you for loving me. Lord, I need your help so desperately. There is an issue of sin that I have to address with the youth group and it breaks my heart as I do not know how to approach this. Please give me wisdom and compassion as I cling to you for direction and guidance. I need your intervention and power as I am dealing with this tragedy of sin within the young people here in Oregon.

Father, you were right when you spoke to me about my calling here. There is a cancer starting within the young people here in Oregon and you have called me to be a light that reflects you in the midst of this dark cancer. Oh how I need you to pull all the planks out of my eyes so that I can soberly and lovingly address the issues at hand.

My heart is so broken Jesus as I know yours is as well. So please pour out your spirit and anoint my words and actions. Please draw these kids into your wonderful presence and let them see you in your fullness. In Jesus name I desperately petition You my God and my King to intervene.

Amen

Monday, January 29, 2007

Tear Down These Walls - Aaron Hovivian

Tear Down these walls

O Lord, Lord I come to you with empty hands O Lord
My heart is broken and I have no strength left to stand
My face is left tear stained by things I don’t understand O Lord
and yet I will trust you for my name is written on your blood stained hands

And I will let down these walls I’ve built up for so many years
And I’ll pour out my heart will you wipe away my tears?
In your presence Lord I will surrender I will submit to your almighty hand
And I’ll boast in my weakness saved by the strength of Christ’s blood I will stand.

O Lord, Lord I’ll sit here in this secret place O Lord
In the stillness underneath your wings wrapped in my Fathers tight embrace
Destruction has come against my soul O Lord
in your presence will you heal my heart make it strong and make me whole?

And child I’ll tear down those walls you’ve built up for so many years.
And if you’ll pour out your heart I’ll surely wipe away your tears.
In My presence child if you will surrender, if you’ll submit to my all loving hand
I’ll be the strength in your weakness and by my sons blood you will stand
I’ll be the strength in your weakness and by my sons blood; my child you will stand
You will stand…..if you’ll but trust me my child you will stand.

Monday, January 22, 2007

Journal 1/22/07

Father,

Thank you for loving me in spite of my sinfulness. I am so prone to give into my flesh though I desire to walk in your ways. I feel like the prodigal son who leaves his Fathers house only to realize that I left everything that I ever wanted. Help me to stay focused upon you. Help me to look for the eminent return of Christ.

Lord, please help provide rides to the kids on Friday nights. There is such a need for ministers to rise up to this wonderful ministry. So please speak to the hearts of your saints and help them to provide rides. We need you to provide if this is what you desire. These kids wont go to church and this is such an opportunity to reach them. So please use Jessica and I and help us to lead these wonderful kids to you.

In Jesus name I pray…Amen.

Friday, January 19, 2007

Journal 1/19/07

Father,

Today is finally here. Tonight we start the book of Revelation. Please Jesus speak through me. Use me to shine you and your word clearly and intimately. Please break our hearts tonight Lord and reshape who we are as your people. Use tonight and every Friday night from here on out to glorify you; as we come to see you in your fullness and wholeness. So I pray that you would give me grace as I speak your word. Please bless the reading and teaching of your word. In Jesus name I pray....Amen

Tuesday, January 16, 2007

Pictures from today

These are my kids and my house from today.







Friday, January 12, 2007

Journal 1/12/07

Lord,

In your 1st coming you came without honor and without praise and you suffered so badly. You were mocked, spit upon and killed. You were not treated like the King that you are as you were humiliated by the very ones you created. When you were killed it looked like a devastating blow to a king; how in the world could the creation kill the Creator? Amazing! Disheartening! Scary!

But in your 2nd coming you will receive what is owed to you; and it won't be like you are taking something that is not yours, you deserve to be high and lifted up. You will return without a blemish and you will judge the nations for the depths of their depravity. For you are the King of kings and the Lord of lords. You are worthy to be the judge of all men for you know the thoughts of man. You know the heart of man. You are able to judge righteously and fairly and your judgment is good.

And like before, man will try to kill you; but you are coming back in the glory that you left behind when you came in your 1st coming. You are not leaving that glory behind this time around. And you will not be killed by man, but on the contrary, you will destroy your enemies. You will crush them under the winepress of the wrath of Almighty God. And you will do so in righteousness.

Thank you for being more than a mere man. Thank you for being the God of all things. I am totally blown away that you, being all powerful, yet you know me and have called me your friend. What an honor it is to be associated with the King of kings. You know my name.....and as I think about that, I look at the most powerful men on earth, and they have no idea that I exist. Yet you know my name and you are interested in me. Wow...what a thought!

When I see how big you are and how small I am in comparison to you, my mind almost short-circuits. I mean you are big! You are famous; you are powerful and have subdued nations and kingdoms. And yet, you know my name. The King of all glory sings over me and prepares a feast for me. The God of all life, has numbered and named every hair on my head and speaks to me. Wow, God actually speaks to me....UN-BE-LEIV-ABLE!

It would be amazing to receive a phone call from the President of the United States or from a celebrity, but how much more amazing it is to hear the voice of God. Whoa!!! I am totally flabbergasted. When I think about you in this sense I am totally amazed. You are not some far distant cloud in the sky or some well thought up conceived idea that someone mused upon in times past. You are real and you are personal and can you believe it, GOD KNOWS WHO I AM!!!! GOD KNOWS ME!!!!

I don’t know if you have ever seen the cartoon movie “Cars” but I feel like Fred, the rusty car that keeps losing his front bumper. Whenever a celebrity would read his license plate (Which said Fred) he would get all excited and say, “He KNOWS MY NAME!!! HE KNOWS MY NAME!!” That is how I feel but even more so when it comes to the Lord. HE KNOWS ME!!! I CAN’T BELIEVE THAT GOD KNOWS ME!!! WOW!!!!

I want to shout it to the world…..GOD KNOWS ME, HE KNOWS WHO I AM, HE HAS PREPARED A FEAST FOR ME…IN-MY-HONOR!!!

Wow….all I can say is wow!

Psalm 8, “1 To the Chief Musician. On the instrument of Gath. A Psalm of David. O Lord, our Lord, How excellent is Your name in all the earth, Who have set Your glory above the heavens! 2 Out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants You have ordained strength, Because of Your enemies, That You may silence the enemy and the avenger.
3 When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, The moon and the stars, which You have ordained, 4 What is man that You are mindful of him, And the son of man that You visit him? 5 For You have made him a little lower than the angels, And You have crowned him with glory and honor. 6 You have made him to have dominion over the works of Your hands; You have put all things under his feet, 7 All sheep and oxen-- Even the beasts of the field, 8 The birds of the air, And the fish of the sea That pass through the paths of the seas. 9 O Lord, our Lord, How excellent is Your name in all the earth!

Thursday, January 11, 2007

Journal 1/11/07

Who am I that the God of all creation knows my name and feels my pain? I am but a flower who is quickly fading, here today and gone tomorrow. I am like a wave in the ocean who peaks for a moment in time and then is gone. I am but a vapor in the wind; a mere breath lost in the air. Yet I am yours Jesus. I belong to you. Why do you love me so much?

Jesus it was your voice that calmed the sea and yet time and time again that same voice calls out through the rain and calms the many storms that rage within me. You whisper in the rain and tell me that Your are with me. You are my Healer and my Master. You are coming back to execute judgment and to redeem your people. Oh how I look forward to that day. What a wonderful hope that I have as I am placed in the mighty hands of my God. You reign forever and ever. You are worthy of all praise and honor, worship and glory! Oh how precious you are and how grateful I am to be the recipient of such an unconditional love.

Father, as your child I am crying out for the nations. Please heal the nations of the earth; please revive the nations from the dead. Please look down from your thrown my Lord and have pity upon mankind. We are so rebellious and wicked and yet you have been so patient with us. Have mercy on us Master…..please send a revival to the world once again. Please let salvation break out from city to city across the globe until multitudes call upon your name for their salvation. Oh God, use me to preach your word. Take me and cleanse me from the inside out so that I can be a tool in your hand. Empower me by your mighty power to walk in the Spirit with all humility. Use me to speak into people’s lives as you lead me to them or as you lead them to me.

God, can you give me the gift of exhortation? Can I have the gift of word of wisdom and word of knowledge? Help me to speak the words of life with your fire in my eyes. Help me to passionately pursue people as you do. Help me to share the words of life with all I come into contact with. Oh God, you have called me to share your wonderful gospel; empower me to do so.

So many times I forget the very words that you have spoken. I tend to forget the promises that you have made. I tend to doubt in my heart the very words that have sustained the elements in the world; your words. Please have mercy upon me and help me to engage my whole heart and being; as I surrender all that I am at your feet.

I long to know you; as I embrace your river of forgiveness, that flows without end. You are to me a beacon of light in the night sky. You are my desire; my hope, and I am yours. I lift my eyes to you my light, my passion, my all in all. I thank you that no matter what I go through or where I am, you remain who your are. You never change….thank you.

So speak to me so I can hear your voice, the voice of my redeemer. I long to obey you and your words….so please speak to me. Give me ears to hear you and wisdom to comprehend the incomprehensible. In Jesus name I pray…..So be it!

Tuesday, January 09, 2007

Journal 1/9/07

Father,

What do I have to offer to a world in need? I have nothing to give or to say or to share in and of myself Jesus; yet for some unknown reason you have chosen me to speak and to share with the world the truth found in your scriptures.

Lord, you have set the course as I embrace this new journey and you have prepared my way to do the work that you have called me to. Still Im desperate for the right words to say; I want to bring you honor and glory. Help me to not stumble on words when I share with people about your goodness.

I am willing to serve you Lord and all I have and all that I am I place into your hands Speak to me and speak for me. Please speak the words that I cannot express.

Lord I know that every encounter that you send my way is an opportunity to share about you. Every encounter that comes my way is a chance for me to show the love that you have given to me. So I pray Lord that you would give me the words to say when I come across troubled faces filled with grief and hopelessness. Help me Lord. I desire to speak words of life to those who thirst deep inside their souls. So Lord I depend on you to touch their lives. I pray that the light of your word would shine through me as you shine upon their life. May they see your holiness as you speak for me.

May your love lead them to the gates of heaven where you stand so that they too can gaze upon your face. You are all I have to offer them. And that is more than enough. Help me to stay the course as I live out my destiny. In Jesus name I pray…Amen.

Monday, January 08, 2007

Journal 1/8/07

Sin is such a serious thing and far too often we make sin some light thing that is to be tolerated. Oh how I hope that sin would be destroyed at the root in our lives. It has been said that if you kick sin off your door step then it won’t get into your house. How many of us are willing to do that? Are we really willing to walk as the Lord commands? Are we willing to get down and dirty and deal with the issues in our heart?

I was teaching the high school kids at the church this Sunday and we were in Ephesians 4:17-25. We were talking about how we ought to live as Christians. We were discussing how we are to put off the old man and put on the new man. And we looked at the Greek word for “Put on and put off” as the Greek helps us to understand what is being taught.

What the text was teaching us was that we are to put off like clothing the old man. We are to remove him like we remove our clothing. And we are to then not remain naked and vulnerable but rather we are to put on like clothing the new man.

So I posed a question, have we ever put off the old man? Maybe we have, maybe not. Have we ever put on the new man? Only you and the Lord can answer the question….but I would challenge us as God’s children to put on the new man as the old man grow corrupt each and every day.

Let us be a people who obey our God.

Father,

When it comes to sin, I really don’t have a voice of authority as I get caught up in it so often. But you do have a voice about it. Please help up to walk as children of the light as we put away our former conduct and pursue you. Help us to live the crucified life. And we know that this is something that we cannot do in and of ourselves. So we need your Spirits power to come upon us and sanctify us wholly. We trust you Jesus and look forward to the work that you will do in our lives. Help us, help me to yield. In Jesus name I pray….Amen!

Friday, January 05, 2007

Journal 1/5/07

Do you ever just sit there and think about God? Do you ever just stop for a moment and try to imagine what his glory looks like? Have you ever tried to envision the look on his face as he gazes upon you? What does God look like? What is his demeanor? How does he carry himself when he walks into a room?

I try to picture in my minds eye the glory, the pureness, the majesty of God. Can you imagine it? Heaven is going to be clearer that HD TV. Instead of High Definition (HD) we will see our (ED) Eternal Destination. It will be amazing.

Jesus Christ is king! And as the lamb that was slain, he deserves all power, wealth, glory and never ending praise. All creation is going to bow as earth and heaven join in the celebration. What a glorious day that will be when Jesus is finally revealed as the King that he is. I simply can’t wait.

I can’t wait until all the peoples from the different nations of the earth circle around Gods throne and lift up one voice in praise and worship to the King of all glory. And you can bet it will happen, we even know the words that we will be singing. Revelation 5:8-13, “8 Now when He (Jesus) had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each having a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. 9 And they sang a new song, saying:

"You are worthy to take the scroll,
And to open its seals;
For You were slain,
And have redeemed us to God by Your blood
Out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation,
10 And have made *us kings* and priests to our God;
And *we shall reign on the earth."

11 Then I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels around the throne, the living creatures, and the elders; and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands, 12 saying with a loud voice:

"Worthy is the Lamb who was slain
To receive power and riches and wisdom,
And strength and honor and glory and blessing!"

13 And every creature which is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, I heard saying:

"Blessing and honor and glory and power
Be to Him who sits on the throne,
And to the Lamb, forever and ever!"

What a day that will be. I can hear in my mind the voice of God that is so powerful that when God speaks the heavens literally shake, yet with that same powerful voice, he whispers my name. He embraces me with those strong hands of his and I feel safe as he is my refuge. What a day! What a wonderful day!

Thursday, January 04, 2007

Journal 1/4/07

What a wonderful God I serve. I have been in a state of amazement since the day I was saved. The Love of God is so pure and unconditional. When I look at all the people that I have loved or have been loved by, there have always been conditions placed on it to one degree or another. Yet God loves me for no other reason that he chooses to love me.

I long to be a man who has integrity and who is like Jesus. I desire to be a man who is led by the spirit of God and filled on a daily basis with the spirit of God. I desire more than anything to fellowship and have communion with my Lord. And because God loves me so much, he made a way for that to be possible. The God of all creation actually paved the way for me to have fellowship with him….this simply blows me away.

Thank you Jesus for the work that you did on the cross when you bridged the gap between me and my God. You made me a friend of God when I was his enemy. Thank you. You are so worthy to be exalted. I can’t wait until the day where every person bows and calls you Lord. You are worthy. You are the lamb that was slain and you are worthy of my praise and worship. Thank you Jesus….Amen

Journal 1/4/07

What a wonderful God I serve. I have been in a state of amazement since the day I was saved. The Love of God is so pure and unconditional. When I look at all the people that I have loved or have been loved by, there have always been conditions placed on it to one degree or another. Yet God loves me for no other reason that he chooses to love me.

I long to be a man who has integrity and who is like Jesus. I desire to be a man who is led by the spirit of God and filled on a daily basis with the spirit of God. I desire more than anything to fellowship and have communion with my Lord. And because God loves me so much, he made a way for that to be possible. The God of all creation actually paved the way for me to have fellowship with him….this simply blows me away.

Thank you Jesus for the work that you did on the cross when you bridged the gap between me and my God. You made me a friend of God when I was his enemy. Thank you. You are so worthy to be exalted. I can’t wait until the day where every person bows and calls you Lord. You are worthy. You are the lamb that was slain and you are worthy of my praise and worship. Thank you Jesus….Amen

Wednesday, January 03, 2007

Revelation

I am getting ready to teach the book of Revelation to the high school kids at my church. I have been studying the book and let me tell you, I am excited about it. Please pray for me that the Lord would give me wisdom and insight as I invest myself into this book. Thanks for all your prayers.