updated 5/19/11
Listen to Dave share more about Generational Ministry from 5/15/11

There’s a line in a song by Kevin Prosch that says, “You’re so unpredictable like the rhythm of weeping”. The Lord is preparing us for His next move by being unpredictable. For the move of God that’s coming, He wants to prepare a people He knows will yield to His leadership so the impact of His move is not directly tied in to the charisma of a handful of leaders. God’s not looking for a slick church. He’s looking for a people who will corporately yield to His leadership.

At the same time of being unpredictable, we’re seeing signs or rhythms that God is ready to move in a special way. It’s like we’re wading in the ocean being gently lifted by small waves, waiting for the one to catch. There are some who are standing on the shore waiting to see when/if the wave breaks before getting positioned to ride it. It’s time for all of us to get positioned together. We are all called.

Those of you who have experienced a move of God in the past, we need you. Fathers, mothers, grandfathers & grandmothers; we need you. We need your experience, wisdom & discernment. Don’t let memories of the former move, or the glory of the former house, keep you waiting in the wings. This house may not look the same as it did when God moved before. We, who have yet to experience a significant move of God, need you now. We make this promise to you, we will not disregard your discernment, wisdom & experience. We will honor you as Fathers, Mothers, Grandfathers & Grandmothers. The generations must co-labor together.

The glory of this house will be greater than what we’ve seen before. The people of this house will stand stronger. We will live for something more.

PROPHECY FOR 2011
I believe I hear the Lord saying this is a fresh season of life and fruitfulness for Heartland Church. Just as you have returned to your original call that I gave you in 1985 to plant a fellowship of intimacy with me and compassion for others, I am pouring out blessings upon worship and healing. High praises shall continually be in your mouth. New songs, the songs of the Lord, songs of prophetic declaration will flow with My anointing. The prayer of faith for healing will have My favor. Disease, hurt and injury will submit to My grace. Remember that I instructed you to be naturally supernatural, to avoid hype and clamoring. Dwell in my Presence and I will inhabit you, My people, My temple. Man does not live by bread alone but by every Word that proceeds from Me. Where I AM, I rule and everything that opposes must bow to me. Move in My authority. Miracles and signs and wonders will I do in your midst, but seek not to be known by that, but seek to be a testimony of your passion for Me and your love for one another. Worship and healing are to be the watchwords for you for this season. I HAVE SOMETHING MORE FOR YOU!

This is the season for something more from Me. Come to me all who are lonely, all who are hurting, all who are frustrated, all who are hopeful and desire something more. Fear not, have confidence. I have chosen you and appointed you that you would bear much fruit. In Jerusalem, Judea, and the uttermost parts of the earth, I will send you out; out to your neighbors, your friends, your families, your co-workers, to the city, to the region, to the nation, to all the corners of the earth. Everyone my child, everyone my servant, everyone my minister, every home a church, every neighborhood a community of faith, every conversation a witness and a testimony. YOU CAN DO FAR MORE TOGETHER THAN YOU CAN DO ALONE. The thoughts I have for you are far greater than what you have ever considered.

EXPERIENCING GOD
At Heartland, worshiping God is our highest priority, because our lives are unavoidably shaped by who or what we worship. We believe that when the church gathers to worship, there’s a lot more going on than just a group of people singing songs together. In worship, we experience God together. We believe that God is present with his people, and in worship we are actually with Him. As we express thanks, adoration, love, commitment, and devotion to Him, we are “drawing near” to God, and we believe that God himself is also drawing near to us (James 4:8; Hebrews 4:16, 10:22).
Because we believe that God is alive and well, and in a good mood, we believe he communicates with us today. So we practice listening to God (not as spooky as it sounds) as well as speaking and singing to him. We value conversational worship, where we respond to God’s “voice” and move with the rhythms of God’s Spirit (again, not as spooky as it might sound). Most of the time this conversation is expressed in song, but we’ve also seen it painted, danced, enacted, and declared.

But the experience of God extends far beyond our gatherings. God inhabits the air around us, and indeed dwells within us, and He is constantly present and at work in the world. We believe that wherever we go, God is already there. So try as we might, we can’t leave God’s presence when we leave a gathering. We want our experience of God to expand to encompass and drench every aspect of our lives, so that in every conversation, every task, every relationship, every moment we are conscious of and listening to the presence of God with us.

At some time in the future, God will complete his mission of renewing creation, of “making all things new.” Then will be fulfilled what the ancient Scripture says:

“Behold the dwelling place of God is with humankind. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning nor crying nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away” (Revelation 21:3-4)

When we gather to worship, experiencing the presence of God together as his people, and as we learn to become aware of his presence with us every day, we are declaring and enacting God’s future in the present. As we experience God in small and big ways in our everyday lives and our larger gatherings, we are experiencing a little bit of our glorious future ahead of time.

HEALING HURTS
Heartland values healing hurts wherever they are found, because the kingdom of God is about restoring people to wholeness of body and soul. This value is rooted in a clear-eyed vision of the pain and brokenness in our lives because of sin. Rather than put on a happy face and shove real problems under the rug, so to speak, we want to see our lives healed and made whole, fully alive as God intended us to be.

We pray for healing because it seems to have been a major component of Jesus’ ministry, and it was a major part of what he taught his disciples to do the first few times he sent them out: “Tell them the kingdom is here. Heal the sick, raise the dead, touch the untouchables, kick out demons” (Matt 10:7-8). Healing was and is a significant sign of the coming of the kingdom of God, so we practice it. So as we pray “let your kingdom come on earth as it is in heaven,” we recognize that the manifestation of God’s kingdom will include people’s lives being healed and restored.

But this is not a magic formula or a lucky charm we wave over people’s heads. Not everyone is healed when we pray. This is because there is an element of mystery to the coming of the kingdom. It’s here but it’s not yet here fully. It’s already but it’s not yet. It came and still comes in an unexpected way, and we don’t have all the answers. But more people get healed when we pray than when we don’t pray. So we pray; we ask God to heal; we ask God to expand his kingdom on earth; we ask God to bring wholeness of body and soul to everyone inside our circle of influence, exercising the authority of God to bring healing to broken hearts, health to broken bodies, wholeness to broken lives.

EMBRACING DESTINY
At Heartland, we have a strong emphasis on equipping people to step into their destiny, living the adventure of the kingdom of God. We want to see people grow into doing the things God has gifted and called them to do, because we believe everyone has a deep, God-given desire to make a real difference in people’s lives, to do good work, to bless others in their labor. We devote a lot of time, energy, and resource into helping people discover God’s distinct calling and gifting on their lives, launching them into their destiny, and encouraging them along the way.

We believe that every Christian is an ambassador of the kingdom wherever they are, and that most Christians are called to express the kingdom in the marketplace, in their normal jobs. You don’t have to become a professional church worker to be a passionate Christian fulfilling God’s destiny for your life. God forbid we all turn into church workers! We believe God has called us to live out the kingdom in our homes, families, schools, and jobs, and that as we pray “Let your kingdom come … on earth as it is in heaven” we are also partnering with God to make that a reality in our spheres of influence.
Embracing destiny means we take God’s calling seriously, and that each member of the body of Christ has a part to play in transforming our world.

CELEBRATING LIFE
At Heartland, we value the throwing and attending of parties. We are learning to recognize and validate the people getting together, eating and drinking and playing and laughing together for no reason in particular. Part of the full, “abundant life” that Jesus gives his students is the simple act of enjoyment: enjoying creation, enjoying one another, enjoying good food and drink, enjoying the young and old among us, enjoying God in the context of a party. Actually enjoying and celebrating life is a way of saying “thank you” to God for his gift of life.

This value of enjoying and celebrating life is based on the practices of Jesus himself. When Jesus walked around Palestine all those years ago, he had a reputation for being a bit of a party-animal: “The Son of Man comes feasting and you call him a lush” (Luke 7:34). Now, neither Jesus nor any of his followers ever advocated drunkenness (Eph 5:18), but what kind of life did Jesus live that he ended up with that kind of reputation? Apparently the picture of Jesus as grumpy, boring, and stuffy is significantly wrong. When Jesus promised his students the same kind of joy he had within himself, they didn’t wince, because they knew from being with him that he was a genuinely happy, pleasant person. His first miracle, after all, was to extend a wedding party by making more wine (John 2:1-11)! People generally loved to be around him because he was a joyful person who enjoyed life.
And when we look forward to when God will renew and restore creation and humanity, we don’t see an endless church service. Instead we see all of life redeemed and transformed, made “as it should be.” It will be a time when all our daily activities, all our working, playing, eating, drinking, talking, singing, listening, partying and praying will be gathered up in celebration of all that God is and has done. We bring a bit of that future into the present when we throw a party and take time to celebrate and enjoy life right here and now.

STATEMENT OF BELIEFS
We endorse the historic tenets of orthodox Christian faith, as expressed in the Apostles’ Creed and Nicene Creed.

God
We believe that there is one living and true God, eternally existing in three persons–the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, equal in power and glory; that this triune God creates all, upholds all, and governs all.

the Bible
We believe that the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments are the Word of God, fully inspired, without error in the original manuscripts and the infallible rule of faith and practice.

the Father
We believe in God the Father, an infinite personal Spirit, perfect in holiness, wisdom, power, and love and that He concerns Himself mercifully in the affairs of men, that He hears and answers prayer, and that He saves from sin and death all who come to Him through Jesus Christ.

Jesus
We believe in Jesus Christ, God’s only begotten Son, conceived by the Holy Spirit. We believe in His virgin birth, sinless life, miracles and teachings, His substitutionary atoning death, bodily resurrection, ascension into heaven, perpetual intercession for His people, and soon, personal, visible return to the earth. We believe that in His first coming Jesus inaugurated the fulfillment of the kingdom of God, and in His second coming He will consummate the fulfillment of the kingdom of God.

the Holy Spirit
We believe in the Holy Spirit who came forth from the Father and Son to convict the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment to regenerate, sanctify, and empower for ministry all who believe in Christ. We believe the Holy Spirit dwells in every believer in Jesus Christ and that He is an abiding Helper, Teacher, and Guide. We believe in the present ministry of the Holy Spirit and the exercise of all biblical gifts of the Spirit.

Sin
We believe that all men are sinners by nature and choice and are therefore under condemnation; that God regenerates and baptizes by the Holy Spirit those who repent of their sins and confess Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord.

the Church
We believe in the universal church, the living spiritual body, of which Christ is the Head and all regenerated persons are members.

the Sacraments
We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ committed two ordinances to the church: baptism and the Lord’s Supper. We believe in water baptism and the Lord’s Supper (Communion) is open to all believers.

Ministry
We believe in the laying on of hands for empowering of the Holy Spirit, for ordaining of ministers, for receiving gifts of the Holy Spirit and for healing.

the Second Coming
We believe in the personal, visible, appearing of Christ to earth and the consummation of His Kingdom; in the resurrection of the body, the final judgment and eternal blessing of the righteous and endless suffering of the wicked.

I believe I hear the Lord saying this is a fresh season of life and fruitfulness for Heartland Church. Just as you have returned to your original call that I gave you in 1985 to plant a fellowship of intimacy with me and compassion for others, I am pouring out blessings upon worship and healing. High praises shall continually be in your mouth. New songs, the songs of the Lord, songs of prophetic declaration will flow with My anointing. The prayer of faith for healing will have My favor. Disease, hurt and injury will submit to My grace. Remember that I instructed you to be naturally supernatural, to avoid hype and clamoring. Dwell in my Presence and I will inhabit you, My people, My temple. Man does not live by bread alone but by every Word that proceeds from Me. Where I AM, I rule and everything that opposes must bow to me. Move in My authority. Miracles and signs and wonders will I do in your midst, but seek not to be known by that, but seek to be a testimony of your passion for Me and your love for one another. Worship and healing are to be the watchwords for you for this season. I HAVE SOMETHING MORE FOR YOU! This is the season for something more from Me. Come to me all who are lonely, all who are hurting, all who are frustrated, all who are hopeful and desire something more. Fear not, have confidence. I have chosen you and appointed you that you would bear much fruit. In Jerusalem, Judea, and the uttermost parts of the earth, I will send you out; out to your neighbors, your friends, your families, your co-workers, to the city, to the region, to the nation, to all the corners of the earth. Everyone my child, everyone my servant, everyone my minister, every home a church, every neighborhood a community of faith, every conversation a witness and a testimony. The thoughts I have for you are far greater than what you have ever considered.

I had a detailed dream, but the key points are some of the same things other intercessors are hearing.

1. Things are a bit confusing, and sometimes we seem to be “getting” something besides what we have been asking for.
2. In this season of transition, it seems many are facing what could be considered injustices.
3. Some are wrestling whether or not to “take things into their own hands”.
4. Some are feeling isolated, alone, forgotten and “invisible”.
5. The Lord is sending others to “stand” with us. They know the truth of the situation, and have power in prayer to bring strength and change to our circumstances.
6. We do not recognize where we are at the moment, the territory and surroundings seem very unfamiliar, and that makes us uncomfortable and apprehensive.
7. We seem to have lost our “identity” and resources, and must be careful not to allow fear to overtake us.
8. Many do not feel safe or equipped to move forward.
9. The Lord is guiding us through many obstacles, and though there may be natural “things” that might seem to “fit”. There is caution to not put on things in this season that are not yours.
10. Don’t “settle” for something just because it may seem to bring you “natural” security or protection. Inquire of the Lord; good things can hinder you from His best. Good things can rob one of destiny.
11. Just because something may seem correct or acceptable, doesn’t mean it is.
12. The Lord is carefully, leading us by His voice, He is strategically, guiding us through EVERY obstacle we are facing. He is also telling us where to walk, and what to avoid.
13. Though our “footing” and identity, and provision for this season may “feel” unsure, He is faithful and has said.
14. “If you make it through this “night; You WILL be FINE!”

Deuteronomy 15:3b-5, “But you must cancel ANY debt your brother owes you…There should be no poor among you, for in the land the Lord your God is giving you, to possess as your inheritance, He will richly bless you. If only you FULLY obey the Lord your God, and carefully follow the commandments I am giving you today…”

One day, as I looked around while driving, I saw the devastation of some past storms. I saw many trees that were scarred from this difficult winter, and from some of our recent ice storms. One tree I saw was completely “SPLIT” in half, and several others had branches still hanging by mere slivers of bark. Then I heard the Lord say to my spirit.

“You cannot bear the ‘weight of this season’ He then explained, “There is much destruction, and you cannot bear this alone. He gave me a picture in my mind of the beauty of the trees covered in ice, and then reminded me of the “heavy weight” that began to cause them to bend, and bow low. He then said, “If you are not flexible, you WILL break.” As I looked around again, I could see many trees bearing massive scars from a difficult season. Even today, branches still are everywhere, and though the clean-up has begun, one can see many scars of this season, all around.

Then I saw a huge board, about the size of a normal drywall section, a builder would use. It was on top of the shoulders of a person. It was VERY heavy and weighing them down. Then I saw a large man come under the board, he was taller, and stronger. He grabbed the sides of the board and stood up, completely taking the “weight” off this person. Then I heard the Lord say again, “You cannot bear the weight of this season alone.” Then I saw He was the one who lifted the weight of the heavy board. I saw Him easily lift the weight. He then put His arm around the person and walked beside them. He said, “Yoke yourself to Me, and I will walk with you. He said do not get too far ahead of Me and do not lag too far behind. Stay close and walk with Me, and I will guide your steps.” Then, He bagan talking about March being a time of Genesis, meaning, the beginning, development, or production of something, returning to the original plan. The Lord bagan to say, “This is a day of “New beginnings.”

It is time to let Me separate the “light from darkness”.

Let Me call everything into order into your lives. Let Me show you how to prepare for your future. This is a New DAY, it is time to let go of “Old Patterns” and Old Cycles, old “defaults”; generational weknesses that have hindered you from coming into the fullness of your destiny.

Don’t be afraid to “let go”.

I will give you New Things to replace the old. You will not be disappointed. Trust Me. This is a day of New Beginnings. I will highlight these old things that you MUST address, now is the time, My grace will help you face these things, I will bear the weight of this difficult season, you are not alone, and I am carrying you.

Declare those things I have promised, focus on the truth, rehearse My promises, not the enemies lies, this is a New Day, a New season, a New Beginning, let Me help you come into the fullness of ALL I have promised you!

I feel as though the Lord is saying as Ben was saying, the sun rises, and as you’re sitting here you have the sense of the light of God shining on you. You can feel His favor, His love, His kindness, His healing. But something in some of your hearts, when you leave here, when you go back to work or school, or wherever you go Monday, you’re expecting darkness to fall. You’re expecting the seasons to be as they always have, in summer and in winter. You’re expecting light and then the darkness to come. But God says in His presence there is no sun. He is the light. So the Lord would say, I want you to change your expectation, and when you go back to your various places, to your schools, to your homes, to your jobs, to your ministries, I want you to not expect the clouds of darkness. I want you to expect light. And some of you when you go back and you’ll have this expectation in your heart and you’re going to see clouds moving across the horizon, moving in, perhaps with the force of Katrina. That doesn’t make a difference. I want you to expect light, because I am light. And you see light is not threatened by darkness. And the Lord is threatened by nothing. And you are found in the Lord, so what do you fear? Look to the light, not to the darkness you see on the horizon. But look to the light that is in your heart. I have placed it there. The sun rises, but the Son is rising in you. Look to the light. Look to the light.

“God we just thank you for your kindness. We thank you, God for the trust you placed within us. And Father, we thank you for the things you have done in the midst of this church, in the midst of this people, and the covenant that you’ve cut with them, God. The covenant that you’ve cut, O Holy God, I pray that the anointing of the Spirit of God would continue to rest upon this place for the salvation of the Lord is here. The anointing of God is here. The calling of God is here. The destiny of God is here. So come, my church, revisit the things that I have called you to. Yea, I would call you to revisit those things, for those things are eternal, and I am the Holy God, and I have called you, and I have ordained you, and I have entrusted you. Yea, I entrusted you with the gifts and calling of God to bring to a dying and a groaning creation. So, come my Church and see the salvation of your Lord for this is only the beginning. This is only the beginning. Twenty years, but it’s only the beginning. So come and see the salvation of your Lord for I have ordained this place to come into a place in their God where the anointing shall flow from this place, not just to Fort Wayne, but to the nations. So come, my church, and listen to the voice of your lord, for I love you and I have ordained you to this. And you shall flow. Yeah the rivers of water, the rivers of anointing shall flow form this place to a dry and to a thirsty land.”
-Steve Fawley

“I was reading in Joshua 1 last night, and the Lord told Joshua to tell the people to arise and get ready, which is what He is telling us. And it was by the third day that they crossed over the Jordan. And the Jordan was at flood stages, because it was springtime, which I believe is tied in to what God is telling us. It’s time for us to arise and get ready. We’re crossing over. We’re going into that new place. And I believe it’s beyond the veil. It’s in the Holy of Holies. Well, I really felt like God was bringing rain. All the scriptures that we’re coming, that it’s spring time. Spring time is a time for rain. And that the 20th which is today is the first day of Spring. And God wants to break this thing open today. And we’re going to move from this point forward. But I believe it’s beyond the veil. You can look at the Israelites journey from Egypt. They started in Egypt, we can look at that as the outer courts, and then they went into the wilderness, which is the holy place, and then they crossed over. Crossing over is going beyond the veil into the most holy place.”
-Gina Jehl

(sung):
“The Spirit of the Lord is moving in our midst
And what you feel inside He says please don’t resist
He’s doing a work in you and He will see you through
For the Spirit of the Lord is moving in our midst.

The Spirit of the Lord is moving in this place
It’s raining down on us in the fullness of His grace
Our eyes had not yet seen, our ears had not yet heard
What the Spirit of the Lord is doing in this place

So praise the Lord, Praise the Lord
Praise our King, Praise our King, Praise His name
For the Spirit of the Lord is moving in this place.”
-Herb Flint

“The Lord has a word for us. He said I haven’t changed my mind. I haven’t changed my mind by what I said about you. And what have I said? I said healing. I have not changed my mind. I said joy. I said worship. I haven’t changed my mind. Dancers, I haven’t changed my mind. Singers, I have not changed my mind. People of God, I have not changed my mind about what I said about you, and what I’ve said for you and what I said through you. I haven’t changed my mind. Nothing has changed. The only thing that’s changing is you, from glory to glory to glory. Ron and Carolyn I’ve not changed my mind what I said. Where you planted elsewhere, it will grow here. Where you’ve gone other places and you’ve given yourselves there, it will bear fruit here. Where you’ve dug wells everywhere the rivers will flow. Yea, they flow now. They flow now. I have not changed my mind. Don’t let anyone change yours.”
-Lemuel Dees

“Hold fast to dreams for if dreams die, life is a broken winged bird that cannot fly.” -Langston Hughes

The Lord gave me the title of this book “Restoration of a Broken Vessel” about a year ago. When I looked up the word “restoration” it is defined as:

“A strategy, to rebuild something or bring it back into its original state”.

In light of unfulfilled dreams and the anticipation of reaching one’s destiny…

Recognize God wants to RESTORE His children. He desires to return them to His original plan and call forth the gold buried beneath years of accumulated debris. Garbage, that is hiding the real treasure inside. Tragically, many of God’s children have been betrayed, abused, and seem to have been robbed of their destiny. While on their pilgrimage they have become despondent, distressed, and destitute prisoner’s of an unseen war. The enemy of their soul seems to be triumphantly winning battles as they struggle “just to survive”. Many of these weary and debilitated soldiers were once impassioned visionary dreamers, but now, I see them everywhere, strewn about life’s gutters, like homeless vagabonds seeking purpose. Some are still sitting in the ashes of their lost dreams, fearful of risking yet another disappointment. So they remain paralyzed and unable to rise above the deluge of difficulties.

Recently, God gave me a picture of a bright colorful ribbon stretched taunt across a bridge. It symbolically designated a finish line, like the kind a runner would break through at the completion of a great race. It was the end marker of a journey toward destiny. As I looked toward this marker, I saw numerous people along the path, in different stages of their walk. As I glanced toward the finish line, it seemed there were many that had “lost their way”. Though I could see they were only steps away from the “finish-line marker, somehow, they had grown so weary, they could not even take one more step. Some were only inches away from the prize, but they could not see it. One elderly woman, who had “fought the good fight”, by struggling year after year forging toward her goal, finally decided she could not fight any longer. I watched her weak, tired, body collapse just beneath the ribbon, before crossing the finish line. Her bloody, wounded, knees revealed she had been crawling toward the mark for a very long time.

Next I saw numerous wounded soldiers sitting in scattered ruins and crying in despair. Though I could see the multitudes, their torrent of tears and suffering severely blinded them. Now, that they could no longer see where to walk, they sat down, desperately seeking solace. Some sat with their arms wrapped around themselves, rhythmically rocking back and forth while whimpering quietly. Others laid in a fetal position with their bodies shaking violently as deep heartfelt cries of desperation seemed to bounce off the silent heavens. A few of the soldiers filled with hostility, paced back and forth, like wild animals that had been cage. They defiantly shook their fists at God and demanded an explanation for their unanswered prayers.

Suddenly a Mighty Warrior appeared, His compelling demeanor, dispelled the darkness. He sat down in the dirty wreckage, and began to clean and bandage the fragile wounds of one of the hopeless pilgrims lying in the rubble. He calmly hummed a love song, while gently wiping away the pilgrim’s tears. His strong and rugged hand cautiously, lifted the transgressed pilgrim’s face. When his red tear-filled eyes and shamed countenance met the piercing eyes of the Warrior, he immediately forgot what had caused him to sit down in the rubble. The Mighty Warrior continued to pour a fragrant, healing balm on the lesions, completing his assigned task. As the pilgrim looked around at the devastation, he knew he must CHOOSE to get up! Already standing, by this time, the Strong Warrior reached His hand down toward the weary pilgrim still lying in the ashes. He hoped the pilgrim would let Him help. As the pilgrim’s hand touched the Mighty Warrior’s hand it was like lightening bolts passed between them. Lifting him from the depths of darkness, a strong anointing flowed from the Mighty Warrior to the pilgrim and immediately he was strengthened. The pilgrim’s weak legs wobbled momentarily as the Warrior helped him regain his footing. Standing beside him until he gained enough strength to walk, the Mighty Warrior vigilantly shared is heart. He began with exhortations of faith that enabled the pilgrim to gather a small measure of hope. Then Mighty Warrior gingerly pointed the pilgrim, in the right direction and reminded him of the promises he had been given. He reminded him that His Father, the KING, is not a man that would lie and pointed out how close he actually was to the finish line.

As they began to walk, side by side, the weary pilgrim’s body seemed to be strengthened. The Mighty Warrior gave him precise instructions, He also persuaded the pilgrim to watch for others along his journey, who may need help just as he had. Suddenly, like a blind man receiving sight, he too, could see the other weary traveler’s beside him. Their deep, dark, forlorn eyes reflected great personal devastation. It pierced his heart when he saw a brief reflection of what he had been before the Warrior came. Looking down a moment hoping to refocus and break the melancholy feeling of hopelessness, he unexpectedly realized his entire countenance had been transformed from that of a weary pilgrim to one of a young warrior. When he turned to thank the MIGHTY WARRIOR, he discovered He was already helping another pilgrim.

Immediately the newly transformed warrior began strengthening those nearest to him. He now had an unforgettable impression of the Mighty Warrior’s Love forever branded in his heart. With the same patience and loving hands of the Mighty Warrior, he nurtured others to once again look toward their destiny and the mark of their high calling. Slowly the weary pilgrims began to rise up, one by one. As these transformed pilgrims continued their individual journey, they began to strengthen others along the way, and soon a great army arose from the ashes of despair.

The Father is turning His heart back toward His children; He wants to restore EVERYTHING the canker worm, palmer worm, and locust have eaten. He wants to give you beauty for ashes, and joy instead of years of mourning. Let the Father declare His plan for your life. Then, you will truly know…

“Out of the embers, out of the ashes, and out of leftovers,
HE IS STILL ABLE TO RAISE YOU UP!

Father, we know that more than anything; we want your best. We know that we will NEVER find authentic life in ANYTHING apart from you. We know that we have obeyed You, and been faithful to the best of our ability… but we also know that some of us are still shattered beyond anything any man can repair. Without You, we will NOT recover fully, nor will we function as You intended us to.

Though we are always aware of this deep, dark cavern, almost a black hole that longs for wholeness, we need You to fill in the gap.

“I will give you the treasures of darkness and hidden riches of secret places, that you may know that I, the Lord, Who call you by your name, Am the God of Israel” (Isaiah 45:3, NKJV).

Father; set us free from EVERYTHING that hinders us from rising up to our high calling, our destiny. Remove the splinters that penetrate our souls, and have brought poison to our lives. We know that we cannot fix these things, believe me, we have tried. Help each of us individually through this painful journey from shattered dreams to destiny. Teach us to dream again, show us a clear path, and when we again begin to see our goal and the high calling before us, enable us to strengthen others along the way.

“Father take me to a place where my dreams come true, heal my broken wings so I can fly again…” -Patti Wasmuth

In the second vision: I saw a stunning Ming Vase. It was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen. I knew it was priceless, but unfortunately, after careful examination, I noticed some small chips on the lip of the vase. As I explored the intricate designs and then I noticed one whole side was shattered. The broken places were so severe it was as if someone had intentionally purposed to destroy its value and beauty. Though the damage was quite noticeable; I guarded it carefully because it was all I had. Then suddenly a huge sledgehammer appeared and shattered my vase. There were millions of pieces everywhere. I wept profusely, as I carefully gathered the broken pieces with special care not to lose any of the fragile slivers. I cautiously swept them in a pile near an altar. Warm tears streamed down my cheeks and dripped onto the carpet like a gentle rain. A warm-hearted voice startled me, for a moment I was frozen in time; everything seemed to be moving in slow motion. I watched as the silent film unfolded, the voice behind me firmly said, “You can not fix it!” I recognized that gentle loving voice. It was the voice of my King, the Lord. I turned to see how long He had been observing my unexpected crisis.

Though I knew He loved me more than any other person ever had, I still bowed my head in shame. I continued to quickly gather the broken pieces… I was embarrassed that He had discovered me trying to privately remedy this painful situation. He gently spoke again, “You can not fix it”.

I looked up, my bright red, tear filled eyes, and blotchy complexion clearly indicated I had been crying for sometime. “But Lord,” I stuttered between my deep gasps. I had only looked up momentarily to explain, “all I wanted to do was bring you something that was valuable” quickly bowing my head remorsefully. The tapes in my mind began playing the same old song. Through the years I had learned to take responsibility for whatever, went wrong, and somehow this too, must be my fault. I could no longer look my dearest friend in the eyes. Gazing at the ground and the disastrous irretrievably broken vase, I quietly stated, “I know it wasn’t much, but it was all I had”. I quietly waited yearning for just a small morsel of hope.
I had been searching diligently for a significant solution, but in my finite mind, there were none to be found. The King, my Lord, gently exhorted, “Man has marred your vessel, and you can not fix it”

I sat quietly weeping at the altar, feeling despondent.
I looked down at all the millions of broken pieces, immediately realized His words were true,
THERE WAS NO WAY I COULD FIX IT THIS TIME!

My body began to shake as I sobbed in grief. The dam holding back years of repressed memories and emotions finally could not contain the pain. The floodgates burst and tears filled the room. I desperately tried to regain a measure of composure. In the next scene, I saw a Ziplock bag filled with the pieces I had gathered only moments before. Filled with uncertainty, I could only focus on the immediate dilemma. Suddenly a chilling presence entered the room my old friends; hopelessness and desperation came to console me. The King immediately came and sat beside me. His deep love penetrated the darkness and the light of His love displaced the mysterious phantom “friends”. The King gently lifted my head, and with the utmost care. He brushed my wet hair from my face and softly wiped away my warm tears.

Again He gently reminded me, “you cannot fix this, but I can! I will be the one to restore the broken vessel, and it will be all that I intended it to be. Now give me the broken pieces…” He said firmly.

“But Lord,” I argued. His gentle, nail- scarred hand discreetly reached toward me and He said,

“Give me the broken pieces, I WILL RESTORE the vessel.”

“This is the word of the Lord that came to Jeremiah from the Lord;

Go down to the potter’s house and there I will give you a message. So I went down to the potter’s house, and I saw him working at the wheel. But the pot he was shaping from the clay was marred in his hands; so the potter formed it into another pot, shaping it as seemed best to him. Then the word of the Lord came to me: O house of Israel, can I not do with you as this potter does? Declares the Lord.

“Like clay in the hand of the potter, so you are in My hand.” – Jeremiah 18: 1-5

So I came with a bag full of shattered dreams, I humbled myself and I cry out to a merciful God “Heal me Oh, Lord, that I may fulfill the purposes you have for me. Though man has marred my vessel, reshape this clay and restore this broken vessel to your original plan and bring forth the destiny you purposed from the foundations of time.

“Lord do not rebuke me in your anger,
do not confirm my poor experience.
Have mercy on me, for I am weak.
Please heal me, for my life is shattered beyond repair.
How long Lord, must I wait for your answers?
Return soon, don’t ignore my cries…
please speed-up the process and deliver me.
Save me from the pain and destruction
that pursues me night and day.
Show me Your great mercy!
Give me a morsel, a small crumb of hope.
Help me choose life.
For if I die without deliverance,
who will remember Your great power?
If I am in my grave, who will give you thanks?
But Father, I am so weary with my groaning;
on my bed, I cry, night and day.
Why are the heavens are silent?
My eyes are red and swollen because of my grief.
I am bowed low in shame, all day long I mourn.
I am feeble and utterly crushed, my heart pounds,
And my strength fails me.
My friends and family avoid me because of my wounds,
Psalm 6:1-7; 38:10,11 (Paraphrased Patti Wasmuth)

And the King said, “COME UNTO ME, all who are weary and burdened, I WILL GIVE YOU REST. Take my yoke upon you and LEARN FROM ME, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you WILL find rest for your weary souls. Matthew 11:28-29

“My people, my people, my people; My children, my very own. I want to draw you into my presence in a way that you have never known before. I want to demonstrate not only my love and kindness toward you, but I want to release upon your life blessing upon blessing upon blessing. Will you turn your heart toward me? Will you consider all things loss for my sake? Will you pursue my face? Will you seek my presence? Will you abandon yourself to my rule, my rule of love? Come to me, come to me, come to me.”
(Ron Allen)

“The Lord has struck a covenant. He struck a covenant with this church in the beginning. And this year as Jackie spoke, a ring was lost. And that’s symbolic of a covenant. And she only lost it for awhile. And what the Lord is seeking to do even this year in your midst, He’s looking for renewed vows. He’s looking for you to make a renewed commitment to the things that He’s spoken over you. For what He has spoken is truth. It’s true. And though some of you have lost sight of the things that have been spoken in the past over this place, God is speaking a renewed covenant to you today. He’s speaking a renewed covenant to this church this year. A renewed covenant, for He is the I am. And the thing that He begun, He shall finish. And the work that He’s begun in each one of you, yeah, I placed you here. I’ve drawn you here and I’ve spoken a covenant over your life. For yeah your soul is mine, and I am yours. So come with the invitation of your God. Come with the invitation of your King. Come with the invitation of your Lord and Savior, into a holiness, into a purity, into a presence greater than you have known. For this is your year. This is the year of the renewed covenant of your God. Yeah, let it be a symbol to you. Let the things that have been spoken even this year be a prophetic thing spoken over you, for I love you, my church. And I’m drawing each one of you. I’m drawing you into the accord of your God. Will you come and not reject the invitation, for I love you.”
(Steve Fawley)

DREAM 12.21.04

In my dream I saw a person on a white horse, going ahead at full speed. There was a person dressed in full silver body armor and he was carrying a white banner. There was a bright white light surrounding both rider and horse. A small distance behind the white horse was a brown horse with a rider dressed in a brown mantle. The space surrounding this horse and rider was dim and fuzzy. I heard the rider on the white horse say “I am the Ultimate Risk-Taker. How close to me do you want to be?”

INTERPRETATION:
I believe the rider on the white horse represents the Lord. He is my redemption (silver). He IS the pure white light. He is full of confidence, moving ahead showing the way, lighting the path.

I believe the rider on the brown horse represents me/ the Body of Christ. (Brown has always represented a servant to me personally.) The servant follows the Master.

APPLICATION:
The Lord asked how close I want to be to him because I’ve been hanging back in taking risks because of fear. The closer I stay to His presence the more I will be involved in taking risks, because HE is the Ultimate Risk-taker! He wants me to succeed, so He wants me to be able to see and hear what He does clearly. I am made in His image, so I will do what He does and say what He says. The only way to be accurate is to stay close to Him. The closer I stay to Him, the clearer I will be able to see and hear. When I hang back my vision and hearing get dim. I get confused and fuzzy-minded. So He asks….just how close to me do you want to be? Do you really want what my Presence will bring?

It is in His presence I receive power that releases purity, provision, perspective and protection. To take the risks a servant of Jesus Christ is called on to make, it takes His presence. He is the one who indwells each one of us as His children.

Read the story of Gideon in Judges 6 and 7 to see some characteristics of a risk-taker and some of the fears we all face as we step out in faith, taking risks. John Wimber always use to tell us the way to spell faith is R-I-S-K. So true. Who among us hasn’t felt the stomach start to churn when we hear the prompting of the Holy Spirit and our response is, “You want me to do wwwwhhhat? Mmmme? But….”

Briefly some characteristics of a risk-taker:

• Confident in God (we know the WHO, not the HOW…but when we know the WHO, we then know the HOW as we need to)
• Have a Purpose (know who God says we are and act on it)
• Know where the Power comes from (it is about Him, not us)
• Have God’s Perspective (our ways and thoughts are not His)

The basic reason we don’t take risks when God asks us to do something is all kinds of fears born out of a lack of trust in God. Gideon experienced these kinds of fears:

Fear of Exposure of who he really was – he didn’t think of himself like God did, Fear of Failure, Fear of Family, Fear of People/Peers, Fear of being hurt, Fear of death, Fear of confrontation, Fear of standing alone.

God asks us to live in faith instead of fear in order to advance His kingdom.

FAITH confronts, Fear cowers. Faith demonstrates confidence, Fear hesitates. Faith moves ahead, Fear holds back. Faith approaches God, Fear relies on self and others. Faith is bold, Fear waits and asks I wonder what would have happened if…”. Faith asks for miracles, Fear wallows in self-pity. Faith inspires others to risk, Fear draws others into fear. Faith attempts the impossible, Fear is overcome by the impossible. Faith triumphs, Fear loses.

GOD HAS A PLAN
SATAN HAS A PLAN
I HAVE A CHOICE
GOD IS THE WHO and THE HOW!!

What makes a risk worth taking?
Lives are saved
Nations are saved
Sick are healed
Blind eyes and ears are opened
The lame walk
The dead are raised to life
Captives are set free
Relationships are healed

We take risks because we believe in someONE and His ability to work in and through us. This is faith in action.

I believe 2005 will be a year of risk-taking for the sake of the Kingdom. Let’s enter into this adventure and change our world of influence!!

For the Lord and for the Body of Christ….YES and AMEN.

Carolyn Ruth Allen
12.21.04