Mobile House of Prayer- The Sudden Stop

16 Nov

Back in May and June things were moving along well in getting the Mobile House of Prayer ready for action.   Then I decided to participate in the Summer Intensive Internship at the Prayer Room in Arlington which took a great deal of time.  I was at the Prayer Room several hours a day most of the week.  That slowed the preparation substantially.

After the internship, I had a brief hospitalization but a much longer recovery time.  Fortunately, I’m seeing the light at the end of the tunnel and I am hoping that we will soon get the Mobile House of Prayer on the road.

The more I see life in the society around us.  The more I see the need for prayer and evangelism.  We want to point people to the One Hope they can have in Jesus Christ who is more than enough.

By the way this is a good time to plug the upcoming Prayer Room internship program that begins in January.   You can get more information on a great House of Prayer Internship Program at their website.

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Mobile House of Prayer Getting Closer to Action

30 May

The mobile house of prayer is getting closer to action.ou   I spent timing cleaning the bathroom today.  OK, I’ll admit it, this is the kind of activity around ministry that I do not enjoy.  In addition, I started the generator and turned on the air conditioner to give it a good workout – i t seems up to the challenge.  I also met with the young man I’ve hired to do some internal carpentry work and to paint the inside.  After that, about all that will be left will be to install carpeting.  This is getting exciting.

The Lord has given me a general area to focus on.  I still need to drive around and scout out the neighborhoods, but we will be working generally in an area around Cooper and Pioneer Parkway in Arlington.  I’ve been working on  the topics for specific prayer sets.   I really believe that the Lord will use this transform lives and impact communities.

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Worship and Prayer Breaking Strongholds

25 May

4 For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds

(2 Cor 10:4 NKJV)

One of the reasons that I know that prayer and are critical to the breaking of strongholds was from a key event on Fry Street in Denton several years ago.  We were going to do some witnessing one Saturday evening and arrived together.  There was a “new age” store called Voyager’s Dream, and when we arrived they had a drum circle in progress.

That drum circle was releasing demonic activity.  The oppression was so great, we just wanted to leave.  Women actually were dancing in a way that reminded me of snakes.

Our team gathered in a circle and began to pray.  We knew that the spirit of oppression had to be broken.  The Lord gave word to two of us that we needed to pray and worship him.  So while the drum jam was going on just a few feet away from us, we began to worship.   As we did, we felt the encouragement and confidence of the Lord.

Within minutes, the drummers began losing their beat.  Tempos started changing and they couldn’t maintain cohesiveness.  The group quickly gave up and began leaving.  God had done it.  The oppressive spirits left and we were free to share the Gospel on Fry Street.

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Back to the Basics

18 May

For the past ten years or so, I have been a part of several movements or conversations with each lasting a couple of years. First it was the simple/organic church movement. Then I was part of the emerging church “conversation.” ,that was followed by the missional movement, and kingdom simplicity.

As I watched each of these, frankly I became disallusioned. I really didn’t believe they were having the impact on the local church that is needed.

The Lord slowly changed my direction. One he made it clear that he loves his church, even if I don’t approve of the direction it is going. He doesn’t need me to try to fix it or correct it. That actually was very freeing. The Lord let me know I could spend my energy criticizing the church or I could spend my time going where he wants to take me.

With that, I began to simplify my life. I got rid of lots of stuff. I began watching where I spent my resources. I stopped watching TV. I used to be a frequent visitor to Christian book stores to pick up the latest must read in whatever movement I was looking at or identifying with at the time. The Lord whispered to me one day and asked “why are you here? My Word has everything you need.”
So I have quit reading Christan books

I am part of the Sacred Trust at the Prayer Room in DFW. I became part simply because I love the focus, prayer, worship and God’s word. I love spending time with Jesus. Because of the new emphasis, earlier this year, I experienced a breakthrough. It was subtle. It wasn’t a big aha moment, but it was one of the most powerful things that has ever happened to me. I came to the realization, that I was loved by God – and I loved him.

I had gone for years trying to earn his favor and earn his love. I knew in my head he loved me, and I beleived I loved him as well. But spending time just in worship and prayer changed me somehow. One day I realized he really did love me. It was in my heart not just my head anymore. I also knew that I really did love him too.

I no longer pursue ministry as a part of my identity. I know my identity is in Christ. I don’t need ministry to make me feel important or fulfilled. I have tht in Jesus. I will do ministry, but this ministry is in listening to the Lord, hearing him, and obeying and it is powered out of the overflow of his love and presence.

I no longer have the desire to get tied up in theological arguments and “what ifs”. Instead, I prefer to spend my time in the presence of the Lord.

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One Hope – Bringing together Prayer, Worship, and Evangelism to Change Lives and Transform Communities

17 May

I’ve seen lots of evangelism programs – some have been more effective than others.  But, I believe the most powerful evangelism is birthed in the furnace of prayer and worship.

One time I was with an evangelism team and we went to Fry Street.  At the time it was a major hangout for college students at the University of North Texas.  We assembled, but the oppression in the area was extremely strong.  There was a nearby drum jam underway, and it was definitely the source of oppression.  Some of the young ladies were dancing in a way that looked like the slithering of a serpent.  The whole team just wanted to take off.

We gathered in a circle for a few moments near the drum jam to determine what needed to happen.  A couple of us had a word that we were to worship the Lord.  We began praying then went into a time of worship.  We probably worshipped about five minutes or so when something incredible happened.  The drummers and dancers began losing their beat.  They became almost random.  Within five minutes they completely cleared the area.  We were then free to reach out to people in the area with the good news of the Kingdom.

In essence it was a power encounter between the Kingdom of darkness and the Kingdom of our God and God won.   Prayer and worship together Glorifies the Lord,  changes and empowers us, and changes the atmosphere for evangelism.

I’ve seen too many failed “evangelism”  programs.   The purpose of One Hope is for evangelism to flow out of our relationship with Christ.  We focus on the Lord and his love, his wisdom, and passion overflow our hearts.  We share that in communities with people who need hope.

That doesn’t mean that we don’t use “evangelism techniques.”  It means we don’t focus on the “techniques.” We focus on a heart overflowing with a love of God and watch God direct our steps and paths in evangelism.  The technique does not come first.  Jesus comes first.

No matter what form of evangelism we are doing,  everything we do will be bathed in an atmosphere of prayer and worship that Glorifies our King.  Then we trust him and his love for the lost to empower us and give us wisdom for reaching out.

By focusing initially on prayer and worship, and bringing in evangelism as strongholds begin to tumble,  many more people will be open to the Gospel of Jesus Christ and communities can be transformed.  I believ God wants to change the lives of people and transfomr the communities they live in.

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