happy snappy

Pa just left for a moutain bike ride with some buddies. It has been a while since he has ridden with them so he is happy. There is no snow but the trails will likely be slick. It was weird having a brown Christmas! but I love the mild weather and the fact that our lake is one huge skating rink. We had some friends out on Tuesday and most everyone skated all the way to the other side of the lake and touched the other shore. Kayle and Andy and another friend then proceeded to do that again in the dark. It is freaky skating on a lake in the dark. you can see nothing but blackness unless you happen to look up and see the stars. You can't even see your own feet! much less the person next to you. Tom and I are headed back to the cabin later today. Kayle and co. and Aaron and Bobbie will come for New Year's Eve. Sadly, Andy will be leaving on New Year's Day. It has been awesome having him here.
Well I should make a move. i have to pack for the cabin and exchange some clothes i got for Christmas.
Happy New Year!


Say to the daughter of Zion,
"See, your Saviour comes!
See his reward is with him, and his recompense accompanies him."
They will be called the Holy People,
the Redeemed of the Lord;
and you will be called Sought After, the City No Longer Deserted.
Isaiah 62:11-13.

Picture 4

This painting was exactly what I wanted to do, even though it doesn't look like much. I wanted to get the wash technique to do what I wanted and I was successful. I want to continue to bring it down and fill in the bottom of the painting, but at the time I was painting it I was satisfied that it was finished. This is on really cheap paper and I want to get the wash thing down so I can do it on a real canvas. If I can ever figure out how to make color vibrant I'd like to make these sorts of plain paintings simple but vibrant.

Picture 3

I don't have a title for this one yet. I was trying to create upward movement with the yellow lines and a sort of convergence at the top. I liked how the paint moved around on this one, I used lots of water.

Picture 2

This picture is called, "After Uzzah". It is a picture of the ark of the covenant after Uzzah had touched it and died. The poles for carrying it properly are not yet affixed but will soon be, and it will then be carried by the priests. The view is from the top and I feel like you can see right into the ark and right into the seething holiness of the Lord. The blue outer shell is simply a shell that contains the presence of the Lord.

This was a fluke picture that just happened and I find that I get the title immediately in those cases.

Painting

This picture is standing on end, but no matter. The title is "The Serpent". The black lines are the serpent invading the garden of eden. I have never thought of the serpent as plural but after painting this it seems obvious that 'the' serpent, if singular in form, was certainly plural in effect.

Pa

Faith isn't from us

Last night a person on our healing team told me how little faith she had for healing right now. This was spurred by the fact that her kids are sick and her clients are dying (she is a palliative care nurse). I've been noticing that when people say those sorts of things there is something in me that goes 'wonk' or 'tilt' and I know that what we are saying is somehow wrong.

It's sort of like if we kept going from full love to little love with the people around us, or from loving our jobs to not being able to stand them, or from joy to despair, bouncing up and down all the time. None of us can ride broncs like that and stay on very long. Sooner or later we just loose our grip and end up with a mouth full of dirt.

Back to the faith thing. I notice that Paul says that faith is "not from yourselves, it is the gift of God", which tells me why I go 'tilt' when I hear people saying they have such little faith. Seems to me that if it is God giving the faith then it's probably not weak or little. It's likely adequate and sufficient and not an empty gift.

So I am going to try and change my vocabulary. I am going to assume I have all the faith I need at all times and that it is "not by works, so no one can boast" and is not from me but is a gift from God. I am going to assume God is right and knows what he is doing. And I am not going to label this gift of faith as 'weak' or 'little'. I'll assume it's strong.

Sometimes we just have to make our minds up about this stuff.

Pa

BGO

Trying to keep up to Aaron I have single handedly (yes, it is difficult for me even though riding my mountain bike on ice isn't) loaded my ipod with nothing but brain food. I have the Book of Luke, two sermons from Bad Boy Bill Johnson and the third teaching on the Song of Solomon from Mike Bickle.

This is all I have since I can't stand trying to figure out where on my idpod shuffle resides such and such a teaching. So I keep it to five or so and don't have to look long.

If you thought I was smart before, look out now, this is the equivalent to mainlining dope. The effect is similar too, since your brain expands to new levels of glory, only to forget most of it within a day. But I'm going with the 'volume' theory, just like the one that says if you listen to tapes when you sleep your subconcious actually learns and retains. I figure if I ram enough volume brainward some will surely catch on the odd neural protrusion.

Last night was the Healing Room and I had another of my BGO's. That stand for 'blinding glimpse of the obvious'. We were praying for a person with diabetes and I suddenly saw/felt all the ways the enemy had used to steal from this person via this affliction. Everything from stealing years of life to stealing hopes for marriage and children, hopes for normal physcial existence and hopes for joyfulness again. I saw how sickness truly steals, kills and destroys at all levels, not just the physical.

It was a BGO, but it enlarged my awareness of sickness and the roots of it. I think it clarified the fact that sickness just isn't OK in the life of the believer and that my response to it couldn't be nonchalant. One thing about the devil is that he is true to form - lies, stealing, destroying, killing, and one thing about God is that he is true to form too - truth, restoring, redeeming, giving life.

Praise God, from whom all blessings flow.
Pa

Capital

I must admit I have been wondering about becoming as sick as I did. I know this is getting boring and everybody gets sick but I don't get sick like that and I've been turning it over in my mind. A couple of people have said it's due to my stepping out in the healing room, or preaching like I knew what I was saying, and that the enemy attacked.

The 'attack' thing is well worn in charismatic circles and I don't really care to listen to it as the source of all woe in our lives but it does hold true from time to time and can't be ignored as an option.

Another brother thought it might be the Lord bringing my immunity up to speed, so to speak. Since I so rarely get sick he felt it might be a time of immunization, after which I would experience another long period of freedom from sickness. I love free thinkers like that.

I think maybe I'll just go with the Proverb of the times: Whatever doesn't kill you makes you stronger - and leave it at that. Still, I wonder about it...

Ma and I were out shopping today. Christmas is well warped to North American capitalistic culture and I, being a capitalist, enjoy spending capital. I don't try to mix my religion and my capitalistic flesh and just plain out enjoy the material side of Christmas. The spiritual side is better, of course, but the material side is fun too. You can mix them and make it all work together if you really need to. I only wish I had tons of money and could just buy whatever I see for people.

I saw a really nice ice fishing tent that I might just buy for me. Not because I deserve it but because I have capital and can buy it if I want. I also saw a really nice LOOK bike for $4,300 and an Norco for $3,000. I'm impressed by the Norco machine, not a brand you'd equate with high end bikes but a company giving it a whirl. Go Canada. Both these bikes are half the price of the bike I'd buy if I had more capital than I could spend as quickly as I normally can and are contenders for 'tom's new bike'.

I need a new bike and it has been prophesied that I shall have one. The prophecy said it would be red and the LOOK bike was a nice shiny red. At times like these I have no problem mixing my religion and my capitalistic flesh because my religion can now serve a very important purpose, that of obtaining a new bike. It's gotta be good for something doesn't it??

Christmas is fun. Make sure you have some and don't spare the capital. Lots more where that came from. This is especially important if you are a citizen of the USA. Spend lots of money and get your economy going, you're in big trouble down there. It's up to you Christians.

Pa

Left Behind

Being too sick and weak to make the foray to the movie theater to watch TLWW I have been left behind. Ma headed out with all the kids and for once doesn't have to compete with me for popcorn, we being the kind of people who only buy one bag between the two of us, and double the butter if you please.

I am not too weak to paint with my usual genius and have just done the second round of masterstrokes on a painting I have entitled Creative Redemption Acts Portrayed, or CRAP for short. The only thing I like about it is the shiny silver paint that catches the light when I hold it just right. And yes, TW, I will let it speak to me.

Speak O Toothless One! Declare your muse. Sing of the wonder you contain. Rouse yourself to glories of revelation. You who are no more than pigment and paper. Find voice! Utter forth!

I promise to send pictures and a full text of the speech.
Pa

To Tylenol

Tylenol Blue, Tylenol Blue,
I am most grateful for the things that you do.

Tylenol Yellow, Tylenol Yellow
During the day I'm a much happier fellow.

From where comes your wondrous power?
And how does it continue, hour by hour?

Thank you for seeing me through the valley of death,
I was sure I was drawing my last ragged breath.

You tackled the fever, wrassled the pain,
Helped me to sleep, helped me maintain.

So here's to you, Tylenol, I drink to your name,
And I pray I will never need you again.

We love...

Poor Tom is still pretty sick but we keep praying for a speedy recovery. It is ironic that he is too sick to pray for healing in the healing room tonight. Kayle is going to take his place.

Friends who have been missionaries in east asia came for a visit yesterday. We were able to hear about their adventures ( they have 5 kids so that adds to the fun) and to pray for them. It was such fun to see them. We have been praying for them and in contact through emails for 5 years and had met only briefly before that. We feel amazing connection with them though and felt as if they were well known family when they walked through the door. I love the family God has given us and it is cool to connect through this blog now. Thanks for welcoming us in! Priscilla I love your writing and the way you communicate your love. I wish more people knew of their "position in Christ" the way you do. We would truly be world changing history makers if we walked out of that position...knowing His incredible love for us.

could we with ink the ocean fill
and were the skies of parchment made
were every stalk on earth a quill
and every man a scribe by trade
to write the love of God above
would drain the ocean dry
nor could the scroll contain the whole
though stretched from sky to sky.

We love because he loved us first.

Sicko, Sicko, Sicko

So here it is - I fought the sickness all night, got up an preached about healing then prayed for the sick, then came hope and am once again in battle against that spirit with the needle that keeps sticking deep into my joints and grinding against the bones.

There is a train of thought in the church that says as long as I don't actually say the words of sickness or say I am sick that the affliction cannot take root. That's like prophesying things that are as if they are not, which is not prophesy and has no effect.

So I'm telling you I'm a Sicko. But I am being healed and am prophesying over my body things that are not as if they are (I'm sick but I prophesy healing). I won't come into agreement with the sickness (although maybe I just did) but have opened the door and am trying to kick it out.

Due to the deep aching I had to hit the bathtub at full temperature. Ma thought I overdid it but the man with the needle couldn't take it and had to get out. Unfortunately, my 6'3" frame does not easily fit into any bathtub, and the fact that my legs are about 4 feet long doesn't help. There's always a random assortment of joints sticking above the water for the needle man.

I just thought of the plunge pools at Fairmont Hot Springs where you jump in the one that is almost boiling for about thirty seconds then plunge in the one that has a skim of ice on it. That's what I need right now! The last time I did it my heart almost locked up on me but the needle man would be defeated!

Here's to health and a magnificent week of increase for you.
Pa

Today's the day

I preach/teach today at church (hopefully a bit of both) and, once again, it was an interesting ride. This time it was a never ending parade of revelation, right up until this morning. The Lord pointed out stuff continually as the weeks went by and it really helped my initial outline.

I'm teaching on healing and one clear thing the Lord pointed out was that the nature of the Kingdom (I'm doing a 'healing in the Kingdom' type thing) is always advancement and always increase. I listened to a few Bill Johnson sermons over the past while and heard him saying exactly, and I mean exactly, what the Lord had pointed out to me.

So often in healing we position ourselves for decrease. As Todd Bentley says, 'People don't get healed because they like being sick'. What he means is that we don't actively position ourselves for healing but for sickness. I happened to get very sick yesterday, with deep pain in my body and a fever but I felt God telling me to resist, resist, resist and not agree with it. It was an object lesson. In the middle of the night I could feel that my heart beat was quite elevated and I thought, "This sickness is really affecting my heartrate". Then suddenly I thought, "Wait a minute...my heartrate is affecting this sickness, I am being healed not becoming sick". Semantics? Could be, but Todd is right, we think sick first.

I see nothing but increase when I look at the healings of Jesus. Never do I see decrease. The only time I see him talking about decrease is when he takes away from the unfaithful to give to the faithful (i.e. the talents). The faithful always position themselves for increase.

In healing, when you're 10% healed you need to get really excited because the Kingdom of God is upon you. And if the Kingdom is upon you the healing will increase.

One last thing. Do you notice that we have the increase thing down to a science when it comes to money? Lots of wild and wacky teachings there and lots of excitement about financial increase. Need to move that over to healing too.

Pa

Destiny or Dissing

You got a choice; you can keep on dissing or you can start calling destiny. Dissing everything is easier and makes the flesh go all proud, destiny is harder because you might have to do some work to get there.

I gave this word at church about the Lord calling men to Purity and Mr Diss-head said to me, "I wish it were that easy, the church sucks at helping men in this area". Hey, thanks for the radical faith statment, hope you do better on the sermon.

Mr Destiny, eyes seeing into another realm entirely and looking right through me spake thus: "It's my dream to work with men in this area and to learn to walk together as warriors". Preach it Brother; somebody find this guy a microphone so he can start busting up men's hearts right now.

Hey, Mr Diss-face! Get your sad ass over here and listen up. Mr Destiny has something to say to you. He's got ears that hear and eyes that see so pay attention.

I think it's a born again problem. You cannot SEE the Kingdom of God unless you are born again. And that doesn't mean SEE when you get to heaven, it means see right now.

Should have seen that guy's eyes......... really gone on a trip to the beyond. Don't touch him, he's not really here right now. Might disappear altogether since it's only his body standing here.

The rest of him is in the Age to Come walking around with Destiny. He'll be back before long, but not before he gets a fire in his heart for what he sees and feels and knows is true. Then watch out. You can't stop a man that knows his destiny.

Pa

A weekend at home.

I am a little nervous about posting my first "blog", especially after the wonderful posts from Pa who has a beautiful way with words and crafts them with wisdom, insight and inspiration. But he is Pa and I am Ma... so here goes:
It is cold and snowy here now ( always safe to talk about the weather!). That reminds me of the conversation I had on Saturday with Katieanne about snow tires! Actually it was not really a conversation but a laughasation. Nothing terribly funny either but I always laugh when I hear her or am near her and it is good. Speaking of being near someone I had a very cool experience at the gathering of Artists at Aaron and Bobbie's place on Friday night. (It was an awesome meeting by the way and I was blown away by the passion and giftedness of those present, so proud and amazed at them all that I could have wept... and did a little bit!) But back to the "cool experience": I felt your presence Trisha Wheeler! It was as if you were actually sitting there with us all and I could feel your joy and that you were excited about what God was doing and were generally just cheering everybody on. It was truly amazing! Thanks for your prayers.
So that was Friday night. On Saturday I went to a garden centre with Bobbie and we had so much fun picking out Pointsettias and some other gifts (because we are well into the Christmas shopping and hoping to be well out of it by this week~!). Anyway I got a HUGE pink Pointsettia and it is so beautiful!
Saturday night Pa and I went to see "Pride and Prejudice". He is so great being willing to see that type of movie with me. I loved it. We saw the trailer for Chronicles of Narnia and I am so excited to see that movie. I reread all the books in anticipation so I am ready!
Sunday was fun too. Aaron and Bobbie came for lunch and stayed also for supper. (Pa's pancakes Yum... actually pancakes are not my favourite supper but I would choose having them cooked for me over cooking something myself any time. And as pancakes go, Pa makes the best! Andy you will taste them for yourself on Christmas morning! )
Another highlight of the weekend was decorating gingerbread men with Bobbie. Actually they were decorated with icing but Bobbie helped me! She is so creative I do about 10 in the time it takes her to do one but hers are awesome. I will eat some for you all!
I have to bake a couple more things soon so we can send some to Geordie and Stef. I will sure miss having them around for Christmas. First Christmas ever without Geord. WAAAAA!
I must get to bed now although I may not have to get up early for my morning run. My cut off temperature is minus 25 and it is supposed to be minus 29 with the wind chill!

Give you Joy

Give you joy, and welcome aboard.

I'm not a big reader of fiction but I can read historical fiction and just picked up another novel by Patrick O'Brian set in the era when Britannia ruled the waves. I think it's my 8th in his series of 18 or so.

Everyone has a creative gift in them and I find mine coming out when I read this type of fiction. I'm lost aboard the ship, sails set or guns blazing, lost in the history of an era well past but somehow still resonating inside of me. I love the pictures of leadership, decisive action and duty to the King (King George I think). And I love the language: 'give you joy' is a greeting given to everyone coming on board the vessel.

Interestingly, each Man of War ship had a Parson aboard, charged to see the souls of all the men through, be it to heaven should they perish in battle, or back to their homeland should they survive, without falling into grevious sin in either case. Church was rigged each Sunday on the foredeck where the men turned out in their best suit of clothing, sang hymns and listened to the word preached.

Sailors were incredibly superstitious, believing in such things as the spirit of Jonah which was manifest in a disastrous voyage where the whole ship was imperiled. The 'Jonah' had to be found out and quitely tossed over the side before the Parson could catch you, or, better yet, be convinced to jump over on his own accord.

I hope to meet some of these Parsons in heaven some day. You'll find us sitting down by the docks chatting away while the tall ships sit silent in the harbour. Join in, you'll have lots of time to hear stories from an age where men were perhaps more gallant and certainly more durable. And ready to die for King and country.

Pa