It’s really not such a random thought. I was drinking some coffee this morning and looking out on the mountains that surround my house. The sun was shining (Thank God) and it was all pretty euphoric. It got me thinking about how much I’m going to miss living in the middle of nowhere and fairly high in the mountains. Me and my peeps have been discussing how different everything is going to be when we all get to San Francisco. You take a place like Moravian Falls and juxtapose it to San Francisco and more than likely your brain will explode. I think it would be safe to say that, at least within the US, that there are not two more different places. While I was in a bit of hurry to get out of here not too long ago, I think I need to take some time and enjoy where I am. Hopefully, it will continue to warm up and I can get some fishing in.

Sometimes we forget to just enjoy life. I don’t want to get to the end of my life and be content with my accomplishments, but regret not stopping to enjoy and appreciate the world around me, the people around me. That’s something that I need to work on. If I’m not careful, I’ll take for granted the life that I’ve been able to live over the past 3 years. I’ve found that sometimes I’m so focused on what’s ahead of me that I lose track of what’s in front of me. Sure, I’m super pumped about the new life that God is taking us to, but the amount of just chilling I’ve been able to do has been a gift. I think a lot of that is going to change. I should use the next couple of months to be more aware. If I can’t noticed the fingerprint of God in the midst of nothing, would I really have a chance at seeing it in the midst of everything? Probably not. Sometimes you just gotta stop and smell the roses.

Next stop: inspiration.

Tonight is also Lost night. (WARNING: If you haven’t been keeping up and you want to, stop reading this paragraph.) It’s a Ben focused episode. I’ve been waiting for this. Ever since Black-Smoke-Monster-Lock showed up, Ben’s realized that he’s just been a pawn. The writers must realize that his character can’t just be a pansy for the rest of the season. I’m hoping he finds a way to be the guy everyone loves to hate again.

I posted the following comic series through Facebook as it was published, but I wanted to share it with my blog community. I actually got permission from Scott Johnson, the author and creator of MyExtraLife.com, to include them in my book. They are absolutely incredible. It’s really cool to see people step outside the norm of their creative process. Scott’s web-comic is usually focused on video games and gaming culture, but he took a couple of weeks to put this together. Great stuff, Scott.

A lot of people have been asking me what the book is about. I’ll let you know when I do. Right now the word document is called, thenewbook.doc I’ll eventually have to change that. I’m thinking about posting a snippet of it to the blog. I’m the kind of guy who is always looking for feedback, but I’m also the kind of guy who likes surprises.

To all of you who have either a passing interest or an enthusiastic passion concerning our plotting and planning for San Francisco: I’m going to try and put up a new video the next couple of days. Anyway, just wanted to say hello world… I’m alive and well. Much love.

My brother always provides me with good content when I don’t time to search for stuff on my own. Today’s inspiration is no exception. This is a music video from Aaron Ivey which features a song that is inspired by his adopted children. It’s really moving and some of the best stuff I’ve heard in a while. Enjoy.

I think this is my last day this time around. I might come back up to this cabin tomorrow, but my wife and my dog miss me something terribly. I don’t know which is more depressed.

In order to clear my mind at night, I’ve been watching this show called “The Colony” from the Discovery Channel. The first season is over, so you’d have to catch it on DVD or Netflix. The premise is that about 10 people are taken to an abandoned industrial district of Los Angeles and surrounded my a reality that depicts a post-apocalyptic world scenario. The group must set up a “colony” in an old warehouse and create a living environment from the resources they find around them. Food, water and even packs of marauders are their main concerns. Don’t expect too much in the way of reality. They are pretty much set up with an ideal scenario. The people involved include a doctor, ER nurse, rocket scientist, a handyman that would put McGyver to shame, ex-Croatian military and mechanical engineer, computer and mechanical specialist, martial-arts expert, ex-con/general contractor, etc. It’s interesting to watch the engineering skills of almost everyone involved. From building a shower (not the scarcity of water), to electricity, to a “battle truck” and even a radio transmitter.

It got me thinking. (And, please…. please, do not take this idea seriously and run with it.) How hilarious would it be to do a reality show where you place a bunch of Christians in the same scenario, except that the scenario is the Biblical last days being played out. Me and a friend would be willing to dress up as Moses and Elijah in order to see the response. I’ve got the beard, a little dye and bam! I guess it would be a good idea if we wanted to inflict further injury to our cause.

inspire.

I’m listening to a podcast for the purpose of research, but I don’t have to listen very closely. My fingers get antsy and I start ghost-typing the words from my speakers. I decided it would be a better use of my time to write a quick blog.

This book I’m doing is going in a place that I didn’t expect. When it comes to the practicality of book writing, I’ve been told that one of the most important aspects of the process begins when you consider your audience. “They” also say that you want to make your audience pool as large as possible, while still sticking to the core of your message. It looks like this project is going to take a dip into a larger pool that I first thought. I’m hoping that no matter your background or spiritual affiliation that it will speak to you.

Before I even began the process, I was looking for some fresh inspiration when it comes the flow of my writing. For most of my friends in ministry, the tone and progression of their writing is familiar to me, but isn’t really what I’m going for. I guess I have my own tone and flow, but it’s always advantageous to look at what good writers are doing. I know I’m more than a little late to the party on this, but I picked up Donald Miller’s A Million Miles in a Thousand Years through my trusty Kindle for PC application. I remember the praise for Blue Like Jazz, some years back, but it often takes me a while to catch up with popular trends. I have to say that I am more than a little inspired by this guy. I feel him, you dig?

Anyway, you should check it out. Be inspired and much love to you and yours.

In my previous blog I described my different tastes in music over my lifetime and how they continually evolve. In the same way, my understanding of my life’s purpose has seemed to take the same course. The difference is that I am able to look back over my walk with God and pinpoint exact moments where my focus and understanding shifted and that shift led me to a better understanding of where I was being led. Somewhat like a connect-the-dots puzzle. My journey hasn’t been plotted with random pit stops, but rather intended destinations that cannot be skipped.

I always encourage those I am mentoring to pinpoint moments in their life where they said to themselves, “I could do this for the rest of my life” and then find a way to do that for the rest of their life. While I have somewhat accomplished many things in my short time walking my journey, I have never actually walked in the true place of my passion. I have encountered moments of where my heart connects with something deeper than excitement or happiness, but there has not been a sustained season of actually both being and functioning as I was created to. I believe I am about to finally step into the place where that happens.

This past August (2009), something happened to me overnight. I am usually able to explain these moments with some semblance of insight, but to this day this one eludes me. I’m not sure exactly what happened, but I went to bed one man and I woke up another. When I arrived to my home in Moravian Falls, NC from the trip that I had been on, both my mind and my heart began to swim with new vision and previously unimagined possibilities. The journey that I had been on for a year and a half prior seemed to be coming to a head and finally making sense. Why had God branded me with this message of love? What was I supposed to do with it? Why did everywhere I look, I saw needed change without the wherewithal to do anything about it? Why did I find myself so frustrated with what I was doing? I felt out of place in ministry. I felt disconnected with my peers in ministry and even with the people that I was ministering to. Overnight, it made sense. If I was going to be used to create change, I had to make radical change myself. A message becomes a reformation when that message becomes reality in the culture around us. If was I going to be an agent for reformation, I had to begin to reform. If I was going to reform, I needed to go the place where that reformation could take place. I knew that we would have to move. I also knew that I would have to change both the structure and focus of Awake as a ministry. The problem was, it was all still theory. I didn’t know where to go or what to do. Thus, the greatest place of frustration I have ever been in began. Have you ever felt that you were on the brink of lifechanging breakthrough, yet you couldn’t see the means for it? That was until the first week of December.

Let’s back up a bit. In 2006 I was on my way to Santa Rosa, California.  I had rented a car at the San Francisco airport and was making the hour drive to Santa Rosa. As I crossed the Golden Gate bridge I heard the voice of God deep in my spirit. He said to me, “If you want to change a culture, go to the cultural center. If you want to see grace run rampant, go the place that needs grace the most.” When Lori and I left Canada in 2007, the Lord reminded of His word to me concerning San Francisco. I asked the Lord if we should go there, in fact we almost did. Although we knew North Carolina was our place for that time. This past December I was in San Diego speaking at a couple of churches and visiting our friends Jerame and Miranda Nelson. We were at lunch one day and I was talking to them about our changes desires and our frustration with where God was calling us to implement this new vision. Jerame reminded me of the word God gave me concerning San Francisco, immediately and without warning, I looked at my wife…. “We’re moving to San Francisco aren’t we?” She smiled and said, “I think so.” That was it. Which brings me to today.

We’re moving to San Francisco. There I said it. Over the past two month, we have been praying, thinking and somewhat planning. I have never felt so excited and so alive in my life. One of the most important aspects of discovering your purpose is discovering the people that you are called to. Until that point, you will never understand and walk in the fullness of that calling. I know this is my place. God tried to launch this message of love once there and I believe there is a people who are ready to fulfill that call in that city. This is where some of you come into play. The following are two videos that I made to send out to a few of our close friends and family. I am posting these for everyone now. The most important part of our initial strategy involves the building of a team to come with us. This call isn’t just for anyone and we don’t expect just anyone to drop their lives and move to San Francisco, but it is for some. We cannot do this without an initial core group of people to say, “I not only believe in your heart and vision, it is my heart and vision.” It’s not about following a ministry to a place to help them, it’s about following YOUR destiny. It’s important that we’re surrounded with people that have various gifts and talents. It’s going to take all of us. You will know if it’s you. God’s faithful like that.

I’m also going to include a video clip that I found two weeks ago. It comes from a night that I was speaking in Florida in 2008. You never know what God is showing you.

At the end of this month we are going to San Francisco for a few days to do a little more specific planning and to meet with some local leaders. After that trip, we will know more specifics. I’ll be blogging the whole time, so look forward to it. If you want to talk more with me, hit me up on Facebook.

It’s going to be an amazing ride and I can’t wait to ride it with some of you. Like one of my favorite artists, Kristene Mueller said, “Keep hoping St. Francis, you’ll be a free man yet. You’ll see the sun shine again over your city streets.”

As you might can tell, this phase didn’t last very long. At least not until my Columbia House 10 CDs for a penny deal ran out.

Another childhood phase originated in the form of a movie. Well, not “a” movie, but rather “the” movie. “Back to the Future” solidified my belief that Michael J. Fox was the raddest guy on the planet. It also introduced me to “The Power of Love”. Not in a weird way, but in a Huey Lewis and the News type way. That Christmas I received a Pocket Rocker. With my brand new rocker was a single mini-tape which contained two songs, one one on each side. Side A: The Bangles “Walk Like an Egyptian” and on Side B: Huey Lewis and the News “The Power of Love”. My childhood was complete.

Like most young Mississippi natives, middle-school and early high-school centered around country music. To this day, one might could find my wife and I stopping the dial on a country station during a long drive from Mississippi. It’s interesting to note that we can still sing most every song. My favorite country musician was and always will be, George Strait. In fact, I liked George Strait so much that I got a Jeep Wrangler and personalized the license plate with STR8 HED. No, I’m not kidding.  I don’t have many high-school memories that do not involve George Strait’s box set as the soundtrack.

My late high-school years, as well as my short-lived college years were mostly fueled by illegal substances. As with most people who venture into the world of drugs, my musical tastes quickly changed. Jam bands and even 1960’s rock & roll became my forte.  My favorite band was Widespread Panic. I not only listened to these guys, I followed their every move. I could even go as far as to tell you what their set lists were during an entire month of touring. I really can’t listen to these guys anymore, but I would have to say that their musical ability was incredible.

At the age of 20, I had an encounter with God that changed everything. Musically, I locked myself away from most anything other than worship music. I quickly found that music is what helped me connect to God. It was easy for me to enter the spirit through music inspired by God. The first book I ever read after my conversion experience was entitled, “No Compromise: The Life Story of Keith Green“. I know the full title because that book is within arms reach even now. In fact, I would say that the inspiration of Keith Green in my life means more today then it did even then. Between two of my favorite musical people, Keith Green and Jason Upton, my early days of growing and learning were packed with inspirational sounds.

In January of 2006, I was coaxed into attending a concert in Vancouver, BC. This one night changed my life. I mean that sincerely. God birthed in me a brand new perspective on music and began a journey within me that I wasn’t expecting. Some friends of mine wanted me to go see this group that I had never heard of and I really wasn’t into going. I was content with Keith and Jason and really didn’t want to pollute myself. As I sat through the opening act sulking, I was half expecting to fall asleep and half expecting to need to perform deliverance on half the people around me. During the intermission before the main act, I thought about sneaking out a side door when suddenly I heard this sound. I looked down onto the stage to see where the sound was coming from. Although only a few lights shone from the platform, the band had taken stage. I was perplexed. There was something familiar about that sound. In fact there was something godly on it. I was confused. Had I somehow stumbled into a time or worship? Or could God actually rest on what some would call “secular” sounds? I set in awe through the entire show. I even looked at Lori and said, “Can you feel that?”. That band was Coldplay.

Which really brings  me to the present. My musical tastes are so varied now that it’s difficult to nail down. I fall back on some old favorites often and I find new favorites through great sites such as Last.FM. Recently I came across a young girl doing an acoustic cover of a Lady GaGa song. I must preface this by saying that I am not a Lady GaGa fan to say the least. In fact when I happen to get one of her songs in my head I’ll usually tune into children’s television in order to replace it with Barney or the Backyardigans. I have to say, this girl does this song a favor. She’s got something special and I though I would share this gem that I found with you. Her name is Juliana Daily. If your tastes haven’t changed in a while, give something new a try. Be inspired.

“In this life we cannot do great things. We can only do small things with great love.”

This got me thinking about some of my favorite quotes from Mother Teresa that I looked up not too long ago. I believe this woman has a lot to teach us on the subject of love. If we are to help spawn a movement who’s soul purpose is the love of God and the love of people, then we have to be willing to rethink our entire belief system. When pure divine love enters, all of a sudden our faith begins to take on a new form. For instance:

“Do not think that love, in order to be genuine, has to be extraordinary. What we need is to love without getting tired.”

1 Corinthians 13, probably one of the most famous chapters in the Bible, speaks of the nature and effects of love. Over the past few years this passage has not only become central to my life’s message, but has also taken on a new form. While I once read, “Love suffers long and is kind”, as a command in order to love, I now realize that patience and kindness is actually a bi-product of love. In other words, love causes patience. The type of love that changes the world, isn’t the love that is applauded in the newspapers, but rather the love that never fails. It is love that perseveres through the darkness.

“Being unwanted, unloved, uncared for, forgotten by everybody, I think that is a much greater hunger, a much greater poverty than the person who has nothing to eat.”

The alleviation of poverty has become a central idea when it comes to love. We see people without food, shelter and water and something within our hearts aches. We gather up clothing and send it to the homeless. We pack containers of food and send it to war-torn countries. While this is well and good, I believe the greatest poverty lies in both the slums of Africa as well as the skyscrapers of New York City. The poverty of love.

“Everytime you smile at someone, it is an action of love, a gift to that person, a beautiful thing.”

I’ve had a running joke when I speak that the next great move of God will be a smiling movement. While I say it jokingly, I’m actually attempting to use humor as a catalyst for thought. Many of you might not have the opportunity to share my vantage point when it comes to gatherings within the Church. I’m able to see the entire crowd. It seems that the “seriousness of the Gospel” has gotten our panties in a wad. What’s the deal with all the frowning? I would say that it’s simply our emotional response to what we are feeling. Until we each experience divine love, it’s difficult to portray love in our hearts. I actually do believe that we are coming to a time where smiling will be a common occurrence and that simple act will change the world.

“I am a little pencil in the hand of a writing God who is sending a love letter to the world.”

While I am the first to extend the dream that you can change the world, I feel that we have begun to believe that that dream requires us to be famous. We’ve forgotten that our love is not meant to write our names on the hearts of man, but rather His name.

“I try to give to the poor people for love what the rich could get for money. No, I wouldn’t touch a leper for a thousand pounds; yet I willingly cure him for the love of God.”

Paul McCartney once wrote, “I don’t care too much for money, money can’t buy me love.”  There’s an common question that goes something like this, “For a million dollars, would you….” It’s somewhat thought provoking and entertaining to mentally test our limits when it comes to money. The truth is that where even money has its limits, love has no limits. Love will cause you to do crazy things. It becomes less of a choice and more of a reaction. A must. Like laying aside your deity and dying on a cross.

“I have found the paradox, that if you love until it hurts, there can be no more hurt, only more love.”

This I’m trying to learn. There comes a place in love, where the butterflies and ooey gooey’s come less often. Our modern society would say that this is the time to call it quits and move on. I believe this is the place where love is actually built. “Push through the pain”, they say. I would agree. Love eventually has a soothing effect. While everything around you says “no”, love says, “yes”.

“If we have no peace, it is because we have forgotten that we belong to each other.”

Due to the fact that this blog is already somewhat lengthy, I will have to restrain myself. I could go on for days on this one quote. I can only say that this statement, along with the early Church’s example, I believe to be the key to our reformation. My destiny is wrapped up in yours. My life is wrapped up in yours. This mentality breeds love.

“If you judge people, you have no time to love them.”

How true it is. While I said that the previous quote is the key to our being reformed into Christlikeness, I believe this one to be just as important. We spend so much time standing against people, that we lose track of loving them. We are more known for what we are against, rather than what we are for. Love covers sin. If we truly want to stand for righteousness, we must simply stand for love.

During some of my recent messages, I’ve been mentioning the life of Mother Teresa, the Albanian Catholic nun who spent most of her life ministering to the sick and poor of Calcutta, India. Both during and her life and subsequent, many have questioned the validity of Mother Teresa’s faith due to personal writings that expressed questions within her soul pertaining to her experience with and belief in God. It’s also interesting to note that one of the our great heroes of faith, King David, has his questions of faith recorded within our Book of Faith.

Questions are our key to truly understanding God. Without questioning that which we believe, truth is never held up to a mirror to see if what we believe to be true actually is. As I always say, truth can stand in the face of any scrutiny. It seems that one of our key spiritual principles found in scripture is mostly shied away from. That key is understanding. Throughout the Bible, mainly Proverbs, the idea of not only having knowledge of life and God, but actually understanding life and God is vital to our spiritual health. While wrestlings of the soul, to us, seem to be quite unhealthy, I’ve found that it is those “dark nights of the soul” that eventually lead to the light of truth. It is in our nature, as followers, to simply hear an idea and believe it. While some would call this “true faith” I would say that this is simply faith in what man has said. If we are to actually come to grips with what we believe and have that belief planted within our hearts, then questioning what we believe is imperative.  See my earlier blog on Repentance and the Scientific Method. God is the only one who can actually lead us into all truth.

Ok, one more.

“I know God will not give me anything I can’t handle. I just wish that He didn’t trust me so much.”

This is my official Mother Teresa quote for the day. Be inspired. Much love.

See you tomorrow!

Hi Craig,
I was at Dunamis in São Paulo…not sure u will remember me anyway…
I want to tell u what has happened…. in only one week

At the firt day of Dunamis, Lord used u to wake me up, and He brought me back to him..

My testimony is pretty much like urs, i grew up in the church but got distante because never had a experience with God before, got involved with drogs, and i was addicted to cigarrets as well…. always belived and prayed but i knew i wasnt doing teh right thing…

And at that Wednesday u prayed, God talked through you, and liberated me from those addicitions and filled me with his love.

Since than i havent smoke, i have tryed to stop many times before but i felt my body craving for nicotine,my heart acelerating. but now i didnt feel that because God broke it!!

So the next day i felt hungry for MORE LOVE MORE GOD and kept coming back i went back every day and God gave me a lot of blessing and opened my eyes and ears.

Resuming through a friend that brought me to dunamis then through u and then through me God brought back my hole family back to him,
i just told then how diferent i was, that the LOVE was so strong, and they felt and they saw it and they wanted it back…

My family was going a part, everyone far from the Lord, we r in 7 total, My parents was nearly divorcing, one of my brothers left home because a big argument, and me and my other 2 sisters wasnt friends any more and really into the world things, u know night clubs, many boyfriends, drogs..

But now, victory is ours.. after a lot of pray my parents remembered how much they love each other, my brother come back home, me and my sisters even feel like going out to night clubs and no drogs, because he fell us up.. hehehe…we r full of love, full of God…many more things happened but if i tell u everything i will need another 3 pages! We cant stop loving God we r all the time praying we r all the time praising, and we want to be used and we want to to this revolution!! my sisters r having vesions, the god is telling us thing thrue my mother mouth when she prays, i can hear good talking to me many times of the day and thrue many dreams…
THE REVOLUTION OF LOVE IS HAPPENING my family is the prove alive!

i´m so hungry that i bought the course through ur web site School of Prophetic Awakening.

GOD IS AWESOME GOD!! I THANK HIM FOR UR LIFE!