Going Deeper
Last night at the house of prayer, I saw a vision that impacted me in a powerful way. The intercessory team had felt that God wanted to impart joy. As worship leader for the evening, I had also chosen songs that dealt with our identity in Christ as the Bride. This vision took place before the worship set started, as we were “soaking”, and the prayer leader, Ali, was prophesying about our sonship, over very soft music. He was seeing images of us as God’s children getting messy in a happy feast.
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Posted by Vesper on May 18th, 2010 in Dreams and Visions, Going Deeper, May 2010 | 1 Comment »
A very awkward drawing of this vision. :)
I had a vision at the house of prayer on Monday, May 10. It went a little something like this.
I was looking over the room, and people were worshiping rather quietly, heavily, when in through the back windows came a thick mist or cloud, that hovered close to the ceiling. To the people who were in a place in their hearts to receive what the Lord was saying to them, these funnels came down from the cloud, like little tornadoes. There were lightning and thunder all through the cloud above. The tornadoes did several things. (more…)
Posted by Vesper on May 18th, 2010 in Dreams and Visions, Going Deeper, May 2010 | 2 Comments »
Wow, that’s audacious. But it’s true. Here is a simple truth for your day: that God receives our love.
This is one of the most profound truths that has been revealed to me over the past two years. I mean, think of it. God commands us to love Him. We know that. But in my years of walking as a Christian, my concept of loving God was something I did badly all the time, and so to be safe, I’d better not ever say “I love you” to God. I could say “Thank You”, “I worship You”, “You are good”, etc. But to actually say “I love You” seemed like the highest hypocrisy. (more…)
Posted by Vesper on February 8th, 2010 in February 2010, Going Deeper | No Comments »
I’m reading a book called “The Fire Within”, which is about St. Teresa of Avila and St. John of the Cross and their prayer lives. It fits with what God is doing in my heart right now. I feel God’s reality, love and presence like I may never have felt before. I don’t know when I’ve ever felt this clear and open confidence in the Lord. In reading about Teresa, I feel I recognize her as such a kindred spirit–feisty but so keenly aware of God’s mercy and great love; intolerant of B.S. but knowing she has been forgiven much. I hope these quotes bless you and kindle within you more and more love of God.
“It seemed my soul wanted to leave my body because it didn’t fit there nor could it wait for so great a good. The impulse was so extreme I couldn’t help myself, and it was, in my opinion, different from precious impulses; nor did my soul know what had happened, nor what it wanted, so stirred up was it. Although I was seated, I tried to lean against the wall because my natural power was completely gone…The glory of this rapture was extraordinary. I remained for the rest of Pentecost so stupefied and stunned I didn’t know what to do with myself, or how I had the capacity for so great a favor and gift. I neither heard nor saw, so to speak, but experienced wonderful interior joy. I noted from that day the greatest improvement in myself brought about by a more sublime love of God and much stronger virtues.”
“…This time the Lord desired that I see the vision in the following way: the angel was not large but small; he was very beautiful, and his face was so aflame that he seemed to be one of those very sublime angels that appear to be all afire. They must belong to those they call the cherubim, for they didn’t tell me their names. But I see clearly that in heaven there is so much difference between some angels and others and between these latter and still others that i wouldn’t know how to explain it. I saw in his hands a large golden dart and at the end of the iron tip there appeared to be a little fire. It seemed to me this angel plunged the dart several times into my heart and that it reached deep within me. When he drew it out, I thought he was carrying off with him the deepest part of me; and he left me all on fire with great love of God.”
Posted by Vesper on November 22nd, 2009 in Going Deeper, Sharing Jesus, Women to Watch | No Comments »
Time was, when the pastorate was something that fine, respectable families sent their children off to do; it was a mark of honor on the family to say that their child was becoming a priest or pastor. Maybe that had to do with the rigorous study involved; kind of like having a “My Child is an Honor Student at XYZ School” bumper sticker. (And if I had a bumper sticker, it’d probably be the “My Kid Beat Up Your Honor Student” one. OK, well, I digress.) My point is that I think those days are over. The days of ministry as a symbol of respectability and achievement, and yes, of power, are being replaced by a new paradigm. It’s one we’ve heard of before, but I believe that the rubber is about to hit the road. These are the days of servant leadership.
When I say this, take it with a huge grain of salt–try to forget the messenger for a minute. I’m so at the beginning stages of this, that it’s only 1% past theory for me. But it’s something that God is pressing home. (more…)
Posted by Vesper on June 10th, 2009 in Going Deeper, May 2009, States of Life | No Comments »
The Five Fold Ministry: Individuals, part of a whole.
“The seasons of our ministries is over. It’s the hour of Christ and the corporate manifestation of Him in us.” –Allen Hood
When I had been a Christian for just a few months, I was sitting on a greyhound bus, and the Lord spoke to me as clear as day: “Denominations are not going to matter. People are going to unite under the banner of Christ.” I understood that to mean that denominations would still exist, but that people would not define themselves by them as they had in the past. And I can tell you–I wonder if you agree–that since I became a Christ-follower 15 years ago, that is most definitely true. I think that happens when people meet the Man first, and not just his messengers. He’s irresistible–a huge cornerstone–to fall upon or be crushed by. And I think that when we meet Him, we see less and less of ourselves, while at the same time he makes us more and more who we are.
The Five Fold Ministry
God has been bringing the “five-fold ministry” to my mind, and I’m going to post a couple of entries about it. Ephesians 4 says that when Christ ascended, he gave some gifts to people: the gifts to be apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers. Some people may have more than one of these–and it’s possible that some may have none of these. I don’t think this list is exhaustive, but it has an important purpose, which I’ll discuss in part 2. In any case, I believe that the Lord is awakening and honing people; awakening them to their callings and mandates, because a time is coming, yea, is already here, when we are going to need to know exactly which direction to move in; which area to put our energies in. (more…)
Posted by Vesper on April 30th, 2009 in April 2009, Going Deeper, States of Life | 4 Comments »
Jacob's Dream
Psalm 91:1 He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.
The “secret place of the Most High” spoken of in Psalm 91 is the place where God meets with man.
Recently I was directed in a book I was reading to look at the usage of the word “place” in Gen. 28:10-19, and based on that passage to look at what might be the characteristics of the “place” where God meets with man.
The passage deals with Jacob and God. We first hear of this man Jacob in Genesis 25. Jacob is the son of Isaac who is the son of Abraham. Often in the OT we see God referred to as “The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob”.
Abraham, a picture of the Fatherhood of God.
Isaac, a picture of the Son of God, Jesus.
And Jacob, a picture of man. (more…)
Posted by Vesper on January 29th, 2009 in Contributing Authors, Going Deeper, January 2009 | 1 Comment »
I don’t mean to be uncharitable, but…
Frankie Schaeffer has sold out. Listen to his interview on Fresh Air with Terry Gross here. It is obvious that he has left orthodoxy (even though he attends a Greek Orthodox church to assuage his “personal need” for “something bigger”. I have read his writings, and I feel he is a stereotypical disgruntled “MK” (Missionary Kid) who feels he must whine about his upbringing and what was “withheld” from him by his parents because they taught him to see the world through a biblical world- and life-view.
I’m also “frankly” (ha ha) tired of hearing Gross get positively giddy when she can get anyone on her show to badmouth orthodoxy.
No one should take what Frank Schaeffer says about Christianity (or abortion, as many Christians have been DUPED by so doing, not realizing his compromise) as somehow wise, just because he is the “Son of Francis Schaeffer”. I doubt his father would be proud of where his son now stands. Let’s pray for his return from apostasy.
And brothers and sisters, it is VITAL that we get our information and influence from Scripture, holding fast to it–and not gathering around us teachers who scratch our itching ears. No more “yes men” kow-towing to the spirit of the age–come on, Church, and wake up from your daydream! (more…)
Posted by Vesper on December 9th, 2008 in December 2008, Going Deeper | 6 Comments »
For those of you who aren’t familiar with her, I encourage you to subscribe to the podcast or listen on the radio to “Speaking of Faith” with host Krista Tippet. The following quote was part of a very intriguing episode on prayer. I was incredibly humbled by this one. It’s by one of the “Desert Fathers”.
“If a man wants God to hear his prayer quickly, then before he prays for anything else, even his own soul, when he stands and stretches out his hands towards God, he must pray with all his heart for his enemies. Through this action, God will hear everything that he asks.” Abba Zeno
Thank you, Abba Zeno. Touché. I’ll be holding onto this meditation for a while.
Posted by Vesper on September 21st, 2008 in Going Deeper, September 2008, Sharing Jesus | No Comments »
From January 25, 2008
On a road trip, returning from IHOP. I look in my Lonely Planet guide and I’m near the Negev Desert in Israel. I decide to explore. The desert is on my left, “civilization” to my right. I go walking in the sand after parking my old light blue Datsun (yes, I said Datsun) and I see a stream bed. I’m thinking how cool it is to be where Jesus walked when I noticed the bed was bone dry, dust and sand. I keep walking and start to see all these rock outcroppings. (more…)
Posted by Vesper on August 12th, 2008 in August 2008, Dreams and Visions, Going Deeper | No Comments »
