Wednesday, July 22, 2009

Change

"You can not change your heart and God will not change your mind. But, if you will change your mind, God will change your heart."

Unknown

Monday, July 20, 2009

Political Power

"It has never been about the size or volume of our political views...it has always been about the height, depth, width and sweeping scope of our hearts in love with HIM. The world will not read our protest signs because we've shown them little, if any, sign of the Presence of God profoundly, WITH US. (Zechariah 8:23)"

Pastor Randy Dean

Destiny

"If we will learn to welcome God's Presence into our lives in a revelation of Who He always was, we will finally become the people we were always destined to be!"

Pastor Randy Dean

Tuesday, July 14, 2009

Momentum

"I am determined to live a courageous covenant of honest and transparent hunger for revelation that truly feeds people into a momentum of positive and powerful action."

Pastor Randy Dean

Monday, July 06, 2009

Psychedelic Jesus

I’m currently immersed in a series of messages I have affectionately titled, “Psychedelic Jesus”. I am a child of the ‘60’s. I still love the music and the memories (although someone once said that if you can remember the ‘60’s you weren’t there). I believe Janis Joplin was born to lead worship and simply couldn’t find a church door open to her or an authentic Christian near enough to pull her into her destiny.

My generation coined the word “psychedelic” and it that defined a large chunk of our search for meaning. I have found a definition from a medical research point of view that strikes at why I like this word; “Commonly known for perceptions of aspects of one’s mind previously unknown, or by the creative exuberance of the mind liberated from ordinary fetters”.

Last week I blogged the quote of President Eisenhower, “…without the yeast of pioneers every human endeavor eventually degenerates into a worship of the status quo”… I’ve gone from “IKE” to “PSYCH” in one week and both terms mean the same thing.

In Ephesians the Apostle Paul calls for us to have “the eyes of (our) heart” enlightened. It’s the only way to ever come to any productive adventure in this life we call Christian. Simply stated I’ve found that far too much of western Christianity has sanitized the faith down to a roll call of good boys and girls when it ought to be a dare to ride the wild side and “kiss the sky”!

Where would John be invited to preach after publically stating that he was, “in the Spirit on the Lord’s Day and I heard behind me a loud voice…”? Where would Isaiah hold his next great crusade or festival after walking around naked for three years as an illustration of how arrogance will bring you to shame? Would your church ask David to lead worship after his wardrobe malfunction? Has anyone noticed that Moses was a fugitive murderer who came down from a mountain of thunder and lightening with the commandment, “Thou shalt not kill”?

I want to propose to you that an enormous plot of spiritual real estate is waiting for our discovery! I am personally in a full pursuit of the creative exuberance of the mind liberated from ordinary fetters! I think the children of the ‘60’s had it right when they longed for a psychedelic experience but they had it wrong to think it was only available through dropping acid. I think Jesus was the Original Psychedelic and He beckons any eager pilgrim to climb a Mount of Transfiguration that they might become significant vessels of Transfiguration for the World HE SO LOVED!

I love Job 26:14, “Behold, these are the fringes of His ways; how faint a word we hear of Him! But His mighty thunder, who can understand?” Whole communities of faith are camped out on the “fringes of His ways…” and piously nod at every “faint a word”. Like Israel responding to the thunder and lightening on the mountain, we have accepted a suburban view.

I’m sick of the spiritual suburbs! Take me to the Inner City! Revelation 10 says that Seven Thunders have spoken and someone is destined to understand and LIVE what they’ve said. “EXCUSE ME, WHILE I KISS THE SKY” (Jimi Hendrix from the song, “Purple Haze”)