Following Jesus

Yeshua, The Man, The Myth, The Legend

Posted on November 17, 2023 by Daniel
Enjoy this Calming meditation music as we delve into meditating upon the Person of Jesus Christ… a.k.a. Yeshua Hamashiach. I know him. What a pleasure to know him. It isn’t difficult you know. You relax into it. We’ve been too uptight, you and I for far too long. We have experienced stress instead of calm. Strife instead of peace. Work instead of rest.

You have to work really hard to maintain lies. The truth is easy.

Relax.

Relax into what God has dubbed our Sabbath rest. This is for us all. For as Yeshua has said, the Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. So, Shabat Shalom! Experience the peace. Take a deep breath. Relax every muscle in your body. Allow yourself to let go and relax into the arms of your Savior, Yeshua. He has got you. The Man, the Myth, the Legend!

I first remember hearing this phrase “the man, the myth, the legend” associated with the world famous soccer player turned volleyball player Scott Sterling. If you’ve never seen Scott in action, feel free to take some time and enrich your life by watching the following video footage of this amazing athlete showing us how it is done:

Yes, that video is one of the joys of life and is equally important as anything else I could possibly bring into your realm of awareness…. with One exception.

Yes, I am going somewhere. Are you along for the journey?

I truly hope so.

Scott Sterling’s athletic feats are hardly worth comparing to another’s accomplishment which is worthy of making the entire universe one large amphitheater and everyone’s attention focused on One central figure taking center stage. Yeshua… the Man, the Myth, the Legend!

It goes without saying that Yeshua is the hero and protagonist of the grandest most epic story the universe has to offer. Who hasn’t, by now, heard the story? Right? It seems redundant to go over it again… right?

But, are we paying attention?

Your time and attention are the currency of your life. How are you spending it? This writing that you are reading right now is to serve as a reminder that Father God, the One whom Jesus calls Abba, has spoken from heaven about his Son: “This is my Beloved Son in whom I am well pleased. Listen to him.”

God is urging us to spend the currency of our lives… our time, our attention… upon his Son Jesus. He alone is worthy to take center stage in each and every one of our lives.

I am curious enough to see what would happen if we did do this that I am literally dedicating my life to this end, that all may give Yeshua, the Son of God, our time and attention… to listen to him.

Would you join me? Let’s ask Jesus right now, “Jesus what do you have for me today? What are you saying to me right now?”

Listen for his response.

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Lamb of God, Who HAS taken away all sin!

Posted on December 24, 2015 by Daniel

“…Lamb of God, Savior to all…”

We have a plastic nativity set that our girls love playing with. One day while they were carting the various characters around the house, baby Jesus went missing. I think I remember my two year old Emma say, “Baby Jesus was playing under the bed and then he disappeared”. Well, that was a special ability that Jesus did employ at various times… like the time when angry Jews were about to stone him (not with Marihuana but with actual real stones!) after he claimed to be “I AM” (the LORD YAHWEH!)

But now, there is no baby Jesus for our nativity’s feeding trough (the manger). So… we used a lamb and put it in the manger instead. Jesus was, after all, introduced by John – the guy who was fond of pushing people under water during swim parties – I mean, the baptizer, as “the Lamb of God“.

“Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the WORLD!” ~ John

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What’s this all about anyway?

Well, every year at Spring time the Jewish people would have a huge family reunion and a great big feast and celebration at a festival called Passover (see Exodus) in the City of Peace (Jerusalem). To the Passover these one and only true worshipers of God would bring a one year old flawless lamb. They would bring the lamb to the temple and place their hands on the lamb. All the sins they had committed over the past year would symbolically and metephorically pass to the lamb and all the lambs innocence would pass to the worshiper. The lamb was then killed for those sins. It became the substitute that payed the death penalty that our sins deserve and demand. Justice demands that someone pay.

By the way, this sacrificial system was a tangible and physical way of showing their faith that God would provide the Lamb (Genesis 22) and once for all deal with the sin problem. The ‘seed of the woman would one day soon crush the serpent’s head’ (Genesis 3) and liberate all of humanity from the power of sin and Satan.

Well, Jesus was the ‘once for all’ Passover Lamb. When he died on that cross it was as if all humanity was placing their hands on Christ and ALL our sin passed to him. He payed the death penalty for our sin. The beauty part is that all of his innocence and right relationship with God passes to us who receive the free gift. This is the great exchange that occurred at the cross.

Have you received that gift? Have you made that exchange yourself? I can tell it you it feels great to be forgiven and reconciled to our loving heavenly Papa!

If you have received his gift of right relationship (righteousness), the Bible says that you now are “holy and without blame before him in love” (Ephesians 1) and now finally, at long last “we can rejoice in our wonderful new relationship with God because our Lord Jesus Christ has made his friends of God” (Romans 5:11).

I am enjoying, as the Scripture says, “one blessing after another”, in my relationship with God. I have been wanting to, and realizing my pressing need to, forgo all distractions and develop a closer intimacy with God and really get to know him and then start to do everything and more that Jesus did! (John 14:11)

Have you ever noticed how distracted we are? (Or is is just me?) I get most distracted by those who are steeped in judgmental religiosity. I have a chip on my shoulder when it comes to the demon of the religious spirit and those who represent and exemplify (and glorify?) this bully. But, alas, this too is a distraction from doing what is most important… that which Mary modeled for us when she chose to sit at Jesus feet and learn from the wise sage that is the Christ.

I need wisdom (Christ is wisdom). I need intimacy with him so I will not be so quick to be lured into the darkness, turning my back on the One who is Light (1 John 1).

I have learned that to remain holy before the Lord one needs only to keep looking at the Light (who is Christ). Keep your eyes fixed on Jesus the author and perfecter of your faith (Hebrew 12)… the One who was “lifted up” as the snake in the wilderness (John 3:14) who saves everyone who looks to him for salvation.

Are you struggling with anything? Nasty habits? Addictions? Depression? They all fade away in a moment when you are beholding Christ. Come to him and experience it for yourself. He is the One step program for complete and total healing (see previous post) and abundant life! (John 10)

If you are fully turned to the Lord, your whole body will be filled with light (Ephesians 1) and just like Christ, there will be no darkness in you. Do you want that?

So now we live by faith (by simply trusting) in the Son of God who loved you and gave himself for you. (Galatians 2)

You in? Leave a comment! Join the convo!

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The “Share Your Story” Challenge

Posted on September 6, 2015 by Daniel

You have to watch the video below. It is of my friend Nathan Wheeler. I have been following his story over the past year as he has shared his testimony through videos on Youtube. He is one of a kind. I have never heard someone be so real and share so openly the truth of all he has experienced of God and his search for God in his life. He has had a heart problem for awhile now and over a year ago he died for a short time from his heart condition while in the hospital and was in heaven for what seemed like a half hour or so. He was instructed by four angels to share what he calls his testimonial. It soon became my favorite “TV show”. (I blogged about this HERE)

In his testimonial he talks about his interactions and relationship with God from a very young age. He was terrified of death and was seeking a way to avoid that. As a young boy he attended a “straight-laced everything in its place suit and tie” church and wasn’t convinced they had anything worth having. You all know what I’m talking about. Hypocrisy. People never even reading this book that they claim is God’s Word. Lack of excitement and enthusiasm and joy. Boring, dry, driven by sense of duty and obligation church.

His search led him to plumb the depths of other religions in search of God and the truth and a way to avoid death. He discarded those religions in which he could spot fundamental flaws in like Mormonism and Islam and some of the other whacked religions. His search led him to explore Buddhism because Buddha didn’t claim to be God and it promised enlightenment which he believed could be a way to avoid death, until he plumbed its depths to the point where the local Buddhist monastery wanted him to come and teach them! He came to realize it was empty. He then explored New Age and Toltec shamanism and plumbed its depths until he realized they were a magicians trick to deceive and manipulate and control. He finally found Christ (even though he had experienced him powerfully on an earlier occasion) in video 8 of his series. On the verge of tears he said that his experience of the love of Jesus so far out shined anything, any joy that life had to offer, or any other mystical spiritual experience he had ever had in his entire life!

Nathan was just in the hospital with a blood clot in his neck. If the blood clot moves, he dies. He has internal bleeding from some kidney stones and had just filmed the following video with what may very well be his last days on this planet. Please stop right now to pray for him and then listen to his encouragement and challenge here:

Will you join me in this challenge to publicly share your faith, your story with the world? I am going to start to film and share my story – my experiences and encounters with God. Will you make this idea of sharing your faith as viral as an ice bucket challenge? Will someone help me out here and repackage this challenge so that more people will actually do this?

“And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” John 8:32 (NLT)

ps. If you want to watch Nathan Wheelers testimonial visit HERE (I suggest picking it up in video 8 if you don’t have the interest or time to go through his entire journey. I understand, you have other shows that require your attention.)

A word from Nathan:

It’s time we start telling people about all the ways He has blessed us and brought us onto our faith!

The enemy wants to silence those who share the Joy of the Lord. We must not let fear, illness, age, gender, race, profession, or the sins we struggle with to keep us silent any more. If you are a “believer” you have two things you are joyously obligated to do…

1) Share the good word and baptize in the Name Yeshua Ha’Mashiach. (Jesus the Messiah)

2) Tell your testimony of what God has done in your life. If your saved but weren’t always a believer, tell people the things that made you believe. If you’ve always believed then tell people why you continue to believe regardless of life struggles. If you weren’t always walking right and then got right with the Lord… tell people what changed. This is how other people will grow in God and believe.

Faith comes by hearing and hearing alone… if you allow the devil to keep you silent, how will other believe?

The struggle is real… the blessings of His Truth are too. See both in this video.
Thank you and please share this if it blesses you.

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Conversion of Charles Finney

Posted on August 3, 2015 by Daniel

This morning I read about the conversion of Charles G. Finney. I thought you would be moved and very interested to read it for yourself. I trust it will make in impact on your life as it has on mine. I had read it in an old book that was given to me called “They Found the Secret” which documents (rather poorly in my opinion) how many famous saints of history discovered the power and working and Presence of the Holy Spirit.

When I found Charles Finney’s book online I came to learn that the book (which was written for a Moody Bible institute publication) had taken the liberty to edit out some portions of his story. Of course any author would normally only quote portions of another work but I found it just slightly odd that he was basically including the entirety of his conversion story as told by Charles G. Finney himself except for one small portion. Apparently the bit about the very serious elder breaking out in spasmodic laughter was too scandalous?

He wrote:

“It seemed as if it was impossible for him to keep from laughing from the very bottom of his heart.”

The reason I bring that up is because among my circle of friends the topic of “holy laughter” has come up. Have you ever experienced the joy of God so much that you couldn’t help but laugh? I am a firm believer that God is the most joyful being any of us will ever meet and I like to think that he is also playful, has a GREAT sense of humor (have you ever asked God to tell you a joke? I have!), and quite childlike and invites us into his joy and fun!

Isn’t it ridiculous how we like to edit and censor God. I thought about this first thing this morning – thinking about how God was angry at Moses for initially refusing his call and having doubt. He was mad!

But Moses said, “Pardon your servant, Lord. Please send someone else.” Then the LORD’s anger burned against Moses (Exodus 4:13-14 NIV)

One movie rendition I watched with my daughter yesterday omitted that part.

God is an actual real life person who has very real emotions. Yet there are those who criticize others for being like God – emotional. I mean God gets mad, laughs, crys, and quite often does things that apparently many deem as embarrassing.

If you have any interest, please consider reading at the very least the first two chapters of Charles Finneys account: http://hopefaithprayer.com/books/Charles-G-Finney-An-Autobiography.pdf

ps. I suppose many Christians have chosen a faith that is always “respectable” and serious, much like the elder mentioned above. I think it’s time we give that up in favor of the lighthearted and good natured fun God wants to have with his kids. What do you think? Leave a comment!

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Thoughts about “normal” Christianity

Posted on June 15, 2015 by Daniel

So I read Mel’s post (the reblogged post) and this was soon followed by a few Facebook posts by Kris Vallotton (also below) about “normal Christianity” to include the miraculous. This is hotly debated topic in our house that gets discussed frequently.

The truth is, we don’t live in the miraculous like I hear some talking about. This is not our experience. I guess I’m aware of people who see miracles and God answering prayers like crazy (one of whom is Francis Chan who wrote “Crazy Love” – others include Bill Johnson and Kris Vallotton of Bethel Church).

So why don’t I experience what they do? Why don’t I feel like I have much clout with God? He doesn’t answer my prayers for healing… or does he?

Last Fall I was dreading the allergy season. I basically have a really bad stuffy head sinus cold for a month and a half. I felt the symptoms coming on and prayed real hard and the symptoms went away. I was fine. But, as I told someone just the other day, that the ragweed or “whatever” must not have been bad last year. I said it could be the prayers but I don’t know.

So why is this where my spirituality is at? Because I don’t experience what Kris Vallotton or Mel Wild talks about… but I want to. I think.

The Bible tells us to earnestly desire spiritual gifts. Just like learning to play guitar, you have to want it… and then you gotta practice.

So instead of actually applying myself to this end, I apply myself to finishing the Breaking Bad episodes on Netflix (or any dynamic equivalent of what amounts to a detrimental use of my most precious commodity – my time!)

Here is a story of my one bonafide without-a-doubt experience of being used by God to heal someone:

My mom had just come home from oral surgery. It was a particularly painful operation and the dentist had told my mom that patients have left him for good because of the pain of this operation. She came home expressed her concern and asked me to pray for her. In that moment I felt the powerful presence of God. His compassion. His decision to heal. His “unction” (kind of an old word but it came to mind). So I prayed, or rather cooperated with his prayer flowing through me.

My mom experienced no pain much to the astonishment of the dentist. He questioned me about it next time I was in to see him myself it became obviously apparent to him that it wasn’t because I was anything special. As I have said a hundred times in this blog. I never felt like I was a very good Christian… But, as Rick Warren states in the first chapter of his book, “Purpose Driven Life”: It’s Not About You!

So, based on Scripture and the encouragement of these dear brothers I am encouraged that I “can” pursue spiritual gifts and experiences of God and begin to experience them. Anybody else want to join me?

Now for those Kris Valloton quotes:

If someone teaches that there are no longer gifts of the Spirit…prophecy, healing, deliverance are not for today…all spiritual experiences and/or supernatural encounters have passed; Are not these people false teachers? Is it not just as dangerous to remove the power of God from the people of God, as it is to be deceived? In fact, isn’t this deception?

Paul warned Timothy about these people when he said, “But realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come…people will “hold to a form of godliness, although they have denied its power; Avoid such men as these.” (2 Timothy 3:1, 5)

You must demonstrate the power of a superior kingdom with signs and wonders, to fully preach the the gospel.

“In the power of signs and wonders, in the power of the Spirit; so that from Jerusalem and round about as far as Illyricum I have fully preached the gospel of Christ.” (Romans 15:19)

There is two ways to read the scriptures, I can reduce the bible down to my own experience. For example, I read Mark 16:17-18, where Jesus says miracles follow those who BELIEVE. Then I say, “Well I believe and I don’t see miracles, therefore that verse must only apply to 1st century believers.

Or the other way to read the scriptures is to change my experience to meet the standards and expectations of bible. Of course this requires a high level of courage and it is much easier to be complacent, and reduce the scriptures to soothe my conscience.

Mel Wild's avatarIn My Father's House

Aimee_AMA_approvalWhile we were in Los Angeles last week, I got a chance to tour the former parsonage of Aimee Semple McPherson, the founder of the denomination I belong to (Foursquare). As I was looking at some of the memorabilia of her prolific, larger than life ministry, I came upon the sign in the photo.

This sign is from a report by the San Francisco American Medical Association.

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