It Was Supposed to be the Perfect Crime

When I was a kid my friends mom made the best peanut butter chocolate chip cookies I have ever had.  I haven't tried them all (and I still have hopes of recreating the experience).
Anyway, we would be hanging out in the basement and I would get a hanker (That's right... sometimes I hanker) for a couple of cookies.
The jar was a ceramic horned owl. I still remember stealthily climbing the stairs, sliding my fingers stealthily between the horns and wrapping my two outside fingers around them, lifting the lid soundlessly only to hear Florence yell "You boys get out of that cookie jar!"
I was caught. EVERY TIME.  Caught.But Florence never said that she didn't want me coming over any more. Would still call us up for dinner.
If this widowed mom of three could put up with my thievery (only place thievery ever happened)
And then from the pulpit I hear that God can't look upon sin.
One of two things has to be true, now. This thieving isn't sin, OR I have lost my salvation.
The only rational conclusion that you can come to, if God can't look upon sin, if that is what makes Him holy then when He comes into my heart to live He must keep a bag packed by the door so that He can get out before the stench of sin permeates my body when I reach for those cookies, reacting like some form of  gama radiation and causing Him to hulk out and kill me right there.
Or maybe Habbakuk was being all poetical and saying that he was amazed that someone from such a vast reality could take notice on him.
The love of the Father for His creation is IMMENSE. It is elegant and vast and neither to be hoarded nor dismissed. Love Him with all that is in you and you can't imagine the results- give it a try, I dare you

be a voice not an echo

As I have grown older, I have suffered some loss of hearing due to headphone use, extraneous noise at work, being in a band... And my job working with older folks who have loss of hearing has taught me that using hearing aids can cause sounds to be confused and imaginary. You hear stories and on TV see stories where someone is lost in a canyon and can't be found because the echoes are coming from many directions, muffled and decaying over time. Muffled and decaying over time... They shorten and little or no meaning but just being noise after a while.
The church is like that. Jesus said, "You believe the scripture says (this), but I'm telling you it means (this)." What He was saying is, "You heard the words and you believe that you have heard them correctly, but you are only hearing echoes of what was meant when they were said."
"The words you are following once had life but they have bounced around the walls of history and their meaning is now distorted beyond recognition" Consider that each denomination is a canyon and the echo has moved up and down that canyon and suffered decay, and each generation repeats it but leaves out the who or the why and the words begin to be powerless...
I did not say that they are powerless- they have the power of conviction because people still heed them despite not being sure how or why to fulfill the directive.
 Get the revelation. Who was being instructed and what was their circumstance.
One of my favorite stories didn't happen in my family, but it happened in a family during preparation for a holiday feast.
Marilyn (we'll call her) was getting ready to bake the ham for the family's Easter feast and she had a daughter about to be wed so she was teaching her to cook the feast and the daughter (called Emma, today) was paying close attention and asking questions-
"Momma, why did you cut the end of the ham off before you put it in the pan?"
"I don't know, exactly, it's what my Momma always did, it's how I learned to do it. I'll call your Grandma and ask her."
So Marylin called her mother and asked, "Momma, I'm teaching Emma how to cook the Easter feast and we have begun to wonder why did we always cut the end off of the ham before we cooked it?" Grandma said, "Because my pan was too small"
This is an illustration of how mindless traditions get started. It could have been an illustration of hearing a noise made by the wind in the canyon and following it because one ascribed hope and meaning to it and began following it blindly into who knows what.
My point is be the voice. Get the revelation of the thing. Don't follow because you hear from someone in authority because if you aren't in relationship with the author there is no checking back with them about the purpose.
Be in relationship with the man who had the revelation and you can ask for clarification or BE the man who had the revelation and you own it because it was a gift to you and your
Father gives good gifts

One of the things that I have noticed through the years is that the established tribe wants to keep what they have and they don’t look favorably on anything that might upset their apple cart. The missionary has for centuries tried to make people become who the missionary is, for fear of being led astray by the traditions of the missioned peoples. They have been fearful enough to forbid drums, vocal styles, even meeting locations for fear of demonic intervention, rather than “taking on all comers”. I will speak of the native American, but with the caveat that they aren’t the only aboriginal peoples who feel this way. The path of reconciliation is well worn and bears little fruit. The modern church researchers have begun to recognize that people groups have sounds associated with both them and the ground that they inhabit. The Aborigine in Australia incorporates the sounds of their surroundings into the music of the didgeridoo. The Hawaiian dances in expression of the sea that gives them sustenance. The Native American calls out thanks to the animals that share the land and life with them. The Native American actually has a Trinitarian god who manifested in the earth because he was too great for man to comprehend as a spirit being… Sound familiar just a little bit? Their complaint is that the modern church (since it’s arrival) has judged them simple heathens and turned back their honest expressions of worship. The drum, the flute, their dance has all been judged as an expression of a baser faith which includes animism and reverence of dark spirits (all of which can be discovered to some degree in our church today. We MUST accept their identity in it’s full expression, which includes tobacco, sage and cedar which mirror elements of the jewish worship with what is indigenous to the region. All are used as incense. Their use of the drums communicates Gods heartbeat and they consider each time their foot touches the ground to be a prayer, especially when they are wearing a “jingle dress” which adds the texture of a tambourine to their dance. The sound of breath filling the air around the flute so easily represents the breath of the Holy Spirit being breathed over a group of people, and yet people have feared these exhortations, these expressions of the spirit and in the Spirit may have been used for a dark purpose or by the unordained and therefore insulting to the deity who, in fact, said, (New International Version) Mt 28:15&16 He (Jesus) said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.” Rev 5:9 And they sang a new song, saying: "You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, because you were slain, and with your blood you purchased for God persons from every tribe and language and people and nation.” Rev7:9 After this I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands. He receives them. Who are we to be so bold and so proud as to “protect” Him from them. It is a lie that God cannot look on sin. A lie, pure and simple. Jesus was not abandoned by His Father on the cross, He was fully man in that moment, experiencing death crying out as any man would. Adam is proof and did what man has done ever since, until that moment on the cross. God came looking for Him. In His ability to shut off His omniscience so that Adam could hide from Him in His shame? I believe that He wanted Adam to come out and trust the friend that he had always walked with in the cool of the afternoon. Enough with the rabbits and their trails, Jesus is certain to redeem every tribe and tongue, and every means eery just like all means all. There is no “skiming the till”, He will get everything that He has paid for. All of it.

Drum

In 1998 just outside of Belfast Ireland there was a revival, and in the midst of it I fell in love. I had been involved in music for my whole life, but there was an expression that I had never really heard that was featured, that of the drums. The drums were playing as one of the speakers commissioned me as a warrior, and as I fell to the floor, I opened my heart and asked God for the drums, and He gave them to me. I didn’t have any idea what that was going to mean, only that I would have a new weapon in my little arsenal. I went out and bought an Irish bodhran (boe-run) and began to fiddle with it and eventually got the sounds out of it, now to get the rhythms out. The challenge was to playing in 4/4 time when it is built to play in 6/8, but the ingenuity of someone who plays intuitively an overcome pretty much anything. Having been a musician most of my life I had certain sensibilities to overcome, and there was a bit of a struggle; including the pastor not feelin’ it, so to speak. In those times you hope for an intervention. Someone who has the vote of confidence from those whom you see yourselves under and someone who has you respect as well. Enter Georgian Banov of a band called Silverwind back in the 1970’s. And he had his eye on my drum… that I was having trouble playing in 4/4 time. He asked if he could play and then should me how to play within the worship setting. He handed it back to me and I was set free. Before long it was congas, djembe, quika, ocean drum- each has a sound, a voice to speak into the atmosphere and change things. So that was me, breaking loose. Then on line I ran across a group called Psalm Drummers. Powerful concept, drum intercession. Founded by Teryl Bryant, a studio musician from London. He put together a drum circle that as held at Penn State that had over 400 drummers participating made up of Christian drummers from across the nations that chartered local psalm drummer groups. I never belonged to one of them, but I saw the strength in the concept. I have played since that time, breaking through brass heavens and hearts and minds.

Ever heard of a "bio-filter"? It's an interesting illustration. I think I heard that 3/4 of the word doesn't have clean water to drink that is easily accessible. 3/4. We're smart. We have technology and we can manufacture so many things- how do people go without water? A man is collecting bikes to send to Togo so that children don't have to walk for miles and miles to get to school... Someone else is digging wells so that children can skip the walk to get water and can go to school instead. Bio-filters can be built anywhere. Can be built with a little bit of knowledge and a small amount of materials. Here's the thing that I'm looking fr the lesson in- The "bio" aspect of this is that the top layer of this type of filter encourages bacteria and other ugly looking stuff- you would not look at it and think, "Yeah- that's packing something that I want to drink," but beneath that thin layer is where the sweet water is. The layer over the top will disqualify the water if you look without knowledge of how these things work... Judgement based on the knowledge common to a man will disqualify receiving from this well. but there is a knowledge that we don't have until we have been brought into that knowledge... It has to be gained before it is useful. Seek to understand the rules of the realm so that the blessings will not pass you by because you think that what you see on the surface is present at the core. Don't be fooled by your weak stomach. Don't be disuaded by your understanding- Get it in you. See the sheet and hear His voice as He says "don't call unclean what I have called clean"

Moses on the banks of the wide red sea

I've been hearing about Moses and that he did miracles. Some of the understanding is that HE did the miracles. God gave him the power and he did what God said to do and the miracle happened. "I haven't got anything to show Pharoah to make him bend to your will God" "Throw down your staff..." Did God infuse the stick with mystical miracle power? I don't think so. He spoke to Moses, Moses followed His direction and Moses did the miracle. "Pick it up..." It was a snake until He grabbed it's tail and then it became the staff once again. "God, we're trapped" "You hold out your staff, Moses, and see what happens" Moses held out his staff and the water parted. It parted. IT PARTED... "Everybody is thirsty and there is no water..." "Take your staff and strike the rock" Water comes from the rock. "We're losing this battle" "Raise your staff" "WE'RE WINNING!" "But my arms are getting tired" Joshua, "Holding them up Boss" Battle won as long as the staff is up... pretty special staff... You missed it. "God, we are out of water!" "Tell the stone to give you water" "I'll go get my magic staff and-" "Speak to the rock" "Let me just-" "Moses- MO-ses - MOSES!!!" "moses, I told you to speak to the stone" "But God I lost my-" "I told YOU to SPEAK to the stone" Moses was responsible. God told him to do it and he was fine up until God took the crutch and Moses had been using and told him to do it a different way. Speak it, the power is in your words and your intent. The power is in your will. You speak the words that are in your heart and see the miracle happen. You love the people who the miracle is for and the power for the miracle is mined. Moses went back to the formula. He did what he did because it worked before, not because he had faith in what God was doing today. Have faith in what God is doing today. There is life in that. Anything else is vain repetition.

Forerunners

Forerunners need to remember that they are “out front” and therefore need to keep their expectations of others in that perspective. If they were all out there with you, you would not be a forerunner.

I believe that the purpose of a forerunner must be to find the land of their calling and set up a homestead or a weigh station there until they are met by those who follow, having found the safety of definition and a knowledge base for those coming after.

They know the pitfalls because they have been exploring the land close in to this place that has become home to them and may well be where they hear Him call, “Well done, my good and faithful friend”. They have seen the dangers, dangers that the next generation will have an answer to, while they may not.

Forerunners past have taken shortcuts and banned perceived dangers unable to bare the risk and not yet knowing the full benefit of a God-given design or dream. They are sometimes talked down to and succumb to someone who speaks with authority, someone who finally seems understand the quest that they have been on- but followed the a contented trail where the snow melted around footprints first and looked worn by the time that they got on it, but as the trail becomes less obvious, their walking staff becomes the length of their confidence.

Often these are the trails where generation next jumps from, beginning their adventure in bravado of unknown consequence, reckless in the eye of the forerunner past.

As a forerunner I look at those forerunners behind me and wonder how they could possibly be content with the meager ration that they have foraged of God’s goodness and grace. I can’t settle for that! I MUST have MORE!! There HAS TO BE MORE!!!

But I must to remember that was the cry of every forerunner before me, and if the Lord should tarry, I will be remembered in this very same way. The shadow cast by those whose floor is what was once my ceiling will overwhelm the great pinnacles that I reach, and rightly so, but I pray they will remember me with grace.

Amazing grace will be my rising ceiling
Amazing grace will be my tower floor
Amazing grace will be my bread of life
Amazing grace will be mine forevermore

Sankofa

To go back and retrieve what was left behind and bring it forward for redemption.
In Gods economy nothing is without purpose. There is nothing that He cannot find value in.
Those things in your past that shames you need to be brought forward and used to fuel the fires of your both your passion and your crucible.
Nothing is wasted.
Nothing is without purpose in your redemption story.
Romans 8:28 says that ALL things are work together for the benefit of those who love God and are called according to His purpose.
Those things of no future benefit are meant to be burned in the crucible and you are then made free of them.
Those things that withstand the heat are meant to be building blocks structuring your prosperity and your testimony.

Last night I was privileged to go to Silverdale and play with some friends and just reach up into heaven and see if we could reach the throne. Not in a haughty kind of way to see if God was there as some others have done in the natural, but see if we could touch His heart. Of course we are the type to believe that we can and He is a loving God who pays attention to our hearts and hunger for the best in our environment.
So off we go, spiraling ever heavenward and occasionally looking around at the room that we are in to take stock of what's going on with the others on this great adventure.
So we began to recognize the spirit of revelation had come to play with us. A beautiful song came out of it. Beautiful enough that Yvette and I both still remember much of it. Revelation. Of His love for a community that had been listening to their own hearts lying about a God they did not know.
He wanted to tell them that there was no humiliation for them in the cross. That He took all of the humiliation and shame there. ALL of it. There is none to share. He was humiliated once, for all and He is never ashamed of any who come to Him. Never ashamed.
And then the revelation was that shame is the point of entry for fear, and in this current generation, and with their No Fear motto plastered everywhere, it could be achieved when we begin to realize and believe that there is no shame for us. None!
Freedom from shame is the beginning of having no fear.
In the natural I could have some arguments for this, but I'm not supposed to. That's a truth that stands on it's own and there is no valid argument about it. It is shame that separates us from the love of God. Down deep it is shame. There is a wisdom that comes with tempering the fear factor, but that is between you and God.
At this point, the Munchkins made an appearance in my spirit and performed the following- "Come out of the woods- la-da-da-da-dah" and I lost 'em. the following are the words to that song.

Optimistic Voices

You're out of the woods, you're out of the dark, you're out of the night. Step into the sun, step into the light. Keep straight ahead for the most glorious place on the face of the earth or the sky. Hold onto your breath, hold onto your heart, hold onto your hope. March up to the gate and bid it open...

this morning there was a drive in our worship to have the doors open- Dan was singing doors and I was singing gates and we were in harmony. It was a beautiful thing if I say so myself.
So we began to sing to the region around us- come out and be free. Once and for all- humiliation was dealt with- anything else is a lie!
And all the while, a light on the east (I think) wall was strobing like it was trying to impress a disco ball. And when we stopped- it stopped. Amazing.
As I remember more of the revelation I will try to remember to post it here.
Much breakthrough personal, and for the region, as well as the joy that we all experienced being a part of it. It was incredible. God is good.

Sorry- departure from where we have been- AAAHHHHHHahhhhhhhhhhhh- What can I do to get the music that is in me out of me? there is just too much and I don't have the time or the knowledge to get it out. I can't even find on outlet to get it on line so I can share it. I may explode

This is Ravi "Jojo" Landge, one of the young international mover and shaker types that came to the Kaleijscope (I never have really looked at the spelling of that, in Polaish or otherwise). He has a band in India called "Wild Fire Tribe'' and they have permission to worship in a chain of coffee shops and find other places to call God's love into the room.

He is one of many young minds that were there to receive a passed baton of creative ministry, passion and to

be recognized as a young lion being turned loose in his region.

He spoke with passion when he had something to say, challenging the older generation to keep their focus and rekindle the boldness of their youth. And he made new friends everywhere his path took him.

Here at lunch we began to play, as we became a band when Annika,here seated next to Jojo, brought instruments enough to share.

Music happened every where. And Nuno, on the other side of Annika played a kazoo in a way that I had never heard before. I had never heard an anointed kazoo, but Nuno played the shofar on his kazoo and it was amazing.

After our bout at the Black Madonna, the weather became volatile. I don't know if it's always like that in Poland in July, but you can

see here how nice it looks (even though Jojo is wearing a

sweatshirt) and the day looked to be beautiful, we began to seek out a venue to play in and found the hallway, entryway, it was the gate by which a horse drawn carriage might enter the courtyard of the site- and we began to play on the steps.

Before long, Jojo was leading all of these people, who came in to join a jam session, in some choruses that they all knew.

Props to you my friend! You know how to fire up your generation! I hope to see you again soon!

So this is Diniz and Andrea from Brazil, Actually, I think that this picture is in Brazil, but no matter.

I met them my first night in Lubiaz after the whole hanging out and waiting thing- we stayed at the same B&B outside of Luibiaz in some other place that I can't tremember... A "Retreat House" that was difficult to find. The first drive out there, we had two drivers, each with a GPS (and each equally lost) and we went to the wrong house first , but got directions I think... all I heard was in Polish, but I didn't hear them yelling or anything.

Anyway, we get in and Diniz is carrying the bags and he puts them down and grabs his hips and stretches his back- you know, the international symbol for "my back hurts" so I asked if I could pray for his back.

I prayed for a minute and then asked him through his wife who up until then was his interpreter, adn he was healed. I had made a new friend through the miraculous power of Jesus healing power.

Andrea said that Diniz has always wanted to be able to speak english, but couldn't and I thought, "hey, we're on a roll here," so I prayed and asked the Holy SPirit to teach him english through the night...

The next morning- I was his interpreter. He strill didn't speak english, but we had a connection and for e few days after, if Andreas wasn't around and he just wanted to make conversation, he would grab me and say, "You- interpret- me" with a big grin on his face because he thought it was pretty funny too.

Brazil is a definitley in the book for next years choice destination.

When the plane landed in Poland, the weather was fine- actually perfect, like an early fall day here. The sun was out, I was glad for sun glasses, but not hot, juts nice.
When we left Częstochowa we followed the directions we left somewhere behind and did pretty well... Until we were on the wrong side of the line of semi's and missed the sign for the airport.
We decided to go in search of Lubiaz, where the monastery was hosting the located.
Eventually we came upon this sight and oddly, for the next four days there was at least one downpour accompanied by lightning and thunder per day. Quite a show at the show- I don't know if it was connected with the warfare earlier at Częstochowa, but something definitely shifted.
I ran across Andrew Jones and Wolfgang Fernandez that night while I waited for Trevor to get the rental car back to the airport. I hadn't seen them since Austin in 2001 or so and they nboth remembered me which surprised me because we hadn't had any actual contact since then, and my interaction with Andrew was over an early morning stove making chai.
As the producers of this amazing program were busy making certain that all was as it should be, I was wandering about and trying to stay out of the way.
Unicycles wheeling by, stages being built (main stage to the right here), tents being set up- the place was a bustle and I didn't know what I should be doing, so I wandered around a bit...
Then I thought about the acoustics of an old monastery- how cool would it be to play a flute in a quiet space and record it on the memory card on my phone- after all, it was my camera as well.
It was amazing- beautiful, stupendous, would make you cry to hear it... I think I deleted it at some point thinking it was some kind of chatter that I didn't need. More's the pity. More on that later-
Tomek and Trevor got safely back from the airport in only twice the time estimated. Road construction and unreliable GPS are credited, but that is really Trevors story to tell.
Mine is more about the beauty of the storm that night. I hadn't even expected to need a coat. Only in the downpour did I even think a little bit that I may. Plenty of places to hide out away from the weather.
I may tell more tonight, I don't know, but that is some of my adventure. Work bumped up my start time.

I know, it's about time I started to say something about where I went and what I did and what did I want to do that for- So here it goes

This is a picture of the lair of the black Madonna, (no disrespect intended, I just don't really know what to call this area)
This is the place where the mass is conducted and when I arrived I remember seeing that same bald head in that same attitude when I was there.
(I didn't take a picture in there because my camera has this auto flash thingy and I don't know how to work it yet)
This joint is an old castle I think, as one of the doors has the inscription "Arsenal" over the door and a cannon and balls in relief over the door as well.
We made our way, I was sent to do a little recon while Trevor waited for instruction from on high. This icon is very loved and we needed to be aware of who and what and all as it was the height of the pilgrim season and this is the number three most loved relic/icon in the Roman Catholic faith and I was getting dirty looks from everywhere apparently for wearing shorts (tho' Trevor didn't and he doesn't wear trousers either.)
So I went in and fund where we needed to be and we shared communion out side of the building and off we went. We went in and did what God asked us to do and He provided things that we hadn't expected, but greatly appreciated, and out we came.
Outside there was a peace that was new. Swallows were flying out in the courtyard that weren't there before and the time was about 1100 as mass was just beginning. The swallows were flying as though there was a fresh hatch of flies. Chirping and flying in a certain ecstacy-
It's nice when a plan comes together. I wish that this post did

For those of you wondering whether or not that is a polska in my hand it is not- it was a small flute that I always kept with me in case something were to break out that I would regret not being a part of.

This one was about the food. For about $5 you could get chicken and rice or a nice spaghetti or something I couldn't pronounce, but of course, once your mouth is full that's a good thing.

This young lady was playing on a 200 year old violin, and making it sound her own, young and vibrant. She kept up with Jojo and the rest of us with ease. I wish that we had the means to record some of that time. With a dozen drummers it was a little loud, but it was very good.

From Todd:

"I'm not quite convinced that the best part of going is returning, but I'm trying that part out now"

"Now if I can stay awake today and sleep through the night- no more jet lag!!! (I think)"

Camping Pictures.

Pictures from the trip.

This was during our time in worship. Joseph (my drum) was taking a little vacation due to the high humidity in Poland- he had no voice, so I had to find other means to worship and minister... This was effective as well.
This is not what it looks like, although it was very warm in that room and I was jet lagging pretty heavily, I was not asleep.







I used the brooms because of the humidity and not wanting to stretch the drum skin by beating it with something heavy and hard.














This is warfare here- The Brazilian Christians sent missionaries to Portugal and the Portuguese thought of them the same way most of the world sees missionaries from the US who are excited by their new revelations.
Denny Hurst on the left, who has recently moved to Lisbon, Portugal and was there to represent Portugal and Olgalvaro Bastos of Brazil in the red shirt doing warfare on the drums

contending for unity between the nations

Todd Adams I don't know that we'll have internet access in Madrid, but bless you all and thanks for praying. Athens was a success. On to Madrid. This is going to be really fun when these reports are about worship gigs 8^)

Todd Reports:

In Athens now... Not picking any fights- but seeing some amazing things happen. Chatting with new friends from Kaliedjeskope (how did they spell it and why that way?) {It's Polish for the one that you can't spell in English, either} Poland was hard to get around in because of a different alphabet... Greece isn't any easier... I wonder how Brazil will be next year...