employees

I am at my whits end! For the second day this week both of my employees didn't come back from lunch. Sickness is the card. One claims Migrains, and the other claims dizziness. I can't run a business without employees. I can't successfully run a business with this happening. Please intercede for them and me. I don't understand what's up. It totally is a stress er for me. I am now at 1:45. eating lunch and reading blogs between answering the phone and bites.

Bethel Experience

There are 4 main things that I took away from my Bethel Experience.

#1 They fear nothing. They don't fear man, failure, missing God, the devil or anything thing else. There is no Plan B and they go for it.

#2 They have tapped into the power of testimony. They fed on one testimony for months before they saw their second miracle. Then, they fed on the 2nd one and pretty soon they are seeing hundreds of miracles a week.

#3 They don't force feed salvation. They let the signs, wonders, and miracles draw people to Jesus. After all that is what Jesus did, when he walked on the earth.

#4 The kingdom inside you will be the Kingdom around you. What I think about, and what my soul longs for determines what my surroundings look like.

It sounds and looks easy.... I am applying these things in my life.

For those that don't know about Bethel, check out their website at www.Ibethel.org.

sitter.

My wife needs a baby sitter on Mondays. She can't keep taking the kids to the office with her, its just silly, really. It's a paid position for anyone you know that is interested, There are 2 children. Evan and Jaxon. Not sure the time exactly probably 9 to 3. She works other days also, but Monday's are all her meetings. Friday's are backpack days for the kids at school, and she needs childcare for Jaxon on that day for a couple of hours.

No Defense is the best

I believe that the best defense is no defense at all. Our church decided that giving the money away was what we are supposed to do right now, in the season we are in. (See post below) This doesn't mean that every church should do the same thing. There was and is a strategy to why it was done, God wanted to break off mindsets and spirits from our people, and I think that happened in a mighty way. We don't need to defend ourselves. Critics are welcome to their opinion. It's not my job to try to convince them we are right. It's about being obedient, not about being right or wrong. I have had some comments made to me from friends and family, and there have been comments posted on the ARN article. I don't feel the need to defend anything, because you can't defend obedience. God will be our defender, more testimonies will come from this than we can document. Peace!

People

Kris V. Says that Your Strength can be your biggest weakness. Prophetic people especially because we see things in HD big screen TV. My strength is I don't care what people think about me, I don't really have a fear of man problem, generally speaking. So that is my biggest weakness. I don't value what people have to say or think about something. I don't empower people. So when I don't value ones input I ignore it or brush it aside, and they feel intimidated, not empowered. I have not valued the opinion of people around me, mostly my employees. I have a plan, here is how we are going to do it, nuf said. I have approached church with my armor on and that is the safest place on the planet. I have learned from Bethel that I can and should take my armor off at the door of a friends house. So If i seem different on Sunday that's why.

I have repented of that. I value your input if you are reading this and you know me. I have thought that people in general are stupid, of course no one that I know, just the worldly people all around. I have let very few people into my life, but that is opening up, because I recognize that we all have something to give to each other, or God wouldn't have put us on this planet together.

By the way. Kris has a new book out called "Purity". Its about changing the perverted culture around us. Simply insightful and one of the best books I have read. ( I think I have read 3 books front to back in my life that I actually remember). But it is still the best one.

The Reason

So... where did I leave off? Oh yeah, The lump in my throat. As I was eating dinner with my new friend I realized I had a fear of not being able to raise a daughter to be Pure and Holy, because I have seen so many young girls lives "ruined" because of the perversion in our society. And one really close to me ruined because of a predator.

I realized that I was trusting in my self to protect a daughter and not God. She told me that a father loves his daughter and treats her like a princess, then she will never want anything in a boyfriend or mate that does not exceed how her father treats her.

I had a dream about Priscilla's daughter the next night and in the dream my boys and her boys were playing together and wielding swords at make believe enemies. Then my boys went and surrounded her daughter and stood on guard. It is in my boys to protect a sister, I don't have to do it on my own. It is my job to love her and treat her like a princess.

When Rachel was pregnant with Payton a lady in our church had a dream that he was going to be a curly red headed girl. That didn't happen. 3 Boys later...Maybe our quiver isn't full. We are not really sure. I told Rachel that if she wants to have a girl then I am okay with it.

The next question is why have I always struggled with relationships with People? Why have people told me that I intimidate them. I feel like I am the nicest easiest going guy on the planet. Right? Stay tuned...

WOW!!!!!!!

http://www.reporternews.com/news/2008/aug/18/750k-given-away-at-church/

By Scott Kirk

Special to the Reporter-News

A nondenominational church that meets in a junior high started a "giving epidemic" Sunday that led to about $750,000 in cash and goods being given away during the worship service.

Brandon Hawk admits his route to becoming senior pastor of Kingdom Life Fellowship in Clyde has been unusual. Perhaps it should be expected that a sermon about giving should be unusual as well.

"We felt God was calling us to give," said Hawk, a retired professional tennis player. And give the church did.

The church had accumulated a nest egg of about $320,000 over its annual budget of $338,000. That money was given away Sunday to church members who had financial need.

But that's not all.

People handed their tithes to other people who had needs. Cars were given; even a business was handed over.

"We gave over our budget," said Hawk. "It was the single greatest moment by far I've ever experienced in church. We want to start a giving epidemic."

On Sunday, people who had dire needs, ranging from keeping their homes to putting food on the table, were asked to come forward. Then people who had pressing needs were asked to come forward, and instead of collecting tithes from the members, those people were asked to give their tithe to a person in need.

No questions were asked, and no judgments made as money was given to pay off credit cards and college loans.

"We can't make that judgment," said Hawk. "In Acts, there's the passage that no one lacked."

Finally, about $20,000 was distributed to people just to do something enjoyable.

"If you had never gone to Dillard's and bought a red dress, go do it," said Hawk. "Go to a nice restaurant and leave a big tip. God not only takes care of our needs but also our desires. We really wanted to touch on God's goodness."

Hawk admits that he doesn't know how much was actually given because the process was ongoing. He thinks a conservative estimate is $750,000. And this from a congregation of a little more than 300 and mostly blue-collar folks.

"I know this: You can't outgive God," Hawk said.

He said Sunday's experience was a natural extension of what has been preached.

"We feel called to transform our city, and you do that by transforming people," he said. "We want to transform this city into one God would be proud, one that's free of mass addictions and poverty. We say: 'Give, pray, love.' Give means to meet the physical needs. Pray meets the spiritual needs, and love meets the emotional needs. A lady may need a roof on her house, but she may also have a broken heart. You have to try to meet both needs. How can we ask our members to give sacrificially if corporately we're not willing to give sacrificially?"

Hawk repeatedly said the service was not held to boost membership or to grab headlines.

"This is for the advancement of God," he said. "God's love changed my life. This is to transform our city. I'm passionate about Clyde, America."

In case any cynic is wondering, the plan is to do this again.

"We're hoping this becomes the norm," Hawk said.

The church meets at 10 a.m. Sundays in the Clyde Junior High auditorium, according to its Web site.

Where to Start

I really have to make this short, The trip to Redding, Ca and Bethel Church (www.ibethel.org) was absolutely life changing. It didn't just change my life, it changed things about my life that I have never understood fully. What does it mean to be in covenant and what does that look like? What does it mean to be a father, and what does that look like? Why have I always struggled with people? Why Have I been closed off? Why did I not give the person the Word when I knew I was supposed to? Why did God make me Like I am? What is my significance in life? Why am I afraid to have a daughter? Why do some people tell me that I intimidate them? Why do I always shoot down good ideas? Why have I been afraid of a hug, to give or to receive one? Why does everyone deserve a family? And on and on.

I met a friend the first day named Priscilla, who could have been a an angel because she was sent to God if for no other reason to minister to me about a lot of these questions but mainly the one about why I am afraid to have a daughter. She wasn't really an angel. She is a 30 something stay at home mom from Southern California that had 3 boys and then a surprise 4 child, a daughter. Kris (conference host) had everyone meet and greet and she was sitting behind me, the minute she asked me if my wife and I were going to have any more kids, I got a lump in my throat and couldn't give her a clear answer. Rachel has always wanted 4 kids, I have been done at 3. I have been totally against the risk of having a girl. My response to Priscilla haunted me the next day or two. Why did I hesitate, why did I get a lump in my throat? What is the deep rooted issue here? I found out what the answer was as I ate dinner at her table on Thursday night. I am completely out of time, and must continue this blog later, probably over the next several weeks I will share what is going on in me.

CH-UR-CH

The UR in church is what it boils down to. You Are. I have been confused on what the Local church looks like for a while. I was soaking the other night, and asked the Holy Spirit to reveal to me what church should look like for me to understand. It's not just a Sunday gathering, it's a group of people who do life together day in and day out. Marriage, Kids, The Bible, our jobs, families, God, Jesus. All of these things make up life together. Here is what I wrote down as I was soaking.

Local Church: The coming together of a unique group of people to glorify God with one voice. To edify each other with prophetic words of encouragement, praying for the sick and afflicted and to be encouraged by the word of God. Living life together day in and day out.

That is what I saw last Sunday as Pastor Brandon released the PEOPLE to do the work of the ministry by praying for those in need sitting near them. It was fun, exciting and life giving!

The word "Church" is mis used so often. Church is a Gathering or Group of people. I am going to start calling "Sunday church" "Sunday Gathering" Church doesn't just happen on Sunday from 10:45 to 12:30. It's so much more than that. That is just when we choose to have a corporate gathering. This is all so clear in my head now. I am starting to like it.

My whole life, I have gotten up on Sunday and gone to "church". It hasn't been a question of whether I feel like it or that we might have other plans. I did it first of all because I didn't have a choice as a kid, and then it was so ingrained in me to go that I just did it religiously, most of the time not really enjoying it. Church was for the guy next to me that had a horrible week and needed church to get recharged. I haven't ever needed church gatherings, I have always been okay with my walk with Jesus and that is fine

Now, I am ready to go to Gatherings becuase I want to see God move, and worship Him with my friends and family, and see them get set free and delivered at a gathering of God's people. God Spirit moves when his people get together and praise Him. I now have the freedom to pray for and prophecy over people. I don't just have to "move stuff" as an usher.