God or the United States?

You know, sometimes it just amazes me the way people react to someone when they choose to follow God, and do what He has called that person to do. I am also amazed at how many people hide behind the title "American", or think that good deeds and acts should remain within the confines of the United States. I mean let's be totally honest, and not hide on what happened 236 years ago. Yes it is safe to say this country was founded on Christian ideals and principles, but truthfully, can we honestly say that today, as a nation, we are a Christian nation. Those, like me, who are after God and His perfect will and heart hope and pray that the church will again rise up, and God is restored as the head of this country. We hope and pray that the church will repent and God will withhold His Judgment that is most assuredly impending. But honestly, can we say we are a Christian nation?

What brings on this tirade, this seemingly harsh rant, let me just say this, I am in no way angry, I am not defending and I am not attacking anyone! In fact I am just merely speaking freely what is on my heart and what I have observed as we embarked on this amazing journey to bring a child, a child that we have come to know and love just as we love our naturally born children, into our home. Most people have been supportive, most have been encouraging. But some have been offended. But as Jesus once said, I will shake the dust off my feet and keep moving. (Not an exact quote, but you get the point.) Some people ask, there are lots of children here, why not from the United States? Others say, "It’s not fair to your children". And some even think it is wrong because we have to raise money. All valid questions and points, but they fail to take into account one BIG detail, one small tidbit of information, the simple fact that we DID NOT PLAN THIS. True, we have wanted to adopt, and we always said we would once we were ready, we said the child would be from the US, and we would not disrupt our birth order. Guess what, God, yes God, had another plan.

When we met this beautiful young girl we fell in love with her. We knew over the time we had with her that she was going to be a part of our family. God had put a love in our hearts that was birthed within His heart, and He placed it in ours. We love our unconditionally, just the same as we love our other three. The fact of the matter is, my heart broke immensely as we got to know her, and even more so when we had to watch her get on a plane, and return to her home country. Every day, a part of my heart breaks because to me, one of my children is half way around the world, living in a place of uncertainty. Her desire is not just to have a family, but be in our family. So this is not a blind adoption, we know and love her, and she knows and loves us!

With that being said, what makes the US so special, that its children take precedence over the rest of the children of the world. Last time I checked, the Word of God that is, we are all children of the same God, the same creator. In fact, a founding document of this country states that to be true, I believe it says "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that ALL men are created equal, that they are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights. That among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness."- United States Declaration of Independence. Nowhere in this statement does it specifically limit those rights to Americans. My belief in God, and my belief in that statement written as the opening statement in the very document that declares our freedom, is why I am trying to bring this child into my home. I am simply doing what God has called me to do! There used to be an old saying, "God doesn't call the qualified, He qualifies the call". Through this journey we are on, I am watching God qualify His call for us to do this every single day.

I love the Lord, and I love this country, otherwise I would not have served it as I did. But you see, there is one who is greater than this nation, He is the King of Kings, and He is the ruler of all nations and one day, every knee shall bow, every tongue will confess that Jesus is Lord of all. "As for me and my house, we WILL serve the Lord". We will acknowledge Him in all our ways, and He alone will direct our paths. It is our submission as a family that has brought us on this journey.

Love in Christ

J

Hannah and Samuel...

 Long time, no blog. To say that I have been preoccupied is an understatement. You see, A LOT has transpired over the past month and a half. God has moved on mine and my families hearts in a big and mighty way. You see we had a unique opportunity to spent Christmas and a good part of January with some very special children from an orphanage in the Ukraine. It was awesome, to just be able to love on these kids and show them the love of Christ that so many have gotten used to, and even take for granted.
Enter the big move of God......
 Over the course of time that we spent with these children, we fell in love with one of them. And what do you know, she fell in love with us. We asked her to be apart of our family, and she said YES! So the adoption process has begun. Now we are merely in the very beginning stages of it right now, but things are moving right along. But when I sit back sometimes and look at what needs to be done, I tend to get a glimpse of how David must of felt when he looked up at Goliath. Thankfully, that feeling subsides when I realize I hold more than just a sling and a stone. I have Christ, in whom I can do all things. I have the mightiest sword, the word of God in which the promises and power to overcome can be found. But most of all, I have God the Son, God the Father and God the Holy spirit. The King of Kings, the Creator of the heavens and earth and the one true God to whom all things are in subjection to and belong to.
 With that being said, on to the title of this blog, Hannah and Samuel. Throughout this whole thing I have been fervently praying for God to make all that is needed come forth. But the one thing that I seem to continuously ask God is this one simple prayer, "God give me this girl, give me this child, so that I may in return give her back to you Lord. Lord send me this child and let it be for your glory Lord". You see we are not trying to save the world, we are not filling our own desires, we are doing what the Lord has called us to do. We earnestly believe in James 1:27, we believe that to be the foundational piller for our family (James 1:27 : "Pure and undefiled religion in the eyes of our God and Father is this; to visit orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself unstained by the wolrd"). So just as Hannah desparately cried out for a child, as do we! We have commited to the Lord the children we already have, and Proverbs 22:6 is the mandate from the Lord in which we raise our children. We teach them His ways, not ours(Disclaimer: We are not perfect, we will never claim that one. So yes, they get some of us in their training as well.). What we are passionate about, our children will be passionate about. " As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord". A little clishe I know, but it is another pillar for our family, service to Lord. But that is my point, I am fervantly asking God, to give us this child, because we want to giver her right back to Him. The one whom, when before the giant, guides the stone to the exact spot to bring down the giant. The one who's peace passes all understanding. The one who takes away all pain, all sorrow and replaces it with great unspeakable joy.
So Lord, yes, please give me this child so that I may give her back to you.
 May the Lord Bless You and Keep You!!
Love In Christ
J.
P.S.
If wish to help with the adoption check out my facebook page, message me there and I'll send you all the info. FYI, we need to raise about $25,000.

Are you a Gardener?

 2012 is starting out already to be an amazing year. God has set us upon a new and exciting journey that I never would've even imagined a year ago. The Lord has also begun to bring deeper revelation to me that I am just enthralled about. Over the past few days I have spent quite some time just sitting before God and allowing Him to just speak to me. And during that time He has taught me about Gardening. Yes, gardening, but more on a spiritual level, than natural.
 It started with the Lord asking me about a Garden, you know, what's it for? How do you start it? How do you cultivate it? So on and so on. Then He just unloaded on me. First He showed me, man was created in the Garden. It was in that garden, the Lord created man from the ground and breathed His life giving breathe into him. He showed me that is how God created us, to be in that secret garden with Him, in a place of communion and intimacy with Him. Of course we know how the story goes, man is eventually removed from the garden and separated from Him. But, it is still entrenched in us a desire, deep desire in our spirit to return to that place.
 The next thing He revealed to me was that, the first thing we must do is, find the garden. I immediately asked, how do I find it? He then showed me when we find Jesus, we find the garden. You see, when we except Jesus in our hearts, we find that place of communion with God. Christ is our advocate with the Father. It is through Christ we can enter in to His presence. We enter the garden with Christ.
 The Lord then showed me how the garden works. He showed me at times we are in a season of  plowing,  preparing the land and planting seeds. These are times of prayer and intercession and worship. Then there are times we go into the garden to get the things we need. When we go before the Lord and just soak in His presence and listen, these are times of spiritual growth. This is when the Lord does His part and sends the rain and sun to help the "crop" grow.
 Finally He showed me the harvesting time. There are times, after we have cultivated the ground, planted the seeds, worked the garden, and allowed the Lord to do what He needs to do, then it's time time harvest, to reap what you have sown.
 Jesus, as we read in Luke 22:39, frequented the garden of Gethsemane. It was here, in this garden, we see a real glimpse of the fervent prayer life of Jesus. It was in this garden we see the King of Kings in his most desperate time while in the flesh. So for me the garden is a significant place to say the least.
 So what's my point? I just want to share, that after some time of planting, cultivating and waiting on the Lord to send the rain and the things that we can't do, my family and I are approaching the harvest. Although until now this revelation was not known to me, the things we have been planting and asking God to provide and grow are now blooming and will soon be ready for us to harvest, as long as we continue to come into the garden and cultivate the land and tend to the things the Lord wants us to. So Lord I just ask that you give me and my family, and any who read this a "green thumb". I ask that we all seek after that intimacy with you. That we desire to be in that secret place with you Lord. In Jesus name Amen!
Love In Christ
JT

Bring it on Lord.....

 Let me start by saying how greatful I am to be apart of the body of Christ. I am greatful that I could possibly be around to witness one of the greatest awakenings and revivals ever. Do I honestly believe it's going to happen? In a word, absolutely! There are just to many things that are pointing towards that very fact. However, I alos believe some things have to happen within the body, within the church, before the next great awakening. Notice I said awakening, not revival. It is my opinion that there must be a massive awakening in the church, and it needs to happen soon. We are at a pivotal moment, a point were we the church have a grand opportunnity to change history. At least to the extent that God will allow. We allknow the great apostacy, the great falling away will come. We can not stop it, it is written in the living word of God, and it will be so. But we have the opportunity to expose as many people and perhaps an entire rising generation to the truth. We have the chance to show them who God really is, and powerful His word, His spirit and Love can be. But the church has got to wake up. I was listening to a song by Jake Hamilton, and there is a chorus line that says " I can hear them singing in the church now, I can hear them singing in the streets now, everybody is being set free coming out of the dark and into the light now...". And the Lord showed me that is how not only it WILL happen, but how it MUST happen. You see, it has to start with the church, whenwe begin to exalt God and begin to walk as one body and in what God has called His church to do, then the world will begin to follow. I was reading Isaiah, and in chapter 43, verse 14  is  about babylon to be destroyed, but in verse 21 the Lord says "The people whom I formed for myself, will declare My praise.". So if we are a people created in His image and likeness, and we are created for His glory and purpose that He has planeed, then I think it's safe to say we are a peple formed for Him. Therefore, in this time, in this economy, in all the things happening we will declare His praise. At least that is the call. That is going to be the onset of an awakening, of revival, when we as a church, as one united body, declare the glory of God, when declare His truth, when we declare His word, then the change will come.

God is?????

 So, I've been reading A.W. Tozer's "Knowledge of the Holy", and it is really changing my perspective on some things that have really been tugging at my heart. But mostly, I am beginning to not only find new reverence in God, but also desiring to know more of His character and who He is. Now, as far as ever knowing exactly who He is, that is not going to happen in this life, or possibly ever for that matter. Though we are made in His image and likeness, or should I say Adam was made in His image and likeness, we are now a "fallen" image, or perhaps a distorted copy of a copy at best. So, through prayer and some revelation I have come to realize that the more I seek Him, the more I find Him, His presence that is. But, it is in His presence I have come to realize, that He will reveal His attributes to us.
 I had intended to ask God to begin to define clearly his attributes to me, at least those that he desires me to know. But before I could even get the question out He revealed a simple and small truth me that I have read several times and yet have not grasped the concept fully myself. But in Proverbs 1:7 says "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge...". I read that again this morning and it all clicked! Instantly my prayer changed, and I began to ask God for something entirely new. You see, until today one of my prayers has been for a new fire and passion in the church, and for the church to rise up in this time and begin to shine a light. I have been asking God for a movement for Him like non other that has been seen before, that this generation, that this nation would again put God at the head and in the forefront of everything. But you see, there is something missing in the church right now. God has become a convenience, the church is no longer mesmerized by Him, we the church have lost our awe, and our reverence of God. We have reduced God to what we want Him to be instead of pursuing Him for who He really is. So, Lord bring back that awe, that reverence. Let the church begin to know you for who you really are. Bring back the fear of the Lord! Bring it back so that we might have knowledge and wisdom that comes from you Lord! Amen!!! You see, if want to see God for who He is, if we want to see a movement, we need wisdom! We need wisdom that comes from God, so we are able to handle the things that will come with the movement. We will have new Christians looking for answers, and just as in the days of Noah, there will be scoffers and people to ridicule those who live for Christ! We will need that wisdom, but first we must have a fear of the Lord, we must be in awe of Him, we must love Him and pursue fervently our relationship with Him! Amen! Be blessed, and may the Lord keep you, and may abide in His presence all of your days!!

Witnessing Fulfillment

 Some time ago, I realized I had a certain way with words. I realized that formulating an idea, and then putting it in words, in writing was not a difficult thing for me. And in my closet, I have some journals that are simply full of mindless ramblings with seemingly no purpose other than to drive someone into depression and sadness. It wasn't long after I realized my way with words, that the Lord almost instantly blocked my access to that untapped talent. The Lord Himself knew that at the time the words I'd use would not glorify Him, nor would it encourage others. So, anytime I  attempted to write, or thought I might be inspired, my access would be denied and nothing ever written.
 Now, and for quite some time now, I have had the urge to just let my mind go. The wonderful and amazing woman that I have the distinct pleasure and honor to call my wife had started to blog a few months back, and that only fueled my urge to write as well as stir up inspiration. But until this past weekend, though inspired, I just didn't feel as though I had been released by the Lord, and I just couldn't find the topic. Then, this past weekend came, the weekend of October 8th, 2011.
 You see, on that day I was able to witness something truly amazing, something that I'm not sure many people get to see. I witnessed fulfillment of dreams. I watched two amazing people unite themselves in marriage, in a scene that was probably the most prophetic scene that I have seen in a long, long time. I watched as the Groom stood there waiting patiently for his bride to come to him. And as I looked, I truly saw in him the representation of both the Father and the Son. I saw a man who has been in this world, tried by this world, yet redeemed and abiding in the Father's love. And the bride, and any who know Margie, truly embodied the role of the bride, yet unselfishly demonstrated the love of Christ when in the moment that was supposed be all her, the moment that every girl dreams of walking down the aisle, she stops to give the grooms daughter a big hug and kiss. So you see, it is only fitting that I draw my inspiration from this. We are taught the fruits of the spirit, and we are quick to name the ones we like; love, joy, peace, kindness, goodness, faithfullness; but we always seem to look over patience or how about long-suffering. Long-suffering, that's the one that gets us. But it's one that Mark and Margie Howell know all to well. As their lives are testimony to that. Long-suffering is the fruit that goes with perseverence. I honestly believe that had the Lord come on Saturday, those two would have heard "Well done good and faithful son and daughter". And with that I say to them Congratulations! May the Lord Bless you and keep you! May He lift the light of Countenance upon you!