Lifeline

Sometimes we experience life altering events that set our course.  I have recently encountered an ugly situation that has given me the chance to decide a new fate for both myself and a loved one.  I can act out of grief and pain and have it my way or I can look deeper into the soul of the perpetrator.  What matters most is that salvation is sought after and sustained no matter the cost. 

It is devasting to be betrayed, but what is worse than losing a person to their own sin? The cycle and course of sin is not a secret.  The rapid progression and degradation of the heart and soul is more than apparent.  It can even ravage a person's physical appearance.  Imagine that our mental decisions can alter the way we appear to people!  The deeper we go into our sin, the harder it is to see the light of day. 

God has literally given us a lifeline.  If He hadn't intervened, the enemy would have consumed his prey whole.  If not for His unmerited grace and mercy, we would be lost.  Despair would set in only leading to thoughts of forfeiture and death.  It is by grace, by grace, by grace. 

Thank the Lord for a new day, a new dawn.  Thank God for second chances, restoration, and above all, HOPE.  For we must hope in the Lord always.  His joy comes to me this morning.

Garden GLEE

When I am exceptionally bored, I tend to launch out on new projects.  Because my new job has not notified me of my first "day" and because Dan has officially stolen my 2009 Scion XD, I am at a loss of what to do. 

I could surf the web but that is so completely menial and I think it makes me excessively more dim-witted the more I check facebook.  Yuck and blech. 

I could learn to become a fantastic and world renowned cook, but we don't have the money to buy all the needed ingredients because Maui is an endless and bottomless money pit!!! 

I have thought about becoming a super toned and fit Taebo chick, but really I can hardly handle doing 2 sessions a week without my body feeling w.r.e.c.k.e.d. 

Other options include becoming a professional surfer (I don't have the talent nor the proper vehicle to haul my board around AND my mother still won't let me go surfing alone even though my 26th birthday approaches later this month, so I have also ruled this option out). 

I have thought about stealing all of Rebecca's glory and taking up photography but I figured it would take me decades of tedious work to learn photoshop, so that is officially ex-nayed. 

Jonathan was the next victim I set eyes on to steal all his aspirations to become a wine connoisseur, better known as a "sommelier".  However, I can hardly pronounce any of the vineyard's exquisite names and I can't afford to sample wines in order to refine my palate.  Another idea straight out the window. 

So, all that put aside, I have decided to become a fantastic gardener. 

I will let you know if this idea comes to fruition.  I spent about 2 hours today getting destroyed by every type of blood-sucking mosquito found on my wonderful little island.  Though, I was successful in gathering enough weeds to fill a wheel barrow overflowing with sacrificial gifts.  I feel complete for today.  Let's see what tomorrow brings.  Happy gardening to me and sorry for all of you getting thrown into the depths of winter.  :0  :X

Live Coal Has Touched My Lips

If I were to ever get a tattoo, it would be a strange one.  I envision it spiraling from the base of my neck to the lower part of my back, in a story format read from top to bottom.  It would tell the tale found in Isaiah 6, my absolute most favorite chapter and book of the Bible.  There is something mysterious and wonderful about Isaiah and it is brimming over with prophecy regarding the Israelites, God's chosen Ones.  Because we are all considered God's children and essentially His "chosen people", then we can interchange ourselves within the passages.  At least, that's what I do.  I'd like to think God were talking to me specifically through His written Word.

One of my many dreams is to one day defend the cause of the Israelites and fight for justice on their behalf.  I, of course, don't know how this will be done, but the writings of Joel Rosenberg have lit a fire in my heart.  He has a wonderful foundation that accepts donations to fund the cause of the Jews living in Israel should they find themselves in a plight in the days to come.  The website to his work is http://www.joelrosenberg.com/.

Anyway, blah blah.  BUT, back to the tattoo.  As I was saying, Isaiah 6:1-8.  Check it out.  It reads something like this depending on your version:

***AHH, by the way, this chapter should be set to some Coldplay or Celtic tune.  I can totally see it!!  :)

ISAIAH'S COMMISSION
In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord seated on a throne,
high and exalted, and the train of his robe filled the temple.  Above him
were seraphs, each with six wings:  With two wings they covered their
faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying.
And they were calling to one another:
"Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty:  
the whole earth is full of his glory." 
At the sound of their voices the doorposts and thresholds shook and the
temple was filled with smoke. 
"Woe to me!" I cried.  "I am ruined!  For I am a man of unclean lips, and
I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King,
the Lord Almighty."
Then one of the seraphs flew to me with a live coal in his hand, which he had

taken with tongs from the altar.  With it he touched my mouth and said,

"See, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin

atoned for."

Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, "Whom shall I send:  And who

will go for us?"

And I said, "Here am I.  Send me!"

_____________________________________________________________

This story just absolutely blows my mind.  This is the kind of God I want to know.
He is SO royal, SO powerful, SO magnificent, and demands such a fierce
company of beings.  The picture of coal is insane because it represents the
absolute purging away of filth.  And that's what is required because that's
what we are!! Filthy!! But He is white as snow and changes us entirely and completely.

Back to the tattoo.  I'm not sure about the progression of pictures, but I think I would like the base of the neck to be something like this:  the Lord sitting on His throne, His robe overfilling the temple with the seraphs flying about Him with their mouths open in praise.  Next, I would love to see the temple filled with smoke with the columns cracking from the fierce shaking that takes place.  Then, I would like a close up of a seraph holding a piece of coal (with a tong) that would be touching my lips.  Finally, the last scene (at the base of my back) would be me facing the Lord as He commissions me to be "sent out". 

Anyway, this is just a fantasy of sorts.  I'm probably too scared to have my entire back marked up, but if I ever were to do something completely crazy and irrational, this would be it.  Thoughts?

Prophetic Conference Jewels

I normally don't comment on sermons/conferences unless they impact me in a special way.  However, this conference I'm attending in Maui is brimming over with richness.  The quality of people here and their connections are hardly contested.  It is called the "Prophetic Conference" and it is held annually at this time in late summer.  I've had the privilege of attending several over the span of my life and I am thrilled at the prospect that there will be many more to come. 

There are several "prophets" who have flown from around the world to be here.  They are the regulars who attend every year and people from all over the world (literally) make the trip to Maui to hear what God is doing through their ministries and what He has to say to us today as a leading church in the U.S.  Anyone who knows me knows that I am a skeptic of religiousness:  fronts, jargon, and titles.  However, after seeing the fruit and amazing transformations these people bring about year after year, I have learned to open my heart again to the mysterious ways in which God works.

The first speaker, Mr. Emmanuel Canastraci, who opened up the conference last night spoke from John 5:1-15 about the man at the Pool of Bethesda.  To sum things up quickly, he spoke of these things:

*The churches in America have become their own Pools of Bethesda, where people wait for years and years in vain by a pool hoping one day someone, somewhere will save them from their misery.  We have become slow, complacent, disheartened, weak, and yet God is telling us to rise up!
*We are plagued with an "impotency" which means we lack dynamic passion!
*We are to rise up, shake off the demonic and the shackles that try and bind us!
*We are to be the most joyful people on the planet with an infectious love for people, life, and most of all, God.

Tonight, we heard from a great man, Mr. Jim Goll.  The poor man just lost his wife two years ago and nearly died from a cancer that spread throughout his body, yet he stood before us tonight whole and absolutely beaming with radiance of knowing God.  His message tonight:  Signs of the 3rd Great Awakening

Here is a fantastic list:  7 Signs of a Prophetic People
1.  They are spiritually awake!
2.  They live a clean and holy life!
3.  They seek to engage in spiritual warfare.
4.  They are living an honest, open and transparent life!
5.  They avoid carnal living (strife, envy, etc.)
6.  They lean totally on Jesus their Beloved!
7.  They keep their priorities right before God.

How many of us can do this!??!!  It seems impossible, but God wouldn't give us expectations if He knew we couldn't meet them!  He can enable us to do this and to do it well! 

*An "Awakening" is a long term mindset.  It channels and empowers people to do extraordinary things and to break OUTSIDE the church with the power of God.
*We need the Spirit to come with power AND conviction!!
*"Yesterday's dream about your tomorrow is today's opportunity".
*Mr. Goll shared a dream that was simplistic yet powerful.  In the dream, there were two fists upside down in front of him.  He knew he had to choose one.  He picked the right hand, which slowly opened to reveal a white pill.  He took the white pill to his mouth and upon seeing it up close, he was able to read a single word:  "Awake".  And he awoke from his dream with a burning message in his heart that the 3rd Great Awakening was beginning.
*Mr. Goll prophesied that the original revival that began in the Korea's (before it became Communist North and South) would be returned to its place of origin.  The revival occurred in the early 1900's and nothing has been able to compare to that time since. This is crazy because it implies that God's presence and his power will penetrate even the most stringent forms of resistance (as is the Communist North).

That is it for now.  We still have 3 more speakers to go and my favorite one is tomorrow night!  My hope is that permanent hunger and change are a result of this conference.  I don't want to be swept up in moments of emotionalism but rather the genuine transforming power of God.

Disturbed R.E.M.

It is a fine evening here in Maui with trade winds reaching 20 mph.  Enough to rattle the pictures right off the walls and send the dogs into a barking frenzy at every unexpected whistle that escapes under the window sills.  I have little to do but share with you these few thoughts.

The Kolps and Adkissons were all gathered around the family dining table the other night sharing in fine wine, cheese, and the oddities of our memories.  Topic chosen for the evening discussion:  Sleepwalking.  Sleep talking.  Dreams.  Let's recall.

The state of mind we enter in the deep unknown of our minds can be a startling discovery of who we really are and what we really fear.  I can recall reoccurring dreams I had as a small child which visited me at least once a week for years.  They terrified me.  I remember waking up in the middle of the night only to find myself sitting on a water tower outside our farmhouse in the middle of a blizzard with no shoes on.  That kind of "powerful" freaks me out.  I recollect being woken up with a painful thud only to realize I had violently thrown myself off the top bunk bed due to an intense dream.  I have awoken in sobs and terror at having dreamt my mother died.  And most of all, I cannot forget the dreams that always led me to water.  The ocean, more specifically.  There were always waves involved.  Sometimes the water led me to a struggle and sometimes it was a joyful experience.  It always varied, but I was always led to the sea.  I suppose part of it stems from being fearful of the terrible power of the ocean, especially tidal waves.  How ironic that I find myself living on a plot of land surrounded by endless oceans. 

I suppose the mystery of the ocean has always drawn me.  When I look over the vast expanse of blue at any vantage point, I always wonder in fear and awe of what really lies before me.  What creatures lie leagues ahead and below?  Do they have the power to sweep us mere humans away?  Would I stand a fighting chance were I pitted against any of these creatures invariably?  How many undiscovered species are there yet?  How many decaying ships are hidden from our radars containing some of the world's greatest treasures?  Does the fierce force and raw power of the seas serve as a small picture of what our God can do?  I've always seen myself as a single grain of sand compared to the strength of the ocean.  And really, looking down on us 6 or 7 billion humans, that really is how small we are.  But God has mysteriously set a purpose ahead of each of us little, tiny, minute grains of sand.  We are all known to Him, we are all adored.  What a miracle to know that we are loved and cherished by the most massive force in the history of all the galaxies and all that has and will ever exist.  We are his beloved treasures.  And we have been given the tremendous gift of life.  What are we to do with the life that has freely been given to us?

Please feel free to leave thoughts or comments.  I would love to hear about some of your dreams!!

On A Serious Note

I was seriously challenged tonight by a message I heard in church. I have been dry, stagnant and compromising in my journey with God for a long time and I am weary of mediocrity. When you live in a place like Springfield, Missouri for any extended period of time, you tend to get comfortable. At least I can attest to that. It is an extreme challenge to find the motivation to get involved in church, to "reach out" to anyone in need, and to get outside your comfort zone willingly. There is a noticeable lull in the air, an intense focus on status wars and possession collections, a transparent fog that downplays spiritual battles that are fought out before our eyes every day.

It is my fault for allowing rigor mortise to set in. I am ultimately the only one who can wield my unruly spirit. That being said, coming to Maui has been much much more than a breath of fresh air. It has ultimately awakened my decaying spirit.  It is my job to nurture the seed that was sown in my heart, to flame the spark that has begun to burn again in my spirit, and to challenge myself on a daily basis to move outside of my comfort zone.  By this, I mean learning how to tangibly love people where they are at...and that is something that does not come natural to me.  I am a personal person, one who likes to observe rather than participate, one who formulates thoughts rather than speak them aloud.  I am a silent activist and it is time I learned how to communicate God's stunning love in new ways.  Just a point from tonight's sermon:

God is always doing more than we think He is doing!!  (This is such an encouraging thought...if we do what God tells us to do, the repercussions are endless!)

My prayer is that God would transform my heart, mind and soul.  I don't want my old life, my old self.  I want to live a life that serves both others and God.  I want to be used by God and I want to find joy.  I want to find beauty in simple things in life and to appreciate the beauty and gifts found in others.  I want to learn about the Holy side of God and the Fear of the Lord.

Again, so glad to be in Maui and expecting great things ahead!  I am blessed beyond measure.

Land of Garage

Well, I messed up big time.  I set out to do something and I've already forfeited my efforts to other seemingly more important tasks.  My goal of blogging daily, or at least 3 times a week, has gone terribly awry.  However, it is never too late to change.

Let me quickly recount the Kolp's and Adkisson's experiences of hosting a garage sale.  First of all, never try this alone.  It will almost definitely leave you heartbroken or enraged.  We experienced both emotions on a fairly regular basis during this two day ordeal.  For starters, we thought we would do ourselves a favor by skipping off to Wally World and purchasing the pre-labeled garage sale stickers.  Upon arriving at home, we immediately sank into a hopeless state of despair when we realized we had HUNDREDS if not THOUSANDS of items to label.  But we are movers and shakers, so we set out to do the impossible.  After "sticking" several sections of items to death, we took several lengthy breaks to sip on some refreshing white wine (kindly donated by our dear neighbors who noticed our high strung demeanor's).  I also found a comfy chair for sale and sank in deep, finding my new niche in the job sector.  I was now the coordinator.  While Jonathan, Dan, and Rebecca were sticker slap happy, I got to be the boss.  It was wonderful.  After getting the stink-eye several minutes later from my lowly servants, I gave up my dictatorship and resumed my meager and lowly job of labeling every pitiful little item.

That took a good 8 hours.  After stumbling deliriously inside, we set out to make garage sale signs.  Then we made a pretty little money box with correct change inside for the cheapos who would pay us in pennies, nickels, and dimes.  Nothing wrong with that, I'm just saying. We slapped each other high-five, then off to bed we went.  For 2 hours.

I, of course, was the first to wake, being that I am the most OCD prone member of this family.  I quickly set out to make this a garage sale to remember.  I figured that by waking an extra hour early, I would get a head start on getting things set up before shoppers appeared.  Dead dead dead wrong.  As soon as the garage door squealed open and I had taken a step into the garage, they started to appear.  Like little mice looking for a nice little crumb or a warm little bed.  I started to panic and got everything out as quickly as possible.  Rebecca and I had spent hours arranging all of our adorable little nick-knacks on tables the night before and everything looked to be in shape.  That is until the first customer arrived and asked if the "tables" were for sale.  I said, "Sure, which ones were you interested in?"  She said, "All of them".  I looked at her dumbfounded and clarified again.  She, looking annoyed, repeated herself.  "Ok", I gulped.

So, all of our work fell to the wayside.  We frantically began wiping all the delicate items off of each of the tables (I think this lady bought a total of 8 tables all together.  We were left with just one to hold our belongings on.) and hauling the furniture to the waiting vehicle.  Nice, really nice.  So, our perfect little garage sale ended up being a ghetto little garage sale with all the items strewn about on the dirty garage floor.

Thankfully, most of our stuff was purchased throughout the two day ordeal.  Although, I do feel obligated to record just a few of the treasured conversations from those long days.  Enjoy.

CRAZY LADY #1

Me:  "Ok, ma'am, that will be $6 for all your stuff."
Her:  "Six bucks????  I'll give you $5."
Me:  "$5.50 and we'll call it good."
Her:  (Looking lost and confused and confounded)  "Well, I just don't know.  I mean, this is all junk to me."
Me:  Then why are you buying our junk, genius??  I didn't say this, I only thought it.  "$5 is fine."
Her:  Thrilled to death at her wheeling and dealing, she gave me a toothy grin and was on her way.

CRAZY LADY #2

(Rebecca was selling a decorative glass bowl with pretty little marbles in it and this older woman wants to purchase it for $3 instead of $5.  Rebecca gives in.)

Woman:  "Wait a minute!  This here bowl is broke!! Why would I pay money for something that's broke?  I don't want no piece o' junk"!  (She is speaking very loudly at this point.  We ignore her.  The bowl was NOT broken.)
Re:  "Well, then you don't have to buy it."
Woman:  "I swear, I saw the men ripping your signs down!" (We had set up 3 signs within our subdivision.  They were well secured.)  "The good Lord as my witness, but they were tryin' to sabotage you're garage sale!  I didn't know what they was doin', but I swear I saw them jump out and rip the sign down!  I bet you the PO-lice will be here any minute cuz this here is illegal!  Don't say I didn't warn you!  The Lord is my witness!"  (She repeated her story 2 more time while browsing through our items.  We bid her farewell then checked the signs out of sheer curiosity after she left.  They were all untouched.  Crazy lady.)

Lesson Learned:  We choose our battles to fight.  Sometimes it's necessary to forfeit the small ones in order to focus on and conquer the big battles.