Incense to Him. A story of a dream fulfilled November 17, 2008

Today I burned the prayers of the last six years.

When I first started pursing prayer, started gathering people to seek intimacy with Jesus above all else, I always put up paper. Paper to write/draw/paint their prayers, thoughts, emotions, whatever on. I saved every scrap. Rolls and rolls of paper that speak the desperate and intimate thoughts of a bride waiting. 

I saved them because I believe that one day there will be an actual facility in Denver where there is sustainable crazy radical night and day worship and prayer. Worship that models what’s going on in heaven and prayer to demand that earth would be like heaven. I had this picture in my mind that hanging on the walls in the lobby of this facility there would be all these scraps of paper-big and small. A small testament to the faithfulness of our God to fulfill all of this promises. A small testament that there are people willing to give their lives and everything they have to see that Jesus comes and has His way.

Today I burned the prayers of the last six years.

I wasn’t sure if I wanted to do it. If I wanted to burn these precious possessions that I have held on to dearly for so long. I thought that if if I did it would be like I was giving up on the dream that God wrapped me around, the dream that I have spent hours and hours yelling at God about-in both anger and passionate loving abandonment. In the end I choose to because I am leaving nothing undone, nothing unfulfilled. Despite the drastic ups and down that I have encountered over that last six years God has been faithful in ways that I never could have imagined.

I leave this city not without making my mark. I leave hours of passionate prayer and worshipful adoration sown into the land. I am leaving before the harvest-time but not before I see the harvest. The truth is that I am a pioneer, a forerunner. I see the dream and I lay that plan and I pursue but I do not harvest. At least not this time. This time I leave behind of host of people, the answer to my own prayers. And they will reap. The result I believe will be a state that is never the same. And only because Heaven has come. Only because there were people that were willing to risk and give it all. Only because Jesus loves to give Himself to those who diligently seek him and wait for him.

Today I burned the prayers of the last six years.

I threw them all into my fireplace, lit the match, sat on my ottoman and watched.

A sweet perfume. A sweet incense. Not just my desperation. The desperation of a 
city. The desperation of bride who wants the bridegroom to come in all his Glory.

Filling the bowls in Heaven once more with the prayers of the Saints. Reminding Heaven.
Reminding Jesus. There is a city down here. A city that I am leaving but I city that I love.

You must come Jesus.

Feb 21st 2008 Thoughts on the activities of spending a Friday night before the Throne. November 13, 2008

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Its Friday night.  10.28.  And what am I doing.  I am walking in a semi-straight line.  Back and back forth back and forth back and forth.  It’s been this way off and on for the past three or so hours.  What in the world am I doing?!?!?!  Its Friday night!!!!!  Why am I walking back and forth crying out to someone that I can’t see, that I can’t literally feel when I reach up to Him, why am interceding over a city instead of going out on the town, doing the rounds at the nicest restaurants, the hippest bars, the streets where the coolest people hang out?  Yet I am hear in a dark room with a couple candles and a guy wailing out to the creator on the piano.  And it’s worth it.  It’s worth it. It’s worth it.  I was made for this thing and this thing only. I was made to gaze only on him, I was made to love this man, my maker, my creator, my lover.  So I walk back and forth before the throne of the One who was and is and is to be, because there is no other, I bring him my family, my city.  I bring Him the nations that my heart yearns for and I cry out “Jesus come and have your way, bring home the prodigals, release those in captivity, heal the brokenhearted. Draw them in kindness, draw them in intimacy, unveil their eyes, so that they can gaze at you and see you for who you really are”.  If you think that this is easy you are so wrong.  Its not.  Its not easy to stay up till 3am so that you can play the piano for 2 more hours while trying to listen to what the Father is telling you to sing over the city.  Its not easy contending for a city to be changed under the crazy passionate love of Christ.  Its not easy, but as C.S. Lewis say of Aslan, he is not safe but he is good.  And that is what I live for.  The goodness of God, the passionate embrace of my lover, the wantings of God for my city.  Its not easy but its not work either; Its nothing but pure trust, pure obedience, and yes even a but of pure foolishness. We must remember though that He already did the work, the world will be filled with the Glory, every knee will bow, His kingdom will be on earth has it now is in heaven.  So I will continue to gaze.  I will continue to call out, I will continue to stay awake through the midnight hours, but only because my God, my lover, my maker is true and the world will know.   And I with Jesus will call them to come.

Feb 28th 2008 Turn the Tide, Change the World, Love His people November 13, 2008

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To everyone:  Please read this carefully and methodically.  I believe that Jesus will use the prayer and worship that we release to Him to change this situation……So to get right to it…….I am currently in school getting a degree in political science, and one of my classes this semester is “Human Traffiking and Contempory Slavery”.  A sobering subject and quite a party killer!  But seriously this thing is so on the heart of God guys, many times in the middle of class I am crazy close to weeping because the Presence and absolute love of God falls on me for his people that are literally(and spiritually) in slavery!  We have to be a part of what God is doing in this, I believe so desperately that us crying out to the Father in the midnight hours we can put a stop to this!!!!Some numbers for you……

-       27 million people around the world exist has slaves (sex slaves & labor slaves)

-       800,000-900,00 NEW people(children of Jesus) are enslaved every year.  80% are women and 50% are children.

-       selling people is the 3^rd largest criminal activity in the world, behind selling illegal drugs and arms.  The Int’l Labour Office estimates this generates $32 billion per year .

-       Every year 1 million children forcibly take part in the commercial sex industry.

So something that is crazy, and I think just another showing how God has stratigicly placed the Burn.  The other day in class my professor put up a slide showing the “routes” that sex traffikers take victims across the US.  The first thing that I noticed was how many of them are where Burns are located or are close too!!!!  Here is a short list of some of the cities

Seattle, Sacramento, Denver, Dallas, OKC, Mineapolis/St.Paul, Houston, Detroit, Boston, NYC, Richmond.

These are just the major cities!  Most likely, by their proximity to bigger cities, I would guess that every single Burn city has human trafficking go through its limits.  And mind you this is only the routes for Sex Trafficking in the US, this doesn’t even include those that are forced into labor.  Human Trafficking is something that is happening in our communities, not just overseas!! We need to be lifting this up before the Father!! His children(literally those under 18) are being sold for Sex.  His children are being sold to be nannies, and maids, and to pick crops.  They are constantly physically, verbally, and sexually abused.  We must open our eyes to this, bring this before the Father and plead and interceed for those who can not!!  We need to pray that the routes that are taken in and between our cities would be abolished and that the Love of the Father would overtake the traffickers and pimps and that instead routes of the His Presence and His Love would be established!I know that is hardcore guys,, but we need to be hardcore and we need to listen to the heart of the Father for his children.  We can be a part of  downfall of Trafficking just by Burning!!!  Let God Arise and his Enemies be scattered!!!!