The Incarnation (spoken word)

Created by artist Odd Thomas for Trinity Church in Portland, Oregon.

Michael Wells - All For God's Glory

Several years ago, my mom (Joanie) gave me a series of messages by a man named Michael Wells. Michael Wells ministry was called Abiding Life Ministries. He traveled abroad and spoke to Christians all over the globe about the truth of "Christ in you" (Col. 1:27). Reminding believers that we are complete in Christ and that the Christian life is all about abiding in Christ. Michael Wells' messages (or seminars as he called them) have had a vast impact on both my mom's and my walk with Jesus.

Yesterday, my mom called me and told me the sad news that Michael Wells had recently passed away while traveling in Costa Rica. Here is part of the message that is now on his Abiding Life Ministries website:

It is with heavy hearts we share the news that the number of Mike Wells’ days has come.  The Lord has taken him home.  Although we miss Mike dearly, we rejoice in knowing that the love, compassion, grace and hope in Jesus that Mike so passionately shared with us will carry us through.  Mike’s consistent message to us all, “there is nothing the nearness of Jesus cannot overcome,” is especially meaningful now.

Michael certainly lived a Gospel-centered life, preaching all Jesus all the time, and bringing glory to God wherever he traveled. He often said that the purpose of our life here on earth was to steadily lose all of our glory (my pride, my kingdom, my strength, and my righteousness), prepare us to be about only His Glory (His kingdom, His strength, His righteousness), and thereby, make us safe for Heaven. I guess the Lord decided that Michael's preparation was complete. To this end, here is one of my favorite clips from his "Keeping The Focus" seminar:


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The War Inside

Today's devotion from Oswald Chamber's My Utmost For His Highest, is the type that I could read over and over. So much truth and depth. Here it is:

The "Go" of Unconditional Identification

The rich young ruler had the controlling passion to be perfect. When he saw Jesus Christ, he wanted to be like Him. Our Lord never places anyone’s personal holiness above everything else when He calls a disciple. Jesus’ primary consideration is my absolute annihilation of my right to myself and my identification with Him, which means having a relationship with Him in which there are no other relationships. Luke 14:26  has nothing to do with salvation or sanctification, but deals solely with unconditional identification with Jesus Christ. Very few of us truly know what is meant by the absolute “go” of unconditional identification with, and abandonment and surrender to, Jesus.

“Then Jesus, looking at him, loved him . . .” (Mark 10:21). This look of Jesus will require breaking your heart away forever from allegiance to any other person or thing. Has Jesus ever looked in this way at you? This look of Jesus transforms, penetrates, and captivates. Where you are soft and pliable with God is where the Lord has looked at you. If you are hard and vindictive, insistent on having your own way, and always certain that the other person is more likely to be in the wrong than you are, then there are whole areas of your nature that have never been transformed by His gaze.

“One thing you lack . . . .” From Jesus Christ’s perspective, oneness with Him, with nothing between, is the only good thing.

“. . . sell whatever you have . . . .” I must humble myself until I am merely a living person. I must essentially renounce possessions of all kinds, not for salvation (for only one thing saves a person and that is absolute reliance in faith upon Jesus Christ), but to follow Jesus. “. . . come. . . and follow Me.” And the road is the way He went.

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Here is a song by Switchfoot called "The War Inside" from their new album Vice Verses. Think this song is appropriate to today's devotion. I know first-hand that identification with Christ is ultimately a war of me against me. Identifying with Christ means the laying down of all my pride, all my wants/needs, and all of me. A slightly different message than the one our world is ceaselessly hammering into our heads.

Lyrics to this song are below.




The War Inside - Switchfoot

Put your hands up open up wide
Put your hands up side by side
Age don’t matter like
Race don’t matter like
Place don’t matter like what’s inside

Let the kick drum kick one time
Breathe out let your mind unwind
Eyes on the ceiling
Looking for the feeling
Wide open let your own eyes shine

Yeah, it’s where the fight begins
Yeah, underneath the skin
Beneath these hopes and where we’ve been
Every fight comes from the fight within

- Chorus –
I am the war inside
I am the battle line
I am the rising tide
I am the war I fight

Eyes open open wide
I can feel it like a crack in my spine
I can feel it like the back of my mind
I am the war inside

I get the feeling that we’re living in sci-fi
I get the the feeling that our weapons are lo-fi
Ain’t no killer like pride
No killer like I
No killer like what’s inside

Yeah, it’s in the air we breathe
Yeah, it’s in the blood we bleed
Beneath these dreams and what we’ve seen
We are the kids of the in-between

- Chorus –
I am the war inside
I am the battle line
I am the rising tide
I am the war I fight

Eyes open open wide
I can feel it like a crack in my spine
I can feel it like the back of my mind
I am the war inside

Put your hands up open up wide
put your hands up side by side
Age don’t matter like
Race don’t matter like
Place don’t matter like what’s inside

Yeah, every thought or deed
Yeah, every tree or seed
The big things come from the little dreams
Every world is made by make believe

John Mark McMillan - #4 / Sheet Of Night

John Mark McMillan. What an amazing songwriter.

His new album, Economy, is planned for release on November 1st.

Who am I? Continued?

Who Am I?


Derek had a great post with the Samples "Who am I?" and it resonated with me in a few different ways. I do not think it is possible to turn 60 without contemplating life's meaning and it's fleeting nature. It seems like the earth is turning faster and more furiously yet I know that cannot be!

When cancer threatened my life it really got personal...20 more years of life sounds reasonable but 5 or less? Time suddenly seemed not to be a friend of mine.

One of my thoughts in facing the possible shortness of life is how I have not done enough. I have not accomplished what I wanted to with counseling or helping my children, or their children, or doing things for others, or making any kind of difference in this world. I have lots of good intentions that remain undone.
From there, my thoughts go on to how I have let people down with not being kind enough, or sweet enough, or unselfish enough, or you name it!

I cannot explain the answer to all these spiraling down thoughts in a way that compares to the words of this song.

G.O.S.P.E.L.

Zion & Babylon

Josh Garrels is independent singer-songwriter out of Portland, Orgeon. I discovered his music last year and have since been blown away by his lyrics, faith, creativity. You'd be hard pressed to find another artist similar to Josh.

On warm spring days like today, I like to open up all the windows in my VW, turn Garrels' song "Zion & Babylon" up to notch 17 on the stereo, and just cruise. If you like this song, I included another Josh Garrels gem, "Freedom".