All things are Possible

We really are so blessed to be a part of these miracles happening in our Ladies lives.

Elim Pacific Ministries

Jubilee Partner : $50.00 USD - monthly A Dollar a Day : $30.00 USD - monthly Silver Redeemer : $25.00 USD - monthly Special Projects : $100.00 USD - monthly

Committed to Change the World

Experience is the Best Teacher

Have you heard that ‘experience’ is the best teacher? Well it’s just not true. What is true is that hands-on experience can be a practical or even more effective training tool making abstract learning tangible, but experience alone, especially what we are forced to learn through the school of hard knocks is probably one of the worst teachers of all. Sure we learn things, even important life lessons like, “I’ll never do that again!” or “Damn, that Hurt!” or worse yet, “This is impossible!”

What if my Dad taught me some of the important lessons that instead I ended up only learning through this school of hard knocks?  I believe that I could be a lot further along and even more effective, more prosperous, or more successful than I am right now. There is a principle of getting a head start advantage that does seem to work in a lot of different arenas. I hope that the way I parent is helping my children reach further than I ever have. I know I am seeing a lot of good things in my children’s lives already. One daughter has already “traveled the world on her toes” with ballet, and I remember the day I worked with her to teach her to skip. Now she is finishing as Masters in Counseling Psychology and is currently developing a curriculum to integrate movement into counseling therapy. Another daughter is committed to changing the world by using her competencies with Sign Language to promote greater resilience among developing communities. I remember telling funny bedtime stories and praying with her for favor and success to increase in her life. Our third daughter is a strong advocate working to empower victims of abuse, and there were many times I would pick her up and carry her on my shoulders as she would remind me that “She was only little.” Such wonderful memories of holding each of my children in my arms and cuddling. Our son has served in the Caribbean as well as Papua New Guinea to improve access to clean drinking water as an integral part of spiritual outreach while only yesterday, I was the monster in the middle of the trampoline in our frequent wrestling tumble. I am confident our youngest son will be doing similar things as he steps into his professional development himself.  We still joke and laugh together as we play our games. I hope that the wisdom I share and the opportunities I provide though my parenting style equips each of my kids with the practical ability to live abundant lives on purpose. Also I pray this for the ones who we have been working with in our ministry because we are committed to making disciples who are world-changers.

Sadly, so many people seem to bump their way through life more like a pin-ball bouncing from one thing to another, sometimes racking up points, other times getting a bonus, until the inevitable eventually happens and their ball ends up in the gutter and the sign lights up “GAME OVER.” Bouncing through life as a pin-ball is more or less how experience  teaches us. We soon learn where the most points are wracked up and once in while we nudge things along as best as we can as long as we don't get disqualified for a “tilt” of the machine. Like the rest, I’ve learned to cope and to adapt to a variety of situations. I’ve learned to roll though life and respond as effectively as I can with life’s ups and downs. Even if life gives me lemons, I’ve learned that I can make pretty good lemonade. I guess you could say that in a lot of ways, I’m an overcomer.

In my own life, I am now learning that there are a lot of ideas that formed my beliefs were not taught to me directly as much as they were formed through the way I interpreted my experiences. Lessons I gained through my experiences got built into the internal framework of my life. Many of the principles I learned early in my childhood have been silently influencing my life in some way, ever since I was a little boy. Only now am I realizing that some of these beliefs or convictions are not actually truths at all. They were only true in the way I interpreted my experience but not necessarily absolute truths.

Underlying beliefs or perspectives are called paradigms. Others explain these as the lens through which we see and view the world we live in. Everything that happens in our life tends to get referenced back to the original data and conclusions that we formed. Most of the time, we analyize each of our everyday experiences in a way that either validates or reinforces our foundational beliefs. Those are the ones that we keep to help strengthen our position or inform our decisions and actions.  We need these to validate our behavior because without overarching guiding principles, we have no foundational basis to move through life. This is our internal gravity that gives us the ability to make progress to journey through life. Without such guiding principles we would essentially be lost in space, floating through life with no sense of being, purpose or destiny.

Elim Pacific Ministries

Jubilee Partner : $50.00 USD - monthly A Dollar a Day : $30.00 USD - monthly Silver Redeemer : $25.00 USD - monthly Special Projects : $100.00 USD - monthly

Committed to Change the World

Spiritual Harmonics

We have been challenged recently to consider parallels in the Spirit. Often times God is doing things in similar ways in different locations. We are so excited to be able to claim what we see that God is doing in one place or in one person and simply say, I WANT THAT. God ignites faith as we share testimony. The testimony of Jesus is the Spirit of Prophecy. So any work or activity in the spirit realm that is proclaimed out loud, has a creative dimension to it as it is given voice. Life and death are in the power of the tongue and in the same way that God spoke the worlds into being though words, we speak, we decree, we declare and God's creative power is released into the situations we are in. Its as if heaven is released into our arena.

Understanding is seen first in the spirit and as that understanding is in full agreement and alignment with the nature of God, brings forth His life in creative power. Isn't that amazing? That is what truth is. When ideas are fully reflective and manifest the character and nature of God. These truths are powerful and liberating. His truth sets us free.

Sadly, lies have similar power and influence in negative ways. Lies can spread if we believe them. We can move into truth or we can move into the reality of a lie. Not all lies are void of authentic experience. The enemy is the father of lies. He uses various experiences to authenticate his spiritual influence but transactions in his economy are based on counterfeits. People can be fooled and even proud of owning designer labeled knock-offs. They are still lies, quality reproductions but genuine fakes just the same.

I am amazed at how many people are living in some kind of bondage all caused by believing in a lie. Politicians often make promises that are founded on false information, false data, and can sway governments and populations into united bondage and destruction. Consider Germany and how it was swayed to believe that the economic challenges the nation was facing in the 1930's was due to Jewish banking practices. They were then swayed through lies to agree to annihilate 6 million Jewish people in the holocaust.

The only way to really distinguish truth from error is to invite Holy Spirit to reveal truth in every situation. The Holy Spirit leads us into all truth. Jesus speaks truth. His Word is truth. His truth sets us free. To be liberated from the captivity that we find ourselves in, requires a fresh encounter with TRUTH. 
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Every Joint Supplies

I've always wondered about the choice of words Paul used:  He makes the whole body fit together and unites it through the support of every joint. As each and every part does its job, he makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love. Ephesians 4:16. A joint, of course, is the place where two bones come together. Joints tend to be weaker than bones but are essential to supply the essential articulation to promote functionality. Some bones have tremendous strength all by themselves. But by themselves, bones are unable to accomplish much independently. After I broke my elbow, I have begun to understand the importance of proper relationship and interaction. In the church, strength and functionality is vitally dependent upon how well each person coordinates with each other.

God uses the body to teach us many things. I have seen the impact of stress fractures, and compound broken bones. But far more painful than a broken bone is arthritis and its ability to hinder proper movement of a joint. Strong and healthy bones are important but so is the joint. The physical body has some important correlations to specific spiritual dimensions of a person's life. The right arm is the arm of authority, while the left arm is the arm of destiny. Hands relate to ministry and work. Feet relate to our walk and our stance in faith. Our knees relate to prayer. Paul later talks to the Ephesians about the importance of spiritual armor to equip us to be warriors and protect particular parts of our body.

Salvation is essential to protect our heads. Transformation as our minds are renewed with the thoughts of God's heart is key to being able to grow in the life of Christ. 

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