What's in a name?

I would have gotten back to the post on unity but my Bride stole my thunder and she wrote it much better than I, so if you want a great read on the unity of the body of Christ check out her blog.


So what's in a name??? Well let us consider Jacob, whose name means supplanter and deceiver. He had little difficulty living up to his namesake when he was growing up. Only after a powerful encounter with the Living God did his name and countenance change. So this leads me to my children. When we were praying about what to name our kids we desired first to give them strong names, but also names that would help mark their destiny. Caleb Alexander was our first born and his name means bold/brave defender or protector. When we found out that we were pregnant with him we had not yet reconciled with Helen's family because they did not agree with interracial marriages. It was our hearts desire that through Caleb's birth that he would be the reconciling force God would use to reunite our family. God was very faithful. Caleb is the bold defender of the faith that we declared over him as a baby and part of that is preserving unity. Kennedy Ann means Helmeted one and full of grace. The Lord spoke to me concerning her that she would be a rebuilder of broken walls and lives. She is very tender hearted and compassionate towards her friends and family. As the helmeted one, she is a warrior and very thoughtful in all she does. Courtney Chase means King's Court and hunter. The Lord spoke to Helen while she was at a T.D. Jakes conference about her name. As a worshipper she must go into the presence of the King. A hunter must know when to pursue their prey and when to wait and as a worshipper you must know when to press in and when to be still and wait.

It was our desire that the names we gave our kids would add to the blessing and calling on their lives. I have seen many of the traits associated with their names come to bear fruit in their lives, but I have also seen the exact opposite. I have recognized that even at these young ages there are spiritual forces waging war against their destinies and purposes in life. The Lord as since reminded and quite frequently lately that I am to continue to guard over those blessings that we spoke over our children when we named them.

So we have named our children to be a Protector, a rebuilder and a worshipper. Where they go in life only God knows, but we have laid a foundation that was given to us by God and the responsibility to watch over it.

What do your kids' names mean? What has He said to you concerning their names? I want to hear from you, but even if you don't comment at least I got you thinking about it.

It's a Woot Off today people....

Make sure you keep checking Woot.com for the infamous "bag of crap" It is the most prized thing to behold on Woot. Once you see it you must go and buy it. It only costs $6.00. You don't know what you will get but everything in the bag will be worth at least $6.00. A co worker of mine got an answering machine from his "Bag". You must register and have a login account but it is free. It is also rumored that a guy got a "Bag" and in his was a flat screen TV. Big fun and plus you can get some good deals on other items. We bought our answering machine with 4 cordless phones from there for $50 bucks. Have fun and good luck!

What is it worth???

Unity.... What is it worth??? In the face of a common enemy what is it worth? We are not called to agree on ever single detail of christian doctrine. But we are called to unity in the faith. So what is it worth? What would you give to have it? Would you consider it like possessing wisdom? Worth more than gold or silver. Is unity more important than protecting our "turf" or even having our feelings hurt?

More to come!

Stand in the Gap!

News Flash!!! Did you realize that prayer changes things!!!! How many times have we as Christians looked for solutions to our troubles in the natural without going to Jesus in prayer. Often times making the situation worse because we were looking for a fix with our flesh. Guilty as charged here! God is always looking for someone to stand in the gap, to fill the breach that was created. I used to think that was somebody else's job. I am realizing that it is my highest calling. To stand in the gap for my kids, there can be no greater purpose for me. God has charged me to be a buffer for them against the schemes of the enemy. When I leave my post unattended then it becomes easier for the influences of this world to creep over the walls.
I have never really considered myself a "prayer warrior". Don't get me wrong, I know how to pray with authority, but it has not been a way of life for me. God has moved this to the front burner for me. Maybe it has been there all along and I finally turned the stove on.... Either way I may never have to go to war in the natural, but I can go to war daily in the spirit. So this is where God has brought me to. I glad He did. I don't just want to be a prayer warrior, I want to be a prayer assassin. Cutting off the heads of demonic forces before they know what hit them.

Now if you will excuse me... I have to go a stand my post. There are some gaps that need filling!

Comments

Comments are now open to all who wander through here.

You guys help me welcome another blogger to this online rap session. Mr Todd Osborne. He is a good friend and fellow warrior. Go visit him and say hello.

What is unseen?

I hope I will not be in some way stealing from the Kevin T. thunder with his excellent posts on the plagues of Egypt, but something has gotten me wondering.

I have often wondered why the Israelites were so willing to trade the unseen promise of freedom for the known bondage of slavery. When applied to my own life it makes imperfect sense. As humans we have a natural desire I think to gravitate to the comfortable and routine, even when that routine means slavery. If you really think about it, the Israelites had more faith in their oppressors than their Heavenly Father. Maybe it is because they had more experience dealing with the Egyptians and that just seemed easier to digest than having to learn to follow God whom they could not see. And who up to that point seemed(at least to them) unwilling or unable to help them. I would dare say that even the most seasoned sailor still experiences some anxiety when leaving the safety of the harbor for the open sea because it still represents the unknown. To truly be what God has called us all to be, we must at some point leave the security of the harbor to set out for deep water. That means leaving sin, old mind sets, habits and the like behind in order to embrace a new level in God. Are you willing to pull up your anchor and unfurl your sails? Can we let go of the past in order to see what is up ahead? Can we have faith enough to believe that God is going to work these things out in our favor if we will just trust Him? Is He asking any more of us than He did of the Israelites when they left bondage? In case we have forgotten, God is in the business of making the broken; whole, the poor; wealthy, the sick; well and the bound; free. If He did it for them He will do it for us too.

Where is your passion???

I was challenged this weekend after C's visit. She asked a simple question. What am I passionate about? It took me a while to answer and when I finally did, it was kinda of matter of fact. She also challenged me to see if there was enough evidence to convict me of that passion. So C this one is for you. I have decided to become who I was born to be. I don't know how or really what steps to take, but I am setting my face toward that thing which God himself created me for. I am a warrior. I always have been. I can operate fine in a crisis, but true warriors don't. They are prepared for battle at all times. That is where I am lacking. So call me out in the street if necessary on this one. The wounds of a friend can be trusted.

Rumors of my demise have been GREATLY exaggerated!!! I'm still here. Let us continue on in this fight!

Dented and Dinged

No warrior comes out of a fight without having the evidence of battle on him. As I struggle to write these words I am thinking of my owns battles, the ones I am currently fighting and the ones yet to come. I am not in a good mood right now. I have taken the day off because my kids are out of school today. Remembering the words of my earlier post about soft words keeps ringing in my ears. It is not my children, they have been great today. It is their daddy... Right now as I type I am also willing my spirit into a place of worship that will remove this heaviness that has decided to try and attach itself to me. The song that keeps playing on my Itunes is called None But Jesus. The bridge to this song says: All I delight is in You Lord, all of my hope and all of my strength.

That is what I am holding on to right now. Pray for this warrior!!! thanks........

Got It Covered?

I am still learning what it means to be a good father and husband... I don't think I will ever get it completely right. Some days are better than others and at other times it is a moment by moment kind of thing. The Lord spoke 2 things to me concerning my kids. First was that "a soft answer turns away wrath,But a harsh word stirs up anger." There have been way too many times that I have chosen the harsh word instead of the soft answer. Kids being the sponges they are, absorbed what was given and when the right pressure was applied those sponges let out their own wrath on each other. I will also confess that the people I work with were more likely to receive a greater amount of grace from me than my own children. It has convicted my heart tremendously this week. I have tried to make a conscious effort to give the soft answer and extend to my little ones, daddy's grace.

Second the Lord spoke to me, Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. As a family, we sat down Sunday night to have a family meeting. I read those 2 scriptures to my kids. I confessed that I had allowed my words to stir up anger in them. I also told them that because we are family that we should let our love for one another be stronger than any offense we might have against each other. Just like Jesus covered our sins with His love we should do the same for each other. We prayed together and I really believe that they "GOT IT!" It also reminded me of the friendships that I share with many of you from our college days. It was a rare thing if we didn't call somebody on the carpet for something stupid we may have been involved in. And even though we probably didn't handle it right, we always knew that we were for each other and that we only wanted the best for one another. Allowing that love to cover our many failings is what made so many of our friendships so powerful. "Wounds from a friend can be trusted, but an enemy multiplies kisses." That in a nut shell at least to me is covenant love. A willingness to speak the truth even if it may hurt and then turn and allow that love cover whatever has tried to bring shame and guilt. Thanks!

Peace be still?

Job 34:29 says... When He gives quietness, who then can make trouble?

Strong words from a book about a man whose peace was rocked to its very core. I find daily that I must fight to keep some sort of peace. Whether it be between my 3 children or between Helen and me, or maybe on the job. There is an all out assault on my peace. Sometimes I wonder what must I do to achieve a lasting peace. Will it only come once I have breathed my last breath? Unfortunately it is so. What peace am I struggling to maintain? Peace of mind, peace in my spirit, just to name 2, but what I am realizing, is that I must wage war in order to keep the peace. You see the enemy continues to prowl around seeking whom he may devour. One of the things he looks to devour is our peace, because if he succeeds in consuming our peace then chaos in sues and we lose our perspective on what is really important. I love movies and one of my favorites is a movie called "First Knight" with Richard Gere and Sean Connery. In this film Sean Connery is playing King Arthur and they are faced in a difficult choice about whether or not to go to war. Arthur's adversary is openly provoking war with Camelot but he has the audacity to say that it is Arthur who is threatening this fragile peace. Arthur's response is great, in which he says " There is a peace that can only be found on the other side of war." There are many in our nation that believe that war ( any war) is wrong. They say that we should be able to settle our differences through diplomacy. Can I just tell you that the terrorists have no interest in peaceful negotiations and neither does Satan. If that be the case then why would we ever desire to try to reach some sort of compromise with him when we know he is bent on our destruction.
So bottom line, if you want peace in your life, the only way to have it is with victory! Don't try to appease your enemy thinking that will buy you peace. You want peace. You had better pick up your weapons of war and take it. Cause it won't be gained any other way.

What are you made of?

This is going to be a part two to the Choosing sides post. Do you know what God created you for? Yes we were created to worship Him, but on a deeper level, what were you made for? What is your calling, gifting, talent? OK I will go first.

I believe part of what the Lord has created me to be is an encourager of His people. I sing on our praise and worship team at our church and Pastor Abbye who leads our team says that I can go into coach mode while leading worship sometimes. When I do it, it makes it difficult for people to understand what I am saying and thus follow along. I guess I get a little too excited about what is going on in the service. If you ever saw it you would know what I am talking about. Anyway I am learning how to control this mode a little better. But getting back to my point. I am an encourager and I also am a coach. These two things fit together nicely. So if you will allow me, I am going to exercise my gift.... right now.

"I was made for war.... I was made for battle Lord" This is one of the verses to a song that we sing in church. I love this song because it puts me into a mindset to remind me that God has made me well able to overcome any challenge. When it comes to the spirit realm and our prayer lives, I believe we should be very aggressive. Did you realize that safe and subdued prayers will not advance the kingdom against the gates of Hell? I have offered up those kinds of prayers and have not seen things change in my situation, one because I did not believe it and two the enemy didn't either. He was not compelled to be removed from that area of my life. But when I press in and take on a warrior mentality things change. We also sing a song called "Battle cry". Sometimes we need to unleash our battle cry, and by this I mean let it be known from the rooftops if necessary. In doing so you let two people know what is going on. You let the enemy know that this is going to be different and that he had better be ready to get bruised up. And second you let your Father know that you are ready to use what He has already put in you.

It is time to cut off the head of the oppressor in our lives.

Choose Sides

Everyday we must choose sides... Will we be victims or victors? A victim is someone who is deceived or cheated, as by his or her own emotions or ignorance, by the dishonesty of others. A victor is someone who has overcome or defeated an adversary, a winner in any struggle or contest. (courtesy of Dictionary.com)

Based on those fairly clear definitions, we have a decision to make. There are too many times in my life were I chose to be a victim instead of a victor. I allowed circumstances and events to dictate my mental state. In doing so, I allowed the enemy to gain another foothold because I would not stand up and fight. How often do we forget that the fight is fixed on our behalf. Yes we all have trials and difficult things in our lives. But that does not mean we should walk around with the smell of death and our grave clothes on. It is a victim mentality that I believe is all to prevalent in our society now. People looking to make excuses for why they don't have the things they desire in life. Instead of finding a way to win we come up with a laundry list of who or what is responsible for us not reaching the brass ring. Can I tell you that victims never won a thing. They may have been able to reap the benefits of someone else hard work, but never on their own.

The Israelites were operating in victim mode when they reached the Jordan. Only Joshua and Caleb were in victor mode. We see the results of their fearful tendencies. We all can find our place at one time or another standing on that river bank saying we can't go over. But let me tell you, for you and me to truly walk in the anointing and power that God gave us we must change our minds from victims to victors. Regardless of our circumstances, we must declare victory.

I am through being a victim. Jesus called me to victory. Sometimes to get it you have to fight for it. " To the Victor, go the spoils"