When All is Gone

by Mark Gordon

When all is Gone… Redefine ALL!

Well I thought I should write a blog on our weekend adventure… if you have not heard our Condo was completely destroyed by fire… ‘all’ is gone, we escaped with PJ’s, keys and one laptop… odd what you grab as you run out the door. At about 10:30 Sandi and I were sitting watching TV and I noticed in the reflection on the TV screen, flames behind me, I turned around to see flames swirling out of my neighbor’s apartment and into ours… I yelled to Sandi to get up and out (although she just had to have a look), the flames were coming fast and we left our door and began banging on others doors, and pulled the fire alarm with another guy, btw I called 911 but it was busy… So we went throughout the building starting with our floor and banged on doors and sent stunned people to exits. We came across an elderly couple still in their apartment who needed a lot of help in getting out but they were safe. In fact ‘all’ people got out. We are very grateful for that! As the night went on the fire built in strength and more and more trucks and firefighters came. It was surreal to say the least. We stood and watch ‘all’ our stuff go up in flames!

Eventually we were sent to the Salvation Army where ESS, Red Cross and Salvation Army teams were amazing. In fact let me stop here and just say THANK YOU to all the 1^st responders they did a great job!! Everyone involved was amazing including my neighbors who were shocked but stayed calm. Our family were on scene within minutes and our church family activated help and prayer right away! Friends from many years sent messages of love and support, even friends of friends and of my kids were sending love and some even showed up at the Salvation Army to see if they could do anything!! AMAZING!!!

You see that is the point of this BLOG/Note we did not lose ‘all’ WE GAINED ‘ALL’ ! We gained love and support, and a whole community coming together to help us! In our society today our ‘ALL’ is focused on the wrong things! Our possessions are not our ‘all’ our relationship are, our community is, God’s love manifesting through people in tragedy is the true ‘ALL’ we each possess!!! We have our lives and that is awesome but we don’t fear death because of the love we have in God! What is better than our lives being spared in this circumstance is the ‘life’ that was shared through your kindness and love!! So thank you for changing my definition of ‘ALL’!!! We have gained far more then we have lost today!!!

Sandi, Jenna and I, along with our other kids Justen & Kristin and Jelene and Zach THANK YOU for your love and support and especially thank GOD for His peace and Love!!!

Now it’s time for a NEW BEGINNING What an adventure!!!

Small Straws in a Soft Wind

by Marsha Burns

"I am bringing you into alignment on every level. It is My will to position you properly so that My purposes can be accomplished and My kingdom established. You may not think that you, as an individual, have much to do with destiny. But, everything you think, say, or do is vitally important to the spiritual condition of your sphere of influence. Be diligent to demonstrate the kingdom."

"You have been repositioned as you have had to let go of many things that once meant everything too you. This has been for the purpose of establishing you in greater spiritual reality with renewed strength and vitality. You have stepped into a time of being reconnected to your spiritual roots yet with refreshing revelation."

"The days ahead will be filled with My glory in the practical and commonplace things of life as you maintain awareness and see My manifest presence in unexpected ways. Walk in the Spirit and be available."

"Events that left you reeling and trying to find stability and balance will now truly become a thing of the past as you begin to realize how insignificant it all was as compared with eternity and destiny. The power of My healing and restoration will become evident as you are able to release those who caused you pain. Forgiveness is essential to redemption."

"I have established an altar in the heavenlies, in the realm of the Spirit, where you can bring all that concerns you, things you can do nothing about, and things you have absolutely no control over. Leave them with Me and release your fear and anxiety. Nothing is impossible with Me. Come into that place of peace and rest, trusting Me in all things."

"You feel like you've been cut off, but this cutting off has only been from those things that needed to be put aside at this time. You are like a tree that has been cut off and banded so that your spiritual roots could go deeper and you could become stronger. Let your roots go deeper in the Word, in revelation, and relationship to Me. The day of release will come in due season."

"There are times when you feel totally disconnected and alone. This is because the enemy of your soul has lied to you and tried to isolate and weaken you. But, that is not My design or plan for you. Now is the time to reconnect spiritually, first to Me, and then to those who are Mine. Take the time and make the effort to re-establish yourself in divine connections and kingdom purpose."

"Allow Me to take you forward inch by inch, step by step, without fear or worry. I am with you and will open doors that no man can shut and to shut doors that no man can open. Trust Me with your future. I have already proven to you over and over again that I alone am your place of security, says the Lord."

Walking in Favor

by Mark Gordon

Why does today’s Society always choose the path of least resistance?

I don’t know if it is mid-life crisis or not but I have been struggling to see where to take the next step in leadership. At times it feels like success is a pipe dream and I wonder if I really have the tenacity to move to the next level. Yet the word tells me that I can expect great things, to prosper, to walk in a favor where the supernatural is the norm. The bible talks over and over about the favor of God and that as His followers we can walk in His Favor. However it is difficult to see in the post-modern North American Christian. We are weak and distracted. I am not talking about a name it and claim it, blab it and grab it kind of flakey thing I am referring to the very heart of God to bless His people and what our response should be. 1 Corinthians 3:21 says that “all things are yours…” It is time for me and you to believe this! The problem is we think that favor means easy and that if we meet resistance or trouble that we are not in favor… so we tend to walk the path of least resistance - which leads nowhere by the way!

Let God make you a success according to His plans (Jer 29:11) Believe the impossible to be possible for you today! The only limitation God has, the only lack in His kingdom is our lack of understanding His heart and laws. We have no problem believing the law of gravity because we experience it every day. Well, God has laws that we are to experience every day like the Law of LOVE and Favor! The riches of Heaven are at our disposal all the time, every day we live and breathe, and it is just a matter of walking in them.

Do not compare yourself to others or a world standard but know that all things are at your disposal, everything God created is for Him and US! This includes your talents. You have talents you may not even know you have. God gave them to you and the one thing that could frustrate His heart most is when we fail to develop the talents. Part of my revelation about the season I am in is that God will remove what we don’t use and I am seeing it happen all around me. Look at Matthew 25: 28-30. It is the story of the talents and it says that the one who tried to ‘not lose’ the talents given to him had them taken away and given to the one who doubled his by investing. The Lord was angry with the man for hiding his talent in fear and failure. We must take chances, be willing to make a mistake. Dare to do something for the Lord. Do not stand idly by praying and asking God to do things that YOU must do in faith. We all move forward through faith, 2 Corinthians 5:7 “we walk by faith”. God gives to the person that uses their talent and He gives in abundance. When we are faithful with little He increases, it is part of His nature. The same principle applies to His favor, when we exercise it… favor grows. Matthew 25 clearly says God takes from the man who will not use what he has been given and gives it to those who do. It is not favoritism it is principle.

A good friend of mine always says ‘give to the greedy not the needy’. Now I know you are wondering where I am going with that but there is a principle there. I have discovered you can’t help those who don’t want it. A person who just wants to have everything handed to them is a bad investment because the investment stops with them. I am not talking about times of genuine need. Sandi and I have been homeless before and are grateful for the help that was given. I am talking about knowing we have God’s favor brings a responsibility to walk it out and to give it out. When we do God multiplies but when we don’t He divides… ouch

God expects us to take what is in our hand and develop it. Many people expect God to move for them but faith says God has moved; now it is my turn. God has done everything we need - it is us who is called to move on it by faith. Moses in Ex 14:15 told God “you get the show on the road” God said back “why are you crying to me? Lift your rod, and stretch out your hand over the sea, and divide it…” Moses did and it did. Often we cry out to God to move when He is waiting for us to move the mountain…He gave us His favor and His faith, now it is our turn…YOUR turn! Speak to your mountain and cast it aside God can do anything through you and you can do ALL things through HIM. Your faith has to release before God will move! Numbers 20:8 God tells Moses “speak to the rock and it will gush water” he didn’t and missed the promise land…

I am sure most of who will read this love God, so walk in His favor. Many of us however do not realize that God wants to bless us; so we go around in our negative world of fears, doubts, failures, hoping maybe someday we will make it! WE have blocked our faith…Go forward from this moment on declaring “I love the Lord, God is blessing me, He honors me. I am strong, I am successful, God is with me, I am His honored child!! Worship the Lord with this attitude.

Live excited, Live expecting! I have found what I expect becomes what I believe, negative or positive. Each of us chooses one or the other, no sitting on the fence on this one. Today I encourage you and myself to start choosing God’s favor, approach every circumstance in life through that lens, you will see a change!

Covenant is the Key to Unlock the Doors of Cities and Nations

by Sean Feucht

I am completely riveted and still buzzing from the psychotic and pulsating whirlwind of glory and family that took place at a recent event I was a part of! I feel totally exhausted in just about every measure, but can hardly sleep or rest from this experience. I am dreaming with God of how the foundation of this coming greatest global "harvest of youth and young adults" will look like. I feel like we may have stumbled into a core element of it, but want to press in for the fullness!

Mothers and Fathers with Sons and Daughters

What started for me as a simple album release party for the latest live project "Your Presence Is Enough" (which will soon be available on the Elijah List) turned into a full-on two-city Blaze and Presence Extravaganza with some of my closest and dearest friends across the world! We began in a random town and ended in a random town—from Youngstown, Ohio, to Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. I have come to love the somewhat hidden and "off the beaten path" cities that God has been sending us to lately. They may seem random to many, but have captured the heart of our Master as the small town of Bethany did in the Bible. And He keeps coming back again and again to visit them!
It was a beautiful collision of fathers and mothers ministering alongside sons and daughters. Giants in the faith like Heidi Baker, Georgian Banov, Charles Stock and Leonard Jones mingled with young pups like Rick Pino, Kristene Mueller and myself. It was twenty-somethings worshipping and crying out for MORE before God alongside fifty and sixty-somethings. It was communal, family-focused and intrinsically beautiful! Every night we came together, and without fail God showed up with unbelievable presence, power, healings, salvations, deliverance and the overwhelming atmosphere of Heaven. This dynamic was upheld and orchestrated within the confluence of the pure authenticity and the deep covenant relationship we all shared together.
Not one person was working to perform, compete, strive to gain attention or bring validation to their personal ministry or calling, but rather preferring one another and propelling each other forward. Humility and servanthood were supreme, and I believe the Lord was really happy to come hang with us. The peace, rest, grace and power of God simply hijacked all our plans and led us into deep waters of His love.
An incredible prophetic fulfillment to the end-time prophecy in the book of Malachi began taking place!
He will turn the hearts of the fathers to their children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers...—Malachi 4:6

Authentic Community Restored

God is really doing it! Our hearts are turning toward each other in this day and we actually really like hanging out together outside conferences, meetings and church services. Authentic community and family are being restored.
Could there be a catalytic and synergistic swirl of deep covenant and authentic community stirring that will become the bedrock for this coming wave of God to land upon? Or put another way: Is it possible for this promised global move to be sustained merely through big conferences, flashy events and new charismatic rhetoric? Haven't we been trying this for some time? After my recent experience, it would be hard for my heart to truly come to grips with this.
But is God beginning to take residence among a humble people truly dwelling in the "Spirit of unity" who are committed to center life and family around the burning fire of His presence? Is there a fresh fragrance released when we approach ministry with each other from a "family" paradigm rather than a "business" paradigm? With business partners, you cut ties and move on when the relationship is not "profitable." With family, you are committed as mothers and fathers, sons and daughters for life! I believe this is the lifestyle, community and ministry exemplar that pulls down the commanded blessing from Heaven into our midst. This is the community, family and people who will host the next sustaining move that will not quickly burn out, but last for generations to come.
Psalm 133:1-3 Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brothers to dwell together in unity! It is like the precious oil upon the head, coming down upon the beard, even Aaron's beard, coming down upon the edge of his robes. It is like the dew of Hermon coming down upon the mountains of Zion; for there the LORD commanded the blessing—life forever.

Is This What It's Supposed to Look Like?

There was a commanded blessing that flowed over every word, prayer, chord and melody as we gathered. The unity in the spirit was astounding and created an atmosphere that was charged with expectation and supernatural ease! Like the "oil running down Aaron's beard" or the "dew of Hermon," this substance saturated the walls and the hearts of everyone in attendance. Involved with this kind of ministry, you leave feeling refreshed and inspired instead of feeling burned out and weary.
Surprisingly enough, this honest "family friendly" atmosphere sustained a rare accessibility in such large meetings for everyone present to tap into the flow and breakthrough of what God was imparting. As people began to encounter Jesus and His glory each night, the typical "minister-audience" walls that become such a hindrance to the corporate encounter came crashing down! We all were entering in together!
So, I am beginning to ask a few questions now. Maybe this is what the New Testament Church really should look like in our day? Please hear my heart as I am in no way implying that we suddenly and instantaneously found the answer to cure all the problems and issues of the Western Church. But I am beginning to wonder if it is all supposed to look less like a well-oiled machine and more like organic family. Less like cookie-cutter, predictable business and more like a celebration of spontaneous flow-fostering creativity. Maybe more like hands-on mentoring and less like individual performance. After all, isn't the new wine in the cluster? I strongly believe God is stirring this unity-move deep in the hearts of fathers and mothers and sons and daughters in our day. Church is really beginning to be fun, family and unpredictable again!

Covenant is the Key

Last year, my good friend Rick Pino and I received the same word from the Lord around a similar time. We were praying into a strategy of catalyzing entire regions, cities and nations to encounter widespread breakthrough and not only specific churches or ministries. Every major revival in history that has brought significant and sustained restoration infected every church, ministry or denomination in the region and was not limited to a single church or ministry move.
This is our strategy with every Burn 24/7 furnace we plant and why we are passionate about them becoming "citywide" gatherings of worshippers representing every congregation, ethnicity and ministry. If we can operate in grace and preference through this messy collision, we gain a unity that demolishes longstanding curses and bestows a blessing on the city. Our desire is to see the "water level" of the entire city, region and nation raised up!
The Lord spoke a clear word to us that: "Covenant is the key to unlock the doors of cities and nations."
We began to realize how shallow our own current relationships were and how much our hearts truly ached for authentic covenant that could literally bring an unlocking of cities and nations!
This should be a covenant that moves beyond simply organizing events together and "partnering ministries" from time to time and moves into genuine care for each other's families. This should be a covenant where we throw down our cloaks (ministries) and blow trumpets (prophesy) over the dreams and destinies of each other's hearts like the actions of Jehu's best friends (2 Kings 9:13). This would be a covenant in direct response to the last prayer of Jesus in John 17:11 "that they may be one as we are One." For Jesus knew the enemy would move to divide and separate the Body as an "army divided against itself cannot stand." This should be a covenant where our greatest power and strength comes in the place of corporate agreement where one puts a thousand to flight but two puts ten thousand (Deuteronomy 32:30).
Although the answer to creating and sustaining covenant does not lay within the pages of the latest Christian self-help book, but I believe God is commissioning us on a journey to discover "what covenant is" again.
Are we ready for the ride?

Live This Life

by Shandel Standring

It seems I've heard so many songs prompting us to live each day as our last, to live this life like it's the only one you've got, to go for what you want when you want it, and I think they're right - but what they want you to go after is wrong.

I could live this life like its the only one I've got in two ways: going after all the world has to offer, money, fame, possessions, OR live like I had one chance to change something for good, one chance to have influence, one chance to really live with no guilt, and no regrets either.

One life. Will I be someone who does things to please man, or God? Will I forget who I am and what I am called to to? Will I hurt those who hurt me? Or will I live a life worthy of praise?

I believe that I was created to be an answer. Not the answer to every problem (too much stress) but an answer. I believe that I am here to love, and so I shall, even when it hurts, to the best of my ability. I believe that a life filled with honesty and truth has it's own reward, and that a good name is of more value than gold.

So here I am. Living. Standing for truth. And struggling. Hate is easy, love takes courage. Content with who I am, always growing, ever learning. I have fallen short. I have been unkind, unmerciful, ungracious...but never unloved.

What profit is it to gain a whole world, yet lose your soul? Lose yourself?

Saw a sign out front a church last week "live like you were dying". No thank you very much. I'm gonna live like I'm gonna be around for a long, long time. Make the most of each day and opportunity yes, without guilt to be felt in the future.

Live this life like you were....alive.

The Crucible of Family

by Ben Gumienny

This week I had the opportunity to sit in on some job interviews that were happening for summer positions at the church. As each of the different candidates told us about themselves, it was interesting to observe the way their life experiences shaped them into who they are today. Obviously you can only get to know people a little in a short interview but certain patterns were consistently recognizable across the board. One the of the most evident of these patterns was that of the effect their family had on them. As each of them spoke about their parents or their siblings, you could see direct co-relations to their personalities and the life choices that they had made that showed all throughout their resumes. For better or worse (or both) their family had played a significant part in shaping who they were in the present.

As the saying goes, “You can’t choose your family”. In a society that is over-saturated with choice, this stands out as something that the product developers have not yet been able to change. Like it or not, we are born or placed into a family and they represent the crucible of relationship that we will be developed within. Family is where God intended us to first learn love, forgiveness and many other essentials to the human experience. The relationships within our family and how we respond to them will affect the way we approach life, God and every other relationship we have throughout our entire lives. And there is no quick-fix to family frustrations and struggles. Even if we walk away from the relationships, it doesn’t erase the mother/father/sister/brother connections we have. In fact, it just leaves large pockets of unfinished business that continue to affect us throughout the years.

In the same way that God places us in natural families, I believe He also wants to place us into spiritual families. He has chosen for us to live and be shaped within a spiritual community of people who are journeying towards Him together. He intends for us to learn many of these same lessons at a different level within spiritual family – loving others, forgiving, bearing one another’s burdens and sharing the joys and sorrows of the journey together. Unfortunately sometimes we short circuit His plan for spiritual family when we bail out when trouble arises. Look at the parallels here to marriage: It is also a covenant that one sticks through in difficult times and even when the heart pounding excitement of new romance wears off. In the same way, God desires for us to stay in the crucible of spiritual family until He releases us – even it isn’t always easy or exciting – because this plays a large part in forming the character He wants us to have as He makes us like Christ.

This is about more than just continuing to attend a certain church or put tithe into the offering plate. It is possible to be there but not really be there – much like an absentee parent who still lives in the home but who’s heart has obviously checked out. God wants us to come and make an effort to open our hearts daily to Him and others within the spiritual family, being available to grow and to help in others’ growth. Because in spiritual and natural family it can’t all be about us and what we get from it – that just leads to empty shallow lives that are centered around fulfilling our needs. The greatest joy and sorrow and ADVENTURE comes from fully embracing the spiritual (and natural) family that you have been given and entering into their lives; open to loving and serving the purpose that God has for you within the special place He has prepared for you in their hearts. For: “God places the lonely in families; he sets the prisoners free and gives them joy.” Ps. 68:6 (NLT)

The Value of Discipline

by Mark Gordon

I have been in a bit of a transition lately which has led me into some self-discovery. There is a real desire in my heart to take my leadership skill to another level. For most of my life “discipline” was a FOUR LETTER WORD. I avoided it because it had negative experiences attached to it. I have discovered that my view of discipline was simply wrong as I always saw it as punitive rather than liberating. I know you may be thinking, “Liberating, are you kidding me?!?”

On this quest, I have been trying to figure out what my limitations were and why did it seem that I had a certain measure of success but never quite accomplished what I saw in my heart or dreams. I mused over laziness, lack of focus, lack of knowledge, lack of commitment and so on. I thought maybe more training, more hours, more money or more knowledge would get me to where I wanted to go. However none of the ‘Lacks’ or the ‘Mores’ really answered the question in my heart until the thought came to me “I simply need to be disciplined” YIKES!!

I started thinking about all what all that meant. It would mean accountability, it would mean cracking the whip, trying harder & harder but still failing. As I went through the thought in my heart I finally realized that my concept of discipline came from the wrong place. I saw it as a list of do’s and don’ts. What I have discovered is that it is more about YES & No. Yes to what brings life to me and no to what does not. In my experience, discipline has always come from an external source based on others' expectations. For example, a teacher or parent punishing me because I did not do something the way I was expected to. Everyone seemed to have an opinion on how I was to learn. I always struggled with remembering what I studied so I did poorly on tests, and then my report card would say “if Mark only applied himself he would do better.” Well I thought I had applied myself and I just didn’t understand it so I gave up trying to study (I now realize that my learning style is by ‘doing’). It is always “me” trying to measure up to “them.” Unfortunately many times it would just make me feel stupid so I eventually gave up and quit school. The problem is that it became a pattern for me that and I eventually broke. I would have a creative idea - begin to act on it and then someone would try and change the way I did it. “You should do it this way” they would say…I would fail and quit.

As a result I would run from anything structured or organized and that demanded me to do it someone else’s way! Anytime I thought of discipline I would cringe. The bottom line is that my leadership skills have hit a ceiling and the ceiling is a discipline problem. So how can I have a disciplined life and still be free - I am discovering the value of discipline is freedom!

The key for me was not to be disciplined by someone else’s abilities, personality, and skill set but MINE!! I have begun to be disciplined in what I need to do according to my goals and destiny. Let me give you three easy principals/steps I found worked for me:

1. FIND YOUR RHYTHM. I was always told the early bird gets the worm so if I was disciplined at getting up early I would be more successful. So I would decide, "Ok Mark you are going to get up early every morning this week and be more efficient." Only one problem: after the first day when I could not open my eyes and my brain wouldn’t function, the new found plan fell into the ever growing failure basket in my thinking. I was so demotivated that I would give up on ideas or projects and my goals were not met. Find out what works for you, look at when you are at your best. When you have the most energy and creativity. I am a nighthawk and I have discovered that my mind is alert and my creativity is just waking up about 9 to 11pm. (it is 9:15pm right now as I write this) I had to find ‘my’ time to do ‘my’ best work then the discipline was a lot easier. I still needed the discipline to complete my tasks as there are many distractions everyday however the discipline would produce a benefit if I did.
   

2. FIND YOUR STRENGTHS – discover your strengths and match discipline to them. An example in my life is my gifting vs. time spent on a task. I looked at what I am good at, which is “Inspiring, Facilitating, Connecting” I then looked at my tasks and appointments within a week and how many hours I spent on what I am strong at…it was shocking! No wonder I had no discipline - 80 percent of my time was spent on things that had nothing to do with my destiny or gifts. In short discipline was making me do more of the stuff I hated and it’s no wonder I threw discipline out the window. The reality was I spent time in the name of discipline to work on my weaknesses rather than spending that energy and time on my strengths and making them stronger. Discipline is easier when you see results. Focus on what is strong not what is wrong!

3. FIND YOUR PASSION – Discipline was a lot easier when I loved doing something. I discovered I am passionate about inspiring people and realized that I could do that anywhere, anytime and it changed the way I saw the job I was doing at the time. It brought joy to the tasks I did not necessarily like because I knew that the outcome would be inspiration for those around me. When you are passionate about something the value of discipline is that you get to do it more often and get better at doing it. Knowing what you’re passionate about actually produces discipline in your life. Now I realize in life we all have things we ‘have to’ do that we don’t like but the value of discipline is that if you get them done you are free to do what you ‘love’ to do. Your passion brings perspective to everything else you do.
   

My motivation for a more disciplined life is now changed as I no longer see it as punitive but as freeing. The more I function in a lifestyle of discipline the more I am seeing freedom to reach my goal of excellence in leadership!! Start today - look at your schedule and find your rhythm, discover your strengths and focus on them, and then apply both to what you are passionate about and you will see discipline as an ally rather than a foe