Does anyone read this blog?
Brandon
Monday, March 16, 2009
Thursday, March 5, 2009
Hey Kindred Bloggers,
I'll cut out the chit-chat and get right to the point. I want to talk about the irrelevancy of the church. My question, or rather, my rhetorical question for you is, "How and Why has christianity become so irrelevant to the world?" Wow! We don't mess around here at the GivePrayLove blog! Today is a no fluff blog day. So let's get started!!!
I believe that this whole relevance question is a Presence vs. Principle issue. Presence meaning relationship and Principle meaning theology and beliefs. As a church, we have played ourselves out of the ball game by the intense power struggle between ourselves and the world based upon our principles and beliefs.
First, the infighting between denominations over theology has us caught up in a whirlwind of doctrinal debates that mean very little to the world and aren't relevant to the problems people have. John 17:21 states that the world will believe because of our oneness. The people, you and I. Does this mean we should not have principles that guide our lives or our ministries? Of course not. We must have these gaurdrails, but not in place of the presence. Do you think that the little street boy in India who is wondering where his next meal is coming from is really worried about the debate over predestination vs. freewill?
I am a big believer that truth does not have to defend itself. The speed of light does not have to defend itself to the speed of sound. Light is not in a power struggle against sound to see who is faster! Beliefs have superseded relationship and this was never supposed to be the case in the new covenant. If we cannot lay down our agendas within the church, how are we going to be able to lay down our agendas to the world? I bet you the guy who was blind from birth, mentioned in the Gospel of John, is glad that Jesus did not value principle over presence. The day he was healed was a Sabbath day; a day forbidden by principle to do anything other than rest. Love won out to the disgust of the religious. Think of how many prostitutes and homosexuals the church has missed being in relationship with because we've been too busy worrying about their influence in our own lives. As a whole, Christianity has become irrelevant because we have valued theology over relationship.
Well, if you are not convinced that Christianity and the church have become irrelevant worldwide and locally, then you may not be up to snuff on what topics are relevant to the world today. I'm talking about AIDS, water supply issues, malaria, childhood prostitution, and genocide just to name a few. And if you want to start locally, in Clyde, America, what about meth addiction and the statistic that 1 in 3 girls have been sexually molested? If the church is not going to become relevant to these problems, then who is? Relevancy is not new lights or shiny new programs at the church. Relevancy is simply answers and solutions to the world's problems.
You and I are the Hope of Glory to the world. The world is waiting for the desire of the nations (Jesus) to be revealed through US! In the next couple of weeks, I will talk about the fear of letting go of our agendas and how the Bible has taken the place of the Holy Spirit within the Trinity.
I hope all of you reformers have a wonderful week! Remember, "Love never fails!"
Give, Pray, Love,
Brandon
P.S. How do you like that font size change? I didn't realize I was making everyone get out their reading glasses to read this. Hope it's a little easier on the eyes now!
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Hey, KLF family! We are back up and running here in blogville! I hope all is well with everyone's soul. I feel great, thank you for asking! My spirit is alive, my mind is sharp (sharp as a round, rubber ball as my brother would say) and my fingers feel ready to rock the blogospherical keyboard.
I left off last year with the question, "Is the power of the sword greater than the power of the cross?" That question was actually based on the sermon series entitled "The Power of the Sword vs the Power of the Cross" by Greg Boyd and we will be discussing it in the next couple of weeks. Until then, though, I would like to share with you what has been going on in my heart.
Wow! What a weekend. John Mark Pool, worldwide author and speaker on the prophetic was at K-LIFE (that's what the cool people call KLF) this weekend and it was awesome. There have been so many testimonies of God's transforming power through the prophetic word. I believe people's dreams and destinies have been re-lit with the fire of the Holy Spirit to burn purer and brighter than ever before. We have been given a mandate to pursue the prophetic fulfillment of the promises that God has set before us! What are the promises that God has given you? Our promise is that we would see local, regional and world-wide transformation (heaven coming to earth in every sphere) through training and equipping people to become radical givers, unceasing prayers and fearless lovers. Hence the slogan: GIVE. PRAY. LOVE.
What does it take to see the promises of God fulfilled in our lives? I believe it takes us partnering with the spiritual and the natural. We must first commit ourselves to prayer. Bill Johnson says that the hand of God only moves on man's behalf through prayer. Prayer changes the atmosphere and releases the realities of heaven here on earth. This open heaven couples with your faithfulness to see the fulfillment of the promises of God manifest in your daily lives. It's like Noah. He heard the voice of God that there was going to be a flood and the Lord even gave him a blueprint of what he was supposed to build for it. But, Noah had to hammer the nail into the 2x4 to build the ark. There is a coupling of prayer and natural application to what God is saying that produces the city's promise that God has called us to live in.
I will leave you with this question: Is the pain of change greater than the pain of not living in the fullness of your destiny? It starts today! Today's destiny has to be completed to reach your final destination.
Until next time,
Love, Peace and Chicken Grease,
Brandon
I left off last year with the question, "Is the power of the sword greater than the power of the cross?" That question was actually based on the sermon series entitled "The Power of the Sword vs the Power of the Cross" by Greg Boyd and we will be discussing it in the next couple of weeks. Until then, though, I would like to share with you what has been going on in my heart.
Wow! What a weekend. John Mark Pool, worldwide author and speaker on the prophetic was at K-LIFE (that's what the cool people call KLF) this weekend and it was awesome. There have been so many testimonies of God's transforming power through the prophetic word. I believe people's dreams and destinies have been re-lit with the fire of the Holy Spirit to burn purer and brighter than ever before. We have been given a mandate to pursue the prophetic fulfillment of the promises that God has set before us! What are the promises that God has given you? Our promise is that we would see local, regional and world-wide transformation (heaven coming to earth in every sphere) through training and equipping people to become radical givers, unceasing prayers and fearless lovers. Hence the slogan: GIVE. PRAY. LOVE.
What does it take to see the promises of God fulfilled in our lives? I believe it takes us partnering with the spiritual and the natural. We must first commit ourselves to prayer. Bill Johnson says that the hand of God only moves on man's behalf through prayer. Prayer changes the atmosphere and releases the realities of heaven here on earth. This open heaven couples with your faithfulness to see the fulfillment of the promises of God manifest in your daily lives. It's like Noah. He heard the voice of God that there was going to be a flood and the Lord even gave him a blueprint of what he was supposed to build for it. But, Noah had to hammer the nail into the 2x4 to build the ark. There is a coupling of prayer and natural application to what God is saying that produces the city's promise that God has called us to live in.
I will leave you with this question: Is the pain of change greater than the pain of not living in the fullness of your destiny? It starts today! Today's destiny has to be completed to reach your final destination.
Until next time,
Love, Peace and Chicken Grease,
Brandon
Wednesday, May 7, 2008
I want your opinion...
Hello my kindred bloggers! Don't you just love it when someone asks for your opinion? Well, this is your chance to share it. I have a question for you all that will hopefully lead to great dialogue. The question is this:
Is the power of the sword greater than the power of the cross?
(This is not a trick question. I know it's vague, but I am going somewhere with it!)
Quote from Brandon:
"The kingdom of this world changes culture to change people, the Kingdom of God changes people who change a culture!"
Give Pray Love leads to transformation.
Brandon
P.S. If this is your first visit, scroll down to the bottom of the page to get the full scoop on what this blog is and why it looks like it does. Oh, and Welcome!
Is the power of the sword greater than the power of the cross?
(This is not a trick question. I know it's vague, but I am going somewhere with it!)
Quote from Brandon:
"The kingdom of this world changes culture to change people, the Kingdom of God changes people who change a culture!"
Give Pray Love leads to transformation.
Brandon
P.S. If this is your first visit, scroll down to the bottom of the page to get the full scoop on what this blog is and why it looks like it does. Oh, and Welcome!
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
The End of Strife
Hey blog family! What a tight knit group we are! Thank you for accepting me into the sisterhood so far. Where are all the male bloggers? We need some testosterone in this group, no offense ladies. Real men blog, bottom line. Sounds like a great sermon title...
Like I said in our first blog we will be featuring different people's insight on our Give. Pray. Love. blog. This week we will be submitting Francesca Hafner's dialogue on strife. Francesca and her husband Billy have been active and faithful members of Kingdom Life Fellowship almost since the beginning. They have a beautiful family that is growing all the time. Right now, the Hafner's are spending lots of time staring lovingly into the eyes of their newest member, Madeline. And wow, did I mention that Fran can write? She is an insanely gifted writer. Not only that, but what she says is extremely revelatory. Enjoy!!!
Give. Pray. Love.
Brandon
The End of Strife
by Francesca Hafner
My goal right now is to be at peace within myself. I want my spirit to be at peace with my body. I want my spirit to be at peace with my soul. There has been strife between my spirit and my body and my soul for some years now. My spirit could not be at peace with my body while my body fulfilled the desires of the flesh. My spirit could not be at peace with my soul while it was unrenewed. This strife has caused unrest, fear, condemnation, shame and guilt when it is for FREEDOM that Christ has set us free.
Strife is defined in the Strong’s as electioneering or intriguing for office. When there is strife within a believer it is because an election is going on. In the natural world we have seen many elections. They are normally dirty. Each “candidate” is trying to undermine the others and make their ways seem like the best. They try to always put their best foot forward, but inevitably the truth comes out.
Consider your spirit, soul and body candidates for office within you. All want to be the leader, but only one can. The soul wants you to bow to every emotion and give in to every desire of the will. Your soul makes you believe that you should just do what you feel like doing, what you want to do. This will make you happy.
Your body wants you to obey it. What are its limits or its desires? This is the deciding factor. Is your body tired? Then submit to it. Is your body sick? Then submit to it. Is your body out of control? Then by all means let it lead. This is what your body wants.
But last, there is a better way. You spirit also wants to lead. Your spirit, the part of you that connects deeply to the heart of God. Your spirit is the part of you that can see into the heavenlies, into the future and into the potential of man and yourself. Your spirit is the part of you that lives in heavenly places.
If we live from our soul or body, we lived from the part of us that is flawed. But, when we live by our spirit, we live by the part of us that is perfect. If I have the opportunity to live from perfection, I want to meditate on that. I want to press on towards that. We have the power and authority through Christ to determine how we live out life. But, our flesh is like an unruly kid. If you give it an inch, it will take a mile. I am tired of living life out of the flawed; I want to live out of the flawless. I want to do, be, and attain everything God has stored up for me. But, first, I want the end of strife. No more campaigns, no more elections. The polls are closed. A leader has been chosen.
Like I said in our first blog we will be featuring different people's insight on our Give. Pray. Love. blog. This week we will be submitting Francesca Hafner's dialogue on strife. Francesca and her husband Billy have been active and faithful members of Kingdom Life Fellowship almost since the beginning. They have a beautiful family that is growing all the time. Right now, the Hafner's are spending lots of time staring lovingly into the eyes of their newest member, Madeline. And wow, did I mention that Fran can write? She is an insanely gifted writer. Not only that, but what she says is extremely revelatory. Enjoy!!!
Give. Pray. Love.
Brandon
The End of Strife
by Francesca Hafner
My goal right now is to be at peace within myself. I want my spirit to be at peace with my body. I want my spirit to be at peace with my soul. There has been strife between my spirit and my body and my soul for some years now. My spirit could not be at peace with my body while my body fulfilled the desires of the flesh. My spirit could not be at peace with my soul while it was unrenewed. This strife has caused unrest, fear, condemnation, shame and guilt when it is for FREEDOM that Christ has set us free.
Strife is defined in the Strong’s as electioneering or intriguing for office. When there is strife within a believer it is because an election is going on. In the natural world we have seen many elections. They are normally dirty. Each “candidate” is trying to undermine the others and make their ways seem like the best. They try to always put their best foot forward, but inevitably the truth comes out.
Consider your spirit, soul and body candidates for office within you. All want to be the leader, but only one can. The soul wants you to bow to every emotion and give in to every desire of the will. Your soul makes you believe that you should just do what you feel like doing, what you want to do. This will make you happy.
Your body wants you to obey it. What are its limits or its desires? This is the deciding factor. Is your body tired? Then submit to it. Is your body sick? Then submit to it. Is your body out of control? Then by all means let it lead. This is what your body wants.
But last, there is a better way. You spirit also wants to lead. Your spirit, the part of you that connects deeply to the heart of God. Your spirit is the part of you that can see into the heavenlies, into the future and into the potential of man and yourself. Your spirit is the part of you that lives in heavenly places.
If we live from our soul or body, we lived from the part of us that is flawed. But, when we live by our spirit, we live by the part of us that is perfect. If I have the opportunity to live from perfection, I want to meditate on that. I want to press on towards that. We have the power and authority through Christ to determine how we live out life. But, our flesh is like an unruly kid. If you give it an inch, it will take a mile. I am tired of living life out of the flawed; I want to live out of the flawless. I want to do, be, and attain everything God has stored up for me. But, first, I want the end of strife. No more campaigns, no more elections. The polls are closed. A leader has been chosen.
Thursday, April 17, 2008
Hey family, Brandon here. This is my second post in the blogworld or the blogosphere, don't know what to call it because I didn't receive any comments on my first post. Hint, hint. Definitely not helping my need for affirmation. It is my #1 need on the emotional needs assessment test, affirmation that is...
You may be wondering "Why the Militant Theme?" or "Whats up with the agressive camo background?" What's all this "Give Pray Love" stuff, HUH?"
At KLF, we feel like God has called us to wage the greatest offensive strike our world has ever seen. We have the grenades, the pistols and the bombs in place, ready at a moments notice. The "Give" grenades are being prepared, the "Prayer" pistols are getting polished, and the "Love" bombs are getting special attention. God is raising up an army of believers who are ready to use radical measures that include the most violent forms of weaponry created, Giving, Praying and Loving. This war that is being waged is not an upheaval caused by political provocation or armed advances, but the beautiful violence of the Kingdom of God. It's the result of God's order shaking up relationships, households, cities, and nations by the entry of the Holy Spirit's power. That power, is being brought from Heaven to Earth through the fruits of the Spirit and the giftings of God's Spirit working through you, God's People!!!
We are calling forth all world changers, reformers, revolutionaries, (carpenters, housewives, college students, retired folks and everyone in between) to a lifestyle of radical abandonment to God's reign.
The Vision of KLF is to transform our city, region, and world. We want to bring Heaven to Earth in Clyde, the Big Country, Texas, United States, and the Nations.
The Mission of KLF is this: Operation: Give. Pray. Love. We believe God has called us to meet the Physical, Spiritual and Emotional needs of the people. We want to be a people who give radically, pray unceasingly, and love sacrificially at the greatest levels.
This is the war we want to wage. A Give. Pray. Love WAR you could say!!!
Operation: Give Pray Love will feed the three basic needs that people have...
1. Physical Needs (Give) feeds the Body
2. Spiritual Needs (Pray) feeds the Spirit
3. Emotional Needs (Love) feeds the Soul
To answer the question about the aggressive camo background. The responsibility for that lies on the shoulders of our KLF blog creator, Pam Park. Pam is the supervisor and editor of this blog so if you don't like the aggressive, militant camo background, talk to her. If you do like it, I have the inside track that she's fond of Starbucks! I personally like it because God has called us to violently advance His Kingdom. Not with physical violence but with a spiritual intensity that helps us promote the attributes of our Savior Jesus.
If you are ready to engage, please enlist (army talk for "leave me a comment"). Until next time, soldiers.
Give Pray Love,
Brandon
You may be wondering "Why the Militant Theme?" or "Whats up with the agressive camo background?" What's all this "Give Pray Love" stuff, HUH?"
At KLF, we feel like God has called us to wage the greatest offensive strike our world has ever seen. We have the grenades, the pistols and the bombs in place, ready at a moments notice. The "Give" grenades are being prepared, the "Prayer" pistols are getting polished, and the "Love" bombs are getting special attention. God is raising up an army of believers who are ready to use radical measures that include the most violent forms of weaponry created, Giving, Praying and Loving. This war that is being waged is not an upheaval caused by political provocation or armed advances, but the beautiful violence of the Kingdom of God. It's the result of God's order shaking up relationships, households, cities, and nations by the entry of the Holy Spirit's power. That power, is being brought from Heaven to Earth through the fruits of the Spirit and the giftings of God's Spirit working through you, God's People!!!
We are calling forth all world changers, reformers, revolutionaries, (carpenters, housewives, college students, retired folks and everyone in between) to a lifestyle of radical abandonment to God's reign.
The Vision of KLF is to transform our city, region, and world. We want to bring Heaven to Earth in Clyde, the Big Country, Texas, United States, and the Nations.
The Mission of KLF is this: Operation: Give. Pray. Love. We believe God has called us to meet the Physical, Spiritual and Emotional needs of the people. We want to be a people who give radically, pray unceasingly, and love sacrificially at the greatest levels.
This is the war we want to wage. A Give. Pray. Love WAR you could say!!!
Operation: Give Pray Love will feed the three basic needs that people have...
1. Physical Needs (Give) feeds the Body
2. Spiritual Needs (Pray) feeds the Spirit
3. Emotional Needs (Love) feeds the Soul
To answer the question about the aggressive camo background. The responsibility for that lies on the shoulders of our KLF blog creator, Pam Park. Pam is the supervisor and editor of this blog so if you don't like the aggressive, militant camo background, talk to her. If you do like it, I have the inside track that she's fond of Starbucks! I personally like it because God has called us to violently advance His Kingdom. Not with physical violence but with a spiritual intensity that helps us promote the attributes of our Savior Jesus.
If you are ready to engage, please enlist (army talk for "leave me a comment"). Until next time, soldiers.
Give Pray Love,
Brandon
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
Hey blogworld! Brandon here. This is my maiden voyage into the blogosphere. Bear with me. I don't know whether to use world or sphere. Are they interchangeable? Which is it? You let me know, okay!
Welcome to the Kingdom Life Fellowship blog. I want this to be a place where people can come to feel the pulse of the office staff of KLF and also for us to feel the pulse of you, the family. This isn't just a place to find out what's going on at KLF, but also a place to get to know one another. We will be discussing things that God lays upon our heart, and proposing questions you can weigh in on. There will also be other contributors, so check back often for the latest scoop.
So until next time, GIVE, PRAY, LOVE Brandon
Welcome to the Kingdom Life Fellowship blog. I want this to be a place where people can come to feel the pulse of the office staff of KLF and also for us to feel the pulse of you, the family. This isn't just a place to find out what's going on at KLF, but also a place to get to know one another. We will be discussing things that God lays upon our heart, and proposing questions you can weigh in on. There will also be other contributors, so check back often for the latest scoop.
So until next time, GIVE, PRAY, LOVE Brandon
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