Journey the Psalms.

Unpacking Psalms. Here's the goal: be struck with the beauty of God in 2016. Let's enter the fellowship of the Triune God and seek His beauty. Let's get beautified by the Living Loving Father God who delights in loving His children.

These writings are for study, for prayer, for meditation, for explanation, and for experiment- all to help fuel the fire inside. Let's allow His love engulf us. Enjoy.

Psalm 33
12 January 2016

Behold the power of God! This is Him: the all creator God, the everlasting Father of all life, the most creative, exquisite Being in all existence. Look at His Majesty, look at His grandeur. Oh and look at His focus, my heart.

Praise from the upright is beautiful. And what can make my powerful God feel beautiful, or moved? My praise. The infinite God is moved when I just “try” to praise Him. In my little understanding, in my little comprehension compared to the vast ocean of His persona, He is moved by my emotion to love and thank Him.

How beautiful and untouchable is the praise of the heart given to Him! Here is the commission for all worship. Here is God's commission to worshipers alike, in skill, in practice, in rawness, and in delight, in every way in fact, worship! For it moves His heart and this actually blesses Him. Be encouraged soul of mine. Be encouraged when the oppression hits and the heaviness isn’t of Him, when doubt conflicts thoughts, when the Spirit of God raises a standard through the mouth, rise up and sing. Our power and confidence is in our worship!

He will fill us with His truth, the power to break doubt, fear, and bondage. The power that realigns my soul to believe, where faith rises from a source beyond myself, this is the truth of the living God inside me.

See his wonder (v6-9). His power captivates the human mind, rendering nothing as attractive. The authority and atmosphere He brings leaves all the wisdom of the world rendered nothing but useless. Every plan that is anti-Kingdom will be absolutely shut down. He sees and knows the council of the nations, in the good and in the evil (10). His word stands! It will forever stand! No generation that passes knows the everlasting plan panned in fulness. Hearts, trust in His plan, trust that Messiah is coming with authority and love. Trust the He brings His kingdom. Trust that He brings His kingdom now even, through the power and life of His Spirit. Even now God, release Your Spirit fresh in me. May I meditation long and easy in Your fellowship. Now, in this room, let’s fellowship. Shoe me the wonder of who You ARE.

With the muck of media, still, He continually works His plan in the unseen, where only those hungry for truth seek. And He reveals a vast reality, far greater than so much portrays now. Behold, the dead are raised. The blind are restored. The sick are healed. The lame walk. He moves in power.

Yet still, He sees the hearts and walks so close, within our dwelling, within our home, and in the heart. And He gazes because He loves the prosperity of the soul. He loves the prosperity of the bodies of those He has created. Above the news, above the economics, above the war, and above His own creation seen in the storm, in the wind, in the fire… all of it. He delights in my heart open for Him to find rest.

May I never disturb His presence. I will believe His truths. I will believe His delight. I will believe He will move in power of my life, over my mind, over my heart. I believe that He may move easy and quickly. May all resistance break in Jesus name. May every weak decision be repented of quickly. May I stand fast and cling to His Spirit. May I meditate, chew, question, converse, and enjoy His words, spoken and read. May I ask for more of His kingdom, His life, and His Spirit. He gives without measure.

May we as the Bride behold the beauty of the Highest Father, the one who invites us into worship, for He beautifies through us.

Jehovah Shows His Character

...mid Sep thru mid Dec 2010... -Oxford, New Zealand-
Finishing another DTS is fabulous. How grateful I am to be a part of a working ministry, focused on hearing from Jehovah. Through the lecture portion (Oct - mid Dec), we as a school witnessed God break personal insecurities and rebuild identities. Life is a step by step, season by season process of likening to Jesus. If not for the testimonies written in the Bible, we wouldn't have the incredible role model to follow-> Jesus Christ. It was by reading His words, trusting in Jehovah (meaning 'I AM'), and standing together in faith as a school, a family, we were able to focus on the Holiness of God and worship Him. Over two months was spent praying over each other; our personal needs, concerns and struggles, reading and digesting the Bible, worshiping God, praying for the persecuted church, for current events, for government struggles and world policies, and enjoying time together as a community. We saw God heal corrupt mentalities- the breakthrough over personal identity, heal physical ailments- coughs, ear infections, sicknesses, fevers, shatter mental battles- nightmares, fears, anxieties, and provide financial backing for over 25 people to travel to distant countries in order to share the freedom and ETERNAL LIFE through Jesus Christ alone.

...mid Dec 2010 thru mid Feb 2011... -Thailand-
There are many tales of Jehovah's working in hearts. Our stories include Thailand and Laos. Read up! http://adventurethailand.blogspot.com.

mid Feb, 2011 -Oxford, New Zealand-
After the amazing adventure, we returned as a family to rejoice of Jehovah's influence in the nations, some poverty stricken and spiritually dry. Praying that each of us carry our calling to "GO" (Matthew 29), the DTS ended. However, life continues. The lessons, difficult as they are, continue on. This season has only been a glimpse, a very small taste of what God craves in each of us- a restored relationship with HIM, a fellowship with each other, and complete reconciliation with our souls.

-Hmmm... French Women-

August 28-
So we manny for ten days in what was my opinion a mansion... recommended for anyone thinking of marriage, do an intern nannying.
George and I joke about marriage here wondering who's going to get married to a French woman first? Today we drive through Granville which is actually known across France as producing the most beautiful women.. but we see no one. We're driving through this town and we make a wrong turn and accidentally pull in front of a red convertible. Riding in the convertible is a bride and who appears to be her dad driving. The car is (was before we pulled ahead) leading the wedding party of this wedding procession. Woops.. we escorted the bridal party for a good few minutes not being able to shake them.. apparently we were making all the right turns! Yeah, a lot of awkward and confusing looks from the French watching a van full of 'tourists' lead a wedding procession.

About an hour later we're at this somewhat secluded beach, definitely not a touristy place. The kids are doing their thing while us three adults are just chatting and messing around.. Then another wedding party cruises to this same beach honking their horns making all sorts of noise. They had come for their wedding shoot. What are the odds of this? 

I was amused by much of this yet didn't think deeper.. Until George speaks out-' see, see! Two weddings back to back, you need to be sensitive to this stuff Gabe!' Now that I recall, in Granville just five minutes before escorting the bride, George asks me if I'm looking for beautiful women, I jokingly respond, "I walk in the Spirit bro, not in the flesh." Then God drew two episodes of either beautiful women or marriage back to back. As I write this story on my iTouch, we just passed a third wedding procession. Ok ok, now I wonder who's getting married first!

Raw Milk + Climbing = Good times in Peak District

19.08 - Hathersage, Derbyshire -
The Lake District theme 'Random Tandom' still applies. George and I have spent the last few nights on a dairy farm. Waking up to a nice wiff of cow is, well, different. I prefer just the aroma of coffee in the morning. Nonetheless, the bunkhouse is incredible, and old. We ended up getting the whole 'barn' to ourselves. This place can easily harbor 30 people plus but we lodged alone. Isn't the major portion of this trip dedicated to meeting others, especially in hostels? Yes. But after three weeks of close quartering, a two day break is soo good. Besides, God by all means had our schedule booked. So the time on the farm was excellent for eating rum 'n raisin ice cream, drinking raw milk ( a long time goal now accomplished, thanks to John, the farm's milk-man ), and recovering sore muscles from 'proper as' gritstone bouldering in Stanage Edge and Millstone.

Beyond the leisurely, we had some amazing contacts- the 'Jesus Army', who aren't at all militaristic as their name implies. Their double decker green bus parked in Sheffield's city center is a welcoming zone for all seekers desiring information of Jesus. The crew is warmly loving and there is no lack of evidence attesting to God's presence among them. One needs only to watch their interaction with each other and those on the street to witness their genuine care for their community. I knew their love for Jesus was legit even before receiving bread and cheese sandwiches and flap jacks! 

Divine encounter # 'too many but not enough': George and I walked undecided to the car questioning whether to hit the local pub for the free wifi or to head back towards the farm after a long day. We just finishing a gritty boulder sesh and prayer opp when I saw E and H standing on the side walk across from our parked car. Two single woman standing alone. Hmm, say 'Hello' I think to myself. So I do. Turns out the two women need a ride.. 'You headed to Hope?' they ask. 'Actually, yeah we are.. Sort of. To the pub, where they have wifi.' 'Yes- Traveler's Rest. Our campsite is right behind that!' Well, ok then- to Traveler's Rest Geoege and I go! That was a decision made easy.

E and H have fascinating lives and stories. E is a fellow Jesus follower and has even done some mission work with Youth With A Mission. Both these girls climb! And both these girls travel, better yet, they travel to climb. I like their style. The following morning we gave them a ride to the train station and were able talk a bit more. E and H, if you read this- climb hard. More importantly, be encouraged and seek Jesus with everything you have. He responds marvelously (Matthew 6:33). For all others reading this, please pray for E and H- that they will both come to know the fullness of God and what this means for them in their lives.

Once more, the vision to relate with climbers as they travel and to share my faith within this crew of 'nomadic youth' has been invigorated. It's not about worshiping creation or a sport, but worshiping the Creator and praising Him through His creation. H described to me a 'red bus' which constantly drives Pakistan through China, hitting all the climbing locations. Good God! Do I sense a faith travel masquerade climbing trip? Any takers?

Random and Tandom

15.08.10 -Bala, N Wales- 

We've arrived already in N Wales and have been spending time with M, George's long time buddy. Having known only my side of the past couple of days, hearing the recent events of M's life blows my mind. 

From the Lake District, George and I rented a vehicle and decided to drive into N Wales, where M lives. George had called M on Thursday and arranged to stop by the next day. M is a wedding photographer who is booked every weekend. For some bummer reason, this weekends booking was cancelled. He actually had time to meet up! I had heard through George that M needed a ride somewhere also in N Wales. 'Perfect', I thought, 'Our plans are open so we can give him a lift.'

After meeting M, I hear his side of the previous few days. He has been so busy the past few weeks that he is exhausted, physically and spiritually. He needed to step out of his surroundings to spend time with God, to relax really. After the photo shoot cancelled, he called his friends to bail to their place for the weekend.

In his words, he felt to hold off from buying a train ticket. He didn't know why to hold off but he sensed not to purchase the ticket. He followed his senses and skipped the train ticket. He also figured not to bother with a bus ticket until after Friday's work was finished, he'd wait for the evening or so. Before he could get the ticket, and after he ignored buying a train ticket, George calls up saying, 'hey, we've rented a car and we're headed over your way. Are you free this weekend?' Perfect timing.

God totally planned this weekend, from saving M time and money on travel fair, to allowing really good ministry full of the meat like confession, repentance, and intercession. The entire weekend was invigorating, and hindsight I can see God worked all the fine details as we just made plans and trusted His guidance. I'm sure the weekend was liberating for M. 

On top of this, George and I stayed in a hostel that was built alongside a Roman footpath. On the other side is a 16th century French castle mound.. my mind fails to comprehend the timeframe of these dates. Oh, and the hostel owner gave us free beer. Super cool guy.

Pray for M, that the weekend wedding shoots will be peaceful rather than stressful. Also, please ask God to give M a creative eye to capture the beauty of God through M's photos.

pain is closer than it seems.

30.07.10 -Shepton Mallet, England-
This 'divine' encounter opened my eyes a bit and I realized that it can apply to everyone of us at one level or another. The event occurred during an intercessory prayer workshop while attending the New Wine convention in Somerset, England. The speaker of the workshop was from Nigeria and has been called to the UK since '92 or so.. man he's got a love for the cross-cultured people of England and a passion to see God move among the universities here! God's Spirit was definitely present and this man spoke and prayed with intensity. 

In the middle of the meeting, we were told to turn to our neighbor and ask, 'Do you believe? Do you believe God moves through prayer!?' I asked my neighbor, H, and she very honestly looked into my eyes and says, 'I don't know if I believe it. I don't know if anything really changes with prayer.' I could see the pain in her eyes and the longing to know that God hears her, that God acknowledges her existence and her needs.

God immediately put the burden on my heart to pray with her and for her after the meeting. I did- I snagged her before she left. We talked to God, right then and there. I encouraged her that God does indeed hear her prayers and that He is not a distant God at all- in fact He was present right then and there ( one of God's names is 'Jehovah Shammah' after all, which means the Eternal Present One ). We prayed a good prayer of which I won't mention all the details, and we parted ways.

The aspect that touches me is this; we were in the middle of a Christian convention and this woman wasn't even sure if God heard her prayers! Nothing against her, this is quite common. Sadly, Christians themselves have a hard time believing just how BIG God is and how NEAR God lives. I realize just how much of a need there is to reach into the community around me- to those who haven't heard and to those that have. I can't assume that one has their life together and their faith is perfect because they believe in Jesus as their Maker and God... no, this would be ignorant. I believe in Jesus and He as my maker and my life is nowhere remotely near perfect. Satan roams as a lion seeking to devour (1 Peter 5:8), more so those that belong to God. This is where I need to reach out to those nearest to me; at the climbing gym, in cafes, and on a trek. More often than not, they're the ones in need of prayer, of healing, and someone to listen to their struggles. So let's listen, let's comfort, and let us encourage one another, that those who see will know that we belong to Jesus, because of our love.

'spiritual encounters'? Or normal Christ follower life?

28.30.10 -Shepton Mallet, England-
Treasure hunting is the name of the game. The rules are basic and simple, but the difficulty is trusting that you've really received nuggets. This is what I mean: the teams are of atleast two people but better with three people. Snag a sheet of paper and write five categories- Images- Names- Clothing- Locations- Prayer Needs- and maybe even an 'Extra' category. Now pray, ask the Holy Spirit to give clues to who God has for you to meet. Wait a minute to see if He gives you anything and write the pictures, words, and names that come to mind- especially the first ones.. Now go outside, go to the city, go to the park or the beach- the point is to find the individuals who meet some of these criteria... Gather the prices to meet this 'treasure' person. I kidd you not, God has given you clues to whom He would like you to encounter or even to pray for.

Me and two others did this treasure hunt almost three days ago. We had amazing stories- one of which particularly stands out in my memory. I got a pretty specific image of a darker skinned male, have grown in beard, sun shades, and a hat. He was wearing shorts also. Well, I only shared the bit about glasses and a hat with my two newly met friends who were doing it with me... Yeah, really, I had just met these friends moments before we prayed together. Anyways, we went out, prayed for a couple people, and bang! My eyes laid upon a guy sitting at a bench table by himself. He fit the exact description of the image God gave to me. The only difference is that this guy in front of me was sitting down rather than standing up. "Ok," I think, "Obviously God wants this fellow to be blessed. I don't have a clue how this is going to go down but I don't care. This is way to cool to pass up and to do nothing about!"

We approach him. "Hello," I say, sort of interrupting his time thinking. He looks up with a smile like, 'what can I do for you? And why are you three strangers standing all around me?'
"This may be up front or even strange, but we three are on a treasure hunt. We just prayed to God that He'd lead us to people who need prayer - whether it be for healing, for pain, for school, for job, whatever. God gave me a pretty clear image of someone and, well, you're exactly him! I believe you're our treasure."

Well, this guy is a total Jesus believer, how cool! D is actually a missionary to Cape Town, South Africa. This guy was real, he was struggling. Because he is a believer, he knows a bit about the character of God. He knew that God uses us as people to minister to each other, being a believer or not. Our Father wants His love to be felt and to be known.. D gladly embraced our desire to pray for him - especially at this time in his life! For his own privacy, I will leave the details out, but he is struggling with some pretty serious relationships and partnerships in So Africa. The situation is to the point that he may even have to face moving himself and his family. We prayed. We gave him words of encouragement. Sitting in front of him was a Bible. The cover had Jeremiah 29:11-12 embroidered in beautiful italics;

I know the plans I have towards you. Plans to prosper you and not to harm you. Plans with a future filled with hope. Then you will pray to me and will cry out to me, and I will hear you.

What a great scripture to reiterate to D. What truth! God is looking over D and D's entire situation under control- the issue is simply trusting in what God has said.. And that He will remain faithful to His word.

This treasure hunt was gold. How easy and even fun it is to be able to reach out and help a human in need! D was blessed, God spoke through us to him, what could be better?

By the way, you should try this where you're at. It's so much fun and it takes a bit of balls cause our human instinct is to be self absorbed and to keep to ourselves.. Really there is a huge void of pain that we are able to tap into only if we ask. God does so so much healing through prayer. We just have to do it.

Well, the faith travel continues... Tomorrow we head to Lake District and there are already too many stories to tell!