Dear Abba,
Father,


The day You took my rib away, You left my heart open and exposed and vulnerable to that woman You brought to me. Oh God, who is she? (I’m thinking of naming her Eve). I can’t stop thinking of her! She fills my thoughts and my senses, can’t even finish naming the animals, mending the fences!
Can’t concentrate, got to get to my mate. Oh God, what have You done? Can’t remember what it was like without her around, I need her touch, I need her sound. Ah, do You mind if we skip our walk tonight? I’ve got a date (we’re seeing the sights), gonna show her those pretty northern lights! And a new animal I’ve found, he actually moves by hopping around! Oh hey, gotta go, gotta flee, I’m meeting Eve for lunch, you see.
Love, your son,

Adam



Gen:2:23-25



















ApostLes
PrOphets
EVangelists
TEachers
PastoRs
Saints







The goal of all leadership in the Body of Christ is to present Him with a pure and mature Bride, mature in pure love! He wants us to arrive at a place in our walk where we bring no harm to anyone, either by our words or our deeds, or lack of them.
All leadership should model the Love of God. Indeed, God is the One who grants authority to those in leadership and because He is love, when leadership ceases to operate in love, they cease to have authority! In fact, just as God tells us NOTHING will separate us from His love, we should say this of our love for one another! When He says He will never leave or forsake us, we should say this to each other. When He says He was bruised and chastised for us, we should suffer for each other, when we bear one another’s burdens, it is often the other’s sins we are bearing, in love. Becoming a people who love as He loves is my great desire and His.

So today is your Birthday?
Well, what can we say? Hey!
This we will do –
We will celebrate you!
Yes you! Are so wonderful to us!
So don’t you mind if we make a fuss!
You’re worth it, you know!
Just watching you grow!
You can have your cake and eat it too,
as we join together to celebrate you!
We love all the things you say and do,
We gather today to show our love for you.
There’ll be guests and gifts
and games not to miss!
But YOU are the biggest gift of all –
It’s for you we cheer!
So let’s make this clear –
We thank God you’re here!
Without you we just wouldn’t be the same,
So HAPPY BIRTHDAY! And this we proclaim –

Hooray! Hooray for you!
For there’s no one quite like you!



Joh:3:7
Luk:15:7

Thank You Lord for Ann Marie and Nick and Lynn
Thank You for Morris and Rose Marie and Tim
Thank You for Denis and Gisela and Joy
And I thank You for Martha and Yvonne and Roy
Thank You for Mustafa and Kathy and June
and Robert and Elizabeth and John and Liz
Thank You for Norman, Brian and Mark and Timmy
And Georgina and Katrina and Tommy and Jimmy
Thank You for Camilla and Nano and Eamon
And Annette and George and Sheila and Julie
And all those You’ve touched through us on this trip –
Word of Life, Bethel Temple and Liberty Christian Fellowship
May all be found pleasing in Your sight, Yahweh
May they honour and serve You alone all their days
And may they never cease to worship You and give You praise.


Rom:16:21-23
1 Cor:16:19&20
Col:4:7-17






This poem is to remind me that I must never forget, our mission, the Church, is people.






“We are not called to deliver sermons, but people” – Reinhard Bonnke

And now for something completely different –


Not you know



End the in that



Go must you



Flow the against?



Trend the buck?



Alone stand?

Phi:2:12

I’m not Mel Gibson
Or “Ahnold”
I don’t have the money or wealth of
“The Donald”
I don’t have the good looks of
Tom Cruise or Brad Pitt
And I may not have
Steve Martin’s wit
But what I do have
Fame can never replace
For Oh God,
I have Your love and Your grace

And most of all, oh God it’s true
Most of all, oh God, I have You!





Psa:116:1 119:46

Chocolaty Googly Goo

When I’m feelin’ kinda sad
I go and sit and talk to dad
My dad always knows just what to do
Cause he’s the inventor of
Chocolaty Googly Goo!
What, may you ask is Chocolaty Googly Goo?
Sit right down and I’ll share some with you –
Start with melted milk chocolate, filled with m&m’s
Poured into a pastry shell, baked in the oven
Topped with the finest honey, you see
Then put on some confectionary sugar and a cherry!
They’re so good just thinkin’ of em’ makes your mouth drool
And you can never, ever take one to school!
Because you’d start a riot and that wouldn’t be cool!
Your principal and your teacher would scream –
WHAT DID YOU DO?
And you’d say –
“Why nothing that concerns you,
I just brought one of my daddy’s
CHOCOLATY GOOGLY GOOS!”

They’re so good that the sheik of Kathmandu
Would travel the whole world just to buy one from you!
And if you said to him just after he arrived,
“why no Mr. Sheik, they cost five hundred and five”
He’d say “oh me”, he’d say “oh my”
“Really, how many can I buy?”
“I’d pay any price – that’s the truth,
for just one of your daddy’s CHOCOLATY GOOGLY GOOS!”


The President himself would call you and say “pretty please,
Could you happen to spare just one for me?”
And a big time Hollywood producer would call quickly
and offer to buy the rights to the movie!
And people around the world will shout with glee –

“Can we have one please,
just one per family?”
“Tell us please, tell us what we must do,
so we may have a Chocolaty Googly Goo!”

But all of this hoopla
and all of this hub bub
Won’t affect you one little bit
Because you just ate the very last
Chocolaty Googly Goo
And that’s the end of it!


Psa:136:25&26














I wrote this for my daughters. One day, I came up with the phrase “Chocolaty Googly Goo”. I just liked the sound of it. Kari was curious. Daddy, what’s that?
So I made up the recipe on the spot. We have actually made them and they really are good, just don’t do it too often!


“If they enjoy being small then they’ll enjoy being tall”

God Changes Things

You are not now where you wished you were
You’re hurting – your pain seems too much to bear
But as you’re suffering – to this Truth cling
Always remember, God changes things!
Though you’ve been hurt and abused by man
Though some they hurt you whenever they can
Though all forsake you of this you will sing-
As you witness your God changing things
He won’t leave you in the condition you’re in
He won’t leave you abused by their sin
Dear one know that the pendulum will swing
The day will come, precious one
When God changes things, rearranges things!

Believe and you will retrieve what God in you conceives
Open your heart to He who made your heart
to belong to Him from the very start
And you’ll see precious one you’ll be
Victor and conqueror over all your enemies
Welcome to Paradise you good and faithful Servant
I receive all that You bring,
Beloved, see,
I’ve changed everything!



Dan:2:21

Oh precious one –
When you feel like you have to run
When you think you have to flee
To keep yourself from harm -
Oh precious one,
When you do decide to run
Run straight into your loving Father’s arms!

He’ll hold you so close and sigh
as tears flow from His eyes
He will squeeze you and hug you
do nothing but love you
Yes, He’ll rejoice
That you, dear one, made the right choice!

He’s patiently waiting and hoping too
He’s reserved a place in His heart for you -
Will you run from Him or will you choose
To win and not to lose?
It’s up to you ……



Luk:15:20









Inspired by Daniel C. Warner, who is quite easy to be inspired by. One conversation with him and you will be enriched forever. Thank you, Daniel, for being such a gracious friend and mentor to me.

Oh precious one –
When you feel like you have to run
When you think you have to flee
To keep yourself from harm -
Oh precious one,
When you do decide to run
Run straight into your loving Father’s arms!

He’ll hold you so close and sigh
as tears flow from His eyes
He will squeeze you and hug you
do nothing but love you
Yes, He’ll rejoice
That you, dear one, made the right choice!

He’s patiently waiting and hoping too
He’s reserved a place in His heart for you -
Will you run from Him or will you choose
To win and not to lose?
It’s up to you ……



Luk:15:20









Inspired by Daniel C. Warner, who is quite easy to be inspired by. One conversation with him and you will be enriched forever. Thank you, Daniel, for being such a gracious friend and mentor to me.

My God is an all-consuming fire
Putting all rebellion in me on a funeral pyre
Yet as the burning bush was not consumed
So am I, still alive, risen from my tomb
The supernatural transcends the natural
Jesus conquered our flesh
The Holy Spirit conquered our spirits
Now the Father requires our souls
I’m completely in His control
Death, Hell and the grave
The bondage of all three parts of me
Cannot have the Victory
For my spirit, soul and body
Have each been set free
Believer,
In these last days
So crazed and depraved
Trust the Father
No matter come what may
You continue to walk in Faith
Whatever you suffer
Whatever is to be
It’s all for His Glory!



Heb:12:29








“Revelation without relationship breeds Religion”

My God is an all-consuming fire
Putting all rebellion in me on a funeral pyre
Yet as the burning bush was not consumed
So am I, still alive, risen from my tomb
The supernatural transcends the natural
Jesus conquered our flesh
The Holy Spirit conquered our spirits
Now the Father requires our souls
I’m completely in His control
Death, Hell and the grave
The bondage of all three parts of me
Cannot have the Victory
For my spirit, soul and body
Have each been set free
Believer,
In these last days
So crazed and depraved
Trust the Father
No matter come what may
You continue to walk in Faith
Whatever you suffer
Whatever is to be
It’s all for His Glory!



Heb:12:29








“Revelation without relationship breeds Religion”

Open the curtains, let in the light
Look out the window – what a beautiful sight!
It’s a Glorious Day, that God has made
Just waiting for you to live it today!

Grasp this day with your heart at full throttle
Take the pain and put it in a bottle
Throw it back into the sea of humanity
Not overcome but overcoming









Keep the Urim and the Thummin
Close to your heart
Let Light and Truth, never depart
Your perfection is not in your own strength
But from your Father who loves you the whole length
and breadth and width of your whole existence
Physically, Spiritually, Soulishly,
He loves you with a persistence
Unmatched by any human being
He is our perfection –
Therefore we are perfect
It in no way depends on us, our doin’
We are completely consumed and covered by Him
So no part of us is left exposed or in ruin


Lev:8:8

You are a Temple for the Holy Spirit
More beautiful than any Cathedral or Church
No matter how far you look
No matter where you search
You’ll not find anything made by man
To compare with the Temple made by God’s own hands
That Temple, my sister, my brother,
Is unlike any other -
That Temple is you!
No where else will do!
No place love, is worthy of
This Great God we serve
Then your very own heart, nerves, body and brain
No other place can bear His Name
Like you, dear one, like you


1 Cor:6:19














Oh Lord, You shared him with us for a little while
and we thank You for the times he made us smile
and sometimes cry I don’t know why
You let him die except maybe
You love him as much as we –
Rich Mullings, indeed.

You’re not nuts but you are a nutcracker
Called to turn the other cheek to your attackers
You’re sent to crack wide open
The hearts so hardened by religious pride
Hardened to the touch of The Holy Spirit inside
Unable to soften or to God to bend
Unable to love or for Mercy to lend
Speaking so clearly the name of our God
But constantly striving with Him they’re at odds

You can have the Word in your mouth
But not in your heart
You can say the Word was made flesh
But deny the Spirit of Holiness
You will confirm your fruit
your heart’s true pursuit
And all in the end will know
What was your life’s goal
Because all in the end will know
Where it was you had to go.



Mat:7:16-20 12:33












“God’s highest priority is not our happiness but our Holiness”

Secret Admirerer

You don’t know this but please be sure it’s true
You have a secret admirer deeply in love with you
For too long I’ve watched you from afar
Waiting and wanting to hold you in my arms

I wrote you a love letter, sixty-six as a matter of fact
The problem is you keep sending them back
But still I love you, still I am your desirer
But I can no longer remain your secret admirer
I’ve got to come out with it, speak plainly and openly now,
I’ve loved you your whole life –
My name is Jesus, your Christ
And the thought of you and I together, forever
Makes my heart beat faster and faster

You take my breath away
With you I want to stay
So don’t forget my love
To please accept My love
Don’t reject my love
You won’t regret My love
Oh, My Love…



S.O.S. 7:10

Set the captives free
Clothe the naked with humility
Make the blind to see
That You, my God, have touched me

Oh there’s a source
That’s always remained pure
Never tainted by sin and rebellion
Of this I am sure
And this source of Life is springing up in me
So come to this Well and drink for free

Don’t despair, don’t give up Hope
Though you may think you’re at the end of your rope
Though you may have drunk from a poisoned Well
God’s purity is calling you as clear as a bell
Resounding loud,
echoing in your heart,

You, my friend,
Are God’s highest art



Isa:12:3
Joh:4:13&14

Blown

Like the fallen leaves
dance so joyfully
in the Wind and breeze
So Lord (do You dance with me) have You called me
For once I’m fallen,
once I’m humbled
You lift me up where I won’t stumble
Once I’m broken,
once I’m weak,
You give me what my heart seeks

I’ve freedom in Your Spirit
to be blown where You will
to dance, to laugh, to cry
or just be still

Like the fallen leaves
From the October trees
Do I dance joyfully
In Your Presence
Naked and free
and dead to me



2 Cor:12:9

Wildly Free or Beyond the Borders

I need to tell you something
that’s been bothering me –
So much so I’ll use this paper that used to be a tree
I’ve got to tell you something about this life
I think it’s important so I might say it twice –
It’s an ache and a yearning deep in my heart
It’s something so fierce it’s tearin’ me apart
We’ve got to get away from our plastic society
Be the way God meant for us to be –
“Wildly Free”!
Get as far as we can from our TV’s
Get out of our cities into the country
Get out in the storm, let it rain on me
Get dirty, get wet, do something spontaneous
And go beyond the boundaries we let others set
Laugh or cry so hard we break the shell
Of non-emotional conformity, trying to please people
Forgetting the enormity of the Truth of who our God is
So great, so amazing, He takes our breath away!
Then gives it back to us so we can breathe in His new Day
So much our souls break into pieces
As the mere hint of His Presence releases
us into Eternity
and out of shallow, skin deep, faked religious histrionics
that never touch but always resist His touch, providing a false tonic
Do something outrageous now
Do something courageous now
Touch the contagious now
Run naked before His Throne
Go out in the desert alone
Let the ravens bring you bread
Get the need to understand out of your head
Eat the food the Angels bring when they visit
Though your mind keeps sayin’ What is it? What is it?
You’re more alive every time you part
Ways with your head and follow your heart
Understanding will come later
For now let Him navigate your soul off the chart
Go, go, go,
Where you’ve never been
Into that exciting journey into God’s promised land
God’s Will for man –
Your heart, forever clean and new
broken, then rebuilt as His temple in you.


1 Cor:3:16
2 Cor:3:17








FAITH = Fantastic Adventures In Trusting Him






“Daddy, I have faith that the rest of my life will be worth living”
- Karianna (age 6)

It may clear up or it may rain
You might feel Joy or you might feel pain
You might not know just where you should go
But, if you seem confused and it’s hard to function
Just remember dear one – You’re under construction!

You’re not where you’re going to be
What you’re becoming – now you can’t see
O beloved behold Jesus for He’s your destiny
So take in this thought for consumption –
Beloved, you’re still under construction!

And on any construction site, well, it’s a mess
Cause Beloved, the building hasn’t been finished yet
There’s chains comin’ off, sins still to confess
But through it all we call you Blessed
So
Keep following your Master’s instructions
And the Day will come
When the work is done
And you’re no longer under construction!



Phi:1:6
Eph:2:10

I was a pauper
a regular Oliver Twist
Had not a note
Nor penny to tote
that could pay my way to Eternal Bliss
No, I couldn’t pay the price
To buy my way to Eternal Life
No way could I clean up my act
Remove my sin – that’s a fact!

Then a most wonderful thing happened on the way to Hell,
Something so incredible, I’ve just gotta tell!
I’ve been adopted by God Himself!
I now have all the rights
of a child of the King of Kings
I’ve literally inherited everything!
Daddy Warbucks’ got nothin’ on my God,
Never again shall I ever want!






Jam:1:27
Rom:8:15
Gal:4:5
Mat:18:27
Psa:23:1



“I ride like the wind,
I look like the sun
I smell like the roses in your heart”
- Kari’s song (age 6)

Concerning Religion of this I am sure
The only Religion that before God is pure
Is to take care for widows and orphaned boys and girls
And to keep yourself unspotted from the world

Anything more than this, anything less
Comes from this world’s spirit or the flesh

All of the many habits we form
The Religious systems so many call the norm
All come from Satan or from man
Often working hand in hand
Robbing us of all that God has planned

We must return to being like Boaz’ Ruth
Lying at Jesus’ feet given over completely to Truth
For the Truth in us bears the seed of Life
Bearing His fruit as befits His wife
In the womb of our spirits we’re able to grow
In the knowledge of Him whom we’ve come to know
That we then have seed to give to others in need
Then we’ll continue to feed
off what we sow





1 Pet:3:7
2 Pet:1:8 2:20 3:18

I’ve always been good at the Grand Bluff
The mask has always fit me just a little too well
I’ve always been able to give you just enough
To keep you from being able to tell
Though I can look and sound so good
Don’t look behind these walls
Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain
Because
The real me might look just like
The wizard of Oz
The real me might just have
A few too many flaws


Jer:8:5






There’s two sides to me
one that’s visible, one you can’t see
The one that’s inside
I try so hard to hide
It’s the part of me that hurts
The part of me that cries
The part of me you glimpse
When you look into my eyes
Oh Please
oh please
love the real me
help to heal me
when I reveal me
tenderly
love me

Author Unknown

As I glanced through the Hymnal
I held within my hand
My spiritual eyes were opened
And I began to understand
So listen to this Truth
That I have now been shown
Many of the Hymns were by “Author Unknown”
Yet, like the Bible, they had been inspired by God
Yet, like the Bible, many who call themselves His own
To them, the author of the book remains entirely unknown
They enjoy His words, His thoughts with their minds
But still, the lie,
That because they know His word
They know Him, continues to blind
So please don’t one day stand before His throne
Only then to discover
The “Author was Unknown”



Act:17:23












“I want to be a Truth-setter, not a Trend-setter”

There’s no agenda
Except to befriend ya
No, no agenda
Just go where The Lord sends ya
No plan, no purpose
But to be of service
No debt, save to love
For love, for us, it is enough
So let me love you
I’ll let you love me
In this way we’ll edify the Body
And together we’ll fulfil our Destiny

Be like a child
Be calm or be wild
Be who you were made to be
This is your destiny – to be free
For where The Spirit of The Lord is
There is liberty


2 Cor:3:17
Rom:8:21






This is what The Lord gave me when I began pondering an outline for our house fellowships to follow when meeting with each other. Our model for our meetings is 1 Cor:14:26. The Word is always shared but sometimes He is shared by our practical love for one another. In this way the Word is made flesh again and again as our flesh is submitted to Him. Better put, the Word was made flesh so our flesh could be made the Word.

Lost The Plot

You call yourself a “Christian”
You say you follow Christ
but those who get to know you
find out you aren’t too nice
When you can’t love your brother who you can see
You make a mockery of Christianity
And you turn the Gospel into something it’s not
Cause brother, you’ve lost the plot
When you hate your enemies, while I’m at it
You’re no better than a Muslim fanatic
You must love your neighbour as you love yourself
Your actions speak as loudly as any words that you tell
but you can’t give away what you haven’t got
and if you can’t love, well you’ve lost the plot
Forget all your doctrines and your theology
The theme of the Bible it seems to me
Is so simple it can’t be missed –
You can sum it all up with a hug and a kiss
“Love your neighbour as you love yourself”
Will keep you on a path far from Hell –
So if you can’t simply love me
Well, I’ll tell you what
Don’t call yourself a Christian
Till you can
Live the Plot!


1 Joh:4:16-21

the good things in life

Henry’s world was simple and fresh
Each day was taken breath by breath
There wasn’t any “pressure from bills to pay”
Henry lived at his own pace from day to day
His family’s bodies and souls were healthy and full
Of love and life and they lacked for no good thing
They accepted each day for what it was –
A gift that only God could bring.
Then one day, think it was early May,
Esther (Henry’s wife) heard a knock at the door
It was a salesman with quite a lot to say –
“How can you survive, oh how can you be
without the benefit of electricity?”
Soon after came telephones, TV’s and appliances
And many other “things” with which they formed alliances
And soon the bills rolled in,
As Babylon tightened it’s grip on them.
They owed so much that farming could no longer support them
And take them where society said they should go
The realization of it hit Henry like a blow
So Henry quit the farm that had been his family’s livelihood for
Four generations
Got a job at a factory that accelerated his degeneration
Till the day came when the pressure got to be too much
And he just couldn’t handle the strife
So he killed himself so his insurance policy could provide
Esther with “the good things in life”
Their souls forgot or refused to admit –
“The good things in life” are love, family and relationships.
Rev:13:16&17

Inspired by “Henry and the Great Society” by H.L. Roush Sr.

I am not so impressed
with the excess of the west
Simplicity, becoming least
fits more with the east
So here’s a philosophy that’s sound –
By things become less and less bound
So the path to becoming truly blessed
Is more of Christ and of you - less
As self decreases
The Spirit releases
The ability to do whatever
The Father pleases
So at this time I do confess
“Things of this world” are but a passing test
If you want to know true success
Lasting happiness,
We must all be “About our Father’s Business”




Mat:6:31-34
Luk:2:49












Do not ask “how much pleasure am I getting out of life?” but rather ask “How much pleasure is God getting out of my life?”

We desperately put on our clothes each day
Hoping to cover our nakedness and our shame
Hoping to avoid any of the blame
Living quietly or loudly with the pain
But our clothes can’t cover our sinful hearts
Our shame is our own and it won’t depart
Only Jesus can take what makes us unclean
And cleanse us and renew us and make us Holy


Gen:3:7

_________________________







Father of the fatherless
You have come and You have Blessed
We are no longer homeless

Husband of the widowed ones
You have now bestowed Your Son
We are no longer shunned

Oh God we were all widows and orphans
Until You chose to take us in
Forever in Your house we will abide
Both as Your children and as Your Bride

When a poet writes - he bares his soul
There are some things he normally might not let you know
But as a Christian author I bear in mind this goal –
May you know through me the One who makes you whole

There’s really no other point in writing
Though it may be profound or exciting
If it isn’t inviting
You to know the One who makes you grow
Into the image and stature of Christ
Doesn’t matter if I write something “nice”
or witty or some would say pretty
If you aren’t brought closer to The Father,
Why should I bother?
The world is so full of so many books
Most of which don’t deserve a second look
May this book be a companion for thee
That prepares you to spend Eternity

Joyfully.


Eph:4:13
Ecc:12:12

If you spend your time judging others and not yourself
You’ll put yourself on a path straight to Hell
Cause the spirit that’s working in you and through you (is)
Keeping you blinded to who is true
It was the sinner who cried out for mercy from God
Who pleased Jesus, not the Pharisee who thought nothing was odd
About disdaining and looking down his nose
At this filthy sinner lying prostrate at his toes
For the spirit that drives us to judge others, inside
Is known to God as the spirit of Pride

The only One who can judge what is true, what is false
The only One who can expose all our flaws
(because He alone doesn’t have any)
The only One who walks in true humility
Is The Holy Spirit dwelling inside of we



Luk:6:37
2 Cor:13:5
Mar:13:11

I want a rendezvous with all that’s True
I want a rendezvous Lord, with You

Many are they which forsake me
Cast me away, do not love me
I have been abandoned of men
So called brothers and sisters in Christ
Haven’t been so nice
They speak behind my back
With tongues set to attack
Yet what they ultimately lack
I give to them – the love of a friend
Though they crucify me, yet shall I live
So many desire my demise
Listening to Satan’s lies,
Hating me in their hearts
Some I believed were true, now I know better
God, my heart is open before You and breaking
Yet You’ve suffered far worse
Truly You’ve born the curse
So when they hate and reject me –
Oh Lord they’re doing it to You!
Your Love has conquered their hate
I pray they awaken and turn from their wicked ways
Humbling themselves today
Before it’s too late



Mar:13:12&13

He’s overcome all of my failures
He’s overcome all of my fears
He’s overcome all of my mistakes
He’s wiped away all of my tears

He is greater than I
and ever will be
Oh my God You will forever cover me

Nothing of anything that is not of You
Will remain in me when You are through
I will know You as I am known
I will reap what I have sown
And my God I will forever be
A perfect companion for Thee.




Rev:19:7&8












“All Life is birthed out of relationship. Where there is no relationship, there is no life”