In High School, some would be relieved to see that number next to their name. I would have been unhappy, of course - because in most grading systems a “65″ constitutes a passing grade by the proverbial skin of the tooth. My parents would have been duly disappointed, of course - they would have rightly expected more from me related to my capacities and abilities. It’s hard to put any kind of a shine on 65%, unless it’s your vote count in an election or your completion percentage as a pro quarterback.
Thus John McCain finds himself in a strange dilemma. The last week conservatives watched McCain emerge, seemingly victorious, from his earlier scrap heap of a campaign that saw him completely restructure his team and his strategy mid-stream and attempt the impossible. Does anyone remember the Iraq debacle at this stage of the race? For the short of memory, this was the nightmare photo-op of the decade, involving a seemingly clueless McCain strolling down the streets of Baghdad, intending to prove to all how safe the conditions were while sporting the thickest flack jacket in military history. He wore his sunglasses and tried his best to project his best “Mission Accomplished” face without any hint of irony. These are the kinds of blunders that can kill campaigns. Yet even that event couldn’t compete with his complete inability to raise funds a few months back. He was broke and seemingly at the end of a long road. I expect many will try to trumpet his “comeback” story over the next few months. If there is one thing that McCain has done well, it has been to project the against-all-odds, maverick independent persona.
His dilemma thus stems from the catch-22 that comes from such a persona - and the reality of his voting record that has helped shape that image. The “65″ that I’m referencing, of course, comes from his rating by the American Conservative Union in 2006. The rating is reflective of how McCain voted in the Senate over that year. As one looks at McCain’s voting record over the seven years prior, when McCain began pursuing the presidency, one would find that his voting record in 2006 is hardly an anomaly. In 1998 and 2001, McCain scored a 68 related to his voting record in those years; in 2002 and 2004 he scored a 72. These scores are a stark contrast to the solid conservative voting record he tallied from 1990 - 1996 (from 1994-1996, for example, McCain averaged a 94) .
McCain seemed to learn in the late 90’s the lessons Bill Clinton taught every politician seeking the presidency: the people want moderate leaders with positions that favor consensus thinking. Thus McCain began to position himself as an independent thinker on issues that wouldn’t seem too costly at first glance: campaign finance reform (his signature issue for a while) taxes, the environment, and immigration. He remained conservative (related to his voting record) on social issues such as abortion. In other words, McCain didn’t necessarily become a “liberal” as many have charged him with recently - he has simply played it as safe as one can play it in the political realm. He has taken a pragmatic route that in many ways reflects our current president - and our last one. This was the lament of Ralph Nader a few years back that went largely unheeded - Nader’s “voice crying in the wilderness” of a campaign that mostly bugged the right people (in my opinion) was one decrying the current political crisis of “no choice”.
Modern politics, on a national level, is largely about winning and staying in power. To win one must by necessity adopt a “centrist” reputation. Do so and America - particularly the coveted independent voter, the sacred “undecided” - will sanction your candidacy. For a centrist in our times seems reasonable, rational, able to work with different viewpoints and come to solutions that benefit everyone. Nader’s problem was that “centrist” also stood for few convictions, moldable policies, little substance or ideas outside of those fueled by polls and special interests with financial backing, and a one-party reality with the rhetoric of two. While I disagree with, well, pretty much all of Nader’s politics, there are few men in that arena I respect more than our modern Don Quixote, charging at the windmills of our meandering system filled with flash, style, and speech but little conviction or fortitude of heart.
In that light, a 65 may be as good as it gets for conservatives. For the flow of modern politics on a presidential level seems to favor the “50 percenter”. Today, McCain has carefully crafted a voting record that may well secure him the nomination - but even as the new overwhelming favorite he finds himself in the fight of his life against a candidate with nothing to lose and a groundswell of momentum, riding a wave of evangelical dissatisfaction. For the next three months he will have to prove to his party that he is, ideologically, a true conservative. Then he will have to spend the next three months after that proving to the nation that he is a pragmatic centrist. Since both cannot be right, he will most likely find himself, in the end, conceding the race to the most liberal candidate to ever sit in the oval office.
As badly Republicans crave the presidency, trying to rally your party against a candidate you despise is never as effective as rallying your party to support a candidate you are truly for. Ask John Kerry about the effectiveness of Democratic rage against the other guy. No matter how badly the Democrats wanted George Bush out of office, their zeal could not overcome their own dissatisfaction with the “best” candidate they could produce for the 2004 election. It is shaping up to be an unhappy November for the Republican party.
I just might vote Nader.
David
February 11th, 2008
This one was sent by my wife earlier in the week, straight from IHOP’s “Malachi 4:6″ prayer meeting (led by IHOP kids):
I have been reminding him over and over again today that we are here to pray and worship. He is trying really hard to not play. So he was starting to climb under some chairs. So I got him up and asked him ,”Remember we are here to pray and worship. ” So he nods gets this focused look, almost a scowl on his face and gets right back on the floor to crawl under the chairs again. So then I get him up again and I ask him, “so how does that have to do with prayer or worship?” he says, “I was getting in my prayer cave. “
David
February 8th, 2008
A few of you, and really, it was only a few - maybe even one of you - that’s how unpopular my random sports posts were a few weeks back - asked about my thoughts on the Super Bowl. What you didn’t know is that I wrote that post, under the pseudonym “Joe Posnanski”. You can find my thoughts on that epic final minute (the other 59 minutes weren’t that epic or engaging) here.
David
February 7th, 2008
The Kansas City Star’s front page had an interesting graphic this morning (the .pdf file can be linked from this page). It gave a visual representation of “who” voted for what candidate where. In other words, the graphic had circles around the different counties of Missouri to show a candidate’s popularity based on his vote tally. So, for example, Barack Obama had ridiculously large circles over St. Louis city and St. Louis County, which ended up being the difference for him during his close race with Hillary Clinton here. It was Obama’s dominance of Clinton in the two metropolitan areas of Missouri - Kansas City and St. Louis - that turned the tide in his favor long after some news services called Missouri in Clinton’s favor around the nation. This matters to many observers around the nation because the state of Missouri serves as a template for political experts to study as an indicator of how the nation will vote. For the uninitiated, it’s why everyone calls Missouri a “bellwether state”.
Missouri has correctly voted for the winner in every U.S. Presidential election since 1904 (with one lone exception: 1956, when the state inexplicably went with Adlai Stevenson over Dwight Eisenhower.) John Kerry should have known better when he pulled out all of his resources from Missouri in 2004 to focus on areas where he felt he had a better shot at winning. He didn’t poll well here, as Missouri voters couldn’t connect with his preppy parasailing personality. Of course, he should have deduced that if the average Midwesterner didn’t like him much, it served as a solid indication of how the average American felt about him (hint: not great). Missouri has served as a national temperature gauge for candidates and issues, giving politicians clues about stem-cell research (pro) and same-sex marriage (con). Right now pollsters are focusing on how the average Missourian feels about the current state of the economy (about the same as they felt about John Kerry).
So, while Clinton has to feel good about her slight lead in delegates with 75 days left until the Democratic convention, her team can’t be encouraged about how things went for her in Missouri. The Obama win here, as well as the enthusiasm that has Kansas Democrats thinking that their state could vote for a Democrat for the first time since 1964, could be the beginning of the end for the Clinton candidacy. Kansas has voted for a Democrat five times over the last 100 years - and four of those times it was for Woodrow Wilson and Franklin Roosevelt. So if the Democrats could produce a candidate that could conceivably carry, of all places, Kansas, why wouldn’t they? I think they will, as Bill Clinton’s recent posturing about a co-presidency can’t be an exciting prospect for many Democratic leaders who are getting near-desperate for a win in November. Many noticed how conspicuously quiet Mr. Clinton was on Tuesday night.
I thought the most interesting phenomenon, however, is found in returning to our little map from earlier. As you look at the Republican candidates - who I think will regret how early the momentum is shifting McCain’s way (back to this point in a moment) - you find that the circles are much smaller as the malaise about their candidates is greater. Yet, you find an interesting anomaly when you look closely enough. In the Kansas City Metro area, specifically Jackson County, you find an unusually large circle for a particular candidate - a former Baptist pastor and governor of Arkansas. I’m wondering if the political experts that are now breaking down the data with a fine tooth comb as we speak have even noticed this little blip on the screen.
The Republican race, has, in essence, become a two-man race - despite Romney’s protestations. As you may have guessed, Romney reminds Missourians of a certain preppy parasailer from New England. Midwesterners in general aren’t fond of northeastern politicians who waver on certain positions. Thus, Romney’s third-place finish here, regardless of how he did elsewhere, is the key indicator for most observers of how the rest of his campaign will go. Who are we left with? Two candidates that Republican mouthpieces can’t stand. Thus, the Republican party is faced with an interesting dilemma over the next 75 days:
1. They aren’t excited about the two choices that seem to be emerging;
2. One of those choices has a sizable, and seemingly insurmountable lead.
Thus the dilemma is this: what little press the Republican side of the ticket will receive over the next 75 days, compared to the compelling race on the other side of the fence that will dominate the national conversation, will be about how little enthusiasm the Republicans have about their guy. If you’re a Republican, then, you have only one response to that analysis:
Yikes.
UPDATE: Actually you know the update already. This update is for the record - mostly because I don’t want to take credit for being prescient. Any and every political analyst on the planet could see the writing on the wall for Romney, and again, it was mostly (in my opinion) because of that third place finish in Missouri. It’s a two-man race now, in the way that the ‘85 Super Bowl had two teams in it.
Not to be a doomsayer for the faithful, but this one’s all but done. Which, as I said above, is actually a mixed bag of bad news (the Democratic party will now capture the attention of the nation with their true 2 person race) and good news (McCain has time to raise funds, consensus support, and plan his campaign strategy while the other team is slugging it out and dividing themselves bitterly).
David
February 7th, 2008
I apologize in advance for the title. I was mostly looking to lead off this afternoon with the grossest understatement I could possibly formulate. As I’m sure many of you heard, “the Heavenly Man” was here at IHOP-KC yesterday for a few hours, connecting with Mike Bickle, then our leadership team, and finally the IHOP family. The afternoon session will be online at the ihop.org website at some point.
We have many national and international leaders come through the doors of our little prayer room. The coolest guys are the ones that pop in and and out (like that great California burger joint) with nary a peep. There are many key guys throughout the body of Christ that tell us after we meet, “I sat in the back of the prayer room” - and those are the guys you end up wanting to be buds with. You just appreciate the guys that come in sans entourage and minus expectations because they are coming to encounter God in the place of prayer. While I appreciate the value of networking, you sometimes find that a few leaders put the cart before the horse on a few key points.
This, of course, is a side note - guys like Brother Yun have to do the entourage thing because, well, he speaks little to no english. I’m not sure if he drives. Also noteworthy, the guy had prison doors fling wide-open and guards become blind to his exit. That kind of thing tends to attract attention. So I don’t really mind entourages - I understand their purpose most of the time and don’t want to make unhelpful, accidental comparison statements. I was mostly going to use the illustration of the traffic flow of leadership from around the body of Christ in these parts to note that I am not awed by guys too often. I loved Brother Yun when I met him. How could you not? Part of his story involves the pain of rejection by some of the folks he has encountered in the west - that is unthinkable to me. Um, hello? Imprisoned three times, tortured and beaten, with great stories that exalt Jesus? I’m not connecting with the hostility.
What struck me the most about his story (beyond the, “Um, that super bold but humble guy suffered intensely for his faith while training people to be disciples of Jesus by embracing martyrdom” part) was how some of his endurance, perseverance, and encouragement in great trouble and pain was knit to two things, according to his testimony:
1. Singing. This accounted for the vast majority of his story - he would seemingly, at random times in both meetings I attended, break into song. The songs were a critical part of his story, and he is proud that he is a singer. He would sing to convicted murderers on death row. He would sing to his jailers. He would sing to himself. He would sing to train and prepare the people for martyrdom. He would sing the word.
I think that this is a significant piece of information for us to file away on the importance of singing and music when your bible is taken from you. The Chinese church has learned to become the most fervent, dedicated church in the world with little to no ability to read or study the word of God consistently. In many settings there are only a few bibles to share amongst themselves. That is significant and interesting - not to devalue the study of the word (since it’s my obsession), but to stand awestruck at the leadership of Jesus and the work of the Holy Spirit in that part of the body of Christ.
2. Passion for Jesus, by Mike Bickle. This was a little side note that he talked about more clearly in the leader’s meeting, but it was one that made me proud of my friend and awed at the way God moves. After his third release from prison (the miraculous one), Brother Yun had few that were willing to take him in and help him, as he had technically escaped and was still a wanted fugitive. In his struggle and near despair over his situation, he found Mike’s book and read it cover to cover. Encouraged and blessed by the love of God, he moved on to the next season and assignment in his life.
That’s just cool.
End-Times Simplified is being translated into Chinese and Korean this year (it’s already been translated into Polish, Spanish, Dutch, and…Thai!) I wonder what random guy is going to pick up that book and, well, learn stuff about the end times. Okay, I feel dorky having even crafted that last sentence - but still, you never know when you write books, record teachings, and watch as things take on a life of their own. Anyways, that’s another side note.
The interesting thing about the visit here is the connection that unfolded over the few hours. IHOP-KC has a real heart for the Back to Jerusalem initiative; secondly we were truly blessed in ways we cannot fully appreciate yet by what Brother Yun imparted here. We had a powerful time of prophetic ministry over him, but I mostly thought, “What do I have to say over that guy’s life?” He is truly the target of humility, holiness, and perseverance I am shooting for at this point in my life.
David
February 6th, 2008
Mark 14:3 And being in Bethany at the house of Simon the leper, as He sat at the table, a woman came having an alabaster flask of very costly oil of spikenard. Then she broke the flask and poured it on His head. 4 But there were some who were indignant among themselves, and said, “Why was this fragrant oil wasted? 5 For it might have been sold for more than three hundred denarii and given to the poor.” And they criticized her sharply.
Whenever someone demonstrates what, in my opinion, constitutes “excessive fervency” or inappropriate amounts of zeal, I find that in the past I would become deeply annoyed. I wanted the person to back down a bit, to be a bit more sensitive and less idealistic, and to restrain their emotions just enough for me to maintain what I felt expressed the appropriate amount of zeal for the setting.
In other words, I criticized them sharply.
It was critical in my walk with the Lord to connect with that hint of frustration in my heart. It was necessary that I connected to what was really stirring within me - it wasn’t frustration I was feeling. It was bitterness. Anger. It was also a bit of helplessness - I felt so weak in my barrenness and my emptiness that an appeal to charge the hill left me feeling “lesser than”, judged, and a bit left behind. Finally, I felt, if I was honest with myself, a twinge of envy. The collision of all of those emotions and responses in my heart to someone else’s extravagance led me on an interesting journey of self-discovery.
I would have despised Mary’s offering that day, just like some of the other disciples.
The Extravagant Waste
They were “indignant”, according to Mark (who heard this story from Peter) because of the extravagant waste that had transpired right before their eyes. Of course, this language of concern and practicality was nothing more than a smoke-screen, a facade to hide the true reasons behind their indignation. They were furious simply because of what they had at stake. They had much to lose if Mary’s actions were appropriate. For if Mary was right to do what she did, wouldn’t the same actions then be demanded of them…and of us? If we all get to heaven, why not get there comfortably? Why pay extra in the exchange - what exactly do we gain? Throw a year’s wages at the feet of Jesus? Then do it neatly, cleanly…do it orderly! This, well, messy display with all of its “emotion” and tears - it’s unbecoming, undignified, and rather wasteful!
Is order necessary related to worship? Absolutely! One glance at the throne room of God in Revelation chapter four reveals the beauty of divine order. We see in that little window a moment in time, a view of bursting, explosive devotion wrapped in the perfection of His design. We see angels fully given voluntarily to divine patterns in which everyone takes their place, and everyone joyously plays their role in showering the One seated on the throne with beautiful extravagance. Beauty is impossible without order.
Is it important to give to the poor? Absolutely! God’s heart for the poor and the needy throughout scripture is clear. Deuteronomy 15:11 summarizes about 15-18 statutes in the law relating to the poor and how ancient Israeli society was to care for the poor in their midst. The Psalms and the prophecies of Isaiah are filled with insight into God’s zeal to deliver the poor from their distress at the hands of wicked oppressors; Amos and Micah chastised Israel and Judah for their corrupt leadership that took advantage of the poor. Jesus Himself told the rich young ruler to sell all that he had and give it extravagantly to the poor (Mk. 10:21).
Yet here we find an untidy anomaly - this one act of extravagance that defines worship and love for us today as astonishingly as the throne room scene referenced earlier. Jesus cared that all who seek Him would hear this story - His response to Mary’s expression of love is more than touching, and more than instructive:
Mark 14:6 But Jesus said, “Let her alone. Why do you trouble her? She has done a good work for Me. 7 For you have the poor with you always, and whenever you wish you may do them good; but Me you do not have always. 8 She has done what she could. She has come beforehand to anoint My body for burial. 9 Assuredly, I say to you, wherever this gospel is preached in the whole world, what this woman has done will also be told as a memorial to her.”
The Extravagant Memorial
Jesus, surprisingly to some in the room that night, responds to her extravagance with extravagance. Why? His disciples had been with Him for almost three years now or longer. Peter, by revelation from the Father, understood that Jesus was the Christ, the Son of the Living God. It had dawned on them to a measure that He was more than a man, and was worthy of devotion and loyalty. Had it dawned on them that he was also worthy of being worshiped? For a Jew, worshiping a man would be tantamount to blasphemy - there was One God, alone, and only He was worthy of worship. To worship an image was to worship an idol - thus the shock of Isaiah’s and Ezekiel’s lives when they see God in the form of a Man.
Matthew pointed out that worship of Jesus was not a difficult concept to grasp for three Gentile wise men from the east (Matt. 2:1-11). We see scattered instances of men, like the leper in Matthew ch. 8 or the man born blind in John ch. 9, worshiping Jesus in response to His supernatural power. Yet we only really see the disciples worship Jesus one time before His death, in Matthew 14 after Jesus walks on water. Nowhere in the gospels do we see anyone worship Him as extravagantly as Mary that evening after supper. What kind of emotions arose in some of them, having been outdone in devotion by this simple woman from Bethany?
Later on, in the book of Acts, Barnabas himself would give far more to the new movement at one offering than Mary did. Many in the early days of the church gave all that they had. Yet it was Mary’s act of worship that becomes the memorial that Jesus will celebrate “everywhere the gospel is preached”. In other words, it was the desire of Jesus to elevate one act of worship as the “target” or the example for all new believers to follow after their conversion. This is incredible: Jesus said that this one testimony would be a part of every altar call, every outreach strategy, and every invitation to the lost. Our modern oversight of this story should convict any who preach the gospel. Jesus wanted all believers to remember this woman. Wasn’t Barnabas’ offering extravagant?
The Extravagant Cost
Mary’s act of worship cost her more than a year’s wage. She gave up something precious to her - she surrendered her inheritance when she broke that alabaster flask of “very costly” oil of spikenard and poured it on the head of Jesus. She had “done what she could”, or given the very best and her very all that night in the overflow of her passion for Jesus. She had nothing greater or nothing more to give, but ended the night completely spent - and I am sure she did not have a moment of regret, or any thought about what she had to gain in the exchange. There is a “great exchange”, according to Jesus, in the age to come, but I am not sure if that truth motivated Mary that night.
No, this same Mary that had to endure the ire of the disciples in the past for pressing her way to the front, the ire of her sister for “forsaking” her duties to choose the thing that was needful in the moment, was willing to face “sharp criticism” yet once more. She was anointing His head for burial - she alone knew the gravity and the weight of the coming hours of Jesus’ life. She understood who He was, what He came to do, and that the time had come. And she loved Him. She loved Him! Thus her only response was to pour out all that she had upon His head in gratitude, devotion, and love.
It cost her more than her inheritance, however. The sharp criticism of some of the disciples (John would later identify Judas in particular) reveals the high cost of extravagance. Extravagance is defined in part by what you give up to love Him well; yet it is also defined in part by when you give it up. Is it extravagant to love Jesus when everyone else does, or is it extravagant to shower Him with praise and thanksgiving when no one else will? There is a cost, paid by the indignation of others, when one endeavors to love extravagantly. Your very reputation is at stake related to the stigma that comes with extravagance.
The question remains: what do we gain from extravagant devotion?
The answer is simple: an exceedingly great reward.
Yet the question arises: doesn’t everyone get that reward? Why be extravagant?
Why indeed? Yet it is important to note that one who is struck by love would never think to ask such a question.
David
February 5th, 2008
It was the little guy’s birthday this past weekend and we celebrated by having an “army party”. Basically, we invited some cool 5 and 6 year olds over to the house, bought a bunch of nerf guns, and went crazy for a few hours.
In honor of his birthday, here’s a quick story. His kindergarten teacher was presenting the concept of liquid measurements to his class, and asked the kids to give her examples of liquids that they drink. She then asked the class to give examples of ones that their parents drink. The answers were the same - juice, and lots of it. The teacher kept pressing, trying to get someone to say “coffee”. Understanding that the teacher was looking for a different answer, Daniel’s hand shot up. He was confident that he had it.
“Beer.” Daniel said, straight-faced. “My Daddy drinks lots of beer.”
The teacher was caught off guard, and tried to suppress her laughter. “Are you sure Daniel?” She asked.
“Yep,” he said, nodding emphatically. “My Daddy drinks beer all of the time.”
She called me to tell me the story. I was stunned - I’ve had one beer over my whole life. I hated it. I made it to the bottom of the neck before giving it away in disgust. At this stage of my life as a leader, there are other many other factors that play into my decision to abstain from alcohol (my IHOP-KC staff commitment being one of them). But the original reason for abstaining from alcohol was simply because I hate how it tastes. So, confused, I talked to Daniel later that night.
“Hey buddy,” I said warmly, “tell me what you said in class to your teacher…I drink beer?”
“Yep,” he insisted, happily. “You love beer.”
This went on for a bit until I realized that he was talking about root beer. Which we don’t drink very often either. So, however you slice it, I have no clue what formed his thinking on this issue, but I thought it would be fun to tell the story nonetheless.
For the curious, here’s a shot of the little dude at the Call in Kansas City a month ago, in all of its thumbnail-sized glory:
February 4th, 2008
I’ve heard Allen share this story many times in his “Growing Through Mistreatment” message, but I wanted to write it down here nonetheless, so that I can remember it better when I steal it for my own messages.
The story goes like this:
St. Francis of Assisi is walking down the road with a fellow monk when he asks, “Father Leo, would you like to know what true joy is?”
“I’m in,” I imagine Father Leo saying excitedly.
“Did you know that you could receive all the revelation and knowledge there is to receive, and you would not have true joy?” St. Francis asked.
“No,” Father Leo responded, “then what is true joy?”
“Did you know that you could have the greatest evangelism gift on the earth, with the ability to lead thousands of men to God, and you would still not know true joy?”
“No,” Father Leo responded again. “Tell me then, what is true joy?”
“Or that you could have the most incredible gift of prophecy, with the ability to hear mysteries that no one else can hear, and you would still not know true joy?”
This continued for quite some time, as St. Francis explored all of the options and possibilities, leaving Father Leo exasperated and longing to know the definition of true joy. Thus St. Francis shared this example:
“Imagine then, Father Leo, that we arrive at the monastery and the men refuse to let us in. In fact, they mistake us for thieves that have been troubling them and, after a long and fruitless attempt on our part to convince them otherwise, they angrily send us away. Thus, in the cold and rain we go to the entire village trying to find shelter for the night; yet none show us any kindness or give us a place to stay. So, desperate, we return to the monastery and try again. This time, the men there, in their frustration to drive us away for good, come out and beat us.
“Then there, lying on the ground, cold and wet, we find that there is no anger in our hearts towards those who have wronged us.
“That, Father Leo, would be true joy.”
David
January 27th, 2008
Did something happen on Friday that I don’t know about?
I’m not a big “stats” guy, because it always seems like more people read this thing than what the “stats” engine tracks. Every conference, everywhere I go I meet folks that read this space. I enjoy looking at the “stats” thing because I enjoy seeing who is peeking in - but there are many of you out there (especially if you use “Google Reader”) that the stats tracker misses. There are better codes and sites out there to figure out who is reading where, but I’m not tech-savvy enough to figure all of that out. It’s a miracle that I even have this website - it took me a year and a half to launch it.
The reason I ask the question, however, is because there was a “record-low” number of readers logged on the stat engine on Friday. I’m used to a certain number per day, and it’s held pretty steady even as new readers have jumped in (because, I’m guessing, old readers jump out as they break their daily reading habit). Friday, however, was so unusually low that I’m wondering if there was a random monster attack in downtown Tokyo that I missed. There was some other time where the stats thing was on the fritz and it was obvious - I went from the normal number one day to, well, zero readers the next day.
Am I numbers-obsessed? Nope. I would do this if there were zero of you reading this space. I wouldn’t write a post like this one if there were none of you out there, and would stick to the other “non-conversational” posts that frequent this site, but I would crank away nonetheless. As I said to Shawn Blanc a while back, zero readers times zero dollars is the same amount of money as a million readers times zero dollars. The impact of a space like this is more difficult to measure in the natural realm. It doesn’t transfer in tangible, immediately notable ways - much like prayer, fasting, and preaching. My life is about producing words to an invisible God and teaching materials and resources to invisible people. I could never measure the impact of my life on this side of eternity. I do what I do because of the invisible, unmeasurable impact that only God knows and cares about.
As I said, however, the numbers do help me get a feel for who, what, where, and why. I write about things that I care about - but I also like knowing who you are because I can throw stuff out there that you care about as well. So - thanks for reading; I do treasure the connection in the spirit. Just not on Friday, January 25th, 2008.
David
January 27th, 2008
We’re on day three of the IHOP-Atlanta House of Prayer Leadership Summit, but it feels like day ten. Billy Humphrey spoke on Friday night on Zechariah 4 and the subject of “grace, grace!” for those leading houses of prayer. I went on Saturday morning for two hours on “Strategic Leadership for the End-Time Prayer Movement”. Kirk Bennett took the afternoon and talked about the tabernacle of David in the afternoon and played a twelve-minute oracle by Misty Edwards at the end that had us all weeping. Then Allen Hood spoke last night on the necessity of Christology related to the great falling away. As you can imagine, every session felt like a full day.
Allen is speaking this morning, right now in fact, one of his key messages, “Growing Through Mistreatment”. So, while I’m listening to him urge us all to relinquish our personal rights and use mistreatment as a gift to grow in love, I thought I would express my gratitude for his friendship. Allen and Rachel, beyond their generous and fun friendship, have been a key spiritual brother and sister for my wife and I. I am so tender when I think about the hours Allen has spent helping me navigate difficult situations, talk through spiritual matters, initiate strategic think-tanks, and work through general “life at IHOP-KC” stuff. His patience and tenderness has been a true gift from God.
Beyond our friendship, however, Allen really is one of my heroes. I am continually provoked and challenged in watching Allen privately as he lives his life before the Lord as a husband, father, and servant leader unlike anyone I have ever met. The way he lives his life serves as a helpful “target” for me to shoot for in contending for the fullness of God. Watching bible verses get lived out in a practical way fills my heart with vision and ideas for how I want to live my own life before God as a husband, father, and servant leaders.
I’m already gripped to get back in the prayer room and carve out more time there - with a little more fasting mixed in as well. I leave times with Allen wanting to pray more, fast more, and consecrate myself more for the Lord. That’s the kind of friendship that one should fiercely guard. I’ve had too many social times where I leave weary and spent - where no lines were crossed by my inner man was a bit dissipated in the exchange. I’m not a fan of wasted time.
So, this post is mostly for me n’ God - but it’s also a neat opportunity to highlight one of my true heroes in the body of Christ. One of the key prayers of my life is that my secret reality in God would exceed my public reputation. Watching Allen Hood I find a worthy target to follow as he follows Christ.
David
January 27th, 2008
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