300:150

I am sitting in the office at church about to order flowers for the Mothers day service and I was told to average about 300 carnations to be handed out that sunday. With Fathers day approaching the following month, I was informed that usually it was a chocolate bar of some sort- but to only plan on 150.. at the most. Now I know I went to bible college and was never a left brain person, but if my anatomy class services me correctly, doesn’t it take two to tango? Doesn’t it take the female anatomy and the male to reproduce? So what happened?

Where is the papa?

I am a daddy’s girl to the core. I love my mother (more of that in a few weeks), but the bond between daughters and fathers is different. I was blessed with an amazing dad. I will always cherish my daddy dates (growing up and even now) and don’t want to picture my life without him. Yet, so many mothers, sons and daughters are left without them. The male counterpart is out there, but the Father does not exist. Why are there 300 carnations and 150 chocolate bars? What I think men don’t realize is what they are missing out on. And casue of that, the daughters are in the dark as well. No matter if the relationship with your dad/daughter is a good one or non existent, it effects both of you. Who is suppose to show the girls the respect and honor we deserve? Who is suppose to protect us and tell us we look pretty (even in those awkward middle school years)? Who is suppose to spoil us like a queen but teach us how not to act like one? Who is suppose to pray with us when our girlfriends tease us and we feel out of place? Who is suppose to remind us that we have a place to belong? Who is suppose to tell us to keep our pants on?* Who is suppose to care about who we date and where we are at? Who is suppose to flatten the guys tires that broke our hearts? Who are we suppose to look up to? Who else can love us like they do?

How can we get a glimpse of the Father’s love without a father?

My heart breaks knowing that daughters are missing out on a piece of life that was so vital to mine. My heart breaks knowing that these daughters have no control over it. We have no power over what family we are born into. But life isn't about circumstances, its about attitude. Our life is what we make it and how we react to it. We may not be able to have control over the curves in the road ahead, but how we deal with the wide rights and sharp lefts, that is what direction we will go in. They say that girls marry like their fathers, and guys marry like their mothers.

Show them who that is.

*one of the rules in my house that my dad shoved in our faces: “keep your pants on. if you do that, we eliminate a lot of problems.”

Me and my Pops at my graduation.

What now?

I desire change.
I want to go back.
I yearn for Revival.

I desire change in every way. I desire to see change in my life, in this town, in the church, in my friends, in this Godless world. I desire to see a change that will spark us to wake up. I desire for us to stop living amongst the mountain of dry bones, but to cry out “Live!” I desire for the change to start now.

I want to go back to where it all started. I want Acts days where people gathered together in their homes and were forced to be all or nothing-there was no middle. I want to go back to why we do this. I want to go back to how we do this. We do this because we live in a fallen realm ruled by the powers of Darkness and his followers. We do this by the all consuming power of the Holy Spirit that is working is us. I want the power that raised Jesus Christ from the grave to be erupting in us. I want to go back to the basics: Father, Spirit Son.

I yearn for a Revival. I yearn to see churches coming together instead of moving apart. I yearn for a “Jesus movement” to happen in my generation. I yearn for homeless and helpless to be fed and made full. For people who are seeking to find. A revival where we all work as one to shake the roots of this world. A revival that reminds us that this is not home.

A comeback. A vision. A passion.

Think eternal

(from Leonard Ravenhill's "When Revival Tarries")
There are 9 million refuges in Korea, homeless and starving.
There are millions in India that sit in darkness and the shadows of
spiritual and physical death haunt them.
There are 1 million Arab refuges that roam the Middle East.
There are 11 million "displaced persons" in Europe who have no where to go.
There are 1/3 million escapes in communist China living in
squatters' huts through out Hong Kong.
There are 15 million Jews who don't realize that their freedom is
just beyond the wall that stops them.
There are 315 million Muslims.
There are 355 million Confucians and Taoists.
There are 255 million Hindus.
There are 90 million Shintoists.

And Millions more....

Who is ready for a Revival?

Finally

"How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who bring the good news, who proclaims peace, who brings glad tidings, who proclaims salvation, who says to Zion 'Your God reigns!' "

Isaiah 52:7