Where we go from here…

You know you’re outside of that box and won’t feel at home until you get HOME when Liberals think you’re a Pentecostal. Pentecostals think you’re a Liberal. And conservatives think you’re a heretic. .

Try believing that only authority we have is The Spirit of God, not Elders or Paper (Bible) or Pope (anarchist/liberal), and that instead of just “observing the teachings of Jesus” we need to listen to His Voice today and experience His power in our lives (pentecostal). The only ones who will let you in the door of their “church” are the liberals who think you’re cool but somewhat strange…which makes you “cool” since they like strange folks and no one gets it…at all. But there is hope as long as God loves us and I don’t feel that going away anytime soon…

Who I am — What I believe

I’ve come to realize that Laura and I don’t fit into any boxes this world has yet — and we never will. I (we) have so much to share but we often find ourselves getting bogged down by people’s desire to categorize us when there is only one label that will do.

I am a Christian Anarchist and can finally appreciate the great work God is doing among my friends in San Antonio — but I don’t feel comfortable boxed inside any movement that looks mostly to the past for examples of Love, neglecting the necessary, supernatural guidance of the Spirit in the present. I also don’t feel that the Sermon on the Mount is something to be ‘imitated’ but Jesus simply saying: “If you wanna be ‘righteous’ through following the Law, you’re screwed — what you need is to KNOW me and I’ll do the work inside and through you as a byproduct of our initmacy…”

I am a neo-Charismatic. I believe and practice the gifts — but I still don’t feel comfortable inside of a movement that looks to people and paper for authority instead of solely the Spirit of Jesus. I also find it impossible to live inside of a “prosperity” box. That label is so empty.

I am definitely “Emergent” but then again I don’t feel comfortable inside of a movement that talks about the Spirit but has yet to understand the Truth that spiritual/supernatural experience of intimacy with God is THE reason we live and is not just reserved for “mystics”.

I am no longer a “bitch-slapper” of the Bride or conservative. I believe that God is much bigger than The Bible.

There is one label I’ll take (It’s kinda long, OK…:-) – I desire to be a courageous freedom fighter, Lover of Jesus, Lover of the Bride and experiential and existential pursuer of an Intimate Sexual/Physical/Emotional relationship with God.

I believe that this life is all about intimacy with God. I believe that “mystical”, deep, intimate, sexual-like experiences with God aren’t for just a few to experience but for all who are called by Jesus. I believe that Love and fear cannot coexist and that every action motivated by Love (initiated by the Spirit of Jesus) will bring freedom.

I believe that I have been given a Spirit of Power and Love (you were right, Brother Paul!) and that He jealously pursues me.

I believe that He will never judge me — I believe that He will never let me go.

Above all, I believe that He loves us, that Jesus worships us (He acknowledges our worth…that’s what worship is!), that Jesus is crazy for us, and only as we are drawn by His Spirit to worship Him can we be satisfied.

If I had to sum up my theology in one song it would be this one:

GRACE.

“Come over here Steve, you NEED to listen to this” said Craig as he pulled me towards the CD player. He quickly popped in a CD of a certain singer and the mournful tones began to arise.

She sang of the story of a girl who had given herself away, yet refused to take the life of her unborn child. As the song rose and fell it slowly died away with a regretful lyric: “Amanda, why didn’t you wait for love?…”

As Craig turned to me to ask me what I felt about it I almost cried…I HATED the song. Filled with remorse and regret for bad decisions, the story of the girl left no hope for Grace, redemption, a NEW start, a CLEAN start….

There was nothing beautiful about it…and that’s when it hit me so hard. Most of us are lost (the Bride), so lost apart from Jesus (even though we’re born again) that we can’t even begin to understand what His Grace means in our lives today. It means that we have a NEW day today, and that the past is gone and our future is bright with purpose…

When I met Laura I understood my purpose and why God called me “GRACE”. And He showed me through a song He gave me.

I was given this song, prophetically, 3 months before I even met her. I had no idea why I was writing it at the time but it poured out of my heart and when I saw her and knew her, it made sense…and I love her so much more because of it all.

It wasn’t a song of shame or even regret…but of Joy, hope, and Grace. We’ve all messed up and will mess up…but the God who formed us and Loved us and called us out of the world is so much bigger than that. He DESIRES us with a passion, and He is in the business of redeeming, restoring, and beautifying those things which even the “Church” calls irredemable.

He’s redeeming my broken life and hers…and it’s so beautiful. She is SO beautiful. I love you, Laura…

Laura’s Song (excerpt)

“When I looked into your eyes I saw perfection,

and the teardrops in your heart made me smile,

when the pieces of your melodies, formed in my a symphony of a new start

of a new day, of a new life…

“You are so beautiful to me,

You are so beautiful to me, can’t you see, can’t you see…

“Your sins are so gone girl,

Your sins are forgiven,

and your future wrongs, girl,

so to Hell with all your shame…

My God is so strong, girl,

He’ll teach me to Love you,

and to lead you into a new start, a new life, a new day….”

Why He’s Just My Brother…

I know some folks call him “Apostle Paul”…some folks call him “Saint Paul”, but to me, he’s just “Brother Paul”, nothing more, nothing less.

It just feels kind of strange, funny actually, to call him “Apostle Paul”. If I did that I’d have to go around titling everyone by their spiritual gift. For folks that are influencers in my life it would be strange enough…not to mention calling FRIENDS by their gifting.

Why We Make This World a Better Place — The Reason for Social Justice

What brings you JOY?

I’ve been in some deep conversations with a beautiful friend about this and it’s been wearing on me…I couldn’t sleep tonight, huge pain inside. Then it hit me. TRUTH. And it is the most beautiful revelation I’ve had in a LONG time.

What brings you Joy? What brings you satisfaction? You need to know the answer to this question because both are linked together…and it is CENTRAL to the LIFE of your soul!