Spiritual Gardening

Gardeners. Priests. Kings. Called to reign and rule. Humans were made in the image of God. What does this mean? It means they were to co-labor, co-reign with God. And how were they to see the reign of God spread from Eden out? They were to be gardeners. They were to grow a garden, multiply their family, and reign and rule over the earth. They were to watch out for snakes and predators. They were to enjoy all the trees God had created for them and then eat from the Tree of Life to enjoy his life and learn his wisdom. But they were not to eat from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Bad. Even though that tree was in the garden, they were to reject it and choose the Lord’s wisdom instead of their own (Proverbs 3.5-7). But even when sin and rebellion entered the world in Genesis 3 after they ate from that tree, God’s plan never changed. Humanity was still called to partner with the Lord and be gardeners.

Let’s pick up the story in the New Testament. Jesus often used trees and fruit as analogies in his teachings and parables. Perhaps the most famous of these teachings is found in John 15. Jesus says that he is the vine, and his disciples are to abide and remain connected to him. Our job is to first abide, stay connected to Jesus, and then bear fruit.

In Matthew 28.18-20 when Jesus commissions the disciples, he seems to connect the original commission of Genesis 1.28 in a spiritual way. By bearing fruit, the disciples were called to extend the Kingdom reign all over the earth. How would they do this? By making disciples of all the nations. They were called to be spiritual gardeners. They were called to help disciple people and the nations, in that way growing the Kingdom of God.

During the stay at home order, we like most people have had time for some long-standing projects. Angie enjoys working outside, and she has done several yard projects we have been wanting to do. As I mentioned, I have learned some new hobbies like roasting coffee and cooking new foods. But the one hobby/project that I have longed to do in past years but haven’t started is gardening. Since we moved to our new house, we just haven’t figured out exactly how we want to do it. And because we were preparing for Ukraine the last two summers, the timing hasn’t been right.

But in the last week, I have had a couple fun conversations with friends that are using some interesting gardening techniques, and I have started thinking and dreaming more--which is often a dangerous combination that my wife then has to endure. :)  As I was talking with one of my friends (he shared an amazing gardening technique called a “hoop house” with me), he said this phrase: We are called to grow, not build. As we talked and unpacked what that meant naturally and spiritually, it hit hard on some things the Lord has been speaking to me in the last year.

Sam McVay, who leads Disciple Nations, had a deep encounter with the Lord 20 years ago. He was a young church planter and had just moved from El Dorado to Wichita to plant a new church. The Lord, in a loving rebuke, said, “You are making an Ishmael, not waiting for Isaac” (see the story of Abraham in Genesis 12 and following chapters). Then he said clearly to Sam, “I will build my Church. I have called you to make disciples. That word from the Lord radically transformed Sam, and he committed himself to making disciples and equipping saints rather than being focused on building numbers in the Church. For a while Sam went in the opposite direction and tried to get disciples out of the traditional church setting, and again the Lord spoke. “I didn’t ask you to get them in or out, but I made you to equip the saints and make disciples.”

Sam’s philosophy and his spiritual DNA that the Lord imparted to him have deeply touched my heart over the years. But I realize that there is part of me that still loves to try and build even though I know the Lord has clearly not called me to build. The Lord gave me a clear word that spoke deeply to my heart earlier in the week. And then it was confirmed when I heard that phrase, that we are called to grow, not build.

The Church is undergoing a radical transformation, and it is going to continue and intensify before the Lord’s return. I think one of the issues the Lord will “root out” is the building of ministries, but he will increase the growth of spiritual families through the making of disciples. In fact, one of the biggest prayer ministries in the States has gone through a drastic reset, choosing to first be a spiritual family, and then be about the work of prayer and mission. This is the Lord’s heart for his children—that we would first abide in his Son, and from that place bear fruit.

40 years ago. Remembering Lonnie Frisbee ministering on Mother's Day.

This Sunday we will celebrate Mother’s Day. Forty years ago on this day, an obscure but significant moment in the movement of the Spirit occurred. It was evening, and John Wimber, who was the founder of the Vineyard Movement, was having a regular equipping meeting. He invited Lonnie Frisbee, a hippie who had recently joined his ministry, to speak that night, and the Spirit fell in great power.

I love the history of God’s movements. It stirs my heart and creates a hunger to see God move in power again in my lifetime. I have read many revival history books and so many stories of the men and women God has used in profound ways. The one thing that I have noticed consistently is that those men and women God chose to use and pour his Spirit and power on were messy and broken people. Some of them finished well, and others didn’t. We know that is a consistent theme throughout the whole Bible. God isn’t afraid of our humanity. Instead he partners with messy humans to see his Kingdom expand. Does our sin and brokenness affect his plan? Yes and no. Certainly there are grave consequences, and we see that played out in the Scriptures. Yet God’s Kingdom keeps moving forward. Take the person of King David. He was a man after God’s own heart. 1 Kings 15.5 says, “For David had done what was right in the eyes of the Lord and had not failed to keep any of the Lord’s commands all the days of his life -- except in the case of Uriah the Hittite.” David was faithful and yet committed a gross sin of adultry and murder. There were severe consequences for his family, and yet his family brought forth the Messiah.

Lonnie Frisbee certainly fits into this category of men and women -- messy and broken, yet used powerfully by God. As a young man, he looked for “religious experiences” by using LSD. But while tripped out on the drug in the late 60s, he saw a vision from God and surrendered his life to him.  After his incredible conversion, he was used greatly by God in the late 60s and through the 70s. He was a very unusual guy. He grew his hair long to look like Jesus, and he would wear unusual clothing.

During his ministry, he met a preacher named Chuck Smith, who was starting a small church called Calvary Chapel. Before Lonnie came to his church, there wasn’t much movement of the Spirit, but when they partnered, Lonnie began teaching regularly on the empowerment of the Holy Spirit. Many hippies came to the church, and a movement was started. He also had a direct influence on Greg Laurie, who has gone on to have a huge mega church and an influential ministry.

After his time at Calvary, which had a messy ending, Lonnie traveled the world and had a powerful ministry, especially in South Africa. After his world travels, he met John Wimber and came alongside his ministry.

John Wimber led the Vineyard Movement for many years and taught concepts that changed the way Christians think about the Kingdom of God, two of which had great impact. First, John demonstrated how the gifts of the Spirit work. He taught that all believers could proclaim and demonstrate the Kingdom. He taught people to hear God, give prophetic words, and pray for the sick to be healed. This affected Sam McVay, who leads Disciple Nations and many other leaders in different movements. Sam would say that John taught him how to be a good Bible man, but to also see the Spirit move.

Second, the Vineyard has had an amazing worship movement. During our college days, the top songs we all sang were from the Vineyard. The songs were sung all over the world and had a big influence on the modern worship movement.

But a huge catalyst of the Vineyard movement was Lonnie Frisbee. On Mother’s Day in 1980, John asked Lonnie to share his testimony, and then Lonnie led some ministry time. He simply said, “Holy Spirit come,” and the Holy Spirit fell on the room, and the power of God was manifested in many. It was the beginning of the Vineyard operating in a new level of power and anointing.

It was all from a broken man. While I believe Lonnie tried his best to be faithful to Jesus, he could never totally heal from his past. He died from AIDS in 1993.

Why do I share all of this?

First, I am praying 40 years later that God would again release the Spirit in power. Our country desperately needs a move of God. I am praying every day for the Spirit to come again and release his power on his people.

Second, I am grateful the Lord uses messy individuals. While it’s not an excuse to stay in our sin, we are called to walk in holiness. But praise God that the Lord Jesus continually forgives us and wants to use those who have broken pasts to do great things in the Kingdom.

Below is a picture of Lonnie and Chuck Smith at a baptism as well as a picture taken recently at the same location from Greg Laurie’s church.

I’ve also included a link to a YouTube video of John Wimber describing that Mother’s Day evening.

Here is a documentary where I learned more about Lonnie’s life and also a book that he wrote.

 

Documentary

Biography

The battle of Distractions

What do you do when you are bored? How do you handle it when life slows down? What do you do in that space? Perhaps some of you love it when it is quiet and just enjoy quiet walks. You enjoy being still.

That is not my normal experience. I have a very fast mind. I have moved fast my whole life. My parents told me that when I was one or two years old, I started to play and dribble balls. Growing up, I was always bouncing a ball around. It was something that would stimulate me just enough. I don’t like to be still with my thoughts. I’m not sure why. But there is some fear there for me.

I didn’t know about ADD growing up in the 80's. As an adult I always joked that I probably had it, but I never was fully diagnosed until five years ago. Yes, it is true, I have ADD. I read a book or two on it, and it makes a ton of sense why I operate the way I do.

So what is the internet to my brain? Well, it’s an instant distraction. I have often said that a smartphone to an ADD-type brain is like crack cocaine. It takes my brain that already moves extremely fast and then pumps it on a ton of information through texts, tweets, and Facebook posts, which makes my brain feel super cluttered. I have lived with this distracted brain my whole life.

Now none of this is new news if you have been on this journey with me. It’s something I have worked on intensely over the last eight to ten years. I have worked on quieting myself and learning to be still. But I keep going back to things to keep myself distracted.

In my spiritual journey, I have known that the Lord wants me to learn to be still. I long for deep intimacy with Jesus. At times I surely have found that. I have grown to love the presence of the Lord. And yet it’s not something I can sustain because I keep turning to distractions. Whether it’s checking the latest sports scores or my Facebook feed, I keep going back to things to distract my mind.

Last summer, I sensed the Lord say enough. I felt his gentle and yet firm rebuke.

"Do you want to hear my voice or the voice of the world?"

Well Lord, if you put it that way, I want you.

I basically went off all the media. No sports, minimal Facebook, and no news. Wow, that was so refreshing. I found that I didn't miss it at all. I am not sure I noticed an immediate change in my mind. But I kept sensing the Lord telling me to keep coming to him.

Fast forward to March. I participated in a 40-day global fast that many did during Lent. I was excited for this time to spend extended hours with the Lord. Before the virus put us all on an extended time of sabbath, I was already planning on slowing down in March. In February there were some days where I found myself in the presence of the Lord for hours at a time. I was thinking, “Wow. Finally I’m making some progress in eliminating distractions and being clear and focused.”

But then March hit… and everything changed. The fasting was hard. The distractions were worse. I started checking the news more because I wanted to see what was going on in the world. And I have been deeply fighting being alone with the Lord.

Yet each day, I keep sitting in my chair. I keep at it. I stay in boredom, trying to sit with Jesus and abide in his presence. Yet the distractions keep pulling at me. There was a level of frustration that hit me hard over the weekend. It seemed like everything boiled over, and I’m not sure what I felt. But I felt so frustrated internally.

Today I had a great talk with a good friend who is a pastor to me, someone I can process my heart with, and he always provides great feedback.

He said two things that hit me hard. First, that in this season the Lord is wanting me to learn that he’s my joy and comfort in all things. This has been my heart and my deep passion, that I would enjoy the quiet place with the Lord above all things. I long for this intimacy with Jesus. Yet if it isn’t there, I will quickly go to other things to find that comfort--food, interaction with friends, digital distractions. 

Then my friend shared this quote with me from Blaise Pascal: “Distraction is the only thing that consoles us for our miseries…and yet is the greatest of miseries. For it is this which hinders us from reflecting upon ourselves, and which makes us insensibly ruin ourselves.”

So the very miseries we distract ourselves from are the miseries we perpetuate by distracting ourselves. And we are kept from the thing that heals us: deep reflection and intimacy with Jesus.

My encouragement to you this season is this: keep fighting distractions. Let’s put our phones away, turn off the TV’s, and turn to first abiding with Jesus. Then let’s have meaningful time with our families. I have heard so many are doing that.

I have a new resolve to fight distraction--to allow myself to just sit and be bored.

Will I be perfect at this? Nope. I know myself too well. But I will be present with the Lord and my family, and I know the Lord loves me deeply in the middle of my struggle.

Thanks for letting me share.

The Restart of a Blog: Battling Creativity

What’s the point of blogging in 2020? Aren’t there enough opinions? Don’t we have enough words being said in 2020? Yes, that is probably the case, whether on Facebook or Twitter or any other platform. We are inundated with words and information. So the answer is no--another blog is not needed.

But perhaps this space is for myself more than anything. It’s a space for me to write and express the things I am learning, thinking (which happens non-stop), and wrestling through, and if someone reads it, well I guess that’s just a bonus.

We are all creative. First, everyone is made in the image of God. By that fact alone, I think everyone is designed to reflect this amazing God that created the universe. We see creativity expressed around us in so many ways. But then if we are in Christ, we actually have the Holy Spirit living inside of us. The very Spirit of God that spoke galaxies into existence is in us to express the wonderful expression of God.

I have longed to be creative, and I know at times I have been. But I also know that there has been an attack on my creativity that has kept me from pursuing creative outlets. But I do come from a creative family. My Grandma Penner was an amazing oil painter. My dad and his siblings are all super creative. I have creative cousins that do amazing things. My creativity often is expressed through my energy, passion for life, and my love for telling stories. And yet I have longed for something more. In the last year, desire to unleash my creativity has increased. I don’t know how the Lord wants to fully release it all. But here in 2020, it has been expressed through grilling and cooking. I got a new Traeger grill at Christmas and then jumped into the air-fryer world. It is the perfect combination for me. I love new gadgets and love researching and trying new things. Now I am in the process of exploring new food ideas.

But then there is my writing. Oh, what a love-hate relationship I’ve had with writing. You see, I have this problem. First, I am full of words. If I can ever get focused and think clearly enough, I love to journal and get words down on paper. It’s easier for me to be verbal, but if no one is around for me to talk to, then yes, I like to write. But this is where the battle lies. I struggle with focus, I struggle with a foggy brain, and I struggle with grammar. I struggle to think that my writing is good enough, clear enough, etc. Therefore in the last three or four years, I have suppressed this desire to write, only allowing the Lord to raise it up here and there.

But then this time of quarantine happened. I have enjoyed the rest at home. I know that I run hard and am always on the move. I know that creativity doesn’t just happen and that I need to have space to let my brain think. Well, quarantine has allowed that to happen. In the past week I’ve been writing a lot more, and I felt a nudge to restart this blog. So here we go.

What will I write about? If you know me, you’ll know this blog will just be an extension of what is in my heart. I am a pretty open and vulnerable person. My guess is that I will express what I am passionate about and what I’m learning with the Lord, which could cover a variety of topics related to prayer, revival, hearing God, stories of God moving, etc.

I am grateful for our friend Maryn. She will be editing my writing. This gives me a bit of courage to write because I know she can clean up any mistakes. :)

I have no idea how often I will write and how long this will go. I don’t really care. I just know for now I feel the desire to write.

Thanks for reading.

Repairing Altars

Just a little context to this post. As I have grown in hearing the voice of God in the last 7 years, often I sense the Lord speaking when I journal from his heart and perspective. I have been thinking of altars the past week or so, and then read the story of Elijah twice on Saturday and some phrases in that spoke to me. I was planning on writing a bit on the story and connected to altars, but then felt the these words well up in my heart. I sent the word to be confirmed and tested by a few close friends. With every prophetic word, we are to test them all.

I am longing to burn and fill my people with presence. I am longing to pour out my fire on the land. I am longing to answer the groans and prayers of my people. My Son is groaning and interceding for this moment. He is longing to return to be King (Isaiah 42:13-14).  I have aligned so many things for this moment in history. Just as my disciples waited in the upper room before I answered in fire, I have put my people in a time of waiting. What they are going to do with this time is the question. Are they responding in repentance? Are they responding in prayer and partnership with my ways? Or are they giving up hope and turning to old habits, old ways. This is the time of the divine reset. This is what my children have been crying out for. They are asking me to come and move in power and release fire. Many are crying out for revival. I am hearing the cries. It is time for me to move. But here is what I am longing for with my people. 

I am wanting to repair the altars. I have moved in spite of the disunity, the brokenness. This is a sign of my great mercy and love. I can’t help myself. I love my children so much that I have been pouring out my Spirit. But now the terms are different. I am wanting to partner with a pure and spotless bride. I want to send my Son back to marry the bride. But the bride must be ready for my Son, and she hasn’t prepared herself. Oh I have heard the cries. I have seen the prayers. But I need to ready my people.

Here is what I am doing. I am repairing the altars. I am tearing down the false altars, the false places of worship. My children have had so much mixture and compromise in their hearts. Where are the people of God that are peculiar and set apart (1 Peter 2:8-9)? Where are the sons and daughters who will stand as priests that will minister before the Lord and weep between the portico and the altar and plea for mercy? Where are my priests who agree with my heart and my promises (Joel 2:17)?

Let’s repair the altars and the places of worship. This is the downfall of my people. They have longings and are created to worship. But they go to so many false places of worship. Just as in the days of Elijah, there is compromise in the land. There were those who we were eating at the table of Jezebel, eating her false pleasures and false delights. They were false prophets. I am concerned that my children are worshipping false gods. They are eating at the table of compromise. They eat from these idols and then show up to my altar and try to worship me. Do you want to know why I am not showing up in power in my church and why my children aren’t carrying my presence in their homes? It is this issue right here, this issue of false idols. They must repent of the mixture of humanism and false pleasures. They have made money, sports, food, time, and agendas their gods. They have created services and churches around their best efforts. But that is not my design. It is not my heart. I long for my church and my people to be centered around my presence. This was my heart throughout the Old Testament. It was always about my presence and my dwelling with my people. My instructions were clear to the Levites: don’t let the fire go out on the altar. There must be a continual tending to the place of worship. 

My altar now dwells in the human heart. I long to touch the human heart deeply with my presence. This is why my Son came to bring deliverance and freedom from sin--so that I could abide in my children through the presence of the Spirit. This is no small deal. But oh, how my children make it about so many things. They are so flippant about the gift of my Spirit. They argue and try to decide which gifts are for today. Enough of the disagreements. Enough of the fighting. I am burning and longing to release so much of myself on my people. I truly long to abide in my children. I am breaking false doctrines. I am breaking off fear. I will answer those that are pure, holy, and hungry for me. 

I am going to break the spirit of competition off my Church. My people will no longer compete to have better programs and more numbers, but I will release radical unity in them.

My question is the same today that I asked through Elijah. “How long will you waver between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow him; but if Baal is God, follow him.”

I am repairing the altars in this season. I long for true worship in homes and in churches. Will you agree with my heart? Will you be willing to tear down anything that I didn't ordain or create? Will you allow me to do the hard work in your heart? This is painful. Things can die or burn up. But then I heal and release my fire, power, and glory in greater ways, and it’s all worth it. 

Ukraine Trip

Below is a letter from the team we are traveling with to Ukraine.  Bree and I are very excited for what God has in store for us and the people we meet!

Dear Friends and Family,

Our 8 month journey of preparation for our Ukraine trip has led us to leaving this Monday. Our team is blown away by the way the Lord has blessed us through the partnership of so many of our friends and family.

This last week, we had the opportunity as a team to spend 4 days of training at Oasis Ranch and Retreat Center. We have spent this time being equipped in our spiritual gifts, learning how to abide in Jesus, and how to integrate the love of Christ into new cultures. God truly formed a spiritual family with our team and it has been so evident to see that continued unity as we have spent more time together. We have had some team prayer and worship times and already the Lord has met us in very real and tangible ways.

One of our team activities was to form a team covenant along with some key declarations we hope to live out.  Here is what we came up with. “As Kingdom Carriers, we seek to demonstrate the joy, peace, and love of Christ.”  Through a lifestyle of worship, abiding in presence, selfless service, and walking in sonship.

This Monday we fly out of Wichita around noon and we will arrive in Zaporizhia, Ukraine by the evening of July 3^rd. The next morning we load up and drive to the Black Sea for a family camp. This is a camp for at-risk families where the local Mennonite Brethren church serves.  We will be tangibly serving at this camp through teaching, crafts, games, and worship. But mostly we are excited to love on the many kids and parents that will be attending. We will update later on how that week of camp goes and then our other activities.

One of the things we know is that the churches and people we will encounter have been through much suffering. With the war, and so much poverty, it has begun to weigh on them. Our team has been praying that through our lives fresh hope and joy can be released to many.  Please join in prayer that our team would rest in the life of Christ and be the fragrance of his life to many.

Blessings,

Team Ukraine

Penner Family Missions Update May 2018