16th September, 2008
Making A Place
Worship is the best seat in the house. When I heard that in my spirit I rejoiced deeply to almost a groaning. The best seat in the house… We are the House of God! The Temple of the Holy Spirit! The dwelling place of our God! Or don’t you know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God?… (1 Cor. 6:19)
This is so exciting to know that at all times we can be part of the “best seat in the house”. True worship, just letting go and pursuing Him with praise and all that is within us… David cried out: Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name! (Psalm 103:1).
Often times I think we just make a place for comfort or play time! We fill the seat with “stuff” that causes worry, fear, bitterness, anger and ultimately restlessness and frustration. Speak out loud and ask the Lord to come and take His seat in your heart daily. The Word does declare that He inhabits the praises of His people…But You are holy, Enthroned in the praises of Israel. (Psalm 22:3).
Make a place for His glory to rest on you with pure worship from the heart and soul. Do this daily and make a habit out of worship, not to the point of loosing its value in your spirit but be hungry for God! A great price was paid for the “best seat in the house”. I have witnessed people paying exorbitant prices for tickets just to be close to the stage of home plate. Some even pay top dollar to fly first class! But God gives the best seat in the house to anyone who just invites Him to come and rest on the wonders of worship.
Best
Dennis
Posted at 7:45 pm | Comment (0)
24th August, 2008
Today: A Mark To Remember
Today, was a mark from God that we will never forget. We birthed a new prayer meeting which will take precedence over every traditional setting in the Central Coast Church. Church will not be in any way traditional there at all. We will pray and continue to pray each week on Sunday till the Lord states ‘not to’. No more struggles in continuing in traditional church application and method. From now on it is prayer in power, worshipful prayer and praise!
We are going to go on a Forty Day fast starting in September for the Bay Area to be freed from the evilness that is so present.
This is so exciting!!! Send me all your prayer requests and we will pray for them and more.
Remember, prayer moves the hand of God!
Best
Dennis
Posted at 9:37 pm | Comment (0)
16th March, 2008
Sunday - Two Chruches
This Sunday was the excellent for everyone involved. We started at the new work on the Central Coast. Really was cool! We only had 40 people this morning but it went really well. The reason was obvious the Lord ministered to our hearts. The “normal” music team was gone so I imported my Santa Cruz ministry music team to play at Central Coast church. David Chavarria, our music dude from Santa Cruz blew it up! I think the Central Coast church was surprised at this, but hey, I know that I wasn’t. David always brings the crew into worship as it should be. I guess that the Central Coast music team should hang out more with David! I spoke on “Who Do You Say That I Am” referring to Matthew 16:13-28. The challenge was out there, identify with Christ to find out who you really are!
From there we drove back to the Santa Cruz church where 250 people were waiting for us to play music and teach the Word. At that outside church David again blew it up and I spoke on the “Entrance Into The City”. The challenge: either you praise Him or the rocks will. We spent about two and half hours ministering to the people and was joined by a group of young, on fire, let’s get outside the walls college students from San Jose, CA who helped us serve the food and love of Christ.
It was a great day to say the least. Thank God for His anointing and personal directives to help those in need.
My Heart To Yours
Dennis
Posted at 9:35 pm | Comments (3)
14th March, 2008
Introducing Emergence To The New Work On The Central Coast
Tonight, I held a small Bible study at the new work I accepted on the Central Coast of the Monterey Bay. (Yes, I am now pasturing two churches!) Let me say that I am also doing the missional work in the streets of Santa Cruz with great results, almost revolutionary (he, he)
It was just the leadership. I spoke from Ephesians 4:1-12. The real cool thing about this study was I taught on being in unity and taking what we have (the love of Christ Jesus) to the outside so the outside (culture) that does not attend the structure of traditional Church of God can come to the inside (culture of the church worship center) and learn more of Christ so they can be nurtured to take it back to the outside. Make sense? It does to me. Sounds like this could start a revolution in this new church! I dropped a few words like emergence and future! I left out cyber-revolution at this point. I am pondering on bringing it on Sunday’s message though. I left them with the thought of why are there not any equippers around to equip those who need equipping? Hmm, maybe it because we have been stuck inside to long dragging the weightiness of structural tradition of institutionalism! The response was awesome. My next step is to reinforce that of maturity! Now how novel is that?
My Heart To Yours
Dennis
Posted at 12:51 am | Comments (3)
9th March, 2008
Concerned About Church Growth
Lately, I have been deeply pondering the decline of church growth in America. Not only in the denomination or movement, as some would like to characterize it as, that I serve but the Church as a whole. I am still trying to mentally calculate the negative news blogs on USA, CNN, The Onion and others. Just what is happening to the faith in people who have attended churches and decided to stop going is not some surface bruise. There is a real problem with relationships and trust. There are deep wounds in the faith of those deciding to change the way they worship. Not by any means do I think going to another church is wrong! However when the decline grows past the thimble measurement to a vast media conduit that will fed the negative and not give a solution to the problem at hand. This problem or cataclysm is not something we should wait for to be over, such as, the changing housing market or the upswing of a new government embarking on a “savior” roll. The people of and for the Church need to apprehend this and contain the crisis till a solution is at hand. Now how can this be solved? Let’s look at how it cannot be solved first: It cannot be solved by ignoring the decline of church growth. It cannot be solved by the riddle “it is just for season.” Certainly it will never be solved by forming a committee of people who already are part of the predicament. I hope that no one believes that we should wait and “vote” in new leaders at any upcoming Assemblies. Even though I would like to point to other negative solution finders, one that comes to mind is what is going on right now. That is, everywhere I look, there are heads in the sand and what should be behind, is showing itself. This is not a struggle for power nor position this is an ardent and crucial moment in the history of the Church. The approach we have been taking is causing a lack of trust in leadership and in the church as a whole. Here in California, the Church of God is suffering and certainly not growing. The population is growing, the cultural affect on society is changing and the social levels are becoming more distant than ever before. Social hostility is on the increase and unemployment is also escalating. Fear is gripping families everywhere along with doubt that there is a elucidation that can really determine the future of the church. My observations of this only details more to me that we, those of us that our talking, noticing and truly burdened, must pray in the “turn about” of the shocking events that are happening to the Church in America. Live like Christ, with integrity, purity, honesty, and with motives that will bring glory to God. I hope that many read this and desire to talk about this!
My Heart To Yours
Dennis
Posted at 11:07 pm | Comment (0)
1st September, 2007
What a place to hear from God!
Last night Kathy and I went to a Scottish Fiddle Concert in Santa Cruz. It was a blowout. Over one hundred fiddlers from around the world were playing at once. Man was I into it! Then God broke into my moment and started a discussion with me: Wouldn’t it be nice if people would serve Me like my Son did? What? Not now, I am digging this fiddle music!
Remember when you were told that going to something like this would send you to hell? Gulp, your right! How foolish is that? Can’t go to movies, can’t play baseball, can’t enjoy life, can’t can’t…. I thought I am glad I quit the I can’t bunch! If we really followed Jesus we would all go to hell (the hell out our front doors)! Just like He did, we would grab as many souls as we could and tell the devil to BACK OFF! Then we would pray with them the prayer of faith.
Then I sensed this incredible flow in my heart! See all these people dancing to the fiddle music? Yes, I do and it is narley. Why do you think my servants don’t dance? They don’t even seem to know I am there. Wow!!! The last sight I remember of the concert is all the fiddlers, all one hundred of them, leaving the concert hall and going out on the street fiddling for the city to hear. It was 11:00 PM
I hope that I can say this right….I believe and trust God was showing me that we need to all start using our gifts and showing our joy (keep playing our fiddles) when we leave the House of God. No matter what time it is! What do you think?
Peace
Dennis
Posted at 8:00 am | Comment (0)