One day, I will need to encourage Pastor Mark to write a daily devotional book on “Batterisms”.  My friend and mentor, Dr. Edwin Louis Cole also spoke a wealth of “Coleisms” that eventually became a mini-book.  like, “the man who knows ‘how’ will always be the servant of the man who knows ‘why’.”, or “a ton of prayer will not produce what an ounce of obedience will.” and my favorite: “Manhood and Christlikeness are Synonymous!”

Batterism:  “It’s only when business as usual goes out of business that we’re in business –  the Father’s business”  (= don’t just pray about it, act on it!)

Batterism: “Maybe our normal is so  subnormal that normal seems abnormal” (= God never intended for us to be “regular people”, His aspirations for us are higher than our own!)

Batterism: “If we do the little things like they are big things, then God will do the big things like they are little things”  (= be cognizant of the resulting miracle of a harvest of fruit when you bury a tiny seed and pour water on it each day)

Batterism: “if you meet with God, God will make sure you meet the right people at the right time” (= pray, hear God, leave the results to Him)

Batterism: “if you pray to God regularly, irregular things will happen on a regular basis” (= secret to abundance in any relationship is time invested in the one you love)  In other words, IF YOU WANT TO WALK IN THE MIRACULOUS, PLANT YOURSELF NEXT TO THE ONLY ONE WHO CAN MAKE MIRACLES HAPPEN AND KEEP IN STRIDE!!

Selah

Sieze the Opportunities!

Tami is a “first class noticer”.  Chemo therapy may have taken a toll on her memory which is kinda fun, because every time we watch an old favorite movie, it’s the first time for her, but if it has to do with decor or what someone wore, or most importantly what is important to people she’s observed, she can recall with vivid technicolor accuracy.

I need to be a lot more like her, but my prayer is that through this prayer challenge I will develop my spiritual eyesight to her level of keen observation.  We need so many answers right now in my business and in health of friends, like Carol Garlow and Colby Meister, and it seems each day I’m praying more and more circles that it is becoming overwhelming.  I’m so grateful that it is impossible for our God to be overwhelmed… that he hears every prayer and is large and in charge.

Carpe diem et votum

Sieze the day & pray!  watch for divine appointments and sieze the oportunities God places in our path.

Heart heavy today with burdens.  But oh so joyful over all of my valentines.  I love you each with my life!

Experience the joy of just being with them.

Tami Green wrote:

I couldnt wait to blog about todays read…maybe because it sounded like ME!! I mean as far as the crazy goes. :^) The way I see it is, these people were praying like their life depended on it, not only their life but their childrens life. They were doing crazy things so that they would be healed, set free, they needed miracles in their life, ASAP!  Why not get that CRAZY about seeking God about our dreams, His desires for me and my family, pray the IMPOSSIBLE to the POSSIBLE!!! In the 40 Day Prayer Challenge today, Mark talked about the people who were going nuts just to touch the hem of His garment or climb a tree to get a glimpse of Jesus! Or what about the prostitute, who  by the people in the city, wasnt even worthy of coming to the Father! She didnt care what people were saying…she knew that if she could get to Jesus, He would handle it, even though she was a prostitute!  We should be so grateful that our Heavenly Father loves us so much, that He doesnt make us clean up before coming to Him, He takes us as we are and knows our desparation! All that He asks in return, is to be CRAZY in love with Him! To go out on a limb, to do something that is very uncomfortable in order for our “Miracle”.  If God can answer the prayers of Noni, the Woman at the Well, the Leper (the list goes on) He can sure do for us! Lets get CRAZY! Walk on Gods wild side….let God do His thing and give HIM ALL the GLORY! Pray like your life depends on it!

Guilty as charged!! Im not a big enough dreamer!! Unlike Tag, everytime I read another day in the my Prayer Challenge book, my thoughts go immediately to Tag and his dreams. THEY ARE HUGE!! Always have been!! The only difference between now and BDTC (before Draw the Circle) is now we KNOW how to succeed to make those dreams come true. PRAY CIRCLES!!!! This challenge has changed my life knowing that God has already answered my prayers… Its up to me to have faith enough to walk in the answer that is already there. I am a newbie in the “dream big” department (not for my kids) but for me..not sure why, but anyways, Tag says if your dream is to easy to achieve, then your dream isnt a “God Sized Dream”! I want our home not only to be a “home of dreams” but to be a “Home of Dreams Achieved”! I dont want to settle for ‘good ideas”anymore,  I want “God Ideas” the kind that is going to change lives! Lets begin, when we pray, to take our thoughts captive and pray and dream like our lives depended on it!

Wow! could spend 40 days meditating on just the richness of today’s revelation!

“PRAYER is the difference between the best we can do and the best God can do”  Mark Batterson – Draw The Circle

That difference is Gianormous!!

Edwin Louis Cole taught me that God does every thing He does for a purpose, based on a principle, and according to a pattern!  Prov 25:2 is a key for discovering those. I am determined to stay in God’s presence and search out God’s purposes, His principles, and His patterns. To quit trying to rely on my good ideas and get the God-ideas for my family, my businesses, my life.

Our God is so much bigger and so much greater than anything we face… or ever will.

This is a photo taken by the Hubble Space Telescope.  It is estimated there may be as many as 1500 galaxies (not stars) in this photo each with between 1 billion and 100 billion stars.

This is an illustration of how big the portion of sky is in the top photo.

Our biggest problem is our small view of God.Until we get a conviction deep in our spirit that God’s grace, knowlege, and power has absolutely no limits, we will draw prayer circles too small. Can you even imagine the size of this Universe God created or how much raw power is contained in the stars of just this photo???

Once you try to get your brain around that concept, it is my hope that you will revise your Dreams and we will start praying some big… HUGE prayer circles in this family.

Dr. Eugene Eby was head of a scientific team at General Electric in the early 20th century.  His team struggled for months on end to solve a problem that would allow vast amounts of electricity to be conducted… superconducted, but without a viable solution.  Long story short, he called for a 1 month sabatical for his team to rest & regain perspective.  He just said he wanted a report from each on how they spent their vacation upon their return.  But he spent that month in prayer.  Upon their return, God revealed what they were searching for to Gene Eby in a 3000 year old pot that one of his team members brought back from Egypt.  This led to a patent that allowed places like Hoover Dam to safely deliver electricity to homes like ours and a bushing that you would recognize on most transformer stations you would see like the one at McLain & Harwood by our old home.

You each know me and know that there is hardly anything within my power to provide that I wouldn’t give to you if you asked because you know that I love you.  Now, understand that God’s love for you is so deep and so strong that they coudln’t dig it out of Him with scourges, nails, or spears!

We just redeemed this phrase from a sarcastic put down to an expression of God-pleasing FAITH.

It’s time to take God at His Word and not just pray about our dreams, but act “as if” God is going to deliver on His promises.  It is God-honoring when we act as if He is going to answer our prayers… Flash! He is going to answer every one of the circles we pray!!  His answer may be “No” or “Not Yet” instead of “Yes”, but He is just waiting for us to finally ASK and I can promise you He will answer in one of these ways.

Don’t get discouraged or feel like you are missing God’s will if the answer is something other than “Yes”.  Never forget He has a plan for you and it is a GOOD one.  So, if He answers with No or Not Yet, it doesn’t mean you have missed Him, it just means He is adding His direction to our dreams… so REJOICE in a NO.  Just watch for His Best to take the place of what you have been circling in prayer and Keep On Asking, Seeking, and Knocking.  God won’t answer 100% of the prayers you don’t pray.

I have already started acting as if God is going to answer my prayers about CHC, Elan, and MRS.  I am working like it depends on me and praying like it depends on God.

These are dreams so grand in scale that they (and I) are destined to fail without Divine Intervention.  So, if God doesn’t do it, it ain’t happening!  And I will look pretty foolish.  I’m OK with that.

Then, when they each come to fruition there is no way I can take any glory for them.  I will have no choice but to say, “if this depended on my ability, knowledge, and talent, nothing would have happened! I’ve always been a big dreamer, but on the average very few of my dreams actually have become reality… so there is no other explanation than I was obedient and stepped into the water and our God has done everything else!”  Partnership with God is like that.  It’s a 1:99 kind of deal.  My part is about 1% and God’s is responsible for the other 99%  but the benefits are 90:10 because He only requires a 10th of the increase.  (that’s a minimum, as most of you know, we went over 10% several years ago and will continue until we are able to live off the 10% and give the 90%).

But 2013 is the year we stop just surviving and begin thriving.  Putting God and His Kingdom 1st in every aspect of our business and personal lives and acting as if He is going to be faithful to Malachi 3:10 and pour out what He has promised.  So, we are starting to put the things in place and planning just as if the out pouring has begun.

Each of you click this and read Deuteronomy 28:1-2.  That is our promise to circle for 2013.  Then read the next 12 verses to see what that actually means.

Put your best Running Rain Boots on, cuz we aren’t going to be able to outrun God’s promise here and the rain of His blessing and favor are about to drench us!

When Jesus leads me to the place in Heaven where He shows me all He had planned for me, I don’t want to look in and hang my head in sorrow.

When He reaches for that door, I want to hear Him say, “You aren’t going to believe this”… then He opens the door to reveal a huge empty chasm and says, “Well done, TG! you did all I asked of you & asked for all I had for you!!”

Whoa!! What would THAT life look like?

Worship & Praise come from Gratitude… Gratitude comes from Miracles… Miracles come from Obedience & Asking… Obedience comes from Hearing God!

Are you Listening (reading His Word)? Are you Asking (praying)?

Jeremiah 29:11 is a promise for each of us to pray circles around.  Don’t let one plan for you go “unasked” for… Don’t let one command or request go unobeyed!

“Life should not be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive and well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, body thoroughly used up, totally worn out and screaming, “WHOA! WHAT A RIDE!”

THAT is a well-lived life.  That is how I want to go sliding into Heaven’s Gates!  How ’bout YOU, Partner?

Dream BIG, Pray Hard, Think Long.

Let’s face it.  We have all forgotten important things because we haven’t had a “reminder”.

Dreams, Goals, & Prayer are no different than daily tasks in this regard.

A wise man once taught me, First you THINK it, then you INK it.

Writing it down helps us move in that direction.  Back when I was doing turnarounds there was a principle I taught that goes, “Our Bodies Move in the Direction of Our Mind’s Most Dominant Thoughts”

Dream Big… but write the dreams & goals down in a place where you can review them often, pray over them frequently, and record your progress & God’s answers.

I want to know your biggest dreams.  If you are not comfortable sharing them here, email them to me.  The place of Agreement is the place of Power.  I want to agree with you in praying circles around your biggest dreams.

Live Unoffended & Grateful today.

It’s true sometimes we get so focused on God changing our circumstances that we never allow Him to change us!  So, we are destined to continue same loop with same results.

Doesn’t matter how our prayers get answered.  If it’s NO, then look deeper for what is best.  God’s NO is usually No, I have something different for you which will be better in the long run!  Garth Brooks was almost right… “Some of God’s Greatest Gifts” are not unanswered prayers, but prayers answered by “No”.  Key principle is to Keep Asking, Keep Seeking, Keep Knocking, Keep PRAYING.  Anyone can tell you that you miss 100% of the pitches you don’t swing at and if you just connect on 4 out of 10 you would be the best of the best in history.

Praying Circles around MAC in Burleson – Father release the funding.

Around Carol, not for grace & mercy to endure have I prayed, Father, but for FREEDOM for which Jesus set her free.

Around CHC & WM – Lord, bring the torrential rain.

Not seeing the abundance promised yet, but what I DO see is a cloud the size of a man’s hand on the horizon. (I Kings 18:44) Blessing that is coming upon us and overtaking us (Deut 28:2)  So, I’m advising you, get your rain boots out girls and grab your “umbellas” G & E, and head for the house T before the flood stops you!!!

A avalanche doesn’t depend on just one snowflake.

Givers gain  Duet.  6:6

When you obey God:  He will give you houses you didn’t build; Wells you didn’t dig;  Vineyards you didn’t plant.

Eph.1:18

My Valentine Prayer  That the eyes of your HEART be enlightened