VINE

Fr. Richard Rohr (20 Feb 22): What is intimacy?

Isi De Gersigney (13 Mar 22): His Vine and our veins

The Elijah List (21 Mar 22): When seeing is believing

Brad Pauquette (22 Mar 22): I see four hours per day of opportunity. I think that’s how Jesus sees it.

Brat (echo from earlier): I usually work at least four hours every morning on these sacred dialogues.

Rachel Held Evans (2015): Enter one another’s joy, one another’s family, one another’s messes, one another’s suppers.

Wade E. Taylor (reposted 17 Apr 22): A personal reality within us

Michelle Holderman (26 Apr 22): The compassion of Jesus

Isaiah 55:4 See, I made Him a witness to the peoples, a leader and commander for the peoples.

Daniel Jedediah Cook (29 Apr 22): “All-spark of Creation, the voice of a strong leader engaging TET ^[[1]], we draw out the intents of our hearts.  Yahweh is holy and called us to be holy, set apart as sacred where we create with creative light.”

Patsy Southway (06 Jan 22): What is the Father doing?

Cindy Jacobs (05 Mar 22): The Lord just says to you, “I am going to cause all the pieces to come together. Maybe it has taken you years to find just this little piece, but you’re going to be surprised, because there’s going to be an escalation in your life.” All of a sudden, I’m seeing others come around you, and they’re saying, “Oh no, no. I can see this. I can see that piece belongs there, and that belongs there.” And I see, suddenly, that it’s all going to come together and you’re going to see the full perspective. The vision will come.

Doctor Robin Harfouche (21 Apr 22): Receive this Word and this empowerment to stand up strong, mighty, and ready to accept the VICTORY that belongs to you in this life.

Christine Valters Paintner (2020): There is a sense of God’s incarnate presence in creation that shimmers forth to reveal the holiness of all things.[2]

Thomas Griffin (19 Feb 22): Will you join us as we discuss this vision He has given us for 2022? A vision that is for His glory. This vision is NOT OUR MINISTRY, it’s about the ministry of Jesus and how He’s calling us to be a branch of it. He is the vine and gets the glory, we get the blessing of walking it with Him.

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[1] The Letter Tet (hebrew4christians.com)

[2] Christine Valters Paintner, Earth, Our Original Monastery: Cultivating Wonder and Gratitude through Intimacy with Nature (Notre Dame, IN: Sorin Books, 2020), 93–94, 106.

IT’S COMPLICATED

Rabbi YY Jacobson (09 Nov 2017): Are you afraid to live?

Nate Johnston (05 Mar 22): The interruptions have been endless and nonstop. If you are birthing then you know what I am talking about. 

Brat: Well, it’s complicated.

Rick Joyner (05 Apr 22): It is our self-centeredness, the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge, that has us continually and constantly looking at ourselves, which makes everything complicated. We will never be changed into the Lord’s nature by looking at ourselves—positively or negatively. We are only changed when we see His glory. We do need some self-evaluation, but to mature in Christ is to become less self-centered, less self-focused, and more Christ-centered.[1]

Tyler Medina (23 Dec 21): Real love doesn’t trade the ark of God’s presence and glory for the satisfaction of the flesh, but understands that “it is not I who lives, but Christ in me…the hope of all glory” (see Galatians 2:20 and Colossians 1:27, emphasis mine). We are bond servants to Christ, and the highest price in Heaven was paid for our freedom and redemption. We have the ability through the Cross of Jesus Christ to commune with God and walk uprightly with Him, in direct relationship, keeping His commandments. It is an honor and a privilege to spend your days at the feet of Jesus, beholding His beauty. The Bible tells us it is those who endure to the end that shall be saved (Matthew 24:13).

Brat: And when there’s no end in sight, because the disciples in one’s orbit adhere to “tell no one,” because they have not seen the Son of Man raised from the dead?

Chris Mereschuk (22 Sept 21): Yet we are redeemed by grace, anointed to serve, endowed with heavenly treasure, and deemed more than conquerors, despite all the details that would disqualify us.

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[1] Rick Joyner (05 Apr 22): https://publications.morningstarministries.org/word-for-the-week/increasing-light-part-14

ROLL CALL

Jo Ellen Stevens (20 Mar 22): He’s blowing away the smoke & putting the pieces together

Isaiah 2:^3c …The law will go out from Zion,
    the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.

International Christian Embassy Jerusalem (20 Sept 21): The theme of this, the first day of the Feast, was the “Roll Call of the Nations!” The sounds of beautiful praise and worship to the Lord rang out from the Southern Steps in Jerusalem and from around the world, while powerful prayers by local pastors in Israel were raised up to Him for the nations.

Amanda Grace (28 Oct 21): “I the Lord am calling MY shepherds to stand and be shepherds, and stand in the face of corruptness, and stand when it’s not the popular stance, and stand though the enemy and though their congregants may be angry; to stand because I the Lord told you to stand. And that, My children, should be a good enough reason,” says the Lord of hosts.

Ezekiel 9:¹⁰ So I will not look on them with pity or spare them, but I will bring down on their own heads what they have done.”

Joe McKeever (26 April 2016): As an outsider–that is, not a member or regular here–I get to see how first-timers read that material and feel something of the same thing they feel. I become the ultimate mystery shopper for churches. That is not to say that I pass along all my (ahem) insights and conclusions to pastors. Truth be told, most leaders do not welcome judgments from visitors on what they are doing and how they can do it better. So, unless asked, I keep it to myself. And put it in my blog.[1]

Brat: I learned the same lesson (the hard way.)

Michelle Holderman (26 Apr 22): It [the compassion of Jesus] can look like healing; spontaneous, a process, or however He chooses.

Adam Eliyahu Berkowitz (27 Oct 21): “Right now we are just seeing wake-up calls, reminders that Moshiach is on the way,” Rabbi Levy said. “God works in stages. He could have created the world in one moment but he chose to do it in six days. The sunrise and sunset are gradual, coming in stages. The Messiah will work in the same way. There will be hints, small occurrences that will reappear in the final days.”

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[1] Joe McKeever (26 April 2016): 10 Signs That Say “You are Not Welcome in This Church” (crosswalk.com)

TRUTH BOMBS

Eric Skeldon (24 Apr 22): Right now there are GIANTS ruling the territory.

     Google. Microsoft. Disney. Netflix.

Alane Haynes (04 Mar 22): I then went into a vision. I saw soldiers arrayed for battle as far as I could see. The next scene was darkness. I heard the whistling of bombs falling and saw them shattering the darkness with explosions of light.  I heard, “The soldiers are my living epistles, voices of Truth in the earth. They have stood on My word and allowed it full reign in their lives. As they preach the fullness of Truth, angel armies will be dispatched. They will take the words proclaimed and release them as bombs into the enemy camps.”

Kathi Pelton (24 Apr 22): It is interesting to note that last month a new song was released which many in the Body of Christ are compelled to play on repeat. It is by Elevation Worship and the song is called “Lion.” It is about the roar of God and His people, and there is a powerful anointing upon it to prepare the way of the Lord. It opens ways and releases captives.

Elevation Worship (March 2022): “Lion” [https://youtu.be/2go_dOJVwc4]

Anne Ballard (11 Nov 21): The joy of the Lord is my strength (see Nehemiah 8:10).

Marilyn Pagan-Banks (24 Apr 22): This joy is not some temporary bliss. It is not performative. It is not an emotion that someone else or something else can “make us” feel (i.e. “happy”).

Rabbi Tzvi Freeman (24 Feb 22): Happiness is not just contagious. It’s explosive.

Daniel Pontious (12 Apr 22): While many people have experienced natural Joy in this World, there’s a big difference between natural Joy and Supernatural Joy.

Rev. Phil Hooper (21 Nov 21): Because the truth is that Jesus’ power, Jesus’ kingdom, is still not the type we expect it to be. And he comes into our midst, still, not to rule like other kings. Not to control. Not to gather power and wealth at the expense of others, and not to tell us to do so in his name. Jesus comes to testify to a truth that is deeper and more powerful than kingship, even if it is less obvious. A truth that God has been trying to convey from the very beginning, although we continue to ignore it, time and again. 

Ryan LeStrange (09 Apr 22): What untapped potential do I have that needs more work?

Alane Haynes (04 Mar 22): I woke up and sought the Lord immediately and began to hear, “Truth bombs are falling, and the false will be blown away. There are special forces – Word Warriors – rising. Prophets with an unction from the Holy Spirit, emboldened for the hour at hand, will be proclaiming Truth across this land. No longer will confusion and error rule this nation; Truth bombs will bring forth a Holy oblation.”

Ben Peters (22 Sept 21): “…For out of Zion shall go forth the law…” (It’s the APOSTLES who administrate the law or the government of the Kingdom. Apostles will realize more of their responsibilities and authority to empower the other gifts/ministries.)

Brat: I have not seen that truth manifested yet.

Wade E. Taylor (reposted 03 Oct 21): So also today, if we are to hear and accept the present word of the Lord, we must have an “ear” to hear and a “new wineskin” to receive as we move from “grace” to “government.” The Kingdom message, in its function, is intended to lift the earthly aspect of our present vocation into a higher realm and purpose, until His Kingdom and righteousness fill the earth.

Rick Joyner (09 Nov 21): That is not to imply everything I write is His word on the matter. I am not writing Scripture. However, like the Apostle Paul who wrote, “according to my judgment,” and “I think I also have the Spirit of God” in this matter (see I Corinthians 7:40), I write mostly that way. Paul may have been a chief apostle, but he was not overbearing in his leadership. He was gentle and open to being entreated. We see the Lord Himself being this way. Even under the Old Covenant, He tried to entreat Israel many times.  

Brat: Yah, so have I.

LISTENING

Helen Calder (18 Mar 22): There is power in recalling the Lord’s personal promises to you and your family.
For these living words will be active and powerful as you speak them.
And what happens next, will be a testimony that touches many.

Marilyn Pagán-Banks (05 Apr 22): And when asked, “What shall we do?” Peter invited them into the community of faith. Because just as death could not keep its hold on Jesus, Peter had learned that it is impossible to hold onto and withhold God’s grace.

Nate Johnston (20 Oct 21): The assignment sent to keep you in limbo, in indecisiveness, apathy, hopelessness, and DISCONNECT is breaking in Jesus name! 

Craig Cooney (03 Apr 22): It will be difficult, but there is coming a point where you will have to choose to make a complete disconnection from the past associations, allegiances, alignments, and alliances.

John Edgerton (08 Mar 22): God will listen when we are angry. When we scream in God’s face in pain and grief, God is wise enough and good enough not to offer explanations. Because grieving people don’t need answers. We need the comfort of knowing we aren’t alone, that someone is listening.

Brat: Uh-huh

DIGITAL MISSIONARIES

Rabbi Tzvi Freeman [echo]: You need to get your inner animal aflame upon an altar.

Rev. Kellan Day (17 Mar 22): God takes notice of the Israelites’ plight. God sees their misery. God knows their sufferings. God is a witness to their oppression. God becomes a burning bush so that this message, this word of hope is conveyed.

Joel Yount (04 Apr 22): I believe God has a wild card up his sleeve. He wants to use some of the most unlikely people to surprise us!

Brad Pauquette (22 Mar 22): That’s exactly what we’re doing, you and me together. That’s why this is important. That’s why your prayers matter. Your prayers have already sent more than 200 digital missionaries from around the world through our training programs. They’re out there now, working in the background, building networks, bringing the truth to light.

Marilyn Pagán-Banks (05 Apr 22): Peter did not allow his journey to diminish his conviction. His past trauma did not take away from his testimony. Peter did not shrink in the presence of the “devout” (Acts 2:5, NRSV). He stood on what he knew, controlling the narrative.

Lance Wallnau (21 Feb 22): The world tries super glue, the devil suggests a trash can, but God alone has a way of fixing things so that something greater comes forth. God’s healing power is mirrored in the beautiful art form called “kintsugi,” where broken vessels are repaired with gold in a way that goes beyond repair—and a more beautiful piece is formed. The word “kintsugi” literally means “golden joinery,” and is a perfect picture of what the Spirit of God does when He touches the very area in which the devil seeks to break us. In this ancient Japanese art of repair, the artist does not try to hide the history. Rather, the history is highlighted with veins of gold, or perhaps silver, thus adding a new dimension to the vessel’s value and beauty.

PROCURED THE DONKEY

Shrek’s Donkey (DreamWorks Animation): “Before this is over, I’m gonna need a whole lot of serious therapy. Look at my eye twitchin’.”

Lance Wallnau (21 Feb 22): Have you ever had this experience? A fragile, cherished vessel slips from your hand, crashing to the surface below. You likely have observed your own heart in a similar way after a deep disappointment, loss or betrayal. How can you repair something that’s now scattered about in a million pieces?[1]

Quinn Caldwell (10 Apr 22): Or was it planned? Maybe it was all set up ahead of time: the by-standing operatives, having procured the donkey, wait for the disciples and then give the password “Jesus,” and the two disciples give the countersign. Maybe it’s a story about how effective action requires effective organizations, careful planning, and many many people beside the one who seems to be responsible. Maybe it’s a story about how, for every named player in a movement, there are scores of nameless ones, performing small essential tasks faithfully.

Rev. Whitney Rice (04 March 2014): I wonder if any of us feel like that sometimes.

Rabbi Tzvi Freeman (13 Feb 22): But no. It may be a worse sin to commit entirely to a false god, but there is far more hope for such a person than for one who tries to walk on both sides of the fence.

Brad Pauquette (06 Apr 22): If that doesn’t describe American discourse right now, I don’t know what does. Our values system is absolutely upside down in America right now.

Kaji Douša (15 Feb 22): That sounds so far-fetched. But the truth is that this system cannot and will not hold. Greed for a tiny number of people while the rest of us are left to die will only work so long as we let it.

Brad Pauquette (06 Apr 22): I was reading Isaiah 5 the other day, and it stood out to me again there. I encourage you to read the full chapter, but God calls out three things the Israelites are doing that are offensive to Him. The first two are greed and self-reliance.

Rabbi Tzvi Freeman (10 Apr 22): Only then will we fathom to what extent our own egos have blinded us. How we were fooled and robbed of the pleasure of true life.

Fr. Richard Rohr (10 Apr 22): Trust the down, and God will take care of the up. This leaves humanity in solidarity with the life cycle, but also with one another, with no need to create success stories for ourselves or to create failure stories for others. Humanity in Jesus is free to be human and soulful instead of any false climbing into “Spirit.” This was supposed to change everything, and I trust it still will.

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[1] Lance Wallnau (21 Feb 22): https://lancewallnau.com/youll-be-stronger-than-ever

JUSTICE AND CHARITY

Brat: I’m being blocked from every angle!  Is there nowhere to share our collective story with the Church?

Jo Ellen Stevens (20 Mar 22): “I am removing the smoke screen! Justice is Coming”

Brad Pauquette (06 Apr 22): There’s a direct relationship between the stories a culture tells, that culture’s understanding of God’s moral law, and how God moves.

Pope Francis (02 Sept 2020): In the midst of crises, a solidarity guided by faith enables us to translate the love of God in our globalized culture, not by building towers or walls — and how many walls are being built today! — that divide, but then collapse, but by interweaving communities and sustaining processes of growth that are truly human and solid. And to do this, solidarity helps. . . . 

Vicki Kemper (06 Apr 22): It has become something of a hallmark of progressive Christianity to waffle on what we think and believe about Jesus. Social justice? Absolutely! Black Lives Matter? Take me to the next protest. Charity? I’ll see your soup kitchen and raise you a shelter.

Fr. Richard Rohr (31 Oct 21): Justice and charity are complementary but clearly inseparable in teachings of Doctors of the Church, as well as the social encyclical letters of almost all popes over the last century. The giving and caring spirit of charity both motivates and completes our sense of justice, but the virtue of charity cannot legitimately substitute for justice. Persons capable of doing justice are not justified in preferring to “do charity.” Although this has clearly been taught on paper, I would say it is the great missing link in the practical preaching and lifestyle of the church. We have ignored the foundational obligation of justice in our works of charity! For centuries we have been content to patch up holes temporarily (making ourselves feel benevolent) while in fact maintaining the institutional structures that created the holes (disempowering people on the margins). Now it has caught up with us in unremitting poverty, massive income disparity, cultural alienation, and human and environmental abuse.[1]

Brat: Words out of your own mouth!  You said it.  It’s on record.  And my life became a testimony of that truth (and how God was with me anyway!)  Talk about CHOICES!  And the Church made hers.

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[1] Adapted from Richard Rohr and Others, Grace in Action, ed. Teddy Carney and Christina Spahn (Crossroad: 1994), 3–5.

SUPPORT?

Revelation 14:¹⁷ Another angel came out of the temple in heaven, and he too had a sharp sickle. 

Deborah Perkins (14 Jan 22): At the close of the vision, I was visited by an angel who provided me with something specific and personal to my own call to ignite revival. I saw that besides the oil and the scrolls, there would be additional provisions released to each believer which were unique to their individual callings and responsibilities in the Kingdom at this time.

Ryan LeStrange (09 Apr 22): Definition: you must have a clear picture of who you are, what your dominant gifts are, and what it is that God has tasked you to lead and build. This is true in your family, in ministry, and in the workplace.

Brat (echo from above): My assignment is to chronicle our collective story with the Seven Churches in a way that shows how we have fulfilled the prophecies. 

The Center for Action and Contemplation (22 Mar 22): How can we support your spiritual journey?

Brat: Forge a friendship with me first.

Brad Pauquette (29 Mar 22): At some point we have to support those gifts, or it’s just empty words. Simply affirming that God is calling someone to be a writer and saying, “That’s wonderful, go write,” is shortsighted and misguided. It’s no more appropriate than telling a 22-year-old with a pastoral calling, “Great, go pastor,” without any support or training. We’re setting them up for frustration, discouragement, and big mistakes.

Lance Wallnau (03 Dec 21): Jesus taught that a tree may have a delayed fruition, but, if it persists in its unfruitful state, it will be uprooted. What if God does that with areas of our life? He “dungs around the tree” so to speak, but after a while, if things don’t yield to the Master, He uproots it. This cycle is manifest in David’s unfinished business being taken care of by Solomon.

Brat: Are you saying that Jesus uprooted my entire calling?

John W. Ritenbaugh (09 Apr 22): At its worst, saying that the law—or any portion of the Bible—is “done away” could be spiritually suicidal. At the very least, it will hinder growth because a person will not be thoroughly furnished to all good works. It is similar in principle to a student attending school who ignores certain selected sections of the textbook on the basis of his own perception of what he needs.

Lance Wallnau (03 Dec 21): So how can you apply this principle in your own life? Be wise. Remove the legal groundwork. Respond with the opposite Spirit (the Holy Spirit). Repent of 100% of your faults. Bless and do good.

Wade E. Taylor (reposted 17 Apr 22): Judicially, through that which Jesus accomplished on the Cross, we are seen by the Lord as being perfect and mature, as though we had never sinned. But, experientially, we are seen as being a baby who needs to grow and develop: “…be clothed, that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed…” (Revelation 3:18).

Rev. Dr. Barbara A. Holmes (2021): What, if anything, did you feel called to do as an ally? Did you do it? If you did something in response to the crisis, what did you do and what happened as a result? . . . 

Quinn Caldwell (10 Apr 22): Operatives, standing by

Brat: I stood by the Jews, because salvation is from them. (John 4:22)

Rick Joyner (22 Mar 22): Our decisions are a major determining factor in our lives, so having the ability to choose well is crucial. Just as the Lord made the consequences of eating of the forbidden tree clear to Adam, we also must choose between believing and obeying God and His word or not. When Adam chose the devil’s suggestion to doubt the Lord’s word, it led to a bad choice with bad consequences. It also opened the door for continual bad choices.

Frederick W. Schmidt (21 Mar 22): So, we resort to the assumption that God is behind it all.  It relieves us of the task of examining our own lives and behavior.  It spares us the need to show compassion to those who labor under their misfortune, and it buys us the emotional distance that allows us to get back to our own lives.[1]

Wanda Alger (23 Mar 22): God hardened Pharoah’s heart so that He could SHOW HIM the true scope of His power and establish a lasting legacy.

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[1] Frederick W. Schmidt (21 Mar 22): Stump the Messiah & the Problem of Suffering | Frederick Schmidt (patheos.com)

LEADERSHIP

Pastor Greg Laurie (18 Feb 22): It’s actually a dangerous thing to hear the Word of God and not apply it in your life. The golden key of spiritual growth is hearing, receiving, and obeying the Word of God.

Rachel Hackenberg (18 Feb 22): To my friend’s point: Why?

Rev. Phiwa Langeni (09 Apr 22): Memory omission

Paul Cain (29 July 2020): Prayer and intercession is our most important work of the Church. The next move of God will not be characterized by people falling on their backs and laughing, although that can be good. The next move of God will be known for people falling on their faces and weeping, weeping, weeping – all the while God is being magnified as the Church beholds His majesty, beholds His glory and becomes His glory.

Nate Johnston (06 Apr 22): “You will realize that the very place you could have given up but persisted was the place where God honored his promise to you and changed your name and storyline going forward”

Ryan LeStrange (09 Apr 22): I believe in you! I believe in your call and assignment. I want you to do some evaluation and then pray over these things. God knows your unique assignment and struggle. He wants you to have the spirit of faith like Paul and be immovable. It is possible.

Rev. Phiwa Langeni (09 Apr 22): Am I the only one who’s afflicted with Memory Omission? Don’t consult Dr. Internet because I just made up the term. Nonetheless, I’m quite familiar with it as I regularly (un)intentionally forget things that are otherwise easily remembered. This is especially true when there’s a looming undesirable ahead that’s persistently awaiting my attention.

Rev. Dr. Barbara A. Holmes (2021): What is the crisis of your day that requires a communal response?[1] 

Rabbi Tzvi Freeman (07 Jan 22): Escaping the bondage of ‘I’

Matt Laney (02 Jan 22): This distinction is also important for Christians

Ezekiel 34:² “Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel; prophesy and say to them: ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Woe to you shepherds of Israel who only take care of yourselves! Should not shepherds take care of the flock?

Rabbi Tzvi Freeman (10 Apr 22): One day, we will see the world not with our egos but with our souls.

John W. Ritenbaugh (31 Dec 21): The Bible uses the term “shepherd” in Ezekiel 34 to designate anyone responsible for giving guidance to a community. In today’s language, in a national sense “shepherds” includes the president or prime minister or royalty, for that matter. It also includes representatives in the legislature and court justices all the way down to the local level. In addition, besides governmental functions, in principal it also includes leaders of corporations and in education, most especially in universities that exist to train the next generation of community leaders. We must not forget the leadership provided by entertainers and media figures. In other words, “shepherd” broadly includes anybody who should be providing righteous leadership over others.

Rabbi Tzvi Freeman (10 Apr 22): Not a world as it serves us, as it threatens us, as it gives to us, as it takes from us, as it offers pleasure, as it inflicts pain, as we like it, as we don’t like it…

Rev. Dr. Barbara A. Holmes (2021): Your ancestors survived many crises. What were the crises of their days that required a communal response? 

Paul Cain (29 July 2020): Until a situation really seems hopeless we won’t cry. We won’t employ tears unless it’s really desperate. Don’t you think it’s about time we try tears? We may have had a little too much of the opposite in the Church. Let’s try tears…

Rev. Phiwa Langeni (09 Apr 22): If the disciples were anything like me in this regard, their Memory Omission would’ve actively begun scrubbing away as Jesus listed the upcoming violence leading up to his death. The erasure would have been both subtle and too loud to hear the promise in that last sentence: that he would rise again after the longest three days of their lives.

Ryan LeStrange (09 Apr 22): Paul led from a resolute place! In spite of obstacles and pitfalls, he was unwavering. I believe this is a secret to great leadership! When you become steadfast and consistent you are unstoppable. Sadly, many called people aren’t hitting the target because they are inconsistent. I believe we can and MUST DO BETTER. 

Brat: Excuse me?  I write every single day!

Daniel Pontious (19 Apr 22): While I was watching Him weaving this thing, I began to see the names upon some of the bands or ribbons: apostle, Prophet, evangelist, pastor, teacher…. it was the list of the offices within the Body that were corresponding to the leadership.

Fr. Richard Rohr (07 Apr 22): Coming through crises stronger

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[1] The Rev. Dr. Barbara A. Holmes, Crisis Contemplation: Healing the Wounded Village (Albuquerque, NM: CAC Publishing, 2021), 19, 37.