It happened again.  Another person drawn in.  

A fairly new friend of mine was doing nothing but minding his own business.  Well, actually he was consumed with his own business.  Venting to God about said business.  This idea of even talking to God as if he were really there is a new thing for my friend.  But he was trying it out, and found out that it works.  God responds.    

After a few times of doing this kind of prayer-therapy with God, venting his frustration and asking hard questions and directions regarding his own life, he called another friend of mine and had a very interesting question.  Choking back tears, he whispered into his cell, “What the %@#&* is happening to me?  I’m trying to pray but I keep saying words I don’t understand.”

This gets me thinking.  How many people experience glossolalia (speaking in tongues) for the first time and have no idea that it is the Holy Spirit?  

I had a friend in college who was en route to become a Catholic Priest, and when we got together one day and prayed, he was obviously moved on and began speaking in tongues.  

I asked, “When were you first filled with the Holy Spirit?”

He said, “Is that what that gibberish funny-talk is?”  

For me, I don’t think the Spirit is simply tongues, but I do think God has has poured his Spirit into people around the world and they have received supernatural power, a counselor, the Spirit of truth, a comforter and more … and they have no idea.

What stories can you tell of people who wondered what the %@#&* was happening to them, when it was just God at work … in them?

 
At The Journey, we’re making some decisions that clarify our goals as a church.  
These are not goals, as in a destination … but goals as in the direction of our journey … they are declaration of intentions … borrowed from Graham Cooke.
Decisions that define us

We’ve decided that teaching the Gospel without demonstrating the gospel [...]

Fishing poles shouldn’t be allowed in the living room.  I admit it.  There are places for such things, but there are also times when a living room transforms into a staging area. And that’s what ours was last night.  The first camping/fishing expedition with the Stevens’ boys is about to be under way, and we [...]

For those who live in the Last Frontier, we like it wild.  But as the population of Alaska grows, so does our clash with the wild.  Bears have become an increasing problem in Anchorage, and with recent attacks and encounters, people are wondering what we ought to do.  As we encroach on big, wild life, [...]

It seems that almost all denominations and churches are having to re-establish the essentials of The Faith from the non-essentials of their personal convictions.  Old traditions, customs and “our way of doing things” are being weighed and found wanting.  Christianity Today published a very telling article about the Southern Baptist and other organization’s struggle for [...]

In the mid 80’s, after watching the multi-award winning movie, RAD, I wanted to be rad.  I carefully reasoned within myself about my future … it was silly to want to be the white Michael Jackson or the new Rocky.  I wanted to devote my life to all things BMX and delivering newspapers.
 
I came home [...]

 
Let’s get right to the mother of all church issues.  Traditions.  Which ones are of God?  Which ones can we live without?
By looking at the last 100 years of church history and by listening to the questions being asked today, it seems that one primary issue people are trying to determine is this:  How do [...]

Brilliance doesn’t have to be expensive.  For less than $100,000 the movie Once was made and is now one of my favorites.  With a simple story line and music that is so good it’ll make you cry, you need to check it out if you haven’t.  Oh, and it won an Oscar.
Glen Hansard “Once” Say [...]

On this idea of rules of God without relationship with God, Benyamin Cohen wrote a great book called My Jesus Year.  In it he relays his life as a Jew “trying out” Jesus for a year.  Below is an except that so perfectly fits this passage about the controversy of Jewish traditions in Mark 7:
Judaism is [...]

 
Even though Jesus really wanted the rest, he took time out for the people.  The needy people.  The hurt.  The broken.  The hungry.  No politicians in that crowd.  No priests.  No famous people.  What does this mean for me and you?  Jesus cares for normal joes.  He will meet our needs and teach us truth.
While [...]