When you are walking through the darkest of days, I am there. Listen for My voice, and expect me to communicate to you in ways you have yet to realize. I have not left you and continue to speak of my Love for you. There are times and there are seasons. But in each season, I demonstrate my glory through each of my people in different and unique ways. You just have to need to know what I desire for you. Some may be reaping abundance in this season while others may be experiencing lessons from my wilderness training. Some will be sowing tears, some will be sowing love, but remember that there will be a harvest in your life. There will be reaping just ahead for you. Be mindful of the sowing, and not too concerned with the reaping that will surely come.

I am not ashamed to be a Christian. But today, because of recent scandals in the church, some people are more likely to trust a bartender than a preacher. They are questioning the established church because they see its failures. So when I am asked if I am a Christian, I feel the need to clarify that I am a “follower of Jesus Christ.” I am tired of religious labels. Our identity must be in the person of Jesus and not in a label—whether it is one others have given us or one we have given ourselves. Denominations and church groups are fine, unless people start seeing those organizations instead of Christ.

Don’t Wait for Church, you are the Church! I still hear comments such as “We have invited them to church several times, but they will not come”, or “If we can just get them to church, then the Lord will touch them and they will get saved.” Unfortunately, these comments come from mature believers that know and love Jesus. In my experience, 90% of believers have been taught, or have been led to believe that this is the way. The gathering of the saints should be the gathering of the saints, and yes, we should welcome unbelievers to our gatherings, but better yet, lead them to Jesus first, then bring them to the gathering for equipping. You are the Temple Part of the problem is that we do not understand who we are in Him. When we realize that we are the house of God, then God is everywhere we are. He is just as powerful in me, whether I am on a mountain top, by the sea, in a Mosque, or in an organized church meeting.

We have been meeting with some key leaders from around the country the past few months discussing the Kingdom of God as it relates to the Body of Christ. The consensus is that we are often missing a key ingredient in our ministries today. This key ingredient is the agape love of God. Love seems to be absent from how we engage with people in everyday life. We talk about love and yet it is often far from anything that resembles love. We talk about loving God and loving others, but in what way is this love being expressed? When we are gathered in our churches, is love the main topic? Jesus said that everything we have from the Word and the prophets can be summed up in two things; love God with all that you are and love others beyond self.

Every Year I share my evolving "What If" list. There are many what ifs in many situations in life. What ifs can be good, especially looking at the way things are and also “what if” we changed them, or adjusted them for the better. We only know in part, so it is always good to check what we think we know often. Please remember that these are only what ifs, purposed to shake up paradigms, while firming up possible Kingdom foundations. Many of the "What Ifs are happening all around us, but what if they were not just the exception. My prayers are to continually stimulate a possibility thought process towards ways that bring forth His Kingdom in through our lives.

A friend of ours was recently playing golf with is son. His son is grown, has a family, and has experienced success and failure along the path of life. On one of the fairways, the son hit a wayward shot that would normally frustrate the average golfer. The father said, "Son, that'll play". The son reflected on the many times his father had encouraged him with this phrase on the golf course, but how many more times this expression had encouraged him as a principle for life. His Dad had always been there to remind him that no matter how many times he blew it - it was okay. He knew his dad was proud of him, had felt his continual love and encouragement to entrust the Lord's grace would abound in every situation.

Some people preach their faith and some people really live their faith. My dad, whom I have always called “Papa”, lives His faith with very little preaching. My parents were raised in southern Italy. Catholicism was not only a religion, it was part of their culture. I am so thankful that both of my parents grew up knowing Jesus, and was able to present Jesus to their 7 children. My Papa has always reminded us that above all else, there was nothing greater than loving our God and having great faith in Him as the main pursuit of our lives.

You want to lead your family, become a servant to your spouse and come under the mission the Lord has for them. Submission cannot be extracted, required or manipulated from another. Submission comes from within the heart of those willing to give of their lives to another. This is the Lord’s way and we must be obedient to His word if we are to engage in loving, honoring, and empowering relationships. Many of us men have learned much from women in our lives. Throughout the Word of God women have been used to bring “Good News” to men. Women were empowered at Pentecost along with men so that they could go forth and disciple all nations, both men and women alike. It is evident that Timothy was greatly influenced and taught by his mother and grandmother the ways of the Lord.

Real freedom comes when God sets our heart free. Free from the bondages of comfort, disappointment, and fear. The psalmist says, “You’ve set my heart free.” What’s the evidence? “I run in the path of your commands.” When we are truly liberated by the grace of God and the power of God, it’s not to please ourselves, it’s not to do our own thing, but it’s to be able to obey God in every way, freely and joyfully. When we run the path of His commands, there is little room to be lavished in comfort, there is little time for discouragement, and fear is removed because faith and purpose have taken over. Let’s advance His Kingdom regardless of what comes our way. When good things come, praise God, when devastation comes praise God.

What if we loved as He loved? What if we spoke as He spoke? What if we did what He did? What if we really believed we could lay hands on the sick and watch them recover? What if my opinions were okay, because they were my opinions and people would love me even if my opinions were different from theirs? What if we all could appreciate the different cultures and expressions in God’s Kingdom, regardless if we understood them, or fancied them. What if people understood the commanded to love, and would love by choice rather than out of having to feel "the love"? What if even a few of these "what ifs" became realities in people's lives, enabling them go out and make a bigger kingdom difference?