FIRE For Life Summer School 2007 re-cap

The following is more or less an expanded version of the newsletter I wrote about the summer school and will be sending out in the next week. Believe me, the pictures below can say a lot, but it would be best if you had time to listen to the teachings I’ve selected for the FIRE Nederland podcast, and catch the vision.

Other than the “Fire on Your Head” show Dan and I record regularly for it, we post selected teachings from summer schools and various other things pertinent to the vision here, so that you can be a part of it even if you’re not in the Netherlands. In fact, I’m working on this entry while I’m editing the teachings for mp3 format to be mailed to those of you who may be reading this who attended it this year and who’ve purchased the teachings. While converting the edited teachings ( meaning the worship at the beginning and altar time at the end is cut out), I turn back to this document to write additional paragraphs.

Needless to say, if you looked at the pictures below or are reading this from being directed here through Facebook, then you can see the Fire for Life Summer School 2007 was very fruitful, and we saw the Lord move in powerful ways. Every year that I try describing it in a newsletter or a blog entry I feel like I’m trying to make an atomic bomb go off inside a Campbell’s soup can, but I will try giving an adequate sum-up, but time and space compels me to leave out MANY things I’d love to share here.

There were many people who came for the full two weeks, and many more visitors for the evening sessions, and probably on average we had about 40-50 people in attendance each day. People got touched by God, as well as stretched and challenged in their relationship with Him. But specifically, we sense the momentum that THIS is the time to see the Netherlands changed, and each speaker deposited something into us to help see that come about and how to mobilize ourselves for it, preparing for the national day of prayer in The Hague for Aug 8th, 2008. In the past the FIRE summer schools were for teaching and grounding people in the Word of God and stirring up a holy fire in them. This year definitely had a unique focus geared towards taking that fire and changing the nations – in this case specifically the Netherlands, of course.

Jerome Ocampo, founder of Jesus Revolution Now! movement in the Philippines spoke primarily about the joining of the generations, and about ours being able to see this nation changed if we mobilize and recognize the timing and season we are in to do so. Tommi Femrite, president of Gatekeepers International, laid a solid Scriptural foundation during the first week to pave the way for our understanding of how to pray and intercede for others and for nations, and to receive inner healing and deliverance in our personal lives. I was personally stretched (in a good way!) and ultimately felt a relief as her teachings ministered to me personally.

Dr. Josh Peters, director of my American missions organization FIRE International also was ministered to us about godly character and leadership the first week. Being one of the mentoring figures in my life, it was great to spend time with him and his wife over lunch one day talking about life and being spanked verbally for not knowing more of this country’s language than I do. Ik betuig mijn zonden.

On the second Sunday morning, I taught on faith and healing. I had a lot of fun, and people were shocked that I could “go from stand-up comedian to anointed preacher” (exact quote from someone), and ultimately it’s a subject I’m passionate about—no surprise to those of you who already frequent this blog, I’m sure. I could say more, but if you’d like to hear how it went, you can hear it and several of the teachings, including one from each guest speaker on the FIRE Nederland podcast, available on iTunes (or go here http://firenederland.podbean.comto hear them streamed online). My personal faith teaching is embedded at the bottom of this entry. I strongly encourage you to check out the teachings for yourself to get a taste of what God is doing in our midst and in the nations, specifically to be challenged in your own life about bringing about radical change to those around you and the nation you find yourself in. Download this episode (right click and save)

The Abortion Outreach, Silent Prayer and Intercession Marches

We also organized a silent prayer and intercession march in front of an abortion clinic in Rotterdam the first Thursday afternoon, and then one in nearby Utrect the second week. We didn’t attack anyone or shout at them or try to kill any doctors or block the entrance to the buildings or anything like that—although one person attacked us in Rotterdam!

One of the families present had some toys put to the side away from where we were standing and praying, and their children were drawing on the ground with sidewalk chalk. An angry man came out of the building and started getting irate that the toys were supposedly “in his way” from going to his mailbox (they clearly were not). From what I understand, nobody moved them like he wanted so he did himself—and placed them all in the rain outside of the shelter under which we all were singing and praising God under at this point.

After this, the man began to walk towards the most obvious street intersection, but as he was halfway between there and where we were, he turned around and came back, and picked up the box of chalk a 3 year old girl in our group was using, and threw them all over the street and got in the face of her parents. The rest of us politely ignored him as another man came out from somewhere and told us to show respect (apparently throwing little children’s toys around and grabbing things from them is perfectly acceptable behavior). Someone told me later, that this particular man was one of the doctors from the clinic who performed the abortions. This would make total sense since he had absolutely no respect for the young children present, and even acted in such anger and hatred towards them it seemed.

So anyway, almost all of us wore tape over our mouths with the word life written over it, symbolically indicating we stand with the aborted babies who never had a say in their own death. To my shock, we received little to no opposition the second week, and almost everyone walking or biking by would take our handouts—almost grabbing them from us without waiting for us to offer them.

In other “people angry with us” stories, the very next day we had the men and women split into different groups, with the women meeting in our dining area. Apparently a woman came into the building and with force joined the group, and aggressively trying to stick some kind of pro-choice pamphlet in peoples’ faces–literally. When one of the leaders there tried asking her to leave, this woman tried getting violent with several of the girls, including said leader. I’m not sure of the exact details, as I’ve heard this second hand from a few different people who were present, but I recall hearing a commotion in their room at the time, but this is the jist of what had happened, from what I understand.

Isn’t it odd that a group of pro-choice lesbians would go out of their way to find us in the middle of nowhere and try to start a fight? But we bless those who curse us, and kept our cool with her and the abortion doctor the day before, realizing that if we’re going to be a bold witness for change in society, we will attract reaction, including such forceful opposition. But it shows just what we’re stirring up in the spiritual realm, as we don’t hate the people for being passionate for the killing of innocent babies—we realize they’re deceived, but God can break through and heal any heart. Testimonies about this are recorded in the right hand embedded player and on our podcast if you want to hear first hand from a few people who were there just what God did.

Dr. Michael Brown came for Thursday and Friday of the second week and really rocked our worlds and challenged us in one of his messages with 8 things The Church could learn about changing society by looking at how the homosexual movement did it. Very soon I will make that mp3 available on our podcast as well as one more by Tommi Femrite on healing the land. As well, Dr. Brown’s visit was timed to allow for a meeting with many leaders and pastors in the Netherlands to share the vision about the national day of prayer next year. Friday night of each week also ended with prayer tunnels, in typical FIRE fashion.

Other than this VERY BRIEF update/recap on the summer school, I could use prayer about my living situation; that the Lord would pave the way for a cheap place to live in November when our lease is up. If Joel and I have to move, it would take a miracle to find something as cheap as where we’ve lived all year, and may require an increase in my support level. Please pray for this or that the Timon Group who owns our apartment would give us favor and allow us to stay another year—that would be great, but doesn’t seem likely. We will find out in about 15 days what their decision is, SO PLEASE PRAY. Staying where we are is what we’re praying about, but God holds it all in His control.

Well, that is all for this entry.
Be blessed.

Episode 9 of Fire On Your Head: “How To Change The World In One Day”

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Summerschool Pics (in random order)

On earth as it is in heaven….

Well it’s Friday night before the first day of this year’s summer school and this will probably be the final blog entry I’m able to pen—err, type before a little hiatus while I’ve got limited internet access. I’m writing this at the Firehouse after a lengthy time of praying and making full use of my iPod before arriving here. In fact God’s spoken to me or made spiritual concepts come alive to me lately through my MacBook and iPod.

I’ve been using my Apple MacBook for a few months now, and I’m still getting used to the differences between Apple and Microsoft. No, I’m not just going on about my MacBook, I AM making a point and heading to a spiritual application with this! There’s vast differences, and as a Dutch computer engineer at the HRO told me recently, the “architecture” of an Apple computer is totally different than that on Microsoft. When you’ve had many laptops like me (I think the count was 4 in 6 years), and all of them have had Windows operating system on them, and then buying a MacBook and using Apple’s OS Tiger system, you find is like entering a whole other world and re-learning how to use a laptop computer. You have to forget some things you’re used to, and frankly, learn how to use a better computer. How many Appler users can I get an amen from on that one?

How many believers are like this analogy?

When we first get saved, we aren’t changed overnight. We go from darkness to light, positionally, yes. But thought and behavior patterns that have been years in the making and long-established, aren’t just changed the instant we pray a sinner’s prayer and dedicate our lives to Jesus. We grow. Things are gradual—the seed is planted and with proper care, watering, nurturing, and cutting out of your life the old destructive habits, you gradually grow strong and sink your spiritual roots deep into God.

Have you ever noticed that?

I’ve known people who’ve been so radically affected by previous pre-conversion lifestyle choices, that years after they’ve gotten saved, they’re still affected by the thoughts, and making decisions through the eyeglasses or filters of their past. How many Mac users out there have tried figuring out how to do something on your Mac the same way you used to on your old Windows machine? The way files are stored is totally different. The way things are organized takes some getting used to. In Christ, you are a NEW creation, the old has passed and all things have become new (2 Cor 5:17). Get used to it.

If you’ve been radically saved from a lifestyle of all manner of rank sin, and gotten saved, it took some “getting used to” and a HECK of a lot of mind renewing (Romans 12:1-2). But I’m sure if someone’s first computer was a Mac, and it was all they knew and were experienced with, and then someone put a Windows computer in front of them, they’d have a hard time understanding how come things work (or don’t work) the way they do.

“Why do I get error messages all the time?”

“Why does this thing keep crashing.”

“How come this thing works so slow?”

“What are spyware and viruses?”

Can you imagine, in a spiritual sense, if you were an angel or some kind of human being who had lived in heaven for about a thousand years, and then came to earth and operated in the realm of human flesh?

“What’s a sickness or a disease?”

“Why do I suddenly after about 15 hours need to close my eyes and lay down—sleep? What’s that?”

And while I’m at it, we’re told to pray for God’s will to be done on earth AS it is in heaven (Matthew 6:9-14). What does that look like exactly?

I recently got an iPod, and you plug the thing into your computer—in my case, a Macbook, just in case that part was lost on you so far—and you download files onto it, primarily people use it for music, and download songs in a program called iTunes. The transfer takes place directly from the computer, and onto the iPod device. If you decide to delete something from your iTunes, then the next time you synchronize your iPod with your iTunes, it will erase the song from your iPod as well. If you add new things to a play list, then as you synchronize your iPod, it will add those files to itself as well.

How many of you are continuously synchronizing yourself with the heavenly realm?

I was walking around a corner on the Nieuwe Binneweg recently (a major busy street in Rotterdam the Firehouse is near) and listening to my new iPod when it hit me like a ton of bricks—curiosity as to how much ministry goes on in the name of the Father, but is not in any way originated or birthed in Him.

All of us reading this can appreciate this thought—how many of us can honestly say we’ve NEVER ever–since the day we got saved–messed up and done something thinking it was God’s will but had no basis in Him whatsoever until we found out after the fact or through trial and error? How many people are building their own ministries, in the name of God in name only, but not with His Spirit? We’ve all done it—gone about our own business for a while, asking God to bless something we thought was a good idea or that we figured there’s no way He would not be against, and then simply spent 5 minutes asking Him to put His blessing on it after we’ve already gone about our own plans—but never finding out if it was His will in the first place. How much “ministry” going on in the Church today is a big waste of time? I am sad to say, probably lots from what I’ve seen and experienced. Much damage has been done in countless lives and ministries from such an attitude as I described.

Are you in sync with Jesus?

If one goes a long time with their iPod, and doesn’t syncronize it with their computer, it takes longer to accomplish when you finally do it. But when you are doing it daily, or often and perpetually, then it just takes a moment. When you pray, is it once in a while, and only talking AT God and bringing your requests to Him? Or do you ever sit and listen, and let Him download of His Spirit into yours?

Just pray a lot in the Spirit and read your Bible lots, and you’ll experience something from other “Christians” for yourself—when you are constantly synchronizing yourself with the heavenly source, then people who aren’t doing so for themselves start thinking you’re weird. The ones who only do a little bit of it once a week—attend a sermon or two here and there, but otherwise have no functional relational experience with the Father, Son or Spirit for themselves start thinking YOU are the one out of sync, because you start differentiating yourself from the status quo. You slowly, but surely, will no longer fit into the system or the consensus. You know who I’m talking about: pew warmers will start telling you to chill out, and tell you to just join the majority who do no such synchronizing, and go with the flow.

If you leave your iPod unplugged from your source for two long, all the while making constant changes or deletions to your music library, eventually the two are out of whack with each other. When we are out of whack with the Father, HE is not the one who changes, capiche? Get yourself plugged in.

“We’re all fine the way we are.” The majority say to you.

“God only speaks to prophets—who are you to think you hear from God?”

People who voluntarily stay out of proper sync with the Father usually find it insulting if you tell them what you are accessing. When they miss out on the awesome realities they could encounter for themselves if only they wanted to, they will slander and willfully misunderstand you because you contradict their old out-dated downloads.

I don’t know exactly how that ties into Macbooks or iPods, but they made a reality clear to me this week.

I hope you all are blessed and I’ll see some of you at the summer school.