What is Your Expectation Level?

I love reading the nineteenth chapter of Acts. Each time that I read it, I see things that somehow or another suddenly appear in this chapter that I've never noticed before. I know what is happening. As I read it over and over again, the Holy Spirit turns the black ink into red ink. I love when this happens.

Recently, I was reading this chapter again and I had trouble reading past verse 6. Let me share the verse with you:

"Paul put his hands on their heads and the Holy Spirit entered them.

From that moment on, they were praising God in tongues

and talking about God's actions." 

Acts 19:6 (The Message Bible)

Here is what the Holy Spirit told me in this verse. When Paul laid his hands upon the Ephesians, he got what he expected. I know that this truth is so, so simple. But evidently, it must be too simple ... simple enough that many have overlooked it.

Consider this. When you lay hands upon the children in your ministry, what do you expect? If the truth be known, many would be shocked if anything happened. The shock would cause them to pass out and their co-workers would have to do mouth-to-mouth resuscitation to revive them. To watch and listen to some leaders and workers pray, you can tell that the expectation level is mighty low.

That wasn't the case with Paul. In fact, just a couple of verses later it states that Paul was speaking boldly. His ministry in Ephesus was marked with boldness and confidence.

Let me challenge you. Lay hands upon the children and pray with authority, expecting God to supernaturally, instantaneously enter into the children and deliver what He has promised. Pray with confidence. Don't be timid. Your reputation isn't on the line. Move your expectation meter up to the highest level and get ready. Testimonies will soon follow!

Extravagant Faith in an Extravagant God

Like you, I'm seeking for direction and the will of God for this upcoming year. While I am thankful for what was accomplished in 2011, I sense a challenge by the Holy Ghost to believe God for bigger things and greater accomplishments. There is much to be done and this much to be done will require extravagant believing and boldness on my part.

As you spend time with God, remember this. God isn't frightened by your boldness and extravagant faith. In fact, we need to remember that God is limited by the opposite ... fear and small mindedness. Our timidity and peanut-sized dreaming will lock us into perimeters dictated by our enemy. I wish that I could shout this from the housetop ... God is pleased when we by faith believe and confess large things! Why? Because He is an extravagant God! I can call Him extravagant because one of His names is El Shaddai (the God who is more than enough).

I don't want the upcoming year to be 365 uneventful days. You can start preparing for the nursing home lifestyle if you’d like, but I choose to have God-sized dreams and extravagant faith for a supernatural, Holy Ghost empowered year. I declare today and will continue to boldly proclaim throughout 2012 that there are mountains that I will climb, a generation that I will impact. I declare that Billy Burns Ministries will declare “TODAY is the day of the Holy Ghost” around the world and see it manifest.

Join me. Become a present day Joshua and Caleb as we look at 2012. Like Caleb I want to say, "Let us go up at once and occupy it; for we are well able to overcome it. (Numbers 13:30, ESV). Without fear of what others think, I want to have such confidence in my God and be able to declare for 2012, "If the Lord delights in us, then He will bring us into this land, and give it to us.” (Numbers14:8). There are greater harvests to reap, huge dreams waiting to become realities. In doing so, those with this uncompromising, different spirit will reap the same promise given in Numbers 14:24 "But my servant Caleb, because he has a different spirit and has followed me fully, I will bring into the land into which he went, and his descendants shall possess it."

Come on ... let's be extravagant together and allow the dreams placed within our hearts by the Holy Ghost become a reality!!!

The Command

While reading through Acts 1 last weekend, I could sense the urgency in Jesus' time with His followers. Look at this ...

And, being assembled together with them, commanded
them that they should not depart from Jerusalem,
but wait for the promise of the Father, which, saith he,
ye have heard of me. For John truly baptized with water;
but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost
not many days hence. Acts 1:4-5

Did you notice that He commanded them to remain in Jerusalem and wait for the promise of the Father? Jesus didn't suggest that if it was convenient or if they might be able to rearrange their schedules to hang around Jerusalem for a few extra days. The urgency shows that this directive wasn't something that He said as a passing statement that might be considered questionable or be easily misunderstood. Why? Because Jesus knew that the furtherance of the Kingdom depended upon His followers being endued with power (verse 8). Jesus knew that no "when the Holy Ghost is come upon you" would equal no "Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth."

The reason for this week's blog entry is quite simple. Have you shared this same urgency with your children? Have you shared the command that your children not leave your "upper room" (a.k.a. your children's church auditorium or Sunday school classroom or midweek Bible club) until they have received the promise of the Father? Perhaps your lack of urgency might be the reason that there is no Jerusalems and Judaeas and ....

Let's follow Jesus' example and, in doing so, we will see children leaving your upper room and begin to turn their worlds upside down. (Acts 17:6)

I See a Mighty Rain Coming!

Do you ever get discouraged about what you see in your services? You know that God has promised to move on and through your children. You've even preached this to your children. And yet, what you see week after week is so disheartening.

I recently read 1 Kings 18 of the account of Elijah on Mount Carmel. Rather than focusing on the battle of Baal versus Jehovah, I looked at the promise found in verse one. Elijah hears the promise from God about a massive rain coming and soon afterward announces (verse 41) the promise to all those around (especially to King Ahab). What happened after his announcement? Elijah saw absolutely nothing with his physical eyes. To add further frustration, after boldly declaring what he had heard from God and could see with his spiritual eyes, Elijah sends his servant SIX times to confirm that a mighty rain was approaching. What were Elijah’s servant's findings? Each time, he announced that he saw absolutely nothing. But, there was a resolve within Elijah. He knew that he had heard from God. Elijah was convinced that what he saw with his spiritual eyes was more concrete and sure than what he could see with his physical eyes. He knew that a heavy rain was on its way. It was on the SEVENTH report that Elijah learned that there was a very small cloud approaching. The report wasn't exactly what he wanted to hear. After all, it was only a small change, not nearly big enough to produce the promised massive rain. But, in verse 45, we learn of the terrific rainstorm.

Here is where you come in. Week after week, you have entered into a service looking forward to seeing God begin to move among the children and yet left discouraged because the same kids were doing the same thing and you saw same results. There is absolutely nothing to get excited about. Can you identify with what I am writing? Like Elijah, you are hearing the same report over and over again. No change is in sight!

Let me remind you of this reality. Change is on its way. Like Elijah, you have a sure promise from God. Continue to boldly and unwaveringly announce what God has promised. What you see with your physical eyes as you minister isn't the final report. Walk into your service convinced that what you have heard from God and see through the eyes of faith will change what you see through your physical eyes. Be encouraged because there is a mighty rain coming!

Oh ... and one more thought. Though any initial change might seem small and insignificant, the size of the outpouring isn't determined by the size of the change. Your cloud may seem small, but get ready, there is a massive flood contained in that small cloud!

A Reason for Having Shifty Eyes!

Let's face it. It is all too easy to get discouraged as you wait to see with your physical eyes what you can easy see in your spirit. For many, the obstacle of blocked vision has caused children's ministry leaders and workers to throw up their hands in frustration and settle for the status quo.

It donned upon me a couple weeks ago while thinking about Zacchaeus that he too had a sight problem. Too many things (people) were blocking his view. He couldn't see what he so desperately longed to see. Thankfully, he didn't give up. He was intelligent enough to recognize that while he couldn't change his obstacles (the people weren't going to shrink in size and there wasn't going to be some magical parting of the crowd so that he could have a clear view of the approaching Jesus), he could shift his position so that he could once again have a clear vision.

To see this move of God in your ministry, it will be important to do some shifting. What you see in front of you (seemingly unwavering children and staff) is discouraging you. What you see week after week causes you to want to give up and just provide a good, safe, learning environment for the children (aka spiritual child care). It's time for some movement. No, I'm not talking about leaving the ministry or going to another church. I'm talking about doing some realignment; move around so that you can see once again what the Spirit has spoken to your heart. Find someone either in your church or in another locale who will help you once again look through the eyes of faith. Determine that you are going to move your eyes from what you see as obstacles to the place where the psalmist David found his strength and encouragement ... "I will lift up my eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help. My help cometh from the Lord ..." (Psalm 121:1-2).

Right now, do some shifting. Take your eyes off of the obstacles. For David, it meant shifting his eyes to the hills. For Zacchaeus, the shift meant changing his alignment with people around him. To you, that might mean shifting your time so that have time to look once again to the source of your passion and ministry and/or disconnecting with those around you that are blocking your vision and finding others who will lift you up so that you can once again see the coming Jesus.

God is faithful. What He has promised He is able to bring to pass. Don't be discouraged. If needed, do some shifting. In doing so, you will be able to wait until the promised One is right in front of your physical eyes!

It's Your Move!

Here's a little known fact about Billy Burns. I am hopelessly addicted to playing word games. (If there is a support group for this addiction, I don't want to be a part of it.) I absolutely LOVE any kind of word game. To show you my passion for this addiction, I have on my iPhone 14 different word games. I could (and do) spend as much time as possible playing these games. And, to feed this addiction, the iPhone has a Scrabble-type app called Words With Friends. Several of Trinity's pastoral staff have this game on their iPhones and are involved in a Words With Friends tournament. Right now, I am involved in 12 different Words With Friends games and loving each and every minute of it!

There's one thing about the Words With Friends game that makes it so appealing. It is a self-paced game. With that I mean, when your opponent makes their move, their word appears on the Words With Friends game board. Now, it is my move. Because of schedules, once I receive notice of it being my turn, I can immediately take my turn and create my decimating, intelligent word. There are times however that it might be an hour or two before I can find the time to escape to Words With Friends world and make my play. The other player has to wait until I make my move before they can make their next move.

This is true with revival in this new year. In the Word, we can easily see that God has made His move for a mighty outpouring of His Spirit in our children and children's ministries. He has shown us His desire for our children to prophesy and powerfully inact His will in the earth. He has given us His Holy Spirit to enable His will to manifest. Throughout the Gospels, He has revealed His Spirit to us so that we can have an intimate relationship with Him. Throughout the Book of Acts and letters to the Church, God demonstrated how His Spirit operates.

Just as in Words With Friends, before God can make His next move, He will wait and wait until we make our move. Our move of desperation, our longing to do whatever it takes to facilitate the fulfillment of His promise will cause God to pour out a supernatural rain from heaven that will forever change you, your children, and your children's ministry.

This week's blog is your official notice (no iPhone app needed) that it is time for your move.

You Are Not Alone!

A couple of weeks ago, I really sensed the Holy Spirit speaking to me about my assignment of raising up and equipping children's ministry leaders who will usher in the fulfillment of Joel's prophecy. I have always known that my assignment included providing information and revelation as well as passing along an impartation of the deposit which has been entrusted to me. In this unction by the Holy Spirit, I sensed that a part of my assignment that I hadn't really realized is the ministry of confirmation. I began to see that many leaders and volunteers feel that their passion for a move of God’s Spirit has alienated them from the “norm” of children’s ministry. While they too get excited about the bells and whistles, their utmost longing for radical, Holy Ghost children’s ministry has caused many to feel isolated from their peers. Thus, the complete assignment of Billy Burns Ministries has to provide information, revelation, impartation, and CONFIRMATION.

I have a unique position. Due to my visibility in conferences and through the distribution of our materials and writings, I have the opportunity to hear from people all over the world. It is thrilling to hear from people from other countries and backgrounds and denominations who are all expressing the same passion and urgency. There is a universal cry from leaders who are longing for a genuine, powerful move of God's Holy Spirit among their children. They too are sensing that there must be more to children's ministry than what they've been taught and seen.

This week, I want to encourage you. You aren't alone. You aren't weird or flaky. You are among a growing number of people who are declaring that TODAY IS THE DAY OF THE HOLY GHOST. We together are merely echoing the Father's heart and longing to see one last great move of His precious Holy Spirit.

Don't grow weary. Allow me to confirm the fact that you are on the right course of action! Keep developing a deeper and more intimate relationship with the Holy Spirit. Keep learning to listen to His promptings and leadings. Keep boldly daring to demonstrate that the Holy Ghost is alive and well. Keep announcing that this generation will prophesy and passionately fulfill their God-given assignments.

If you need me, I'm only an email away .... billy@billyburnsministries.com.

The Holy Spirit is Awaiting Your Invitation

If you've been around in the church for any time at all, you have heard many of the same things over and over and over again. And yet, I have found this to be true. We can “hear” things and “know” things and yet still be clueless. To quote my Grandma Burns, "My brain leaks." I find that it is prudent that I get reminded of things that I already “know” so that I can begin to put these truths into practice.

With that in mind, allow me this week to remind you of a thought about children in revival that I know that you already know. In fact, many of you will be able to quote the remainder of the verse after just reading the first four or five words.

"For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward Him ..." 2 Chronicles 16:9.

Here is this week's thought (reminder) ... God is looking for an opportunity to show up in your children's ministry. He will pass by 100 children’s ministries just to get to yours, the ministry that will invite Him to come and abide. In fact, He doesn't just want to appear. God wants to show that His Spirit is there by doing mighty things. And, He wants to do it on YOUR behalf! Did you catch all of that? God wants to show up and demonstrate His presence in your Sunday school class, mid-week Bible club, or Children's church service and He will do it just because of YOU, the person who has a heart that has "given themselves completely to Him" (New Century Version).

Let's Raise Up Prayer Giants!

Charlie Gibson and the rest of his national television news coharts are nightly telling of the downward spiral of our nation's economy. Each week in our church staff meetings, the evidence is seen in the ever increasing number of prayer request forms asking for God to provide jobs and income.

In answer to this mounting dilemma, this past weekend, the Spirit of God woke me up early Saturday morning and challenged me to lead our children in this assault against their families. Then, later in the day, He once again reminded me of His directive to have our children to stand in the gap for their parents.

So, in our three weekend services this past weekend, I reiterated what the children are already hearing on the news about the job situations. Then, I personalized the national news by asking if there were any children whose dads or moms have lost their jobs. Many hands went up in each service. I then briefly shared a prayer principle and led the children in prayer for their parents. We ended this portion of the service by telling them what we expect to happen ... parents getting the right job with the right hours with the right salary and benefits SOON!

I plan on making this a continual part of our services. These are teachable, trainable moments. These are times to DEMONSTRATE how prayer works and allow the children to SEE what God will do.

I challenge you to join in with me. Each week, I will add a 3 or 4 minute teaching about prayer. One week, I will teach that Jesus promised, "Whatever you ask the Father in my name I will give it." What a great time to show the importance and power of praying in Jesus' name. Another week, I will teach from Matthew 18 about the importance and power found in the prayer of agreement. Another week, I will teach that prayer has no age limits. After the teaching, we will pray and then ask for testimonies.

Here are some suggestions:
1. If you are in a small group setting, journal the requests.
2. Train your children to pray. Demonstrate as you pray for one need and then back off and let the children take over.
3. Pray boldly with confidence. Your boldness will be contagious.
4. Demonstrate expectation. Dare to believe that your prayers are causing change in families’ economic situation.
5. Finally, hold on until you get what you desire. Like Jacob of old when he wrestled with the messenger of the Lord, don't let go until you get what you so desperately need!

The Supernatural is Waiting on You!

Have you ever considered that it is impossible to walk on the water while still remaining inside of the boat?

Many have the talk for having children flow with the Holy Spirit, but few have the courage to take bold steps of faith to see it come about. Many have the Pentecostal/Charismatic lingo down with the clichés and spiritualese. But few have dared to do whatever it takes to see the lingo become more than mere words.

Let's be bold enough to do whatever it takes to see this be the generation that fulfills Joel's prophecy. Let's not just have a few songs in our services. Instead let's be intense in our passion to worship Him. Let's not just pray a obligatory prayer as we pray for the sick. Instead, let's be bold as we lay hands on the sick knowing that the prayer of faith shall save the sick. Let's expect them to be healed. Let's not just talk about the importance of praying in our heavenly prayer language. Instead, let's make praying in other tongues a part of our services. It's NOT weird to be filled with the Holy Spirit. It's NOT strange to have a prayer language. The boys and girls will never be convinced that it is okay to pray in their heavenly prayer language until they see you demonstrate this in each and every service. Let's not just talk about being led by the Holy Spirit. Instead, let's study and prepare for our ministry time and STILL be sensitive to His urgings and promptings. Let's demonstrate following that inward voice.

Come on. Step out of the boat with me. Dare to step onto the water knowing that He told you to come. All that it takes is a command (He's already provided the command) and then obedience. In other words, the next step is ours to make. The supernatural move of God is waiting on Y-O-U!

Having Trouble Hearing God's Voice?

I read of an elderly man who thought that his wife was going deaf. To test her hearing, he walked across the room, turned his back to his wife and said, "Can you hear me?" There was no response. So, he moved a little closer to her and repeated the question, "Can you hear me?" Again, there was no response. So, he moved a little closer so that he was standing near his wife and said, "Can you hear me now?" This time, he heard his wife say, "For the third time, I can hear you!" He thought that the hearing problem was his wife's, but it was really his problem.

If you have been having trouble hearing from God, consider moving closer to Him. Remember that God promised, "Draw near to God and He will draw near to you." (James 5:8).

The Privilege of Intimacy

I recently came across something that has really impacted my life. Let me share with you a thought from the July 4th entry of Andrew Murray's Daily Secrets of Christian Living ...

Have you ever thought what a wonderful privilege it is that everyone each day and each hour of the day has the liberty of asking God to meet Him in the inner chamber and to hear what He has to say? We should imagine that every Christian uses such a privilege gladly and faithfully.

"When thou prayest," says Jesus, "enter into thine inner chamber, and having shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret." That means two things. Shut the world out, withdraw from all worldly thoughts and occupations, and shut yourself in alone with God to pray to Him in secret. Let this be your chief object in prayer, to realize the presence of your heavenly Father. Let your watchword be: Alone with God.

There's nothing more that I can add to Murray's insight. Let's take advantage of that privilege.

Que Será, Será

Recently, there was an event in the news that really caught America’s attention. While our national news is daily giving reports of companies downsizing, filing for chapter 11, and even shutting down, the news told of a company in Chicago, Republic Windows and Doors, that literally closed its windows and shut its doors to its 240 employees by filing bankruptcy and closing its plant. The 240 unemployed workers staged a sit-in at their former factory refusing to leave quietly. Daily, America watched these strikers as they adamantly defended their right to due compensation. The end result gave each former Republic employee eight weeks' salary, all accrued vacation pay and two months' paid health care, said U.S. Rep. Luis Gutierrez, who helped broker the deal. He said it works out to about $7,000 apiece.

I love this story! These former employees are my heroes. They were unwavering in their pursuit of what was owed to them. They refused to be denied.

How does this apply to ushering in a last day Holy Ghost children's revival? Let me ask you this question. How unrelenting are you for the fulfillment of God's promise given through the prophet Joel for this generation? How desperate are you for God's Spirit to freely flow in your services and children?

Too often, it is so easy to have a que será, será whatever will be, will be attitude. We need to recognize that those with an "if it happens, it happens" mentality will never see revival. Those that allow circumstances to dictate the outcome will constantly be denied a true move of God.

The purpose for Billy Burns Ministries is to connect people who have a kindred heart and passion. I contend that all across the globe there are individuals and groups who are much like the former employees mentioned above. We are like Jacob of old who after wrestling with the messenger of the Lord declared that he would not be denied. We refuse to sit back and watch what is due this generation of children go unfulfilled. We are people who are ademently and vocally contending that this generation will not be denied a genuine move of God.

Remember, if you can be denied, you will be denied. Don't allow pacifism to creep in. Let's stand up and unrelentingly use our voice and actions to remind God, Satan, and anyone else who will listen that THIS generation will know and flow with the Holy Spirit. We will NOT be denied!

Check Your Indicators

I have a confession ... my brain is different than most people in that I can see something funny in almost any situation. This often got me into trouble in school as I would enjoy telling my classmates my funny insight. For the most part, I've since learned how to keep these insights to myself. Occasionally I can still spout out a funny at an inappropiate time before my good sense can kick in and control my words.

As a child, I learned the penalty of the power of words. My parents had the philosophy of reinforcing the teacher’s punishment. If I had a meeting with the board of education (the paddle) in class, I got an additional paddling when I got home. When Dad took care of business, he really, really took care of business.

What an invaluable lesson. Words are powerful. I’ve learned that words are indicators of what is going on in the inside. This is seen when an airplane crashes. The first thing that the FAA does after a crash is to locate the black box which is a recording of the words said before the crash. The words didn't cause the crash. They are merely an indicator of what caused the catastrophe.

If there are problems in your ministry or if you aren't seeing the revival that you so desire, it might a great idea to locate your black box. Check out the indicators that show what is going on in the cockpit of your life, the heart. Remember that out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh. (Matthew 12:34) What are you saying? Is your speech magnifying the situation? Are you words focusing on the difficulties?

Instead of magnifying the situation, we should learn from David when he said, “I will say of the Lord …” (Psalm 91:2) Remember that Job 22:28 says, “Thou shalt also decree a thing, and it shall be established unto thee: and the light shall shine upon thy ways.” If we will guard our words and begin to decree the promises of God over our children and our children’s ministry, we will see God’s glory begin to manifest. Signs of revival will begin to be seen. The dreams of your heart will break out in your services.

From this day on, let’s begin to use our words to magnify Him rather than our situation. Let God hear from our black box that we declare that today is the day of the Holy Ghost and that the promises found in Joel 2 of a Holy Ghost revival is being fulfilled in our children.

God's Faithfulness

If you have ever attended any of our Ignite Conferences, you have heard me talk about how I love to circle important events and days on my calendar. This week one of those red letter days is occurring. On Saturday, Vickie and I will be attending our son Michael's graduation from Southeastern University. Michael is graduating with a degree in pastoral ministry and a minor in music. I will be doing my very best to hold back the tears of pride and try to refrain from shouting at the top of my lungs as he walks across the platform to receive his diploma.

I am proud of Michael in so many ways. Michael is a worshipper. He has a sensitive heart to the presence of God. You can see Michael leading worship at Southeastern by going to youtube.com and typing "thembx964" in the search engine. He has worked hard to pursue and prepare for the call of God upon his life. In fact, going to Southeastern has been a challenge in that he has had to pay his entire school bill. With some scholarships and a lot of hard work, Michael will be walking across the platform Saturday with his entire school bill paid. There aren't too many college graduates that can make that claim.

The reason for this blog (in addition to bragging on Michael) is to testify of God's faithfulness. In my 10 Reasons Why I am in Children's Ministry & Don't Plan to Quit teaching, I share in Point #10 that because of the Law of Sowing and Reaping, God is honor bound to take care of my children. For over 28 years, Vickie and I have loved on and ministered to tens of thousands of children. We have sowed into so many children's lives. Now, we can expect God to sow into and provide for our children. Michael is living proof of God's faithfulness!

Want to hear more about this? The 10 Reasons teaching is available on CD at http://www.billyburnsministries.com/.

Batteries Not Included

Let me describe what possibly could be every parent's worst nightmare. For months, your child has been hinting, begging, earnestly interceding for the latest electronic "necessity" of life. Although its price tag will take a large portion of your retirement savings, the anticipation of the look on your angel's face will make it worth the extreme sacrifice. On Christmas morning, the moment arrives. Excitement fills the air as your darling pushes aside package after package looking for the gift of all gifts. Upon finding what should be the package, wrapping paper flies through the air, then a shrill of excitement as the gift is ripped out of its package ... and then ... the moment of horror. You discover those words that are printed in microscopic print "Batteries Not Included." To your dismay, you can't find 16 AAA batteries and it's a 45-minute trip into town to look for a store that would be open on Christmas. Without the batteries, the gift can't do what it is designed to do. And now, you'll have to deal with the "ho,ho,ho" of Christmas turning into a big "no,no,no" ... no peace, no happiness, no quiet until the batteries can be found.

Here's the reason for this blog. Admittedly, there are millions of Christians who love Jesus and yet are not filled with the Spirit. Little do they realize that we entered into this world with the words "Batteries Not Included" stamped upon our spirits. Just like the gift on Christmas morning, we too can't do what we are designed to do without spiritual batteries. We need the power of the Holy Spirit to fulfill our God-given assignment. (Acts 1:8).

One more thought ... we need to daily charge our spiritual batteries. Whether you know it or not, we leak or drain. The pressures of this life, the size of our mission can drain us. We must constantly recharge our batteries by daily praying in our heavenly prayer language. (Jude 20, 1 Corinthians 14:4). The apostle Paul instructed the Ephesian church to renew itself by being filled with the Spirit. (Ephesians 5:18). The literal Greek translation tells us to continually be filled with the Spirit. The promise and gift from the Father (Acts 1:5) isn't a one time experience, it was only the beginning, the insertion of the spiritual battery. Now, we must daily recharge our batteries by our time of intimacy and fellowship with the Holy Spirit, praying in the Spirit!

Your Seed's Seed

If you've ever been in one of my conferences or workshops, you know that I'm into circling important dates on calendars. I often show the page of a wall calendar from May, 1975 where I've circled and made annotations on the following days:
2nd - I 've written the one word "bowling" as a reminder that I went on my first date with Vickie, bowling after the church high school graduation dinner (I slipped my arm around her ... she never knew it happened!)
3rd - a great big "HH" is written on this date signifying that I held hands with Vickie
4th - an even bigger "FK" is written on this Sunday night reminding me that I got my first kiss!

While wall calendars have been replaced with PDAs and MS Outlook, I still make special entries and annotations in Outlook. I'm circling dates in a whole new way. The latest imporant day happened at 5:35 PM on Saturday, August 25. That's when William Joseph (Joey) Burns entered the world. In my totally unbiased opinion, he's the world's most beautiful baby boy in diapers today ... and I double dawg dare you to argue with me about it!

While Vickie and I are ministering to our second generation of children at Trinity, on Saturday, August 25, at 5:35 PM "seed's seed" ministry became a whole lot more personal. All of a sudden, a whole new bunch of God's promises became even more important to me. While I'm still walking in covenant about my three sons, God and I are now talking about His covenant concerning my seed's seed. (Isaiah 59:21).

It's great to be a part of the Grandparents Club. It's even more exciting knowing that God has made special promises form-fitted, specially-crafted just for my grandson. Joey, watch out! You're in for one exciting, miracle-filled life!!!