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"V" is for Victim. "V" is for Victory

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“In general, the ability to make sense of tragedy and then find benefit in it is the key that unlocks post traumatic growth.” Jonathan Haidt, The Happiness Hypothesis As a continuation to my last post I would like to devote this post to victims of spiritual abuse. My last post was what it was meant to be, an appreciation for the seeming good start by Bethel's admission of wrong, and their committment to change.  This one is for any victim of abuse. I am a survivor of decades of spiritual abuse. It was not until around 2022 that the effects of the abuse overwhelmed me. When we bottle in our emotions and memories they will eventually come out, and usually when we least expect them, or want them to. Even though I had been seeing the same Christian Counsellor, on and off, for sixteen years, it wasn't until 2024 that we began to work on the symptoms of Complex Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, (CPTSD) which I was diagnosed with.  CPTSD is different to PTSD in that it includes all of ...
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The Reformation IS Being Televised...

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  The protestant reformation took about 130 years to fully happen. It was not an overnight occurrence. Many voices spoke out and this reached a tipping point with Martin Luther. We are in the genesis of another reformation in the Church today, a new reformation.  In 2005, before I moved to America, I was walking across a field on the mountain where I lived, I believe the Holy Spirit spoke these words to me, "The coming move that you will see will be a Reformation of Practice" I asked, "What do you mean by a 'Reformation of Practice'" To which He did not reply. I therefore concluded, from what I knew of reformation, that it may mean that God would reform the way the Church practiced her Christianity.  Three years later, whilst living in America, I read a book by an unknown author to me at the time called Bill Johnson. The book was called, "When Heaven Invades Earth". Reading the introduction story of a perculiar wedding, and the miracles that follow...
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2026 The Year of Enlightened Hearts!

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  "Can you not discern this new day of destiny breaking forth around you? The early signs of my purposes and plans are bursting forth. The budding vines of new life are now blooming everywhere. The fragrance of their flowers whispers, 'There is change in the air!' Arise, my love, my beautiful companion, and run with me to the higher place. For now is the time to arise and come away with me" Song of Solomon 2:13-14 The best description I have heard of what the "prophet's reward" is (Matthew 10:41), can be summed up in this statement, Eyes to see, and Ears to hear! When I first heard this explanation, I was hooked, "I'm using that definition from now on!" My most favourite of Paul's apostolic prayers, is the one found in Ephesians 1:15-23. I have personalised his prayer for my daily devotions to pray over others. For me, it is such a selfless prayer, in that it doesn't seek to coerce God with what I think a person needs, or how they s...
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This is a House of Prayer

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  Jesus said to them, “It is written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer,’ but you make it a den of robbers.” Matthew 21:13 The other night I attended a weekly gathering in a city. We had a wonderful time of fellowship, worship, prayer, and prophesying over people.  During the time of worship the host played a song that I had never heard before. It is a new song in the Christian world, and I pulled up the lyrics on my phone to follow along. It's not the kind of song that you could probably sing on a Sunday morning, but I was blown away by the lyrics. The host played it a second time, and I sang along gently, reading the lyrics out as I sang. I had the thought, "This is like a Mission Statement in a song" I wept, and was moved, and my thoughts were stirring. I mused how if the church adopted these lyrics as their tenets, we would be a lot closer to where we need to be. I also personalised it—IF I ADOPTED THESE LYRICS AS MY TENETS THEN I'D BE CLOSER TO WHERE I ...
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How comfortable are we with Change?

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  I love autumn. I am an October baby, so each year I love the connection between the changing of seasons and celebrating another year around the sun. This is my first year back in Wales since moving home last November, so, I have been enjoying the transition from summer to autumn. In the States we call this time "Fall", and I like that word too. Autumn is a warm word, but Fall is an expression. The leaves fall from the trees. It can be a time of shedding what we need to in order to prepare us for what God has next. I'm not a new year's resolution kinda guy, I want to move and make decisions as the Spirit leads, not the calendar. However, there is something about autumn that revives me. I always like to do something significant on my birthday. For example, I started my publishing company on my birthday in 2021, as I have other ventures. This year I did something like that too. It feels right to start my next journey around the sun with establishing something.  This br...
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Leading People into Worship...

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  I was rummaging through some photos the other day and came across several of my father during times of leading worship. I have had the privilege of ministering with my father since I was around 12-13, when I started playing piano in the worship team of our church. I am now 51 years of age, so that is a 38-39 year partnership. That's how long I have been in public Church ministry. Which is a crazy long time!  Anyway, as we prepare this week for our next Gathering of Rainmakers , the preparation is not about getting songs right, it's about being in the presence of God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit. My father taught me an important truth when it comes to worship leading,  "You cannot take people where you haven't been yourself" Meaning, if you do not know how to worship in a way that attracts the presence of God, then you cannot lead a congregation to that place. Today, we have many song-leaders but few worship leaders. There is a world of difference. My father taugh...
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Burn Your Wineskins...

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  Back in May, a group of us were praying. We were seeking God for the new "wineskin" (a symbol of the current "framework" for what God is doing).  Where did God want us to be, and what would be the "structure" of that church, ministry, or whatever? We then started to feel that we were being overly concerned with the "wineskin" over the "wine". We felt the Lord saying, "Forget the wineskin. I want the new wine of my Spirit to flow freely over Wales. Just let it flow and wash away all religiousity. Let it wash away all preconceived ideas of how I want to move. Just let the new wine flow!" We prayed, in response,  "Lord, we burn all of our wineskins. We declare that there is no wineskin!!  Let your new wine flow over Wales!" I have thought much about this over the past six months since that prayer meeting. Sometimes in our attempt to keep things Biblical we can miss what the Spirit is saying. That's a hard thing to...
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