I found this photo on Facebook the other day. It is a photo of a familiar spot on the mountain road between Ponsticill and Talybont. I have spent much time at this location. On one occasion my friend, Tefion, almost fell off the edge of the lower waterfall, whilst we were there at night. When I saw this photo I stopped and looked at it for a few minutes. I love the perspective of the waterfalls and trees in light of the mountain behind.
One other image that is burned into my memory, is from another night time hike I did with my friend, Teifion, up from the Storey Arms to Corn Du. I have been up Corn Du and Pen-y-Fan in all weathers and seasons, but this one night will stay with me forever.
The moutains were covered in snow. There was not a cloud in the sky, and a billion stars watched us as we traversed the snow covered path. Tefion and I made our way up the pitch. On a sunny day this pitch is deceptively steep. It looks ok from a distance, but once your feet hit that last pitch leading up to Corn Du, anyone who has climbed it knows what it feels like. That night, we stood at the bottom of that pitch, Corn Du seemed larger than ever. The path glistened with snow and ice. Corn Du glowed in the moonlight, and the approving stars made us feel like we were ascending into the heavens. That image, forever in my mind, is my most favorite view of any mountain that I have ever seen, and I wish that I could share it with you. Equally, it was a view of the familiar seen from a different perspective. It took my breath away and has left a welcomed scar across my soul.
Wales is many things to many people. In respect to Revival, we need to allow God to adjust our perspective. What Wales needs is not another "1904 Welsh Revival". She needs something new. I love Paul's prayer for the Church at Ephesus,
"I pray that the eyes of your hearts will be flooded with light so that you can understand the confident hope he has given to those he called—his holy people who are his rich and glorious inheritance"
Ephesians 1:8
He's writing to Believers, Holy Spirit filled Believers, yet Paul still prayed for their eyes to be "flooded with light'. I used to walk around with "1904 Welsh Revival" scales over my eyes. I loved the view that I saw. I enjoyed the nostalgic vibrations in my belly from reading of what God had done back then. However, history is history, and the future of Wales is no longer in her history but her destiny. Each of us who are championing the cause for Revival must see with eyes "flooded with light".
On St David's Day, I wrote on Facebook one of my prayers for Wales,
This is what I believe is coming - a Divine decimation to the structures of man! It must happen! Therefore, we need to see Wales from a new perspective. We need humility moving forward. It does not matter how bold and grand the missions God has given us in preparation for the new Revival, we need to grasp Humility's hand as she leads us through the marshes of self-importance
I wish to share a song with you called "Falling on my Knees" by William McDowell. Here are the lyrics for the two verses, and this is where I believe it begins with us changing how we see Wales.
Some things I can't see until I bow
Some things I can't see until I bow
There are some things I can't see until I bow
I can see it clearly now here on my knees
I can see it clearly now here on my knees
I understand better now here on my knees
I understand better now here on my knees
Just like the original photo of this post put so many memories into perspective, and how my night time view of Corn Du left a joyous mark on my heart, so too do we need a change of our perspective for Wales. Men and women who will humble themselves for Jesus to remove the scales off of their eyes. Please take the time to listen to this song and ask God to flood your eyes with light. Just receive what He shows you. Wales needs us to see clearly!
A friend drew the above picture, while I was teaching on Healing at a conference in Merthyr a few years ago. I love it. Jesus is depicted as praying for two people, a "2 for the Pirce of 1" special! I love it! THIS is part of the Gospel we are called to display. A Gospel that saves the whole person, Spirit, Soul, and Body. I wish to post an excerpt from my book "Village to Village (V2V)" that speaks about the Biblical precedent for "Proclamation and Demonstration" in presenting the Gospel:
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...
"As you go, proclaim this message: ‘The kingdom of heaven has come near.’ Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons. Freely you have received; freely give" Matthew 10:8 When I pastored in America I followed a pattern of Church leadership that I had been taught for almost thirty years. Even though the church I pastored in America was not related to those churches , their church model heavily influenced me, it's all I had really known. I was able to build a network of thirty-five churches in three years. These were based in the US, Nepal, Pakistan, and Kenya. At the end of that season of pastoring I was offered to take over the care of twenty churches in India. I chose to say "no" to that offer, even though I had ministered powerfully in one of those churches on a visit there, hence the invitation to oversee those churches. That would've been 55 churches within our small network, in three years, if I had accepted. Ov...
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