Daring to be Restless

White sand beaches, waving palm trees, majestic sunsets, the gentle waves rolling in gently against the shore, the call of exotic birds in the distance ... There’s something intimate and lovely and restful about that thought, isn’t there?   But, I ask you, what is it about islands that captivates our imagination?   What is it about them that draws our attention, that entices us so?   I mean, think about it – would you rather go to Hawaii or one of the Carolinas?   To Tahiti or Mongolia?   While both options may have beaches, natural habitats and parks to explore, and lots of interesting history to study, most of us, if given the opportunity, would probably rather venture to the islands.   Why?   Because it’s an island.   And something about islands piques our interest, draws our heart, whispers to our overburdened, busy lifestyles.   And, rightly so.   Psalm 32:7, in the Message paraphrase says: “God’s my island hideaway, keeps danger...

  In a darkly lit room just past midnight, the Author sits bent over a blank page, scribbling with a fervor that cannot be quenched, pouring creativity and life and story onto the page before the vision, before the moment has passed.   Characters and plot spill forth from the creative recesses of the Author’s mind, a villain rises and falls, as the story moves rapidly to a conclusion, to a happily-ever-after that will stun and motivate its readers to live a different kind of life, to live in grand expectation, to live more nobly and in a sense, more like the characters in the story … But will they?   Will they read the masterful story the author writes?   Will they be changed by it?   Will they internalize the truths and lessons woven into the characters’ lives?   That is not the author’s concern at that moment …   For now, he is just writing. Admit it.   When you’ve thought of authors before, there is a part of you that has envisioned somethi...

“A move of God is, by its very definition, God moving.   In the very first mention of the Holy Spirit in Scripture, He is moving (see Genesis 1:2). That is His basic nature, and He will not change. Those who are led by the Spirit are also moving, going somewhere, and are always focused on a purpose and a destiny.” – Rick Joyner, The Power to Change the World , p. 9 According to the Bible, there is something fundamentally different about the Children of God, something that keeps them from blending into the crowds of unsaved people at their door – their lives are exciting, moving in dynamic ways, focused, powerful.   Admit it; as you read the quote above, something in your heart was stirred, longing to live a life like Joyner describes, longing to experience so much of the Spirit that you are able to constantly move in the exhilarating flow of God’s plans and purposes for you.   There is something in all of us that longs to stand apart, even when it’s difficult, lo...