AV to CA

Pastor here today.  Got the privilege of going to California about a month ago.  All I can say is, "Wow."  So amazing.  No idea where to begin.  No idea how to communicate what I experienced.

I began reading literature published by staff from this church in Redding, California last year.
The materials and church are quite different than those who publish what I would have usually read.
Drastically different.
Some I know and care for deeply would frown upon...
Not exactly the same theology...
Some of it seems weird and strange...
I'm okay with weird and strange.

I stayed in a happy, little town.  Actually, nothing seemed all that unusual about the town.  I liked it, but there wasn't much that distinguished it from any other place.

However, not too far away from Redding are things like what you see below...

In the background is Mount Shasta... this was taken at the end of April.  Because of the altitude there's still so much snow... the road and parking lot have been scraped to make way for cars.

This church, Bethel, did to me what the sight of Mount Shasta did... notice how it's above the tree line.
It causes me to have higher highs.
It inspires me to be more adventurous and pursue even more...
Dream bigger...
Fight harder for the body...
Expect more.
Longing to honor better... and foster a greater attitude of honor among others.

While at Bethel there were times I thought, "This place is wacky and wild."
No doubt about that.
Even more unquestionably true is that it has received a special anointing from the Lord.

I know where your mind might be going... I've used vague generalities like, "wild, weird" and "strange," well, you might want me to unpack those things.

I'll unpack through situations I experienced.  One example, the conference was a leadership conference.  Because of that we got a special privilege... we all got the opportunity to be prophesied over.  When it was my turn, I had 3 young men ranging from 13 to upper 20's.  I didn't say a word.  Truly, they didn't know anything about me... for two reasons.  One, I wanted to give them as much time as possible to share.  Two, I honestly (maybe a little skeptically) wanted to see what they had to offer.

It was insane!  They nailed it.  The words, "pastor" and "discipleship," came up immediately.  My title at the Vineyard is "Making Disciples Pastor."  The night before I received this privilege I shared with Kelly that I was tired of small dreaming... tired of limited visions.  I'm going to "Change the World!"  That was the exact language the young boy used... "You're going to change the world."

Got to spend some time with close partners in the ministry while in CA...
Even while galavanting around, God continued to speak.
Below is a lake that's on one side of a dam.

I got to walk across this very long and incredibly magnificent dam.
On the opposite side of the dam I saw this...

I am aware that this dam is creating steady current of power and electricity.
As I saw this something struck me so clearly.
I don't want a steady current of power.
I'm ready to release power that does that which seems mind-blowing.
I don't want a consistent strickle.
I want much more than "steady."

I want the kind of power that can't be damed it (I checked... that's how you spell it... and, no, I didn't mean the profanity word).

I believe in this power.  My mind has believed in it in the past.
Now I want to function out of it.