Terry's Journal

if you want to know what God is like, look at Jesus. He is God incarnate, who came in flesh and blood to reveal the expanse of his power, love and grace. Meditating on this would certainly help us experience a reshaping of our God image, which in many cases is dominated by harshness, withholding, and judgment.

Keywords: colossians, fullness, jesus, paul  |   0 comments

Lord, your ways are certainly not our ways. In many cases, we can simply take what we believe to be the way, and turn it upside down in order to discover the kingdom way.

Keywords: light, lord, teach  |   0 comments

I have learned that the Lord neither shares my feelings nor strategy about the past I want to leave behind. Instead of forgetting, or erasing the past, the Lord wants to redeem it. To go back into these painful memories and bring our “riches, hidden in secret places” (Isaiah 45:3). He has been patient with me as I kick, scream, ignore, and avoid, being persistent that there are gems in these places of the past that will actually enrich my life in very important and specific ways.

Keywords: honor, praise, redeem, shame  |   0 comments

It is not unusual for folks like us to struggle with feeling: Unsafe, Unlovable, Anxious, Handicapped, Scattered, Shameful. Can you relate? Most of us do, especially as the unfinished business of the past fights to keep our attention on wounds that have at some level turned toxic. And, no matter how hard we try, it is difficult to change these very powerful feelings about ourselves.

Keywords: feelings, past, redeem, shameful, wounds  |   0 comments

Jesus wants to do something quite different. Something only he can do. He wants to walk back into that memory, not forget it. And he wants you to join him in gathering up all the pieces, both of the memory and the broken vase. And then, he wants to make all things new. He has no intention of erasing, or wasting. He is into redeeming.

Keywords: healing, wound  |   0 comments

It is important to note that when Paul called believers to rejoice in the Lord, he was not in this case calling people to rejoice in what Jesus did, which is certainly reason for deep gratitude, heartfelt thanks, and endless praise.

Keywords: paul, philippians, rejoice  |   0 comments

Every day we need to say yes to the Holy Spirit’s presence and power in our lives and step forward whenever the opportunity arises to tell people about Jesus, pray for the sick, and stand against evil. We might just find that what happened to the disciples may in fact happen to us: people where healed everywhere.

Keywords: disciples, holy spirit  |   0 comments

If we have been born again, we certainly have been given the capacity to see with kingdom eyes. The mundane always holds the potential to become the miraculous whenever we step into a kingdom moment.

Keywords: jesus, kingdom, opportunity, see  |   0 comments

Paul told us to "Make the most of every opportunity...let your conversation be full of grace." (Colossians 3:5 and 6). The Holy Spirit can stir us and open the door to discovering a deep need in the life of a stranger. With faith and courage we can obey the Spirit's leading to plant a seed of the gospel.

Keywords: gospel, grace, prayer  |   1 comments

I teach a course at Alliance Theological Seminary called, Person in Prayer. It is designed for men and women going into pastoral ministry, focused upon the need for them to develop a meaningful and vibrant prayer life.

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Gratitude. That is a word the Lord spoke into my heart this past summer. It seems obvious that a follower of Christ should live a life of gratitude. After all, Jesus has given us such wonderful gifts.

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What can we do to manifest the wonderful, amazing, and often untamed reality of the Holy Spirit in our lives? While the fulfillment of such a desire rests ultimately with the Lord, here are some ways in which we can position ourselves for such an outpouring of His presence.

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Never give up! How many times I have heard those words over the years, as a call to persevere during life's difficult moments. It is a good word. Churchill once said only those words when invited to stand and speak at a graduation service.

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Next week we gather again in Macedonia, Ohio for the Outpouring. I am psyched! Joining with other believers to worship, listen to the word, and lift the name of Christ is always exciting.

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Most Christians have at least some understanding of the notion that we are, upon receiving Christ, to live our lives in his name. We are to let his life move through us in our daily lives, being his hands and feet on earth.

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I spoke recently at a men’s event in Columbus. It was amazing. The theme was “The father blessing”, but in fact it was more about the father wound that most all the men carry in their hearts.

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Little child, for you Jesus Christ has come, he has fought, he has suffered. For you he entered the shadow of Gethsemane and the horror of Calvary.

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I was asked an important question yesterday. How do you discipline a child, guiding them toward right behavior and attitude, without wounding them? Great question.

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Imagine something with me for a moment. You are looking in on the interaction between a father and his two sons. They are both the same age, one a son by birth, the other a son by adoption.

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Okay. Everyone who knows me can testify that I am a restless guy. Anxiety and anxious care have been constants with me for years, and even now, after much healing, I can fall in that ditch if I am not careful.

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I love reading Miroslov Volf. He is a theologian who teaches at Harvard and has written some wonderful books on theology. His writing hits deep and is rooted in real life experiences.

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Years back I heard Armin Gesswein say that prayer is most powerful when you pray the promises. That is a life changing principle.

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Amazing. That is the word that comes to my mind as I consider the Formational Prayer seminar we recently completed. I have done this particular seminar at least forty times. Easily. And every time I leave thinking, “this has been the best ever.”

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So my recent prayer has been that I would be more attentive to the evidence that the Lord is active around my life. You know, "tracks in the snow" kind of stuff.

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Snow. Every year I seem to have this moment when an ordinary winter day turns into something special. Something magical. Something unexpected. That's what happened to me today.

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Sacrament of the present moment. I doubt there is a more important concept for our spiritual and emotional lives. It is in some ways a grounding principle of personal ...

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Cheryl and I meet every Wednesday evening with about fifteen seminary students. We eat, talk, look at scripture and pray. We have been doing this since May of last year and their presence in our lives has been nothing short of a blessing.

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New video from Terry: Papa, you promised.

Keywords: outpouring  |   0 comments

Perspective. One call immediately changed my perspective on some of the problems I have been moaning about recently.

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Dear Lord Jesus, there are times when the struggles seem great. At the very least, tough. Too many, coming too often, bringing too much hassle and grief.

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colossians (1)

disciples (1)

feelings (1)

fullness (1)

gospel (1)

grace (1)

healing (1)

holy spirit (1)

honor (1)

jesus (2)

kingdom (1)

light (1)

lord (1)

opportunity (1)

outpouring (1)

past (1)

paul (2)

philippians (1)

praise (1)

prayer (1)

redeem (2)

rejoice (1)

see (1)

shame (1)

shameful (1)

teach (1)

wound (1)

wounds (1)