The Florida Uprising

After returning from a great week of hope-infusing ministry in Oklahoma, I stepped off of the plane in Baton Rouge, re-packed my gear (adding a clean set of clothes and some fresh toothpaste), scooped up my family, and pedalled to Destin, Florida, to catch our student ministry summer camp. When we arrived late Thursday night, it was obvious that a Holy Ghost hurricane had already cleared an incredible path, transforming everything within His reach!!!

I had already heard raving reviews of our junior high camp and the incredible life change that had taken place just a few days earlier. It's now the high school students chance to jump on board. I'm so proud of our student ministry staff, our video/tech team, the Late Nite worship band, and all of our hard-working, do-whatever-it-takes, accept-no-excuses, demand-only-results volunteers who believe in the work of God through this next generation. It's absolutely breath-taking to see over 400 teenagers relentlessly pursuing the face of God!!

Could this be part of the last-days uprising spoken about in the book of Acts? God promised to pour out His spirit upon all flesh...then He speaks specifically about the prophetic gift on our sons and daughters. Wow! I'm overwhelmed to think that we might literally be witnessing the very things God proclaimed 2000 years ago.

That's what summers should be about for our kids. It's so much more than time off from school, beaches and malls, trips and text messages--it's about getting this next generation on track with their destiny! Today, as I watched my daughters swim at the pool, I couldn't help but think about their role in the movement of God's kingdom. The work and the word of God is advancing globally, and I want to make sure that not only am I walking in step with the Spirit, but my children are as well!!

There is a ground swell of titanic proportions, and I want to be right in the middle of it! There is an uprising of righteousness in the midst of a chaotic culture--a Voice that refuses to be silenced. Tune the ear of your spirit to the frequency of heaven!!!! A generation that the world cannot change will be the generation that will change the world!

Oklahoma Crusade

I'm currently in Cameron, Oklahoma, a small community in the very southeast corner of the state, serving in a city-wide outreach for the next three days. We've partnered with several great churches: Christian Life Cathedral in Bentonville, Arkansas; Life Church right outside of Kansas City, Missouri; and Harvest Time Church in Fort Smith, Arkansas. The purpose of the crusade is to wrap our arms around the youth of this community and bring a message of hope to those who are suffering from a lifetime of bad decisions.

The youth of Cameron, OK can be characterized by rampant drug use (primarily crystal meth.), unwanted pregnancy (one of the highest teen pregnancy rates in America), a poverty mentality, and a general feeling of hopelessness. The student ministries from the surrounding areas have converged to host a 3-day, carnival-like event with games, free food, bands, give-aways, and the life-changing message of the Gospel (that's what I get to do every night!).

Last night I spoke on the passion of our Savior and the responsibility we have to reflect that to the world around us. Hundreds of students and adults alike, gathered under a giant tent. It was cool--kind of like the old-time, gospel tent-meetings our parents and grandparents would talk about. Dozens of people responded to the call to receive Christ and completely surrender their lives to Him the very first night!

I believe we are beginning to see an uprising--a movement of the Spirit of God in this next generation--mentioned in Ezekiel 37, where a valley of dry bones is coming together to form a mighty army of God!!

Going Public

In Late Nite this past Wednesday, we had an incredible time of joy and celebration by baptizing 13 people!! As a pastor, I have the privilege of taking a front row seat to the miraculous move of God in the lives of so many. I'm always amazed at how the love of Jesus Christ can totally transform someone dealing with shame and embarassment into a person of dignity and honor. Only God can heal a broken heart and make it truly whole again. He can heal the pain of our past and use it to produce hope for the future of so many others. I love being right smack in the middle of a God-moment!!

If you didn't get a chance to be a part of the service Wednesday, you can click here to view it. It is under 6/21/06...here are a few stories from those who were baptized.

I love Cherie's story. She was helping to evacuate people out of New Orleans during the hurricane, and her car broke down in Baton Rouge. Through a series of divinely orchestrated events, she finds herself on the doorstep of Healing Place Church where her life is changed forever! By being baptized Wednesday night, she went public with her faith, announcing to the world that she belongs to Jesus! Only He can take a breakdown and turn it into a blessing!

Mindy's story was amazing too. She was drifting in her faith and involving herself in a lifestyle that was leaving her completely empty. The Holy Spirit began to do a work in her heart, and she made a decision to reconnect with God. Her 21st birthday was on Wednesday, and she thought the best way to celebrate was with the family of God, going public with her faith. What a defining moment for her!!

Wasn't Chris inspiring? He was so excited about being baptized that he was shouting as I put him under, and was doing the same as I pulled him back up! He buried the "old man/old lifestyle" of sin he used to know and has been raised to a new life in Christ!

And then there was Salina. How cool is it that she found HPC in the Yellow Pages!!?! She saw that we were located on Highland Rd. (the only road she recognized since she is from Ruston and attending graduate school at LSU), and did a little Map Quest search to find us. The Holy Spirit knows exactly where we are, and He can get us exactly where we need to be!

I love what God is doing in this generation!! Late Nite, keep stepping out, being bold, and going public with your faith!

A Little Luau Action

Last Friday night, a bunch of Late Niters threw on their best hawaiian gear for a good old fashioned luau. Eric and Susan Williams opened up their home to us graciously to host this event. One cool addition to the party was that when you walked in, you got a name tag with your name translated to Hawaiian! Ironically, my name was Mikala...weird huh?

Uncle Steve cooked us up some carribean style shish kabobs while we pigged out on some fresh watermelon. Alexa and Mikaela came with us, and they fell in love with their free leis. Alexa wanted to wear it for a week! I must admit, I was not dressed in the festive attire. Hawaiian shirts just aren't my apparel of choice! Anyway I had a great time, and I can't wait for next year's party! Click here for more photos.

Swimming Lessons

Two weeks of swimming lessons at Crawfish Aquatics have turned our daughters into little mermaids! They now officially love the water. Alexa and Mikaela had an incredible experience of growing, learning, and fun thanks to their instructors--Kelly, Darelle, Mrs. Nanette, Katie, Leslie...the whole team--you're the best! Alexa can dive head-first and swim the entire length of the pool. I have no idea where she gets all of her skills and athleticism!

Mikaela wasn't so eager to participate when we first started two weeks ago. She was like velcro,stuck to Mom, crying because she didn't want to put her face in the water. Dropping her off became difficult, but we knew she would have a blast once she caught on. Sure enough, on about the 4th day, something clicked. When we picked her up at the end of the lesson, she was so happy to announce to us that she put her head under water and didn't even cry! She can jump in the pool, go completely under, and swim a few feet on her own. Even bathtime has become an aquatic adventure!

I guess the same principle is true in life. Courage is not the absence of fear--it's being afraid, but going anyway. Sometimes we have to do the things we fear the most if we are going to walk in extreme joy. When we confront our fears, it's amazing how they diminish! Step out in faith today, and you'll be swimming in style all summer long!

A Life Beyond Ordinary

Aren't you tired of ordinary living? Has settling for good things robbed you from the best things? All too often, we are content with our nice, cozy, comfortable routine, and we miss opportunities to step outside of our own comfort and reach into someone else's pain. Did Jesus sacrifice so much, so that you and I could live so little? If God's love for us is so big, then why are we satisfied with a life so small?

Playing it safe will never produce God's best in you. You were born for something far greater. History shows that men and women who have impacted their genereations for the glory of God did so by pushing the boundaries of what others thought to be safe and trusting themselves to God alone. This is the essence of second mile living. This is Christianity at its best: going beyond what is expected to demonstrate a radical love for God and an irrational love for people.

Our passionate pursuit of God will undoubtedly result in an unquenchable desire to care for people--all kinds of people. Black, white, rich, poor, educated, uneducated, lovely, unlovely, religious, non-religious--all people matter to God. Loving people enough to risk your own safety and your own reputation is central to the Gospel message.

You can make a difference if...
You care more than others think is wise
You risk more than others think is safe
You dream more than others think is practical
You expect more than others think is possible!

Growing Up Way Too Fast

Yesterday, we crossed a significant milestone in the Haman household. After picking the girls up from swimming lessons (Crawfish Aquatics), Rachel and I took Alexa and Mikaela to the mall for a little family fun. Alexa (my 7 year-old) has been pressing us for a long time now to get her ears pierced with "big-girl" earrings. Since she finished her 2nd grade year with a perfect 4.0 gpa, I finally caved under the pressure and gave in to her growing demands. We rolled down to Libby Lu--a pre-teen girl's paradise, fully equipped with glitter, make-up, accessories, and plenty of fru-fru! I never knew places like that existed.

Her immediate excitement begin to fade when the reality of the procedure kicked in...joy was replaced with dread when she saw "the gun." You would have thought she was being wheeled back for major surgery. In an instant it was over with, and her princess smile was back in full swing. Oh the joys of being pretty!

As we were leaving, Mikaela (my 3 year-old) was not a happy camper. Instead of rejoicing with her sister, she pouted over her un-pierced lobes. We stopped in our tracks and had a family meeting right in the middle of the mall--I'm learning that with a wife and 2 girls, the mall is no place for a family meeting because Dad's opinion means absolutely nothing!!! We asked Alexa how she felt about little sister getting her ears pierced, and she was gracious enough to say, "It's fine with me." Two minutes later, we were back in the same chair doing it all over again. Mikaela was a soldier--no fear. With the click of a gun and a slight jump, she was as big as her sister...at least in her own mind.

Amazing! Go to the mall for some chicken fingers and some Cane's sauce and leave with 2 little girls growing up way too fast!! I'm afraid to think about what may be next!!

The Chosen can't be Frozen

As I look to a high – energy, high – impacting summer, I feel this sense that God wants to use me and stretch me beyond my natural capabilities. The Spirit of God is tearing down all my anxieties and worries and is freeing me up to walk in all that God has for me. I have been searching through the scriptures looking at the great men and women that God chose to use. It astonishes me how God chooses the unexperienced, the unstudied, and the unashamed. The one thing all these spiritual giants did was dream. God-size dreaming makes room in the believer’s heart for God to move. Dreaming requires faith and trust. I pray that I would not limit God in my heart by elementary-dreaming. I want to climb higher, dive deeper, and stretch further than humanly possible. Another attribute they possessed was that they weren’t afraid to risk failure. I have learned if you are not taking risks, then you really don’t need faith. And if you’re not operating in faith, then you cannot please God. One of the most revolting sins is the sin of inactivity. In the Parable of the Talents, the master condemned his servant not for godless practices but for godless passivity. The days of sideline Christianity are over for us. If we are going to be a people that God uses, we must dream large and take risks.