Journey of a Psalmist

Today I am taking advantage of a unique Saturday off during the Christmas season. Work abounds and sleep diminishes. I figure I'll take advantage of the work while I can get it as I need the money. I can rest in January. Especially when I take the needed sabbatical week on the trip to Kansas City, where me and other worship teamsters and church leaders will spend time at the International House of Prayer. I need something like that so badly, as so many things are starting to come together for me in life, but I need to bring God back into focus as my first priority. I can remember the prophetic word I received last time I was there that I'd climbed so many mountains and that I will climb many more. Knees are finally better after a long process of healing. I went to see The Frames in concert the other day and stood for three hours. Tired, but my knees were okay. When I revisited the knee specialist they asked if I had gotten physical therapy like they recommended. I res...

Sitting here at the computer, blogging with a Misty Edwards worship session playing, I take it easy as let my knees heal further. It's a process, and actually a good process, as many things are being learned during this time. I believe that God heals, sometimes in an instant, sometimes gradually, whatever will accomplish His purpose. And I have seen healing. In fact after that day people at church prayed for me the pain had lessened and I felt I was on the mend after getting input from a doctor. It's gone on for the past few weeks, and at one time I couldn't bend my leg past a certain point and could barely walk up the stairs. It's much better now and though I still deal the pain somewhat from standing long periods at work or church, it's more manageable. And I'm on the way to getting even better. It's a mild case of knee arthritis, and I had gotten the injury in both my knees, likely from lunging and squatting too much too soon thinking it would stre...

My thoughts on the newer movies I've seen this year: 2012: For some reason I keep calling it 2112 after the old-school Rush album. As for the movie, cool epic special effects, but went on for too long. As it's just a movie, I won't launch into a theological tirade of errors. I do know the end won't be another flood. The rainbow tells me so. For more into read the Bible. In the end Jesus rules of course and we that believe live happily ever after. I didn't spoil it for you did I? Robin Hood: Way back I remember going to a friends house and seeing Robin Hood with Errol Flynn. And at the final fight between Robin and Guy of Gisbourne, what do you know, the power goes out. How terrible for an impatient kid to have to wait through the whole night to finally see it. There was my deprived childhood. As far as the new one, I think I'd need to see it one or two more times to give my opinion. It was so different than the way I remember. In most stories I remem...

Okay, so it's been a while since blogging. Back to the Portland life the last few months. Yes, Gresham in all it's middle-classness and Mexico to the East, Don Pedros, what would I ever do without you? Portland and it's cheap sushi, Powells Books and whatever other cool places there are to the West. Work in North Portland and church up North across the river. Further out in the different directions are roadtrips to forests, mountain, ocean and all that good stuff. Northwest is a decent place to live, despite it's spiritual problems. Two jobs are lame as usual. Hours are cut at Bullseye Corp and United Parcel Smashers is mundane. I find myself unloading trucks when it gets slow at the belt I work at, because I'm so bored. I still wait for a decent position as I build seniority. I realize work tends itself to smalltalk, but I think it's the most boring thing in the world. Still I have to think of something to talk about with the guys at men's meetings or churc...

And so I sit back at home once again, watching an Audra Lynn session on the webstream. The whole IHOP experience is a bit surreal. For a month I lived what they call the "wasted life". Things changed in my heart for real and not by my own strength, just a gradual work as I baked away in God's presence. I have yet to see what the new season has in store for me. I'm not looking forward to going back to work, but hey such is life. But I have a new strength and purpose in me. Yes there are still mountains in my life, but I have new determination. Last Thursday's awakening meeting had such a thick presence of God as the music and worship seemed out of this world. I was enjoying it and yet was bummed to leave. But I know now this is how it's supposed to be for now. No, I'm not at IHOP, but I have a worshiping church and friends and leaders who are also hungry for God's presence. I have my guitar, the IHOP webstream, and the natural beauty of Oreg...

So today was an interesting day for me. First I came to what appeared at first to be a normal Worship with the Word session on Colossians 3. Then they got onto appearing with Christ in glory, and people started laughing and groaning. Then they sang prophetically about the husband and wife joined together, and how we're enjoying the new wine, and all chaos broke loose, basically like the awakening meeting, but in the prayer room, which is normally where people sit and read their Bibles or dink around on computers. Hey, who let one of the ballet dancers out of their little area? I also thought it was interesting that it was about 9 in the morning. I texted Pastor and said the prayer room has gone bonkers. A few days ago I heard about how to email the prophetic team and so I thought what the heck I'll try it. I'd had prophetic ministry at IHOP three years ago, and have had enough experience with IHOP to know they're generally with it. So near the end of the session...

Okay, well I've once again succombed to the lure of body art. I thought I'd get an authentic souvenir from Kansas City. And this is a mark of my trip. Jesus' nails I thought would be a good symbol. Okay a bit on the macabre side, but hey the cross wasn't a pretty thing, but it's become very important in my life lately. Throughout the trip God has been doing a work of restoration as far as bringing me back to the first love hunger I once had. It's pretty personal to explain. All I'll say is that Song of Solomon chapter 8 is a lot happier than chapter 5. There's a lot of things I need breakthrough on in life, relationship with God being the most important. And so He's doing that for me here. In my old blog that I had last year, I was saying I wasn't sure when or if I'd get another one. During the trip I'd thought of the idea, and then decided to go with it. I said in that blog that a tattoo kind of represents a phase of life for m...

Okay, so one thing that confuses people back home is Kansas City's whole thing with Kansas/Missouri. Are you going to Kansas or Missouri? Okay, think for a moment that Vancouver is part of Portland (I know it isn't really, but just bare with me). You have the state border going right through at the Columbia. It's that way with KC. Part of KC is in Missouri and part is in Kansas. The border is the State Line Road which goes right through till it gets to the Missouri River which continues the border. Although, I don't really know much of the KC, Kansas scene, since it seems like most of action happens on the Missouri side to the East. So I guess KC, Kansas could be compared to our Vancouver, since not much really happens there either. Confused yet? Sunday I decided to skip Forerunner church and get going on my road trip. Just stopped by the prayer room and had communion. Hey my kind of church. The thing I like about what these guys do is that's it's an ...

A weekend of freedom. So the past weekend I rented a car. Friday I was able to buy groceries and explore the city a bit. My ignorance showed when it turned out KC has quite jazz history. The jazz district has the real deal, and not so white like the college jazz scene we have around Portland. In another area was a twin piano bar, kind of on the seedy side, but with great musicians who played that old kind of rock'n'roll. Oh yeah, and I managed to drive by 12th and Vine which is mentioned in that old song, "Kansas City here I come." Saturday, having had enough of city life for the weekend, I set out for Jamesport, which is an Amish and Mennonite community in Missouri to the North past Lathrop. On the way, I saw a cemetary, which I enjoy taking photos of especially when decorated by bare trees and winter snow. I barely even need to use the black and white feature on my camera. Finally arriving in Jameport, I kind of expected the place to look like the video for We...

Well, the others have left and gone, and I'm here for my time as a nomad. Needless to say, the prayer room is awesome. I haven't had a car so I'd walk or get rides from people. My hotel however is another thing. Internet that sometimes works and sometimes doesn't. No coffeemaker, no dishes and it's way out here is the Southeast ghetto near Grandview where the only places I see to buy groceries in the near area are 7/11 and an outlet store with outdated products. And sometimes I ended up fasting coffee, more by inconvenience than choice. But I had to get out so then yesterday I took a bus that only leaves early in morning and comes back around 5. The weather was somewhat better and I managed to get a good handle on the layout of the city and went a few places. Crown Center was a basic mall where I got a frozen custard and checked out a Waldenbooks which was closing out with 60% discounts. And I checked out Liberty Memorial which was covered in snow. After lo...

Oh wow, I hadn't realized it's been so long since I've blogged. I'm in the prayer room at the International House of Prayer in Kansas City right now, trying to catch up on my internet stuff. Justin Rizzo is leading right now, and they are praying for the school. This session has had a rocking violin, and now there's weird synth effects playing. Cool. It's six degrees outside, where you can see a parking lot with cars covered with snow and icicles. The flight went well. After that we dropped our stuff off at the apartments, then took the road trip to Lathrop a little hic town where we met up with Pastor's friends Asa and Carol who planted a church out there. The rest of the time we've spent here in Kansas City. We have 14 people this time. God is definitely doing a work in me and it's awesome to see what He's doing in the others here. Last night was intense. Not like the IHOP I remember visiting a couple years back. It was similar to th...