Jesse Birkey's blog

The other day I was spending some time with the Lord when I felt very much moved to worship.  So I did. 

I put on some worship music and just started singing and swaying as the presence of God grew all around me like a storm of love and peace.

I looked down at the young woman on the stretcher in front of me.  Her face twisted in pain as she held her side.  It was then I responded to the Holy Spirit tugging on my heart as compassion and love fought for release.

“I’d like to pray for you if that’s okay…”

The other day I was spending some time just sitting with the Lord and He began to show me a vision. I suddenly began to see snowflakes slowly drifting through the ski.  They were all different shapes and sizes but they all worked together for a common purpose, to blanket the rough ground in a soft sea of white.

The kingdom of God is like buried treasure (Matt 13:44).  The kingdom of God is like a pearl (Matt 13:45).  The kingdom of God is personified in Jesus (Hebrews 1:3).  Jesus is truth (John 14:6).  The kingdom of God is truth!

Don’t worry I’m not going to fill a whole blog post with one-liners.  But there is a point to those I’ve mentioned above and I think they are best expressed through a story.

I can’t exactly recall the reason I was feeling down on this particular night.  Maybe it was because I hadn’t ministered to anyone in a while.  At least not in the way I had become used too.  In fact, the more I think about it the more I’m sure it was for that reason.  But it doesn’t really matter because it’s not the point of this blog (although the topic of “boxes I’ve tried to shove ministry into over the course of my life” could fill a number of articles I’m sure).

I do remember that I was in the bathroom getting ready to take a shower when I happened to look up and see a vision.  I saw a bar hovering above my head.  It wasn’t too long, maybe a couple of feet.  It was cylindrical and looked pretty sturdy like it was made from steel. 

There’s no question that, as a society, we are becoming increasingly desensitized to all things sex.  There are studies that suggest only 3% of people wait until marriage to have sex.  Others have suggested that only 20 percent of Christians wait until marriage to have sex.  This study suggests that 61% of Christians say they would have sex before marriage.

I stood in line waiting for my turn to pay as my kids anxiously waited to gorge themselves on a buffet of pizza and salad…maybe on the salad….probably not on the salad.  As I was waiting I couldn’t help but survey the room.  I noticed couples and families with young kids running around trying to find the game room.  It was a tapestry of smiles and laughter.

Then I saw four people sitting around a square table, two women and two men.  They were older, 60’s maybe, and I could tell they’d been friends for some time by the way they interacted with each other.  There was a comfort there that’s only developed over time. 

I received this email from a friend of mine who wrote after reading my last post about the problem with loving enemies.

I wasn’t always against violence.  In fact, it’s strange to say that I am now.  I used to demand violence as an answer to the worlds problems because it was my highest form of justice.  I could demand executions and wars without batting an eyebrow.  It wasn’t only justified in my eyes, but good and the will of God. 

I like elliptical machines.  Low impact, good cardiovascular exercise, and I can read while I do it.  If I’m not reading I’m listening to somebody preach a message or just reflecting on Father in some way.  God and I have had some good conversations when I’m running in place.  Or gliding in place might be a better description.

Anyway, this is going somewhere other than pointing out the benefits of elliptical machines.