it is well with my soul

At the weekend I did a shocking job of recounting the events that led up to the writing of this beautiful hymn. So I thought I would take a few moments today to blog the details.

(thanks to www.biblestudycharts.com/A_Daily_Hymn for the detailed back story)

This hymn was written by a Chicago lawyer, Horatio G. Spafford. The words,"When sorrows like sea billows roll ... It is well with my soul”, were not written during the happiest period of Spafford's life. On the contrary, they came from a man who had suffered almost unimaginable personal tragedy.Horatio G. Spafford and his wife, Anna, were pretty well-known in 1860’s Chicago. The Spaffords' only son was killed by scarlet fever at the age of four. A year later, it was fire rather than fever that struck. Horatio had invested heavily in real estate on the shores of Lake Michigan. In 1871, every one of these holdings was wiped out by the great Chicago Fire.Aware of the toll that these disasters had taken on the family, Horatio decided to take his wife and four daughters on a holiday to England. And, not only did they need the rest -- DL Moody needed the help. He was traveling around Britain on one of his great evangelistic campaigns.

Horatio and Anna planned to join Moody in late 1873. And so, the Spaffords traveled to New York in November, from where they were to catch the French steamer 'Ville de Havre' across the Atlantic. Yet just before they set sail, a last-minute business development forced Horatio to delay. Not wanting to ruin the family holiday, Spafford persuaded his family to go as planned. He would follow on later. With this decided, Anna and her four daughters sailed East to Europe while Spafford returned West to Chicago.

Just nine days later, Spafford received a telegram from his wife in Wales. It read: "Saved alone."

On November 2nd 1873, the 'Ville de Havre' had collided with 'The Lochearn', an English vessel. It sank in only 12 minutes, claiming the lives of 226 people. Anna Spafford had stood bravely on the deck, with her daughters Annie, Maggie, Bessie and Tanetta clinging desperately to her. Her last memory had been of her baby being torn violently from her arms by the force of the waters. Anna was only saved from the fate of her daughters by a plank which floated beneath her unconscious body and propped her up. When the survivors of the wreck had been rescued, Mrs. Spafford's first reaction was one of complete despair. Then she heard a voice speak to her, "You were spared for a purpose." And she immediately recalled the words of a friend, "It's easy to be grateful and good when you have so much, but take care that you are not a fair-weather friend to God."

Upon hearing the terrible news, Horatio Spafford boarded the next ship out of New York to join his bereaved wife. Bertha Spafford (the fifth daughter of Horatio and Anna born later) explained that during her father's voyage, the captain of the ship had called him to the bridge. "A careful reckoning has been made", he said, "and I believe we are now passing the place where the de Havre was wrecked. The water is three miles deep." Horatio then returned to his cabin and penned the lyrics of his great hymn.

The words which Spafford wrote that day come from 2 Kings 4:26. They echo the response of the Shunammite woman to the sudden death of her only child. Though we are told "her soul is vexed within her", she still maintains that 'It is well." And Spafford's song reveals a man whose trust in the Lord is as unwavering as hers was.

It would be very difficult for any of us to predict how we would react under circumstances similar to those experienced by the Spaffords. But we do know that the God who sustained them would also be with us.No matter what circumstances overtake us may we be able to say with Horatio Spafford...

When peace like a river, attendeth my way,
When sorrows like sea billows roll;
Whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to say,
It is well, it is well with my soul.

Though Satan should buffet,
though trials should come,
Let this blest assurance control,
That Christ hath regarded my helpless estate,
And hath shed His own blood for my soul!

It is well ... with my soul!
It is well,
it is well,
with my soul

Horatio fought a personal battle and gained a victory that we as generations that have followed have been able to enjoy the spoils of. One man's victory is a generations spoils. How different we might look at our own life if we could grasp that we pursue holiness & the Kingdom of God not for our sake alone, but that the generations to come would have gained ground on which they can then build.

At Youth Councils Stew talked about how instrumental this song had been in his Grandfather's salvation....2 generations later, Stew is leading us in worship with the very same words that captured his grandfather's heart for the kingdom.

May future generations stand on our victories and declare the goodness of God amidst the battle that rages.

kung fu baby

So I'm busy preparing for the weekend. I'm participating in a Leadership Jesus Way conference in Rotorua and I'm doing 3 sessions, Discipleship, Generational transfer and seed sowing. I'm really excited by the opportunity to be part of the team presenting and as I've been preparing what I wanted to share, my thoughts turned to PO....not just any big fat panda - THE big fat panda! I went to see Kung fu panda with some of the kids at church and we had a fantastic time....its a great movie. I came out of the theatre saying "that's a dvd purchase".

There are some great lines in the movie...

Tigress: It is said that the Dragon Warrior can go for months without eating, surviving on the dew of a single ginko leaf and the energy of the universe.

Po: Then I guess my body doesn't know I'm the Dragon Warrior yet. It's gonna take a lot more than dew, and, uh, universe juice.

Po: It is said that his enemies would go blind from over-exposure to pure awesomeness

Po: I just ate, so I'm still digesting, so my kung fu may not be as good as later on.

Po: There is no charge for awesomeness... or attractiveness.

The more I think about it, the more I think there are so many lessons we can draw from Po & the legend of the dragon warrior when we are thinking about the Kingdom of God.

The movie speaks of destiny, of identity, of pain and its use in training us, of the enemy held in chains but set free when we hand it to him, of the call within each of us to greatness, of the discipline required for the task that seems too big, of the importance of a coach/mentor, of the prophetic voice, and so much more.

I am so looking forward to seeing the movie again, of owning it on dvd and being able to use it to help others unlock the secrets of the kingdom.

So while I wait for it to be released on dvd I guess there's only one thing left to say....

skadoosh!

the battle has just begun

So I'm still basking in the goodness of God...and loving the sunny day here in Hamilton. It feels like the first totally fine day in months. In fact its so warm I was looking around work for the fan to cool the office down!!

I'm still reflecting on the weekend and all that took place. I'm praying hard for all of those who did business with God over the weekend. I don't know much about their personal circumstances, their family life, their social groupings etc etc. But I do know that in one sense the battle has just begun. Decisions were made, lives were changed, sin was repented of, addictions were broken and healing has begun......and now this is where the power of Romans 12:1 & 2 kicks in. This is where the process of no longer conforming to the pattern of the world, but instead renewing our minds is so key. Its the whole idea of sowing and reaping....we have sown certain 'crops' in our lives....and we've been reaping that crop. We make a decision that says I will now sow a different crop. There is a season where we will still reap some of the old crop, even though we are now sowing new seed. Even if we have now chosen to follow wholeheartedly after God, we may still find ourselves reaping some of the consequences of past seed sown.

Our thought life sows seeds into our hearts and spirits...the process of renewing our mind, taking every thought captive, is about checking out what seed we are going to allow to be sown in the garden of our mind...if it is a seed that would produce a crop you dont want to reap....then kick it out, dont let it be planted. Plant that which is good, and of God, and that will produce life.

Remember if you want carrots don't sow potatoes :)

SALVANIA II YOUTH COUNCILS

I'm sitting at home, waiting for the washing machine to finish, and thinking back on the last 48 hours or so. I had the awesome priviledge of speaking at Northern Division Youth Councils held in Auckland. What a phenominal weekend. Mat, Jules, Stew and the DYLT (divisional youth leadership team) rock! They put on a wickedly cool weekend with this amazing 'game'. I wouldnt be able to do it justice to try and describe it...but the simplest description would be...

There are 4 armies, each with a general. Each army has 5 battallions of troops and they have to try and take over the world, by taking over as many of the 20 countries scattered around the city as possible....talk about organised chaos!!!!

As great as the game was, the highlight for me was watching the youth of the division respond to God on Sat night and Sunday morning. The hunger for more of God, and the willingness to count the cost in order to be fully surrendered to God was moving to watch.

I had the priviledge of praying for numbers of youth as they laid themselves bare before God. They desired to hold nothing back from God, to let no sin entangle them or cause them to stop running the race.

I am incredibly humbled by what I experiencd this weekend and feel so blessed to have been a small part of what God did this weekend. God is good, he is compassionate and loving. All of heaven was rejoicing at what was taking place this weekend.

The challenge for us all now is NO RETREAT! We need to keep taking the ground for the kingdom of God. We can't allow sin to creep into the camp and we need to make sure that we are listening to the leading of the Holy Spirit - RENEW OUR MINDS & TAKE EVERY THOUGHT CAPTIVE......

I pray God will now take hold of all those who were present and 'ruin them' for the sake of his Kingdom.

Invisible Vision

As I've been preparing to speak at youth councils this weekend I've been praying that the invisible would be made visible...that heaven would invade earth....that people will see themselves not through their eyes, but as God sees them. So often stuff that we are dealing with can be made worse because of a vision problem. We either have a faulty 'lense' by which we view the world, or we get so lost in the midst of it all that we can't see beyond that moment to know that there is hope, there is freedom, there is a way through. For me this weekend, I want to have 'invisible vision'. I want to see what God is up to and make sure that I do everything I can to usher in the Kingdom of God. When I'm meeting people, I want to see them as Jesus sees them, I want to catch a glimpse of God's heart for them and to speak words of life into the circumstances.

I'm reminded of the passage in 2 Kings 6 where Elisha is with his servant and the servant panics because he wakes up in the morning to discover that the city is surrounded by enemy chariots and an army with horses. He's really scared, not knowing what to do.

Elisha the prophet of God tells him not to worry because "those who are with us are more than thosw who are with them" And then Elisha prayed "Lord open his eyes so he may see." And the servant saw that the hills were full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.

This weekend I am praying that God would open the eyes of the youth of the Northern Division to see the reality of the battle. That they would have invisible vision - that which is invisible becomes visible - and that they have an encounter with God's holy presence.

honoring those who paid the price

So last night I was having dinner with 'the family' (my spiritual dad & grand dad - although that makes him sound really old!) We got to talking about what it was like in the army years ago when they were training to be officers, what it was like pre-music teams and 'praise and worship'. It was hard for me to imagine the 'world' that they were describing. There are things that happen all the time today that I guess I take for granted. But last night listening to them talk I realised that there was a huge cost paid by individuals in order to bring about the changes and freedoms that I have always enjoyed. Can you believe that there was a time where 'songs of praise' wasn't allowed! There was a time that to use a 'songs of praise' book was what defined you as charismatic according to some. As I listened to Ivan and Malcolm share last night I felt quite overwhelmed at the sacrifice they and Glenda & Laurel (their spouses) and others made, the personal pain they must have felt along the way and their pursuit of God's goodness and presence.

I want to honor them today and say "thank you. On behalf of my generation, thank you. Thank you for carving a path, for beating back the undergrowth to make a path that we can freely walk down today. Thank you for the lead that you've passed on to us. I am determined to make the most of the lead that you have given me."

There was also a little part of me that saw that those years of struggle and adversity did something good in them. There was a refining that took place over those years that only comes by such experiences. There is a reward given to those who are willing to pay that kind of price. As I think about our current climate it is hard to imagine that there would ever be such a time again where within our own ranks opposition is great, the challenge is huge and the cost is great....but I hope and pray that if such a time exists in my lifetime, that I would do the family proud and stand the same way they stood. I pray that I might have the same courage and determination to press in to the things of God, even when the road seems very lonely and hard.

I salute you!

update - Manifest Presence

I have had an incredible week & weekend. I won't be able to fully express it all in one post so will perhaps just scratch the surface today. Monday last week I headed to Auckland to attend the Manifest Presence Conference at Harbourside Church. The guest speakers were Bill Johnson, Kris Vallotton (both from Bethel Church in Redding California) and Russell Evans of planetshakers fame.

For me it was a week of breakthrough and revelation. I was able to work through some stuff that had been tripping me up for years and have a greater revelation of Father God's love and goodness. I have a greater sense of destiny and purpose than ever before.

It was also great to be able to hang out with "the family", to pray for each other and hear what God was saying to us throughout the week.

I'm hoping to take some time over the coming weeks to blog about some of the things that impacted me and helped to bring revelation.

I just want to see Heaven on Earth and the gap between Jesus and me get smaller and smaller as I seek the Father's presence. God is good. His grace IS sufficient...sometimes its our perspective that needs a shift. Sometimes we just need to get over ourselves.