"From Eternity to Here" by Frank Viola

"Frank has hit the mark by unfolding to us the true foundations of faith-filled living. Father has always designed us for a relational journey of being rather than to doing. He did not create religion, but a people who would walk in His supernatural presence rather than lifeless doctrinal divisions. I recommend this book to anyone who wants to escape the systematic matrix of today, and live in the reality of Christ's glorious Kingdom."
Robert Ricciardelli, Visionary Advancement Strategies

OTHER BLOGS PARTICIPATING IN THE “FROM ETERNITY TO HERE” BLOG CIRCUIT

Today (June 9^th), the following blogs are discussing Frank Viola's new bestselling book “From Eternity to Here” (David C. Cook, 2009). The book just hit the May CBA Bestseller List. Some are posting Q & A with Frank; others are posting full reviews of the book. To read more reviews and order a copy at a 33% discount, go to Amazon.com: http://www.amazon.com/Eternity-Here-Rediscovering-Ageless-Purpose/dp/1434768708/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1233609867&sr=1-4

For more resources, such as downloadable audios, the free Discussion Guide, the Facebook Group page, etc. go to the official website: http://www.FromEternitytoHere.org

Enjoy the reviews and the Q and A:

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Out of Ur - http://blog.christianitytoday.com/outofur/archives/2009/05/viola.html

Shapevine - www.Shapevine.com (June newsletter)

Brian Eberly - http://www.brianeberly.com

DashHouse.com - http://www.DashHouse.com/

Greg Boyd - http://www.gregboyd.org/blog/

Vision Advance - http://vision2advance.blogspot.com/

David Flowers - http://ddflowers.wordpress.com

Kingdom Grace - http://kingdomgrace.wordpress.com

Captain's Blog - http://www.captainestes.blogspot.com/

Christine Sine - http://godspace.wordpress.com

Darin Hufford - The Free Believers Network - www.freebelievers.com

Zoecarnate - http://zoecarnate.wordpress.com

Church Planting Novice - www.churchplantingnovice.wordpress.com

Staying Focused - http://kimmartinezstayingfocused.wordpress.com/

Take Your Vitamin Z - www.takeyourvitaminz.blogspot.com

Jeff Goins - http://jeffgoins.myadventures.org

Bunny Trails - http://bunny-trails.blogspot.com

Matt Cleaver - http://mattcleaver.com

Jason T. Berggren - http://blog.jasonberggren.com/

Simple Church - http://www.simplechurchjournal.com/

Emerging from Montana - http://wordofmouthministries.blogspot.com/

Parable Life - http://www.theparablelife.blogspot.com

Oikos Australia - http://www.oikos.org.au/blog/

West Coast Witness - www.WestCoastWitness.com

Keith Giles - http://www.Keith.Giles.com

Consuming Worship -- http://www.consumingworship.org

Tasha Via - www.tashavia.blogspot.com

Andrew Courtright - www.andrewcourtright.blogspot.com

ShowMeTheMooneys! - http://www.showmethemooneys.com/

Leaving Salem, Blog of Ronnie McBrayer - http://leavingsalem.wordpress.com/

Jason Coker - pastoralia.missionaltribe.org

From Knowledge to Wisdom - http://isthistheway.typepad.com/

Home Brewed Christianity - http://www.homebrewedchristianity.com

Dispossessed - http://kblog.kevinjbowman.com

Dandelion Seeds - http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/Dandelionseeds

David Brodsky's Blog- "Flip the tape Deck" - http://flipthetapedeck.blogspot.com/

Chaordic Journey - http://jeffrhodes.wordpress.com

Renee Martin - http://www.reneemartinmusic.com/profiles/blog/list

Bob Kuhn - http://organicchurchnola.wordpress.com/

Living with Freaks: www.livingwithfreaks.com

Real Worship - http://therealworshipleader.com

Fervent Worship - http://ferventworship.blogspot.com

Julie Ferwerda Blog - www.JulieFerwerda.com / www.OneMillionArrows.com

What's With Christina?! - http://w2christina.blogspot.com

Irreligious Canuck - http://www.irreligiouscanuck.com

This day on the journey - http://guychmieleski.blogspot.com

Live and Move: Thoughts on Authentic Christianity - http://liveandmove.blogspot.com/

Spiritual Journey With God - http://www.elvineve.blogspot.com/

Dries Conje - http://www.echurch.co.za / http://www.thejesusfeed.com / http://www.bookdisciple.com.

Journey with Others - http://journeywithothers.blogspot.com

On Now to the Third Level - www.080808onnowto.blogspot.com

Christine Moers - www.welcometomybrain.net

Breaking Point - http://marybethstockdale.wordpress.com

Hand to the Plough - http://www.handtotheplough.com.au

Jon Reid - http://jonreid.blogs.com/oneanother/welcome-pilgrim.html

Weblight - www.blog.worldwidewebservices.se

D. L. Webster - http://gzmproductions.com/dlwebster

Searching for the Whole-Hearted Life - wholeheartedlife.blogspot.com

Presence Powered Through Obedience by Robert Ricciardelli

Presence Powered Through Obedience

By Robert Ricciardelli www.vision2advance.com

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If you love me, you will keep my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. John 14:15-16 (ESV)

Jesus, gave His life to give us life; a power filled life for today to accomplish His will for our journey. A Spirit led life is what we all desire, and when we obey His leading, amazing things happen. In fact the greatest worship we can give to the Father is living obedient lives that please Him. I love that thought of praising Him with obedience. Maybe partially because I just do not sing all that well. (smile)

The Bible says that God inhabits the praises of His people (Psalms 22:3). So in a life of worship to Him by obediently pursuing Him and His Kingdom, God brings habitation of Himself. In other words, we can expect atmospheres to be altered as we obediently live and move and have our being in Him.

Obedience then becomes the vehicle of faith which brings us into the presence and power of God!

Living as Kingdom dwellers is not a time of waiting for heaven, but it is a time of participating with heaven, and being conduits of His presence on earth as it is in heaven. We all have experienced His presence and hopefully we are witnessing this in every context of life, and seeing atoshphere and lives changed in every jurisdiction in life

Since we live in the Kingdom of God reality, we live in the reality of a King who rules everything... The King commands, and then we obey. He is filled with joy when His kids pay attention and listen to Him, and He responds by engulfing them with His presence.

John 8:27-29 They still didn't get it, didn't realize that he was referring to the Father. So Jesus tried again. "When you raise up the Son of Man, then you will know who I am—that I'm not making this up, but speaking only what the Father taught me. The One who sent me stays with me. He doesn't abandon me. He sees how much joy I take in pleasing him."

Wow, He will not abandon you ever as He guides you along your journey in life and because He is in you, you can expect miracles to show up all around you.

Jesus demonstrated how that worked while he was on earth. He came to earth in obedience to the Father. He spoke what the Father told Him, and did what the Father showed Him. He even declared and spoke a word that was made manifest regardless of space, time, or matter.

Remember the centurion who had a sick son and wanted Jesus to heal him? The centurion knew that Jesus did not have to come to his residence, but by His word, the atmosphere would change at home and God's presence would heal his son who was miles away. Somehow he recognized that Jesus had authority over everything and including the 4th dimension. Christ and His Kingdom reality changes any 3rd dimensional situation to the glory of God. Jesus only had to give the command--which he did. So as we obediently declare His works upon the earth, transformation takes place.

What if God's people did everything as an act of obedience to their Father? We could be confident of his accompanying presence and power in every moment and in every situation. He will not send His servants, (all of us), without supplying all the needed resources to accomplish the task. If we live obediently in His Kingdom reality we would never fear failure, and we would have no excuses for not going and doing as He requests. We would just go and expect God to supply everything practical, and everything supernatural, to accomplish His will.

No matter what you are going through, no matter what you have been through, nothing has caught God by surprise, and He will move on your behalf as you follow His commands. Obedience leads to seeing God intervene on behalf of his servants, and His presence is all that we need for His divine intervention.

He has given us the earth to steward on His behalf. He desires us to love and bring His heavenly presence to the multitudes, and teach them to do likewise in His name. We have been commissioned by Almighty God to be His representatives on this planet of His goodness. We are called to do this every moment, and in every day life. There are no time outs in serving the King, because it applies to all of life. So when you are working, playing, vacationing, reading, relating, etc. You are doing all to the glory of God, and will see His glory, power, and presence transform the world around you.

When Revelation Becomes Your Reality by Robert Ricciardelli

I remember a song from way back titled, "What You See, Is What You Get"! Much of the world lives in that reality, and has little hope beyond it. That type of reality does not demand any faith to see beyond current day happenings, and that reality is not what the Father has in mind for His family. With all that is going on around us, we are continuing to hear the fears of many, because of all the challenges they are witnessing, and experiencing. There are many things going on in the natural to discourage us, including, economic challenges, morality challenges, and for many American Christians, the continued erosion of a once biblical principled government.

When we see with the natural eyes upon these things, it really can breed fear, hopelessness, and even despair. My encouragement for those who are in the family of faith, and who are going through these challenges, Father is with you, and this has not caught Him by surprise. If you have been given a vision or dream from the Lord, it will be accomplished. Though it be delayed, continue to hold on to that promise. If you are bombarded by darkness, the light will come, and in the mean time remember that His light is within you, and He will never leave nor forsake you.

We must not rely on what we see, or even on what we may be able to do. We must rely on what the Father is seeing and what the Father will do. We are created in His image and because He is a creator, we are very good at creating. The difference is that Father designed us to be co-creators with Him. He wants to be acknowledged as partner in all of our lives and in the things He has planned for us.

This is a good season, a necessary season for all of us. He is causing some of the shaking, but is allowing all of the shaking for the good of all. Those who do not know Him, cannot rely on government as their Savior. For those who do know Him, he is stripping away all false foundations and bringing us to the only Sure Foundation, Himself.

Abraham had a promise from God and there were many years of waiting for God's timing before the promise was fulfilled. Abraham tried to manufacture his own way to fulfill the promise and it was not God's best. God's best is for us to be His people of faith on the earth. God's best is for us to believe Him, and His promises, no matter what we see around us, and how long we have waited.

We are all being disciplined, discipled into the reality of God. It is not fun, but it is what He is doing, and when we can understand the disciplines of God, and the rules of engagement in His glorious Kingdom, it is well and very well within our soul. There are challenges, and there is an enemy that makes things more challenging, but we who are of the faith shall not be moved by anyone, or anything, if we remain in Him, and hear His voice during this season.

We must live daily with the revelation of Father who loves, and who knows what is best for our journey. Our journey and our calling is not alike, so do not look at one person who may seem to prosper and wonder why it is not happening to you. You will not be moving objectively, if you are subjectively trying to figure out what God may or may not be doing in others. Rejoice in those who God may be bringing into a season of harvest, and also rejoice when He is weeding your garden.

I am not one who listens much to "blanket Prophecies" for the worldwide church. When I hear that this is a season of abundance for all of God's people, I cringe, because He is a personal God, and knows what is best, and the timing of what is best, for every individual. He would not be a good Father to give to one who has not learned to steward, and there are many other reasons for what God may do. His ways are so above ours, and why are we so consumed with figuring Him out, more than we are in obediently pursuing His will for our own lives?

We are looking for abundance in wealth and He may want us to be abounding in His joy. If our pursuit is wealth, joy will be hard to find. We may want abundance of fame and popularity, and yet He wants us to be abundant in humility. So if we pursue popularity and fame, humility will be far from us. The sadness of this last truth is seeing much in American branded Christianity, which now you can see in many nations, who looked to our leaders as examples. So the shaking continues until Father brings His alignment to us, so that through us, we can bring real hope to the world.

What is the revelation we need to become our reality to live by? Maybe we need to live as if everything we do daily is part of eternity, because it is. Father will show you if you seek Him and His Kingdom, but there are a few questions we must continue to ask ourselves. Here are a few of those questions followed by some potential answers, but the Lord will show you what He desires for you, if you seek Him through Jesus Christ our Lord...

Whose Are We? (Hint, we are not our own!)
Who Are We? (God's Kings and Priests, His children?)
What Are We Doing? (His will, or our own?)
Who Are We Pleasing? (God or man?)
What Will We Do? (Change and become more like Him, or remain unmoved?)

Now is a good time to live in His revelation, until it becomes our reality for daily living.

It's about Who You Are more than Where You Meet

It's about Who You Are more than Where You Meet

By Robert Ricciardelli www.vision2advance.com

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All of you who have known us through the years know how much we value relationships. We encourage everyone to pursue relationship with the Father and each other in ever increasing ways. Loving God with all that we are, and loving each other as the Body of Christ regardless of Race, Creed, or Expression. We have friends in many streams who love God, and follow after Him with their lives and yet are very different in how they may express their faith. We know some who meet regularly in a church building and we know some that gather in homes, some who meet in coffee shops and some meeting each week to honor God in a business environment.

We see people walking uprightly before God and man in all of these gatherings and actually the most healthy ones we have observed relationally meet in a variety of places regularly. We see conversation, ministry, prayer, healing,, and transformation take place as the Spirit of the Lord is concerned about the hearts of His people. Father is concerned about people more than He is about a building or structure. He uses structure at times to create context and a conducive environment for His will to be accomplished

We can have all kinds of reasons as to why our expression and methods are the best, and we can create every reason and find ever scripture to prove it. The bottom line is, God is much bigger than our pradigms, and He uses many things that do not fit within them. Jesus was a rebel to the established religious community of His day. The Disciples were radical in their ability to bring in the New Covenant in the midst of the old. The truth is, we all need to open up a bit more, without compromising plumb-line biblical truth of love, honoring God, each other, and in bringing the Gospel of His glorious Kingdom to the earth.

In years past, there seemed to be a wide gap between Catholics, protestants, house church, and approximately 36,000 Christian denominations .The gap seems to be closing as His Spirit is being poured out and the Lord is converging His people unto Himself and one another. Those hearing His voice cannot remain exclusive any longer, and are becoming more inclusive in relating to others and their differences. We must hold true to Fathers foundations while accepting those who have a worldview that may be just a bit different than ours.

Regardless of structure or preference, there are those who are walking obediently and humbly before God and man, and there are those that are not. There are those who have moved on to new expressions because they may have been hurt by a previous system. Anyone operating from hurt rather than from a progressively whole position need healing and need to move from bitterness to forgiveness of those who may have caused pain. Regardless of the reasons why people choose the community of faith that they do, we must try and work with those we can, and accept one another as family in order to fulfill the Lord's prayer in John 17 of being one in Him.

Last year I was part of the annual House Church Conference. It was a wonderful experience and yet Joyce and I were asked by some if we were house church people. I shared with them that we were not house church people, but that we were obedient to gather as the Lord led which meant, sometimes in homes, businesses, or coffee shops, and sometimes in dedicated buildings. The answer I usually give is this, "I am a Kingdom of God person that includes everyone who is pursuing Christ and His Kingdom, regardless of how they may be led to do so". Through relational and organizational community, we can bring accountability to one another that challenges us to live God honoring lives.

Tony and Felicity Dale, the Founders of House 2 House Ministries are friends of ours, and we will be involved once again at the annual conference on Labor Day weekend in Dallas. We will be facilitating the Marketplace portion of the conference. I was very excited to hear from Tony that this year includes some main stream church organizations and leaders. This was such a thrill to hear this and see how God's people are coming together to find dialogue, and ways to connect with each other while building community. As our friend Bob Mumford says, "It is not about the system or structure, but about His people moving in His Agape ways while moving towards the center, which is Christ, and the Kingdom of God".

There are many in every expression of Christianity trying to find ways to connect with each other and those around them towards Agape life-giving relationships. For those of you who would like to experience this unique opportunity of smaller relational gatherings within a larger faith community, this is one conference to consider. There will be several workshops that are heavy in the participation and dialogue of all those attending. I will keep you posted on these workshops as well as the marketplace sessions that I will facilitate. There is an early bird special rate until June 8th and here is the link with the information needed.

http://www.regonline.com/builder/site/Default.aspx?eventid=721026

Everything Is Spiritual Because God Made Everything by Robert Ricciardelli

Everything Is Spiritual Because God Made Everything

By Robert Ricciardelli www.vision2advance.com

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Everything is Spiritual because God made everything. Everything has it's origins from God. Computers originate from God through His creation. Even things had began with good intentions because they were God's intentions, all originate from Almighty Creator of ALL Things. The devil himself originates from God. You cannot escape God as He "is", always, He "is" everywhere, and He "is" at all times. He is in this galaxy and He is in all the billions of galaxies. Truly all things are spiritual regardless of space, time, and matter.

If you are a banker, it is spiritual because you are His in the day to day context of banking. If you run a business, Father is the Senior Partner of your very existence and therefore is the Senior Partner of your business. Are you asking Senior Partner for ways of bringing Him glory, and expanding His Kingdom family upon the earth? Whether it is music, or art, or whatever Father has called you to do and to be in everyday life, are you bringing Him glory? He is yours, you are His, and He cares about the whole of our lives. He desires that we acknowledge Him in all of our ways.

Thus everything is spiritual because the Lord made everything, and the Cosmic Christ wants to redeem everything back to the Father. Although full restoration will not come until Christ returns in the fullness of His glory, it is our calling to obediently bring restoration and Kingdomized influence to every sphere of life. And we do this "along the way" of every day living, understanding that His transformational presence is in us, and goes with us into every moment and every context of living.

This is a very tumultuous season we are in but we can confidently live, and move, and have our being, knowing we are loved. We are in fact His ambassadors and have a divine mandate of carrying His Agape love to the world. As we trust Him more and give over our fears, frailties, and imperfect ways to Him, He sets our path straight, and His glory is revealed through us to the world around us. Does fear or doubt come? Of course fears and doubts come; but we must remember that our life is in His hands, and that we have all the promises of His Word to stand on, not for just the future, but for today, and for every situation in life. Because we are His, we live to hear His voice and respond to Him as He navigates our steps for His will and purposes. He gives us the strength to overcome, as we disengage further from sin and other hindrances that can keep us from His best, and from His glory.

We must rid ourselves of the ancient mindsets of dualism that bring a false division of what we call sacred and secular. The worldview that limits the influence of God in all things is th primary reason the church has not been relevant to a creation that is eagerly awaiting the manifestation of God through His sons an daughters. It has kept God's people from the realization of a Kingdom coming upon the earth as it is in heaven. What gospel is on our lips? What gospel are we living?

Worldliness is seeing anything in life from a purely materialistic perspective - When we see the natural through natural eyes and not by His Spirit we can see why even believers have not been able to participate in bringing hope and transformational reality to others. Our worldview must be redeemed and enlightened by His Word to truly see what He sees, and to move as one with Him, and for His purposes. Father may your Kingdom come, and your will be done on earth as it is in heaven, through your people, and in every aspect of their lives, their motives, and their interaction with you and with the people you call them to serve.

Almighty and Kids! by Robert Ricciardelli

Almighty and Kids!

By Robert Ricciardelli www.vision2advance.com

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God’s intended purpose for each of His creation was to birth an extension of Himself. A family, with a family business in mind, called “Almighty and Kids”. Can you imagine? From eternity past until now, God’s desire was to have a family called to Himself. So let’s break it down a bit and look at some of Fathers design for all of us who were created in His image.

• Father the Creator - Look all around and you will see a world full of creation by not only the Father, but by His children. A child of the living God created this computer I am using right now. Regardless of redeemed or not, we are not talking eternal family, that can only be accessed by Christ, we are talking about the Lord creating a wonderful family of creators in mankind, operating in the Fathers image to create…

• Father the Lover – Agape love in perfection, no agenda but love, and extending it to each of us. Look at creation, even in animals, and the nurturing that takes place in the animal kingdom. I remember when my sons were born, and how I would do anything for them. For my wife, my partner, the love is birthed in God and we can see glimpses of this love nature in most every nation and culture.

• Father the Redeemer – Forgiveness is a quality that comes from God. When we forgive, we operate in his nature, when we do not forgive; we operate against Him, His Kingdom family, and His design for humanity. This is an awesome quality and a necessity for those who want to be Kingdom of God dwellers with full inheritance rights. Of course Jesus, Big Brother to all creation, allowed us to have full rights and become full inheritance citizens in Fathers eternal Kingdom.

• Father the Giver – Father has given to His creation from the very beginning and called it good. What a wonderful world filled with amazing things the Lord has given us. It will be in His children’s nature to be givers, and once again, when we operate in greed, or horde for self, we oppose His nature.

• Father the “Do Gooder” – God is always operating in the nature of doing good to the world. Prior to His ultimate “Do Good” in Christ Jesus, He gave us principles, and eternal ways of family living so that we could in turn “do good” to those around us, protect the innocent, and allow His justice to flourish upon the earth. Healing and many other resources are the children’s bread and sustain us towards eternity.

These are but a few of Father’s qualities that he predestined us to live by. What religion does sometimes is allow us to narrowly focus on segments of life rather than the whole of life. Father desires that we be wholly His, everyday, every moment, and in every aspect of living. Religion often gets in the way of seeing His eternal truths for all of life.

In other words, how are we being like Father in our work? How are being like Father to our wives? Our children? Our neighbor?

Jesus said the world would recognize the Father’s family by our love for one another? Has our love waxed cold? Have we become so consumed with self that we have no tolerance, and even better than tolerance, real acceptance and love for one another?

We are all wired differently. Can we appreciate our differences, and see strength in our differences as part of the whole of “Almighty and Kids”? I have sought to do this, and failed many times, but continue to try and operate in Fathers love to all people. I ask the Father to continuously change me on the inside to be more like Him. I am maturing, so they say? Who are they that say so? Those who knew me when………….

Those who knew you when, can be very objective in seeing who you are becoming.

We must focus on God’s eternal intentions for us in the NOW.. Yes there was a fall, but before the fall there was a wonderful Creator creating a family to Himself. Part of the trap of self- centeredness is we are blinded to God’s perfect plan before, and His perfect plan now and for all eternity. Almighty and Kids bringing heavenly qualities upon the earth, to please the Father. The goal is to be Father pleasers through the transformational power of His Son to bring the lost of creation back to the loving arms of the Father.

Lord we want to become more like you, your nature, your ways, and we want to start today.

Getting Back to His Original Intent by Robert Ricciardelli

We are a peculiar people. It is amazing the watch the creativity of our God represented in the lives of His creation. We are all so different and yet each of us have been created by His design, and with His intentions in mind. When God created the heavens and the earth, and His most coveted creation, man, He called it good. What God calls good, is very good, so what happened?

As we look back at the goodness of God and His original intent, we can see a God who desired to create a people in His image, His likeness, and His nature. Father’s plan has always been to establish His Kingdom upon the earth, stewarded by a people who would manifest the goodness and truth of His intentions. We all know the story from Genesis where His plans became delayed. We chose our own way and rejected his original intent, and plans for mankind. The good news of eternal God is that His plans will come to pass with or without us, and thankfully He loved us to make a way for us to participate in the fulfillment of His plans.

As we seek to navigate through the times we are in, it is so important for God's people to engage like never before into the divine nature of Father. His ways are so pure and so clear that it shakes every foundation that gets in the way. Father’s divine qualities test the intentions of every heart, and bring standards to the daily choices of every life regardless of whether they are conscious of His inescapable presence. As we discover through the Word of God the supreme qualities of God's divine nature, we see a God who is absolute truth, and absolute love, absolutely.

What I have noticed as I look at my own life and the lives of those around me, I notice that we are all over the board in what we call truth and in what we call love, and yet many times we feel we are absolutely justified in what we have defined as truth and love.

The mind justifies what the heart has chosen

Father desires for us to become a people called to Himself, and are to become reflections, representations, and co-creators to His divine will and nature on this earth. By the grace of God and His immeasurable love through Christ, He has paved the way for mankind to willingly choose to come back to the reality of His original design for us.

The challenges for those who have chosen to follow the Christ, who is the fullness of God's love embodied, is that as co-creators, we often create realities that fall short, and at times, in direct opposition to His divine nature and power to manifest His Kingdom reality upon the earth. In other words, we create a reality that is not often God's reality and yet call it God.

In our humanity and often with the best intentions we will utilize logic, religion, and the manipulation of Scripture to package and control our own reality. When we become aware of these tendencies, we begin to see this all around us in what we call, Christianity. We must begin to disseminate between the reality we have created, with the reality of Father's original intent and desire for us. It certainly is not easy, as we have become pretty good at creating the life we want and having our mind justify it by our religion and worldview. We often miss the Fathers worldview and plan directed by Him, and for Him, and with only His will in mind.

Even though we have found "The Way" we are often not living "His Way", because we have created "Our own Way", and put His name on it.

The best way to see if we have exchanged God's purposes for our own is to recognize what we are getting out of it. What is our motivation? Is He being glorified in our choices, actions, and modality of life? Is His love being expressed, or is it only our perceptions of what love and truth is?

The best assurance of living as Christ to the world is to live every moment consciously in His presence. To live in His presence more fully is to die to ourselves by exchanging our life for His Agape life. We must pursue Him with all that we are to partake of His divine nature, and get back to living in His divine intentions. As we do, we become co-creators with Him so that His Kingdom comes to the earth in powerfully relevant ways all around us. As His presence captures our own hearts for Him, and for others, we will begin to see the supernatural release of His glory.

As we pray for the Spirit of wisdom and revelation to overtake us, we will come to know the exceeding greatness of God’s power and intention for us, according to the working of His mighty power through Christ Jesus our Lord. We must believe that the mighty power of Christ is ever present and working through us. We must yield to His will by faith and allow Him to draw us into His life on earth as it is in heaven as He transforms the environments He leads us into. As we believe and walk in His reality and trust Him for all things, HE Himself will make it our experience and His reality.

Beyond the limit of words and images that Scripture gives; they are meant by God to become actual realities for our daily life and walk. God has given us such favor through Jesus so that we begin to live a reality of life beyond human reasoning, and a supernatural life empowered by Almighty God. His power begins to transform our minds and false realities so that the subjective realm turns into the objective resources of God. Our life matters little because His life has consumed us. Our cares dissipate because His cares become ours. Father, I pray that we all can get back to your plumb-line truth, which is expressed so majestically by your love for all creation, and your willingness for us to be catalysts of your intentions to the world for your glory.

Soar On His Wings by Robert Ricciardelli

God has a purpose for Christian men and women! This is no surprise to those of us who have made the choice to love God with all of our heart soul and mind, and love our neighbors and all of those the Lord brings our way abundantly. These two pillars of our faith are the foundation for everything we do in life. First things first, love God, for it is out of the abundance of our love and relationship with Him that makes loving others even possible. Mercy and grace flow out of our lives of service to the King and His Kingdom. If we truly love Him, we will truly obey Him and submit ourselves, our lives, our resources to the guidance of His precious Holy Spirit within us.

The revelation of His priorities is vital because truly every part of our being is His. Every moment, every day, every victory, every trial, every abundant season and every season of lack is His, for it is He that is our very breath and the sustenance in all things. To be Father pleasers we must have a listening ear, a giving spirit, and a desire to do good to others which will agree with the Spirit and the Word. As we live the exchanged life of service to Him, our agreement allows His presence to flow and impart freedom to others. As ambassadors for Christ we are reflections and channels of God’s love for all people.

If we are His people called by His name, we will live our lives fully in Him and works of God will be manifested. And it is truly work, a conscious choice to forsake self in order to fulfill His purposes for our lives. But there is a kingdom dynamic we must know.....we must rely on The Lord Himself working through us, and not to work in our own strength. Jesus said in John 5:19 that He Himself could do nothing of His own accord... We therefore should know that we are powerless except for the choice to receive His power in and through our lives.

Isaiah 40:29-31 reflects an awareness of this truth.

29 He gives power to the weak,
And to those who have no might He increases strength.
30 Even the youths shall faint and be weary,
And the young men shall utterly fall,
31 But those who wait on the LORD
Shall renew their strength;
They shall mount up with wings like eagles,
They shall run and not be weary,
They shall walk and not faint.

Following are some principles from this passage that are worth considering.

First, God does not expect you to do by yourself what only He can do by working through you. The Lord gives the energy, power, and tools you need to do your God-given tasks. Second, even the young and energetic will become exhausted if they try to serve God in their own strength rather than in His power. Third, through all the difficulties of life, God renews the energy of the faithful. He grants men and women of faith new strength so that they can fulfill their call to service.

God loves you! He loved us before we loved Him. The is good news of faith in the King is that we now become sons of the Almighty God, and can operate as His sons. Father can now use imperfect people like us to do great things for Him. HE will fulfill all in us for His glory and purposes. In those moments when we fail, become weary, or feel discouraged, God will give us the strength to continue to the end.

Father bless my brothers and sisters around the world. Strengthen your servants that are in the trenches of this world doing battle for your kingdom. Father, advance your kingdom mightily through each of us. Mold us into the image of your son, so that every motive and intent is pure in the love of God. Give us God power to replace our power, Give us your will to replace our own will and give us your burden for the lost. Renew the vision in your people to know there is no greater revelation then the cross and resurrection of your son and the power of the gospel to bring in your harvest in Jesus name!

Who Got Left Behind? by Robert Ricciardelli

This sure is an interesting season... No doubt people are scrambling to make sure they are not "Left Behind". Not sure where you are in your eschatology, but we can certainly presuppose that the famous books and movie series are highly fictional. So where does that leave us? Behind for sure, but not left behind. Father certainly has not left us behind, but in many ways we have left Him behind. Besides all the normal trends in societal degradation of biblical standards, there sure is a lot of frightened believers.

Jesus said He would build His church and it was to be a people that the gates of hell would not prevail against... Seems like at times the hosts of hell are giving us a whooping. Well it is time for God's people to put out an all out assault on the enemies of God and especially the biggest enemy at times, ourselves. Where is our overcoming faith? Where is the true identity of the believers that will stand in Him, regardless of their circumstances?

Well I am asking the Lord to put an all points bulletin out on me. That He would capture me more, and use whatever it takes to do so. We play a huge part in all of this, and we all must reckon with the fact that the Father desires us to be baptized completely through death to self, and allowing Him to rise us up for His purposes and glory. To live an exchanged life, our life for His, where there is no other way, and no retreat from His best.

This is not the end of the story, the Word of God has clearly pointed to a new creation through Christ Jesus. A creation of "Agape Life Carriers" to the world. And it time for us to mount up in His strength, and begin to be carriers of faith instead of fear, and concern for Him and others instead of self. We will overcome worldly cares bey passionately pursuing the Father and His Kingdom. To live is Christ and to death is gain, in whom shall we fear?

There is a new heaven and a new earth that the Lord has waiting for us. The new heaven and the new earth can wait, but the world needs us now. Let's set our sites on the beginning and the end of our faith, Jesus Christ our Lord and begin to realize transformation in our own hearts, and then extending it to others. This is an awesome season to be alive in Christ, with so many opportunities to serve and just do good to others.

With our ways "left behind" we can now live for Him and His ways. Lord may we all live with your intentions for us and for your Kingdom to come upon this earth as it is in heaven.

Love Crucified Arose by Robert Ricciardelli

Love Crucified Arose!
By Robert Ricciardelli www.vision2advance.com

Long ago He blessed the earth, born older than the years,
And in the stall a cross He saw, through the first of many tears.
A life of homeless wandering cast out in sorrow's way,
The Shepherd seeking for the lost, His life, the price He paid

Love crucified, arose, the Risen One in splendor
Jehovah soul Defender, has won the victory
Love crucified, arose, and the grave became a place of hope
For the heart that sin and sorrow broke, is beating once again
(Love Crucified Arose- Michael Card)

Are we living daily in the reality of Christ’s sacrifice, and the power of His resurrection? So great a love was given to us, and all we needed to do was respond to Him. Out of this Great Love, He is beckoning to love Him, love others, and be His Christ carriers to the world. We have received His resurrection power and are commissioned by Almighty Father to carry out His redemption plan for the world.

Father’s love is beyond human description. His love is not expressed because of what is in us, or by anything we could ever do. His love encompasses who He is is, and extends to us by the nature of who He is. He loves us because of the fact that He is love. He sent His son to die for the unlovely, and the undeserved. How can we describe such wondrous love?

Exodus 34:5-7 gives a great picture of the nature of God.

Now the LORD descended in the cloud and stood with him there, and proclaimed the name of the LORD. And the LORD passed before him and proclaimed, "The LORD, the LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abounding in goodness and truth, keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, by no means clearing the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children and the children's children to the third and the fourth generation."

Let’s take a look at the nature of the Father in this passage:

¬ Merciful and gracious: Merciful could be translated, "full of compassion." In five of the 13 times it is used, this word is translated full of compassion in the NKJV. This is the first place in the Bible where this Hebrew word rachuwm is used.

¬ The same word was also used regarding Israel and the Exodus in Psalms 78:38: But He, being full of compassion, forgave their iniquity, and did not destroy them. Yes, many a time He turned His anger away, and did not stir up all His wrath. This is compassion in action.

¬ The word translated gracious comes from the idea "to bend or stoop in kindness to an inferior; to favor, or to bestow." It is grace, giving to the undeserving.

¬ Grace is still the greatest word I know in representing the undeserved, and free gift of the Love of God."

¬ Longsuffering, and abounding in goodness and truth: The idea behind the word longsuffering means that God is slow to anger. He doesn't have a short fuse and is patient with us.

¬ We all know what it is like to deal with people who have a short fuse - the slightest offense, the slightest perceived wrong, and they are up in arms about it. God isn't like that. He is longsuffering.

¬ Not merely adequate, but abounding is this great God of glory. He has barns and silos full of love and faithfulness; he is stacking it in the streets looking for a distribution system." (Erwin)

¬ Keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin: God's goodness is shown concretely towards us in His forgiving character.

¬ Iniquity and transgression and sin are all mentioned so no one would think there was some type of sin , or sin nature, God was unable to forgive.

¬ This revelation of the character of God to Moses forever puts away the idea there is a "bad" God of the Old Testament, and a "good" God of the New Testament. God's character of love and mercy and grace is just as present in the Old Testament as in the New Testament.

¬ Psalm 86:15 repeats this exact same revelation of God: But You, O Lord, are a God full of compassion, and gracious, longsuffering and abundant in mercy and truth.

¬ His loving, gracious, and giving character do not "cancel out" His righteousness. Nations and generations have paid the price for rejecting His Goodness and His Governement. Because of the work of Jesus, the righteousness of God is satisfied and the grace and mercy of God are righteously given.

As we continue on this path towards bringing His Kingdom, His love, and His influence and nature to the world, we not only have the Word of God to give us the standards of His ways, but we now have His Spirit within us to empower us walk in His Divine standards. We now are carriers of His presence wherever we go, and in every context of life. We must take the high road, His Agape road to get there.

Bob Mumford has written a great book that Joyce and I highly recommend called “Agape Road”, that disseminates the differences between the foundations of Eros, or self-love, and His Agape love that is pure agenda-less love. Will we choose His life, and His Agape Road? Will we choose to exchange our life for His? Can we diminish thoughts of self, while being consumed with loving thoughts for Him and for others? In the power of His presence within us, and His love that desires to extend from us, we can make a difference to the glory of God.

Love crucified arose, may be arise each day, empowered for every good work as "Father pleasers".

"The joyful news that He is risen does not change the contemporary world. Still before us lie work, discipline, sacrifice. But His resurrection gives us the spiritual power to do the work, accept the discipline, and make the sacrifice." – Henry Knox Sherrill.

"Hearers" Can Change the World! by Robert Ricciardelli

"The world is dying for want, not of good preaching, but of good hearing.”
(George Dana Boardman)

It is time that Gods people begin to take the initiative in seeking the Lord like never before. Going to church on Sunday and yet not living as the church on Monday has given us a powerless message to society. We have an identity crisis in the fact that we have created a place for ministry instead of a people mobilized for the work of the ministry. We are a nation of kings and priests, filled with the Spirit of the Living God, and supposed to be a church in which the gates of hell has no chance in hell to defeat.

As the Body of Christ continues to go through a global transition, it is increasingly evident that much of what might have worked in the past, right or wrong, will not work going forward. The times of leading with fear, control, and manipulative tactics to capture the lost, and lead the gullible is over. It has had its day, and the results are in, it simply has not been effective in impacting society around us. Organizational agenda’s can serve the system so well that it leaves little ability to serve the needs of the people inside or outside the system, beginning with authentic relationships.

Ears to Hear!

Are we hearing the Lord’s voice for our own lives, or have we become accustomed to listening to the voices of others in how we live, move, and have our being? Teaching others to hear the Lord's voice for themselves is often a threat to some systems and its leaders. Letting God speak His directives to His people can sometimes threaten others agendas. If leaders are not being discipled by Jesus, and His Kingdom principles, then how are they able to teach, disciple, and lead others to Him? By not being disciples themselves of His Eternal Kingdom, then to where and to what are others being led? Religion? Agenda filled organizations? Another movement or trend?

God’s people can begin to bring God’s presence to others when Christ is leading them daily in their personal lives. He will direct them to faith communities that will allow them to grow in the areas of "one anothering". We all must attain another level of obedience in pursuing His Kingdom standards because we understand that His life matters most. As we live the exchanged life, we can trust the Father for all things, and to work out all things according to His plan.

All that we would seek to accomplish must be done because we are hearing His voice. His destiny for us can only be fulfilled because we have the revelation and vision of His plans and purposes. This does not mean we may know the forseeable future, but that we are obediently moving towards our future as Fathers children who desire to please Him above all things.

Where do we start?

We must get a hold of the fundamentals or foundations of our faith, starting with, God is love. It is not all about trying to sin less and become better. Conscientious living of the moral majority standards is not the answer. The law proved to the world long ago that the answer is not in following the do’s and the don’ts of the law, as interpreted by the "Whose Who" of our faith communities.

Morality can only change because His loving presence has overwhelmed us to the degree that sin nature that was once prominent, continues to lose its steam because our former lives have been exchanged for His agape life. The answer is a Person, the answer is the Lord Himself, and not anything we can do.

When we choose Jesus, it means we do not choose us before Him any longer. It means we have relationships that are not birthed by agendas, but by His love and by truly caring for each other. It means we choose His ways and no longer our ways. It is a constant battle, no doubt, and one that needs intimacy with a most glorious Father and Savior. And the methods of our journey can no longer be carnal, but strategically supernatural because He lives and moves us towards His best daily, as we submit to His directives in every sphere of life…

And so we seek Him, we listen, and learning Him, we become empowered to bring His transformational Spirit into every environment and rejoice in all He will do through our lives. Gods "Hearers" can truly change the world.

Beware of Grammatolatry by Robert Ricciardelli

"Again, let us beware of interpreting these commands rabbinically, that is, in chief concern for the letter, to the missing of the Spirit. The cheek, the coat, the mile, the borrowing---- these are but the costume. Look within the costume for the body, or rather within the body for the Spirit. Having mastered the words as words, let us throw away our lexicons and grammars. For the letter, if alone kills; it is the Spirit within the letter which alone gives life.”

(George Dana Boardman- The Kingdom -1899)

Grammatolatry: Idolatry of the letter that gets in the way of Spirit led life… hmmm?

Have you ever wondered why there are approximately 30,000 Christian denominations? It seems that every organization claims to have some distinctive that makes them different than the rest, and therefore finding it necessary to separate from the whole. We even assess and prejudge one another in like fashion with our presuppositions and various worldviews. When we ask the question, “What church do you go to?” What we sometimes really want to know is “what is it that you believe, or do you believe like me? “

Last time I checked, there is only one Church, one Body of Christ. The Lord does not mind the variety of cultures, expressions, etc; especially if they are following Him. Why is it that we often see it as a wall towards relationships and working together for His Kingdom within our communities? We are missing the beauty of our uniqueness, and the ability to challenge, correct, and love through our differences.

I need you, you need me, we are one big family… hah!

We often read the Word of God and each other based on our self-bias, culture, experience, etc. We read and interpret out of context, and instead of unity we continue to build walls between us that diffuse the power of God in our lives and how we engage with a world that needs Him. And we are the ones that are supposed to represent Him as ambassadors of His eternal Kingdom.

Is it possible that our grammatolatry, or in other words our preference, and interpretation of His written word have caused us to miss the big picture? Is it possible that all enemies of the Divine, including self has even used Scripture to divide rather than bring us together? What will it take to get beyond the divisions and factions that remain in the Body of Christ?

We continue to hear the word unity quite often these days in the body of Christ. We have many leaders of the church who have it as a goal in their life, and preach it as a goal of their church organization. I do not want keep hearing about unity as a goal, or something that we preach; I want to see unity as a reality and something we live. Jesus prayed for unity and it is the heart of the Father for His people to live in the harmony of Himself towards one another. Let’s reflect on the Lord’s Prayer for all of us in John 17;

John 17:20-23

²⁰“I am praying not only for these disciples but also for all who will ever believe in me through their message. ²¹I pray that they will all be one, just as you and I are one—as you are in me, Father, and I am in you. And may they be in us so that the world will believe you sent me. ²²“I have given them the glory you gave me, so they may be one as we are one. ²³I am in them and you are in me. May they experience such perfect unity that the world will know that you sent me, and that you love them as much as you love me.

Jesus desired that believers from every generation would be one just as He and the Father are one. This is a powerful prayer from our Lord for us to fulfill in Him. It is also a prayer that has yet to be realized fully in the Body of Christ. He has given us new life, He has given us His Holy Spirit, He has passed His glory on to us, and yet we have moved slowly into this powerful reality.

Jesus said that in perfect unity, the world would see that He was sent from the Father, and that the world will see that the Father loves the world much as He loves Jesus. We should all pursue this type of unity, because our lives should be about obediently impacting others to bring glory and much joy to our Heavenly Father. The power of God can flourish through the fruits of our unity, and His glory in us will overwhelm nations for Christ and His Kingdom.

I believe it is going to take a reformation. A reformation of what we have erected in our minds, our lives, our organizations, and a reformed outlook on what we call relationship and community. Basically it is time for us to get real, get authentic, repent, and get on with living lives that glorify Him. Two major ways to get there, Love, and get intimate with our Father, and love and serve others with no agenda but to love and serve. I am longing to see an influx of leaders who do not even think about what they can get, but what they can give.

And finally, can we try and move towards the things of Jesus the person, our Savior, our Brother, our Coach, our Model, our Life? Can we exchange our life for His? Can we all move to the center, which is Him and His Kingdom? In order to do this, we must stop creating and existing in the false centers of religion. We must begin to establish relational communities that are authentic, have no agenda, and establish a safe place where expressions or preferences take a back seat to love and serving one another.

Whose Business Is This? By Robert Ricciardelli

Whose Business Is This? By Robert Ricciardelli www.vision2advance.com

A friend sent me this the other day. It is part Hobby Lobby’s Mission Statement.

" Honoring the Lord in all we do by operating the company in a manner consistent with Biblical principles. Offering our customers an exceptional selection and value. Serving our employees and their families by establishing a work environment and company policies that build character, strengthen individuals, and nurture families. Providing a return on the owners' investment, sharing the Lord's blessings with our employees, and investing in our community. We believe that it is by God's grace and provision that Hobby Lobby has endured. He has been faithful in the past, we trust Him for our future."

One of the things Joyce and I do is help leaders understand Fathers desire that they live every moment of life recognizing His eternal presence within them, and His desire and interest to engage in “total life” with them. This includes family, and business, and not just the times of prayer, or worship at some specific gathering. Our lives, every minute of our lives, is to give Him glory, as we live as worship to Him.

Let’s consider and expand some of these values from the mission statement above.

• Honoring the Lord in all we do! That means everything. Are we doing business God’s way with integrity, or a way that makes only dollar sense? How are we treating our employees, our vendors, our customers? Do we look at them as a commodity or with the eyes of the Lord who cares for them more than any business transaction or earthly agenda. How do we glorify God in our processes? Our planning? Are we measuring such things by His Word?

• Exceptional selection and value! What are we bringing in products and services to serve those who Father has called us to serve? Are we maximizing our value proposition in God glorifying ways?

• Strengthen individuals, and nurture families! What may the Lord have us do to create an atmosphere of trust, character development, and nurturing those we work closely with. This does not mean compromising standards of excellence for the employees, but what can we do to bring His presence towards those who are serving the vision? How can we make investors, and employees feel more a part of the blessings that God will bring upon a company He is leading?

• Investing in your community and the nations! It must be very clear that Father did not only put you in business to make money and take care of yourself and immediate family. God is always a God who extends His goodness as far reaching as possible through His servants. As ambassadors of the Living God in your community, have you asked the Father for the ways you can influence and impact your community and the nations for His glory?

We work with several companies that have received the revelation of how their company is to advance the Kingdom of God in their community and beyond their community. They now see their business as a mission in being able to influence God’s goodness to those the Lord allows them to reach. Some are reaching the globe with the resources the Lord has given them. Thank God they did not just see their business as a way to get bigger and better stuff, but as a tool for the King, the Kingdom, and His glory.

One of the businesses we partner with are an evolving testimony of God’s desire to go beyond doing business the usual way. These friends have become family and by the grace of God the Lord will continue to increase in their lives because their increase continues to be poured out to others. I cannot share all of their testimony, but here is a link to some of it. South Africa - Business As Missions.

We are thankful for all of the business partners and families that have allowed us to go where the Father has directed us to go. We continue to encourage and impart the good news of the Kingdom of God in everyday practical living. We all participate as ambassadors of His glorious Kingdom by being obedient to His moment to moment leading in every jurisdiction of life. We do the practical, while He brings His Supernatural presence and influence into every personal or business situation.

It is so important to understand that every aspect of our lives is worship, and every aspect of our lives is spiritual, because The Spirit of Truth Himself is in us, with us, and in every realm we step into. We must realize that His presence is with us in that interview, and that He desires to give us wisdom for that business meeting. As we acknowledge Him in all of our ways, watch the impact He will make that only He can get the credit for. It is not about chapter and verse as much it is about Jesus Himself living through us.

When I was in corporate sales, people did always make a purchase because I had the best product or the best price. But what I did have, I could not get credit for. Here are a few things that the Lord blessed me with in my 25-year career in sales:

• Favor – People would often comment that they could not explain it, but they had a lot of trust and “feel good” about me, even from my first visit or call. This was clearly the favor of God that continues with me in my life.

• Wisdom – Father would give me the strategy as to what would best serve the client.

• Discernment – There were times when the still small voice of the Lord would give me insight into issues or potential problems before they were magnified, and times when the Lord would give me a word fitly spoken to bring trust to a person who had not trusted in a very long time.

• Love – It is His love and His compassion for people that the Lord put into me even in childhood. I cared much more about the person than the “sale”. I cared more about serving the interests of the client than any gain for my company or myself. The client felt this tangibly when I came to serve them, and they knew that I cared about their “total life”.

• Trust – In any relationship, including business, people need to be moved to trust you, that you are a “safe place”, that you are in it for them and not for self. They knew that the company needed to make a profit, same as theirs, so price was not as significant as the “trust factor”. They also saw that I would often negotiate on their behalf to change company policies or forgo them, when it did not serve the needs of the client.

• Presence – All the above and more are included in His presence. When we understand that His presence desires to impact us and influence others for the the good in "real time", life becomes and awesome journey. It is not about us any longer, it is not about our perceived idea of success, but it is all about His supernatural presence Having His will and way through our lives. He wants to do good, and He wants to do it with you...

These are a few examples of God’s presence in the marketplace, and in my life that I could never take credit for. He made me this way, and by His grace I was in top 2% nationally in sales for 25 years to the glory of my Father.

Next time you are preparing for a client, or to bring vision to your employees, ask the Father for His Wisdom and His Words that will make a difference. He cares about stewardship of your; family, resources, time, business, Profits and Loss, relationships, and especially His love, grace, and truth expressed through you to others.

Lord break us away from dualistic mindsets that highlight organized church meetings while minimizing your Spirit led influence in the marketplace. Father help us to realize that you are the same transforming God in our gatherings, in our homes, and in our work.

We welcome the opportunity to serve you, your business, and/or your community or church. We all must ask the Father to illuminate practical ways in our personal and business environments that is conducive for His transformational presence to change lives to the glory of God.