Streets of Glory

A stony path remains.

Laden with dust and buried dreams,

Swallowed hopes and scattered expectations.

Windows magnify the dark that hovers,

Cementing chairs to their ground and people to their places.

Voices sneer and echo phantom songs.

Numbed chords drumming through hopeless hearts.

Suddenly a child emerges.

Clothed in light with eyes of golden hope

and beaming with a flame’s touch.

Eyes suddenly lift to view this curious sight,

this disruption to the darkness.

Burnt out lights strung heavy and high above the road ignite.

Magnificent lights crackle and burn,

A constantly shifting rainbow of colors, fading in and out.

Bleeding reds, emeralds, and ocean sapphires flash of hope.

Darkened eyes slowly drift to the Source of glory upon her,

Instantly fascinated, these eyes now reflect each burst one by one 

as mouths stand open in awe.

Wide-eyed and breathless,

This child dances along the road.

A carrier of the Hope to come,

A child carrying the name of King Jesus,

the only One whose name brings fire, whose name births change and life where there was once death.

Eyes gleaming and hands lifted,

The touch of His fire sets their feet into swift motion.

Stones quickly crumble,

 a golden road emerges as a swift wind carries the rubble.

Heaven’s curtains drift open over the path,

Splitting a darkened sky of faint stars.

A mere glimpse will steal the hearts of the hopeless,

Burning them with the glory and renown of the Healer.

Fires flash in hopeless eyes as the King is revealed.

Magnificent fires stream from His wings,

To permeate deep layers of darkness,

To lavish the richness of true love to hearts who have never known the goodness of the Father

Dead to hopelessness,

Hearts freely beat beneath the wings of the Almighty One.

Throwing chain after chain, 

layer after layer,

Only to reveal the gold that lies beneath.

Streets shout of life,

Pouring forth the fame of the Healer.

A people beaming the reality of Living Hope,

Constant songs burst to shake the ground

And one by one ruined hopes are lifted up from the ashes.

His breath stirs and sifts the ashes of lost dreams,

To awaken true callings and purpose.

To know Him, to glorify Him, 

To make Him known,

To be His, to delight in Him all of their days.

To live in faith and trust despite the surroundings, a challenge to be taken with abandon and diligence.

To live to see others healed and found in Him, everything we were created for.

To remain a child in wonder, the highest joy.
With eyes fixated on the face of the Redeemer
and heart set on knowing the Perfect One, not a perfect life.

To live with a heart stolen by the Love and Beautiful One, the greatest gift of grace and favor we could ever dare to receive. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hkGQG3V2Ayw "Wonder" by: Bethel Live. 

Ashes and holy fire.

The path has been burned
Burned with the searing imprint of holy fire.
A holy God of fire and light has stepped before me.
Stepped upon the jagged stones,
into the blazing fire that would surely consume any who approached it.

His death, my ransom.
The fires of death He beat down,
only holy fire remains.

Flames that draw forth the graces hidden beneath this shell.

My destiny to travel this path He carved.
To taste and see the wonder of the One who has gone before

Surrounded.
Surrounded by shouts of deliverance,
a sonnet of redemption scripted by a multitude of angels whose faces shine of a bliss only those closest to the Lamb could know.
In grace it hangs in the fullness of the air
To be known and read by all those who would dare travel a path of marvelous light and dark.

It's love He longs for,
your heart His treasure and prize.

Holy flames curl through the air,
and yet flowers of fire slowly burst one by one along this path.
From the ashes, they cry for the Sun and steadily rise.

Illuminated by the gaze of a beautiful God
Petals unfurl and holy bliss is born.
On the wind, a hope is carried along.

Hidden beneath His shadows the path stretches forth,
to step forth a daring intentional choice to enter the fire.

In white she dances along this path,
Catching a radiant glow of fire and light,
flames singe the edges of this gown and fear tugs her backwards.
A heavenly force upon her heart burns and draws tears from her eyes.
Bitter waters made sweet in the light of His face.

A glance was enough,
Kept in His power she dances, though she fumbles as shadows draw her eyes out,
it is clear He has won this heart for good.

King of Wonders: That You Would Come

Oh that You, the King of Wonders,
would come down to stream color across our blinded vision,
that You would burn the bleakest of skies with glorious, permanent splendor,
that You would send a heartbeat into the lifeless,
that You would breathe the life of Your Son into those who gasp for oxygen,
that You would bring enlightenment to numbed minds,
that You would send the blood of Your Son to course through these veins,
that You would hand us Your heart of purity in exchange for our nothing.

Centuries led to the rugged cross,
the promise of salvation and glory for the whole world.

He cries out,"It is finished." And so it was. 

A perfect life laid down in the dust for the dead, the undeserving to breathe.
A pure heart surrendered to the perfect will of the Father who knew the power of the cross,
the only way.

Door slam open at the Resurrection,
shaking the grip of darkness for eternity,
a permanent invitation.

The powers of hell could not prevail.
Constrained by the grip of love, these glorious gates now swing.
A realization of  incomparable wonder;
the highest treasure to come and invade the darkest of hearts.
The finished cross, the confession of awakening.
Glories and riches pour out on the humbled upon their knees.
Hands unclench as Freedom overtakes a soul,
wells of living water gush forth to reveal the resources and power of the King,
awakening an unknown desire.

Tears stream over unimaginable grace,
the freest gift so easily received into the gates of a heart wide open.
Tears stream over the veil laying across the nations,
muffling the songs of heaven pouring forth,
constraining eyes to the rough pavement.
Tears stream over the depths of darkness a soul can rise from but also choose to remain in.
Tears stream for the screeching darkness,
the shadows of enticement
that lie beneath the obvious,
that mask themselves in complacency.

Tears of soaring gratitude for the beautiful Truth who forever stands to point to a new way, the only way, the inexpressible Living Hope.

A glance at the barrenness and it is clear.

Savior, take the ashes from this life.

This life belong wholly unto You. 

A voice rises to the King of glory as others join,

a song of desperation and worshipful truth

as the gates swing.

The lights explode, pouring forth to fill a darkened space. 

Angels' wings fling gold upon the thick tar upon the earth, the hearts, the eyes of those who stumble. 

Melting away, the truth of new creation emerges as hearts sing to their Maker. 

Golden air shifts in spheres around Your throne, Holy One.

The reign of the King presses darkness into the depths. 

Amidst the heavens You dwell on high over kingdoms, 

both over nations of glory and those of despair. 

Upon each child a crown is placed ever so gently,

undeserved yet freely given is this grace.

The King's crown charges life, 

streams healing,

awakens the rawest mercy and most astounding of love stories. 

He whispers, He speaks, He shouts of the cross, 

The only way. 

Oh that our eyes would turn upon Your face, 

Your glorious gaze would be enough to press our hearts and desires into all that You are. 

King of Wonders,

that You would come.

A Divine mystery of life-changing proportions, 

an incomparable gift.

Shift the nations from evil, knock down the proud, find the lost, fill the barren souls, and remind us who we are--that we exist to proclaim the reign of the King of Wonders. 

Yours we are, 

and of Your wondrous love do we sing. 

Forever undone.

A canopy of darkness shrouds,
A curtain of apathy hangs heavy in the air,
tugging the atmosphere downwards.
A blindness hovers and silences
as dust thickens their vision and dulls their senses. 

Velvet shadows dance upon these ancient walls, 

enticing one soul after another to swallow their hunger and 

become enraptured in a lie.

Bound by deception, 

they step towards conflicting whispers. 

Lips form dull empty words of vanity crashing quickly to the ground.
Smiles crack and curl,
lingering a moment too long.
Eyes shine,  
a frightening, glaring vacancy dwelling within. 
Faces flash, crowds of fragmented fearful hearts strung together. 

Amidst the crowds, a pulse jumps. 
Reviving and stirring up the stillness,
a heart ablaze.
Burning with holy fire, their feet are drawn beyond the pews. 
Shattering the silence from the inside out, 
one voice echoes the prophecy of Awakening Himself and the dead arise. 
Stirring in the heavens at the mention of His name, 
Truth's grip digs his nails into the blackness of the grave, 
pulling out son after daughter,
daughter after son, 
a transcendent rescue of the lost.

A choir of praise steadily rises as hearts catch Love's flame, 
joining with the angels they sing the praise of their Heavenly Father. 
Shadows unravel and loop together in ratty knots
in the appearance of the Majestic One. 

His arms wrap them in unity to stand as one.
In the mighty unbreakable bonds of perfect, unchanging love
His strength injects and ignites the courage of angel armies into every soaring heart. 

Hearts scream of thankfulness, the rich praise of the Holy One. 
Lives recklessly dance to proclaim the wonders of Truth and Wisdom beneath His wings,
Radiance swells and beams from the faces of the found.
The canopy lies a heap of ashes, a pit of lies stomped down. 
Passion charges craving hearts, 
Death forever silenced in triumph. 

Eyes widen and souls are overwhelmed with the taste 

as they are brought to their knees in wonder. 

Precious tears drip of heaven's glory, 

A reality forever undone.

Perfect, wonderful Majestic Jesus may we never stray from You to chase after the lies of this world. Your Truth, Your promises, Your name is enough to keep us upon our feet with hands raised for a lifetime. This world, our families, our friendships  need a touch from the Holy One.  We desperately need to be reminded day in and day out that we have access and a relationship to the Father through the precious blood of Your son Jesus. You are calling out a generation from the pews to seek Your face and to not settle for the ways of this world. You desire for every heart to run into Your healing embrace and to encounter the reality of Jesus. You change it all- every lie to Truth, every season of mourning to dancing, every pain to healing, every broken thing into the beautiful. We refuse to believe the lies of the enemy that this world cannot be reached or changed by the power of Your great Name. You are Life itself and hold every moment in Your hands- we choose to trust You and go deeper for Your sake and for the sake of those in search of a purpose to fight for.  

May Your precious and steadfast love continue to shatter false perceptions of reality for Your followers and undo the walls of pain, of fear, and of apathy that hold all others in this world back from standing in wonder at the name of Jesus Christ and devoting this one life they have to You.   

Yours is the Kingdom. Use us. 

  (Inspiration: Isaiah 55, Ezekiel 37, Daniel 9)

"Yes"

Dreaming is scary to say the least.

It's scary take risks, to run the race without regard to what people think, to take leaps beyond your comfort zone, to come face to face with opposition...but then I look back at people alive today who I deeply admire.

I know this world has many dedicated followers of Christ , true dreamers and heroes, who are amidst the workplace, our schools, and companies. Called to bring Him there, I am in awe of them as well and their obedience to His call. However, I do know not everyone is meant for that. There are some God sets a fire in to herald the reality of His presence to.

There are some serious dreamers.
These are people who are not just talkers but people who worship Christ in deed and truth. They have showed me that true faith is one that treasures Christ and puts Him ahead of themselves.  These are people who continue to fire my heart for the gospel.  

Louie Giglio (Passion 268 Generation Movement)

This man has impacted me more than he may ever know. His deepest desire was to see a generation awake to the love and fire of Christ. He desperately wanted to see Christ magnified and for hearts to be set ablaze for the sake of Christ's coming Kingdom.  His fearless pursuit of this dream has ignited me as I have listened to the music, tuned into these sermons, and have been continually inspired by one man's courageous and fierce love.

This uncontainable passion explodes from his words and dedication to preaching Truth.

This is one of the only verses I can use to capture Giglio's passion for God.

"But if I say, “I will not mention his word
    or speak anymore in his name,”
his word is in my heart like a fire,
    a fire shut up in my bones.
I am weary of holding it in;    indeed, I cannot." -Jeremiah 20:9

Steven Furtick (Elevation Church)

Furtick's bold love for the gospel and for Truth to be magnified inspires me to delve deeper into the Scriptures. His inspiring and simple approach to preaching reminds me that the gospel rests upon the power of God and not human wisdom or eloquence (1 Corinthians 2:1). 

Bill Hybels (Willow Creek Community Church)

Hybels began a church so many years ago that is now sparking new church planting in the U.S. and across the nations. Being a catalyst for leadership reformation and training, he is pressing for deep change.

John Piper (Pastor and author of "Don't Waste Your Life")

His bold and blunt sharing of the gospel may turn some away but the clear cut honesty blazes a path for all to see the cross-centered life will always be worth and in fact, is the only way to the abundant life Jesus promises (John 10:10). His book "Don't Waste Your Life" challenges me to come face to face with the fact that this life flies by and the way to make it all count is centering it around the King of Kings and going all out for His sake!

Bill Bright- (Campus Crusade for Christ)

These ordinary people said "yes" to the dreams Jesus laid upon their hearts and because of this the course of my life has been changed.

Because Bill Hybels said "yes" back in the 1970's to the dream of building an Acts 2 church, I am changed.  Being a mediocre, half-hearted Christian my whole life, I was basically forced to attend a Willow Creek youth group my sophomore year of high school after I dealt with some drama and friend issues.  Praise be to Him for in this youth group where Christ's pursuit for my heart became known to me and I was drawn into God's radical love that had been there all along.

Because Louie Giglio said "yes" back in the late 90's to pursuing Christ's call of a generational awakening for high school and college students, I am changed. This passion to see a fire kindled in the souls of this generation, to see the ruins of generations come to life here and now, and to inspire students to rise up into their calling within the Kingdom has changed my life.  Sparking in my heart that day I recommitted my life to Christ on a retreat the summer heading into my freshman year, passion has only continued to grow.  His passionate call inspired and empowered me to pursue a movement of Cru (Campus Crusade for Christ) at Hope College where I attend school.  The Passion Movement continues to challenge me to enlarge my perspective and realize the world-wide awakening Christ is stirring not only here in America but all across the world.  It empowers me to play the part the Lord has assigned to me and to realize the eternal impact of my days on this earth. 

Because Steven Furtick said "yes" to God's call on his life at the age of 16 and began to pursue His call to become a pastor in a major city, I have been impacted. His fierce love of God's people and hatred of injustice and evil in the world continues to challenge me to love and stretch myself as I seek Christ daily.

Because Bill Bright said "yes" to God's call to begin Campus Crusade for Christ- thousands upon thousands are impacted by the gospel and commissioned to reach their schools with the gospel.  Because he said yes to Jesus there are now ministries popping up all over the country set on fulfilling the Great Commission.  I have been impacted deeply by this ministry's mission and now Cru has been launched on Hope's campus and if the Lord wills it will continue to set a fire in the student body from Christ Himself that will extend far beyond the borders of Holland, Michigan. 

The most powerful thing of all is that when I look at every one of these people I see Jesus. I see dreamers whose very heart and soul's desire is for the world to see the One who changed them. They fervently desire for all of the lost to see the One who rescued their life from emptiness and brought them to the true purpose of this life-- to magnify the Risen Christ, Precious Savior, and Majestic King of Glory. 

If each of these people had chosen to back away, to step backwards into safety, and away from the dream the Lord had revealed to them, I know I would not be the same.  Christ used each one of them (and many others in my life) to show me what authentic, Christ-exalting leaders look like who day by day ask the world to follow them as they follow Christ (1 Corinthians 11:1).

Turning to Scripture, we see their prime example, Jesus, whose eyes were firmly set on the Father and His will.  John 14:31 says, "I have done as the Father has commanded me so that the world may know that I love the Father."  Kneeling down in the Garden of Gesthemane, He prays if possible for this cup to pass. Tears of blood ran down His perfect face as He agonized over the road ahead of Him and yet these words escaped His lips: "...Not my will but Yours be done" (Luke 22:42).

And as I survey these dreamers, my heart screams YES! 

Jesus, show Your face, Your glory, Your great calling upon the lives of this generation and generations past.  Every single person has a part to play if they would allow the King of Glory into the doors of their hearts. The ruins of the generations past would stop HERE. New life could begin today.  I believe we would see a decrease in suicide, depression, divorce, hopelessness, apathy, and we would see a generation rise up to meet Christ- the Healer, Sanctifier, Lover, and Savior of the world.

To anyone who is reading this, I know you long for more in your life.  Christian or non-Christian, You have longed to belong to something larger than yourself, you've longed to feel accepted, you've longed to feel valued, you've longed to dream.

And this is your push:
Go. Dream. Live life in love with Christ.
Don't let your dreams just be dreams. Seek the Lord and ask Him if they line up with His will. If they do, you'll be sure to see them come to pass as your pursue Christ and surrender them over to Him.

Say "yes" to what God is laying on your heart to pursue and let Him set your heart ablaze with His life in you. You never know those who will be impacted by your obedience. 

In faithfulness

Before my eyes,

unfolding perfect light
guiding my heart to the throne

of Perfect Love.

One step in front of the other. 

Straining, pressing, sprinting, moving

to stand before the King on that final day,

propelled and maintained by His grace alone.

Hearts, O how they stray.

Drawn to long, to dream, to cling to lackluster dreams and desires. 

Clutching a wandering heart in my chest, 

the faithful heartbeat resounds of my King and I am reminded: 

In Your strength do I sprint.

In Your desperation do I shout of love.

In Your reign do I dwell. 

In Your heart do I find my vision.

In Your faithfulness do I walk, Jesus.

Steadfast when I falter, unfailing love and glory 

keep my eyes turned upon the greatness of my King.  

Wrapped in glory

The deepest hunger of this soul; 

to be found by Beauty.

To have the ruins of this heart laid bare 

and yet to taste the fullness of love.

The radiance of Your brilliance, 

Your passion for the world to see,

all consuming.

Wrapped in passionate fire,  Jesus is.

Colors ebb and flow.

Colors ignite; 

intertwining, weaving, beckoning my heart to soar.

Upwards my heart moves, 

colliding with the glory of my great King.

Precious stones, 

sapphires and emeralds are laid one by one,

consumed by the radiance of the Sun's beams,

Once shaken, now secured beneath the shelter of my King.

The wonder of it all too marvelous, 

too unimaginable, 

the dream too raw, too beautiful 

to confine within. 

Rising up,

A song of rescue I scream,

I'll shout it.

I'll whisper the name of Love that saved my life in the quiet, 

who found me in my most desperate of hours 

and the One who gripped the ashes of my life in His scarred hands and chose me.

The most glorious of songs has taught my heart to believe, 

to trust in unfailing love, 

to stand enveloped in lavished grace.

Beating to bring the Resurrection into focus, 

the cross of glory to shine and awaken the ashes,

this heart sings.

Longing for more for this world, these eyes shine.

Make Your presence known here.

Isaiah 54:11-14, Psalm 96.