"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.

The Voice of Truth

In the darkest of nights, 
the silence buzzed.
Black ink flowed, 
blotting out the lights.
Confusion rang in the air, 
twisted thoughts in fear.
Voices flickered, 
lies sparked.
They ebbed and flowed,
Flooding my thoughts.
Cutting through the darkness,
stopping my heart, 
a heated flame, a voice of heavenly hosts breathed my name,
"Taylor."

A sweet, loving murmur of the Savior's heart, 
His voice of Truth to split the heavens, the skies, 
to enter into the tiny details of my fleeting life, 
and remind me.

Almighty Warrior,
Precious Friend,
Righteous King, 
God of the rescue,
Extravagant Love,
Dream come to life.

I am because He is. 
I speak because He goes after to confirm Truth.
I'm alive because He lives,
I run because He is worthy.
I am undeniably weak and frail but He is strong.

For the world to bow,
to know in their innermost hearts that You died for them to come alive,
to be set ablaze with eternal purpose and everlasting love.
To cry out to You,
to raise a song to You, 
to hear Your voice,
to reach up and behold the mystery of a Creator who loves us enough to respond.

No higher joy, 
no higher purpose, 
no deeper love than being joined to You.

I have seen Your power flow, Your love awaken, Your name set hearts and minds free,

I have prayed and watched as Your power turns lives around.

You brought my life up from the dead ashes and showed me life.

I follow, I listen, I commit because I have seen it and felt it. 

With eyes on You, I move.

Empty handed I step forward.
If all I can give to You is a song with my life,
I will sing over You, my God, with every ounce of my heart, my life, my passion.
Humbly I bow, praying You would increase in my life
Show Your glory to a world awaiting purpose and glory.


"The one who has the bride is the bridegroom.The friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly at the bridegroom’s voice. Therefore this joy of mine is now complete. He must increase, but I must decrease.” -John 3:29-30

Jesus, You are captivating. One glimpse of Your power, an encounter with Majesty, and we can be changed. Lord, I pray for anyone who is reading this that their eyes would turn upwards to You, to Your throne. All it takes is coming to You with an open and willing heart to receive Your love into their life. I pray You would awaken each and every heart to Your love, Your depth, Your greatness for You are the Almighty One who pursues and longs to see each heart be drawn into You. 

"But the voice of truth tells me a different story
And the voice of truth says "Do not be afraid!"
And the voice of truth says "This is for My glory"
Out of all the voices calling out to me
I will choose to listen and believe

the voice of Truth."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tcuiuIwtpa4 "Voice of Truth" 

Burning butterflies.

I want to be a butterfly on fire. Captivating, radiating, transparent, burning. Does that sound strange? Think about it...if you ever saw one you would stop, mouth agape, wondering where on earth it came from and you'd probably want to follow it straight to the source. Yeah, it probably isn't practical...mainly because if a butterfly were literally on fire it would die. But what if this meant moving beyond the surface to something much deeper within ourselves that works its way out of our hearts and into our lives.  Something all consuming. If we as Christians began encountering the presence of the living God and turning our faces to Him we would radiate and burn with a type of light that would not be ignored.  We would be blazing symbols of the freedom of Jesus Christ. So deeply invested in His heart that our heart's desire would be to return again and again to the One who lights freedom's wick in our souls daily.  Bringing the news of freedom to touch the weary, the burdened, the afflicted, the empty, and the hurting I believe our world could be transformed. Proverbs 3:3 says. "Let love and faithfulness never leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart." Etching His love on a human heart does not allow it to be contained. We were made to be in love with God, to know Him, be known, and make Him known. That is our calling and purpose in the short time we have here on earth. To deeply and intimately know Him is to possess a heart intertwined with heaven consumed by His love to pulse and beat to the melody of His life living through us.  It cannot restrain the outpouring of love lavished from the throne of God.   Flying within the freedom of His reign is the silent exclamation of the Kingdom and King who is on His way. It is the symbol of blazing hope that dashes the doubts and blinders that the darkness holds so tightly over our eyes. And as Christians this can be our joy and delight- to blaze long enough for people to take notice and then to step aside to unveil the Holy God of fire and unending love. I want people to look at me and see past what I look like, talk like, seem like, or whatever the heck else and see Jesus, the King of Kings, and most worthy God. I want people to wonder where the heck I came from so I can point to the source of my flame.  I desperately want people to draw near enough to catch the flame, for the scales to drop as they encounter the majesty of His name. Now, don't get me wrong.  Fire can be scary. You can't control it, tame it, and always understand it. But this fire is different- the flame of the Spirit is one of healing, renewal, empowerment, boldness, and guidance.  This living fire of God leads you forward deeper into the heart of Christ.   Jesus lives and I want to be like that.  The world is need of some burning butterflies. So I pray to You. Fire fall down on us so we may live, breathe, and sing, participating in the love that is blazing a way for the world to know You, the one true King. You are eternal life.

Worth it

My only prayer is that all would see Your worth right now, Jesus. That they might gaze upon Your face and see their life is hidden in Christ and can be ignited to rise up from the ashes to live beneath the shadow of Your wings.

My prayer is that whoever is reading this might stop and pause. 

They might stop and turn their gaze to the skies and consider that maybe it is all real. Maybe what you've heard about Jesus being the answer and the way really is all truth. 

Jesus, the pursuit of Your love, Your cross, Your ways is what we have been created for. Apart from you it is all meaningless. If this is all there is and at the end of it all whether in 5 years or 70 we just get put down in a grave then why try? 

Why love? Why risk? Why believe in anything other than ourselves? 

I cannot adequately express the worth and the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ.  He is the King of Kings, the Healer, the Lord over creation, the Redeemer, and the One who has died to set you free from the confines of yourself to live for His glory and renown in this world.  It is His face I see on display as I reflect on the redemptive power of His love raising my life up and healing the lives of those who have turned to Him all around me.

I've been there. I have thought people followed Jesus because it was a crutch, something to cling to, and a nice additive to the "good life". How wrong I was. 

Jesus, He is the One you've waited for your whole life.  He is the One who will fill the gaping hole and the desire of your heart. Only Him. 

You think you want an exciting life?
Try to living in a world that is a battle between the Kingdom of Light and Darkness. Place your trust in a God whose plan for you transcends anything you could plan on your own according to glory at work within you. 

You want to help those around you?
Delve into the heart of Christ, the only One who can truly redeem, save, or rescue someone else from the darkness of this place. Knowing Him enables you to serve and help people in the most profound ways. 

You want something to fulfill you?
Lift your face to the glory and lifter of your head, Jesus Christ, who blesses you with the fullness of His presence, His mercy, His healing, and His Spirit.

You want direction and guidance?
Seek the living God who hears you and will answer you. When you are encountered by the reality that He is alive I guarantee you won't want to flee from Him. 

Tomorrow is Easter Sunday and it is not just another day. The Resurrection of Jesus Christ is an event that changed everything about our reality.  Because of Jesus we are now blessed with the opportunity to choose life over death but that's just the thing... God loves us so deeply He has given us freedom and a choice.  The choice to choose the Son He freely gave us that is the only One who can give us life.

Watching "The Passion of the Christ" yesterday I was struck by how deep the pain of regret is.  Watching Judas betray Jesus with a kiss and then desperately try and take it all back by throwing the money back in the Pharisees' faces it stung.   

Regardless of where you stand in your faith- you don't believe, don't care, don't see the importance of it all at the end of your life you will have to stand before the Father to testify about the life you lived in the time He gave you.  You get one life, one shot, one try. That is it. No do overs. 

I guarantee you looking in the fire of His gaze, you will want to take back every wasted moment. You will see the desperate and fiery love of God that pursued you your entire life but you were too busy or consumed with the "things" of this world to notice.  

Entrusting your heart to Christ is difficult. 
It is painful. People and this world resist you. You will face lies. You may have people walk out of your life or disappear...maybe they won't get it.  But the thing is you will never regret a moment spent loving and pouring out your heart for Him.  Nothing done in His name is ever in vain.  Your reward is knowing Christ and living your life in love to honor the King. 

Mark 14:3-9 reminds me that nothing is wasted.  This woman poured her everything out upon Jesus and was mocked but He saw the worth. She recognized Him for who He was.

Right now, Jesus is asking you. Who do you say that He is? Is He who He said He is? 

He is.  I can testify to the fact that Jesus is alive and reigning now--He is truly alive. This changes absolutely everything. The life you desire is hidden within Christ and nowhere else will you find it.

May the grace of God draw you in to experience the beauty of His Kingdom, His lavished love, His adoption, His healing flood, and His resurrection power to awaken your heart to what you have been born to fulfill on this earth.

You were worth it for Him to lay His life down. 
Jesus will always be worth your pursuit. Right now, He wants to know you, to speak truth over your life, and bring you into His presence.  Saying yes to Him is saying yes to a God who has already said yes to you. 

Worth it?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iUUmhnOPBdE How He Loves with Matt Chandler and John Piper.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Joj2qEYa8VA Encounter Me by Citipointe Live.  

Swing open the gates

Swing open the gates,
I pray revival all around,
hearts to burn with the song of freedom rising deep from within the ashes.

And as I marvel, you whisper fiery words of loving discipline that press me to cry out and say something unexpected:
"Jesus, start with me."

I've only skimmed the surface of You, danced across it.
Merely flipped the pages and caught a summary.
How I need Him more.
How we all need Him more.

How can we expect others to see You? To care? To desperately want You as their God
If they don't see our own face radiating with the swelling love and blinding light of the King of Kings.

Pour out Your lifestream into our hearts,
the burning and jealous love that ransomed us from the grave,
that turned our fragmented blindness into glimpses of heavenly redemption,
that reached down into the depths of the grave and pulled us out with mighty hands
to shine a Light that changed it all.

For Your own sake shine upon us,
the desolate sanctuaries you ignite to burn for a lifetime,
never to be overcome.

I pray revival all around.
Yet my prayer begins with the heart I shakily offer to You in prayer.

Revive this heart, the only one I can truly offer at Your throne
but the one which You will use to spread the radiant truth and bells of freedom to ring.

For you care for the masses, the nations,
yet You speak tenderly to Your children.
Melodies and sonnets of tender love to the orphaned living apart from You,
Painted dreams across the blackest of skies of regret and shame,
whispering the freedom that winds its way around our chains, unlocking them in victory.

I humble myself and say:
Purify me,
change me,
mold me,
move me.

Yes, they need You even if they can't see it now
but my command is to love You with all that I have.
The overflow and steady stream of Your love will always be the source

Jesus, I pray revival.
I pray revival in this heart, in this season, with these people. For I know it is only through You that my little life might extend itself in compassion and love to blow up the smallest or largest of sparks within another.

Swing open the gates,
Start with me.

Psalm 119:19-24