And We’re Back

Well, I have been away for a bit. Kind of a “blogging fast” and lack of internet access all at once. The last few months have been very interesting and somewhat difficult. We are navigating our way through an awkward transition to a place that still seems distant and mysterious. But the journey has been fruitful, and my God has been faithful.

I believe that I will begin to post more frequently again, and in fact we are looking into launching a more user friendly version of this blog, servantheart’s website and our personal site. There are a few things that i would like to throw out to whoever is still there as I/we continue to chase after Jesus and what New Testament Community should be like.

First – Is there ever a time when we unplug from healthy relationships in the body, to just be with Jesus. I am not talking about personal encounters, but seasons. I am not asking this because I think I know the answer, but it something I want to explore.

Next – Generational Momentum. I have been studying a lot about inheritance, government, wineskins and moving forward in our race with Jesus. I will not try to get into this now, but I would like to explore with whoever is intersted.

And finally, a Question – Where is Antioch? This is an important question in my faith walk right now. I am connected with some amaizing people in the body of Christ. I feel like I have some godly elders in place, and that I have some fellow pilgrims that keep me accountable. My heart is searcing though, for a spiritual home for me and my family (both spiritual and physical) I feel like I tend to carry things in my heart, that would benefit from having an “Antioch” type of faith community, where what is in my heart could mature in the context of “a community growing within a community”. I feel like apostolic/ prophetic government, demands a place where people are fasting, ministering to the Lord through lives of worship, praying, imparting and sending people out. There are some of the markers of the “Paul and Barnabas Send Off” from this community. I am hungry for more revelation for what this looks like today, and in specifically for my life.

So… If you are up for some exploring and adventure, let’s go.

comm{ON}unity

comm{ON}unity

An Introduction & An Invitation

by Brad McKoy – August 5th, 2007

I am writing this post with a sense of apprehension and excitement. I wonder if what is in my heart will resound with anyone else, but my what is in my heart is pounding louder than ever. The rhythm provides my spirit with music to run to. For a while now, I have had a hunger to pursue community. I am not talking about a geographical neighborhood, nor I am talking about a bunch of people who like each other or share a common interest. I am looking for what seems mysterious and simple all at the same time. I am talking about a series of relationships in which people are committed to each other as they pursue a shared purpose.

One of the mysteries intrinsic in this type of community is the exponential life and blessing that is poured out in these relationships. Right now, I am walking in relationship with some people that seem to be on the Verge of this type of life-giving relationships. It seems like there is an extra layer of life when we are together and tuned in to the heart of God and each other.

I spent time with some of these people on Friday. We were heading into Pittsburgh to pray at a few college campuses. (I am sure that more will be said about our campus adventures in the weeks to come.) We reached the campus of Duquesne University and the five of us set off to find a place to spend some time praying over the school. On the way, I noticed that there seemed to be a heaviness over the little group. It was not like people were in a bad mood or anything, there just seemed to be a bit of weariness. So we changed plans and ended up in one the schools cafeterias. What happened next was really amazing.

I just asked how everyone was doing and then we prayed for two of our friends. It is not like angels appeared with a magic pill that made everyone feel swell, but there was a drastic increase in “the life” that we were sharing. Faces lit up. Dreams were uncapped. People began to int erupt each other, but they did so because they were “online” and could complete the others thoughts. By the time we left the cafeteria to go get lunch (we had to go see our friends at “the FRANKTUARY”) we were laughing and contemplating how we could take some steps to see our shared dreams come into reality.

Real community turns the switch to the {ON} position. Dreams awake. Dreams that have not been heard of for eons. Conspiracy begins to spread from heart to heart, and the possibility that our secret kingdom dreams could possibly be fulfilled fills our hearts with hope. Imagination/ImagineNATION

This post will probably seem empty to most, but it is being written for the few who hear the same rhythmic song in their heart. It is written for those who are longing to be a part of something real and full. My heart is unsatisfied with the status quo, and I don’t want to be satisfied with anything less than all that God intends for us. So I am looking for some people who will join me in studying, praying and contending for greater levels of Christ centered, authentic community.

So here is the invitation. I would like to invite anyone who is interested in exploring the parameters of authentic, Christ-centered community to join me in an ongoing, online discussion. We can look at different aspects, questions, common obstacles and the like. What do you think. If you would like to be a part of this type of thing, let me know by emailing me at bradriane@gmail.com or by leaving a comment. I hope to gauge interest and start with the first discussion the week of August 19. That gives two weeks to identify those who are interested and to get some direction for questions and discussions. Please give your input. Thanks!

The Importance of “Stewarding” Revelation

Paul said that we are stewards of the mysteries of heaven. That sounds very important to me. What does it mean? Stewardship is really about what we do with what we have, and understanding that all that we have and all that we are really belong to our Father. It was a stewards job to handle his lords “investment” in the way that would bring the greatest return on the investment. When you say the word “stewardship”, people usually think about money, but as Bill Johnson says, money is the kindergarten of stewardship. God wants to entrust us with the mysterious riches of heaven, but He is not willing to waste those riches on hearts that are careless and don’t see the value in what He has to offer.
God is looking for those that will actively steward their hearts and the revelation that He pours out. I believe that knowing the value of our hearts is one of the first steps to becoming a steward worthy of receiving more riches. Our heart is very valuable to the Lord. It is the place that He designed in His creation that is able to know Him. It is from our hearts that we can both give praise and adoration and receive love and blessings from Him.
Our heart is also the vault where He wants to make heavenly deposits. It makes sense that an investor would want to make sure that the location that will hold his investment is a safe, secure location. I believe that God wants to upgrade our vaults, so we can be entrusted with greater revelation, but He will only do so with those who have a real commitment to take care of their hearts.
So how can we steward our hearts? We are instructed to “Keep our heart with all diligence” in Proverbs 4:24, “For out of it are the issues of life”. What does it mean to “keep” our hearts. I see this as being an active instruction, not passive. We are to diligently keep watch and protect our hearts and the hearts of our brothers and sisters. (Hebrews) We are to build ourselves up and keep our hearts pure. It is not so much a checklist of things we must do, as it is a lifestyle of keeping our hearts ready to interact with the King of glory. It is an attitude that takes care of issues as they arise and deals with threats immediately. When we take on this kind of responsibility for our hearts, we begin to see things in a greater light. Intimacy is our purpose, but as we approach the Lord with a ready heart, we begin to receive revelation from God. What will we do with these treasures from heaven?

Revelation that Leads to Repentance

Revelation comes with an invitation for change. God does not reveal Himself to us to make us smarter, but to change our hearts and draw us closer to Him. Revelation invites us to change the way we see God and increase our expectation for His involvement in our lives. In fact, revelation is often the vessel in which the kindness of God comes in order to lead us to repentance. As we see life in a greater light, it brings an opportunity for change to our hearts. It changes our perspective on things.

One of my favorite TV shows as a child was “The Cosby Show”. In the show Theo was always struggling in school and his parents were always on his case about not applying himself. He was not a good student and early on in the show, there was a confrontation between Theo and Dr. Huxtable where Theo pleads with his dad to accept him and love him even though he isn’t a good student. Dr. Huxtable responds by telling Theo “That’s the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard.” For several seasons, Theo’s struggles at school continue, until a test reveals that he has dyslexia. Immediately there is a change in how people see the situation. Theo learns how to study in a way that works for him, his parents stop assuming that he has been lazy and the series ends with Theo becoming a teacher. The revelation of why things were the way they were (dyslexia) provided an opportunity for change. In one of the last seasons, Theo is able to recognize that one of his students is showing signs of having dyslexia and help him through the same struggles that he had endured. Without being too dramatic, Theo’s destiny was changed by the simple revelation that he had a learning disability and by the adjustments that he and his family made to deal with the revelation.

Revelation as a Foundation

This chapter is not about revelation, but as I write, I feel like it is such a foundational piece for all that will come after it. We need to begin to hunger for God to reveal Himself to us in every aspect of life. We need to see Him more clearly and walk in an ever growing knowledge of Him, and according to Paul, there is a link between walking in revelation and knowing Him better. Revelation is walking through life with the lights on. I remember going on a family vacation one summer when I was about thirteen. My parents were excited to take my sisters and I to the mountains of North Carolina. It was where they had gone on their honeymoon, and they wanted to share the beauty of the area with us. Being thirteen, my official position was that I didn’t really want to do anything that my parents wanted to do. I was full of angst as we rode west on I-40, asking God for the strength to not have fun and remain sullen for the entire trip. Late that night when we got to the hotel, I was not impressed. My parents seemed to think that this place was special and that we would enjoy it. From what I could see of the outside of the hotel, I thought that it was kind of old-fashioned and dumpy, but it was late and dark and I just wanted to go to sleep. The next morning, my dad woke me up and ask me to go get something from the car. Opening the door to go outside, I mumbled about the unfair burden of being thirteen and the oldest child who “always had to go get something from the car”, but then I saw the most beautiful sight ever. Our room (the one at the old-fashioned, dumpy joint) overlooked the Great Smokey Mountains. I was like, ”Hey dad, you gotta come see this view. It’s amazing.” My dad was like, “Yeah, I know. That’s why we’re here.”
The moment I stepped out of the room that morning, I experienced the power of revelation. My whole perspective about the hotel was instantly changed from being “old-fashioned” and “dumpy” to being “amazing” and “beautiful”. I was “living life” in light of no light. I was passing judgement without seeing what was really happening around me. My attitude was based on an inferior understanding of the situation, and I was content to think that my dad had brought his family to some sub-par place just because it had sentimental value to him. But all of that changed when I stepped into the light and saw things as they really were.

A little more of the book

Here is a little more of the rough copy from a book that I am working on. Please give feedback. I would like to know how what is being written is coming accross. Thank you.

Pioneering
There are probably always those who are pioneering something new, but there seems to be certain seasons where there is a greater demand for those who are willing to travel on trails that cannot be seen. It seems to me that we are in one of those seasons now. Across the Body of Christ, there is an inward call to cultivate a culture that is beyond what we have known, a culture that reflects the heart of God and the power of His Kingdom. Like salmon swimming upstream, there is an urge to go against the flow of the inferior “norm” and swim against the current in hopes of finding something fresh and pure. It seems that in many movements and denominations, hearts are awakening from slumber, and these waking hearts are not satisfied with the status quo. There has been a revelation that where we are is not where we are meant to stay.
Revelation: An invitation to go somewhere.
Revelation is a scary word for some, but it should not be. Paul prayed that the Father would give the church at Ephesus the spirit of “wisdom and revelation” to know Him better, so we know that revelation is not a bad thing. But what is it and what do we do with it? When God blesses us with new revelation, we are not coming up with new truth, but we are seeing His truth in a greater light than before. The word revelation comes from the word “reveal” which means to see what we have not seen before.

My wife and sister like watching a show on TLC called “What not to Wear”. The concept is simple. People nominate a fashion challenged friend to receive a wardrobe makeover and get tips from two fashion experts. The show usually includes a video tape of the nominee explaining why they dress the way they do, a trip into the 360 degree mirror, and the fashion experts making fun of every item in their wardrobe as the unfashionable clothes are tossed into an “ole school” metal trash can. Sound fun? Things do get better for the nominee after the fashion experts show them some suggested new outfits that they think would improve the nominees overall fashion sense. (By the way, just to be honest, I think that most of the outfits the experts pick out are equally hideous to the nominees clothes which may explain why I would probably be a nominee for “What Not to Wear: the Big Man Edition”) The nominees (which by this point are no longer nominees, they’ve been picked so they are now fashion candidates?) are given a $5000 gift card and are commissioned to go buy a new wardrobe based on Stacey and Clinton’s advice. Sometimes this part is funny, sometimes it is painful, but day one of shopping is spent with the fashion challenged person going from store to store trying to find the right items for their new look. Stacey and Clinton are back at fashion headquarters monitoring the progress on there little monitor. (Hmmm) This usually translates into a lot of gasps, “oh no’s” and at least one “I don’t know what she’s thinking.” Day two is great fun, because the fashion experts go shopping with the afore mentioned fashionless one. After more sarcasm and humiliation, somehow the poor soul manages to spend $5000 on new clothes and is rushed away for hair and make up. At the beginning of this little story, I told you that my wife and sister like watching the show, but what you may not have known is that somehow, despite my best efforts to escape the room when I hear the theme music, I always end up watching the whole episode. Why? Because at the end of the show, things almost always end up working out better than anyone expected. Stacey and Clinton are transformed from stuck up fashion snobs that make fun of people to gushing compliment givers that “just can’t believe how great you look”. The very last segment of the show is when the send the newly fashionized person(N.F.P.) back to their friends and family for “the big reveal”. As the cameras show footage of the N.F.P. getting ready for their big night, producers interview family and friends who say things like “I can’t wait to see what has been hiding under there” and “I am so nervous, I can’t wait to see the new Shelia”. Then the moment comes and the N.F.P. steps through the doors and reveals their new look. Some people clap and cheer, some stand there speechless and usually at least one person will cry. Why? They have just witnessed revelation. The “new Shelia” is not actually new, she is the same “Shelia” that her friends and family have loved for years, yet they are seeing her in a new light and so everything about her seems new. So revelation isn’t creating something new, it is seeing what was always there in a new light.

mini-update

hello all… I am sorry that I have not uddated things in a while, things have been hectic and internet access has been scarce. Two quick things. One, the Call was sweet. They say somewhere arond 55,000 showed up for the day of fasting and prayer. It was amazing. So much more than a concert or festival, but truly a day of crying out for God to have mercy on us and send revival to America. I will try to write more later. Next… Monday I went with my dad to the doctor. They had told him that they thought he had thyroid cancer. Well good news. He does not. I don’t know if it was there and Jesus took it away, or if it was never there and the doctors were just wrong, but praise God no matter what.

the call…this is really important

A couple of weeks ago I entered a post called “Countdown to the Call”. In it I made some statements about how important this gather in Nashville on 7.7.07 is going to be. YEAH! TURN THE VOLUME UP ON THAT! Please check this thing out at the call’s web site or at fastandpray.com. I can tend to be dramatic at times, but I hate hype. Still, this may be the most important day/ season of a generation.

I really believe this could be a day of “biblical proportions”. I have been reading Psalm 50 this week. In verse 5 God says “gather all my saints to me who have made a covenant of sacrifice”. He is calling heaven and earth to recognize who he is and worship Him. God is jealous over His creation, and is longing for His people to really belong to Him.

God is ordering things right now. He is bringing up issues in my life and inviting me, pleading with me to deal with these issues. He wants us to walk away from other gods that we have given a place to, and enter into a monogamous marriage with Him. Twice the word “order is used at the end of Psalm 50. First, God says that He is going to set things in order, but in the last verse, He says that He will show “the salvation of God” to those who “order their conduct aright”.

This is not a time to “do what we feel”. Now is a time to recognize the truth of God and to respond to Him with a whole heart. Don’t think you’re e ready for that yet? Just move towards the Father’s Call as much as you can. Let His strength meet you and draw you further into His presence and purpose than you ever thought imaginable. Your destiny depends on it.

So, I don’t know what you are doing next weekend, but change your plans and go to Nashville. God is gathering a nation to Himself. I really believe that future generations will look back at this day as a watershed moment in history. Don’t sit on the sidelines. Be there. Be a history maker.

Wake up, Sleeping Beauty, Wake up!

Blank nothingness is all that she can see. Anything else could only be a dream. Faint. Not even black and white. Just faint grey. Won’t you awake?

How could someone so fair and so full of life just lay there? Lifeless? I am sure it is not what she has chosen. Hopes dashed. (Dis) appointed by disappointment. Surely she will not sleep away her destiny, and yet that seems all she can do. Sleep.

How did she end up here? Was it the seduction of abeautiful but poisoned apple? Did she play in an enchanted field of poppies? Was her heart searching for something that seemed too illusive to continue?

For now, this beauty seems destined to barely breathe. The only motion that is detected is the slight rising and falling that comes as she inhales and exhales.

She lay there alone. Motionless.

All of her “friends” missed her when she first disappeared, but soon they went back to playing their childish games. Maybe they didn’t miss her at all.

Is there any way that this tragic tale can have a happy ever after?

The wind blows and changes the scape around our sleeping beauty. She continues motionless. The chains of slumber seem to tighten with each shallow breath.

It seems that there was once a legend of a kiss that could awaken the deepest sleep. Is there really a prince looking for a bride? Is He waiting for her? Where is this champion and if He cares why has He not intervened?

Is there really a love that is true? A love that wakes the dawn? Is there really a life that can infuse the emptiness that has settled all around this lonely heart?

There is a prince. He longs for His bride. Do not confuse what you have not seen with what His heart is capable of.

There is a love that is stronger than death. This love can is brilliant and able to cut through the darkest night.

There is a life that is worth living. It is worth giving everything for. It is worth waking up for.

There is a voice that whispers, though it may seem faint. The whisperer is persistent. He knows what and who He wants. He will not be turned away, but neither will He take. What he longs for can only be given. And so persistently He calls in hushed tones.

“Awake, my love. Live, my fair one. Love and receive my love. Wake up, sleeping beauty, wake up.”

A new view of “campus ministry”

(The following is part of an email that I am hoping to have ready to send to some of our friends that are connected to college campuses. It is not done, so you won’t get the full picture, but I wanted to go ahead and post this part now. It tells a little of why we are interested in building relationships with students and a sliver of where we are going. As you read this, know that we don’t pretend to know exactly how things are going to unfold in the fall. We are also not planning to start a new organization to do campus ministry. We are looking to invest into the lives of student leaders. I hope to have the email completed by the weekend and when I finish it, I will re-post it here. Thanks.)

I just wanted to throw out a bit about something that has been out on the horizon. When we move to Western PA, it was to be and do church for people that didn’t do church. When I was asking God “Why Western PA?” I really sensed that He was inviting me to check out how many colleges were in the area.