Bright-shining Bride or Wandering Widow

Good morning Everyone,

The last few weeks have been an amazing time of Father God loving on His church with His presence, power, joy, deliverance and fun. Both in the local church and with our friends in others, His hand has been with us - at leadership conferences, during Sunday services and Schools of Healing! I have to say that sitting under the ministry of Randy Clark, Bill Johnson and Leif Hetland at the Southampton School of Healing has been an incredible life-changing highlight. Their heart of humility, father-heartedness and unswerving pursuit of the greater measures of the kingdom of God through the church and into the world were both encouraging and inspiring!
I have noticed for the last few months that the Father has been releasing two major kingdom realities again - Freedom and Joy! It is for freedom sake that He has set us free - free from illegitimate identities, free from crippling legalistic obligation, free from the influences of the enemy. Free to be, to live, to laugh!! Oh, and joy - His righteousness on us, His peace surrounding us and His joy exploding in us as a result ... this is the kingdom in the Holy Spirit. May the water levels rise in all of us as we see Him, know who we are in Him, and delight in our apportioned inheritance from Him. He is so good!!


I want to leave you with two quotes from a Roman Catholic church leader, Ralph Martin, in his book The Catholic Church at the End of an Age : What the Spirit is Saying. Randy Clark pointed these out last week ...

"When Jesus is proclaimed clearly and confidently, in the power of the Holy Spirit, many more people come to faith, and there is much more growth to the Church than when He is not."

"The church is a bride, and she shows to the world that her spouse is alive by living by His power and receiving life from Him. There is a danger in our day that the church will look more like a widow, alone and without resources except those possessed by any human organization. If we yield to what the Lord has poured out upon us - His Spirit - the world will know that the church is truly the spouse of a living Lord."

The Gospel, central and, powerfully proclaimed; and the Holy Spirit, relied upon and given room to be God in our midst! May these two profound statements disturb us until heaven's desire and directive bulges within us until breakthrough!

Let's live, not by the legal document of marriage but, rather, the relational delight of being the Bride of Christ!

Mountains of love and blessing,
Ryan