Drawing from real life

Exactly why did I go to art school, and how long did it take me to pay off my student loans?

This is as personally depressing to me as it is amazing.

A Hard Weekend

The family and team were in Virginia Beach this weekend to remember our friend Amy. Just got home at about 3 AM, so everyone's pretty tired this morning. What an incredibly hard time this has been. Amy was a beautiful young lady. We may never know what circumstances coincided to overwhelm her. Below is a memorial video that was played at her service on Saturday.

A little bit of swirl

About a week and half ago I was in the house of prayer and the Holy Spirit spoke to me, “Go to Denver before April 26th.” I haven't been thinking about Denver at all, so this surprised me a bit. But hey, obedience is better than sacrifice, right? So I prepared plans for a trip at my next opening which turned out to be April 11-13. I haven't known what all is in store for this trip, so I have been trying to set up some meetings and appointments with Bound4LIFE chapter leaders and others in that area.

I contacted a friend in Denver about possibly coming out there. She said she had been praying specifically that God would bring me before May. Hmmmm.

Then on Tuesday I received a startling email. It was from a 20-year old young lady named Kristi Burton. I've been a little aware of her. She's the spearhead of a "human life amendment" ballot initiative in Colorado. But I don't know her, and I've never spoken to her. I've only known of her through the media as we've followed coverage. Kristi's email asked for help in Colorado with their signature campaign for the 08 ballot.

This comes on the heels of my recent trip a few weeks ago to South Dakota where I blitzed the entire state to speak to pastors about the signature campaign for their 08 ballot initiative. While there I went to twelve cites in five days meeting with nearly 200 pastors. Prior to the "Urgency Tour" the signature gathering was falling behind expectations, and there was a real danger that enough valid signatures wouldn't be gathered in time for the the 4/1 deadline. The result after that trip was a swell in church participation. I spoke to a friend processing the signature a couple of days ago, and they said that they were about half way through and already at the necessary number to put the abortion initiative on the 08 ballot.

The Colorado Supreme Court ruled unanimously in Kristi's favor at the end of last year saying that she could move forward with a signature petition to put the human life amendment on the 08 ballot for voters to decide.

Please pray with me and for me. I still have no idea what all God wants to do, but I'm going to Denver. The deadline for Kristi to turn in her signatures to the Secretary of State is May 13th. They need (I think) about 76,000 signatures. I excited to be see how Bound4LIFE can be involved in these pivotal pieces of public policy. Please pray for Kristi as she is a forerunner for an entire generation of deliverers.

From what I can see, Kristi is a remarkable young person. She first received a mandate from the Lord to be a deliverer for the unborn at the ripe old age of 13. C'mon! I recently wrote that "When God is raising up deliverers, then it can mean only one thing. He intends to act!"

You can read about Kristi's story and the initiative in Colorado in these articles:

"Prayer as teen led to campaign for unborn"

"Anti-abortion group can seek Colo. ballot signatures"

"Colo. Petition Revives Anti-Abortion Bid"

Please Pray for the Crane Family

Katie Crane (to the right of David in red shirt) is one of my full-time staff members with Bound4LIFE and lives with Kim and I. We received the call last night that her younger sister Amy (19-second from left) had taken her life yesterday evening. Not many details are known yet. Please pray for the Crane family. David and Pam Crane are good friends of ours and have nine children–Amy was their fourth. This is a devastating time for everyone.

Katie, her twin sister Melody, Amy and their younger brother Jeremiah had all participated in The Call internship here in early 2007. Katie then stayed on full-time with Bound4LIFE and has lived with Kim and I since then. The oldest sister, Heather, also lives in our neighborhood with her husband Levi who works for Morningstar Ministries.

The Cranes live in Virginia near Richmond. Katie, Heather and Levi left this morning to go home to be with the family. We’ll be traveling there in a few days.

Now who's the master?

Thank You Larry Norman For Visiting This Planet

I was just taking a stroll down 80’s music memory lane. No, I don’t do that very often. Yes, Kim was a DJ at a roller skating rink in high school. Anyway...

I just found out that Larry Norman passed away on February 24. He was only 60. I had heard that his health was failing in recent years. I think that he had trouble getting the necessary medication needed and suffered from financial hardship.

When I became a Christian in 1986, Larry quickly became a staple in my walkman. By that time he was already a folk rocker throwback from the 60’s. But this guy loved Jesus, and it came through loud and clear. He epitomized the power of the Jesus Movement–Jesus was coming back at any moment, so let’s hurry up and get as many people saved as possible.

It was kind of odd to be a teenager that liked Larry Norman when everyone else was listening to Iron Maiden and Van Halen. If you had strict Christian parents maybe you could sneek in a little Stryper (who oddly enough covered one of Norman’s songs). I don’t know; I was just really gripped by his lyrics and soulful melodies. I loved the way he communicated the love of God at a street level. Who else could sing about getting gonorrhea on Valentine’s Day?

Farewell Larry. Thank you for helping me love God and man. Can’t wait to meet you in person.

Personal favorites:

Why Don’t You Look Into Jesus

Down To The Water

I Wish We’d All Been Ready

Righteous Rocker

The Rock That Doesn’t Roll

These are some of Larry’s final words before he left this world.

“I feel like a prize in a box of Cracker Jacks with God's hand reaching down to pick me up. I have been under medical care for months. My wounds are getting bigger. I have trouble breathing. I am ready to fly home . . . I’d like to push back the darkness with my bravest effort. There will be a funeral posted here on the Web site, in case some of you want to attend. We are not sure of the date when I will die. Goodbye, farewell, we will meet again.”

Expelled- Spring 08

This is worth seven and half minutes to rattle your noggin.