All posts tagged: Jesus

A Tale as Old as Time: Revelation in Relationship by Charlie Louthen

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I think it’s important to share that I did not want to write this article. I literally tried twice to disqualify myself to Candice and to myself numerous times. But Papa (Christ Jesus) continuously tugged at my heart to do it. Why was I so resistant? I narrowed it down to one reason. Fear. Why was I afraid? 1. How do you write something on a topic so deeply personal like a hard break-up with care and consideration for the other party involved when you were hurt by their actions? 2. How do you help others with forgiveness when you are not fully healed? I prayed for days on these two questions and got wise counsel from close friends. In the end, the answer was simple. Truth and grace. The truth is sometimes God will give you exactly what you want so that He can show you what you really need. This is biblically accurate. He gave the Israelites a king when they begged Him for it. He even told them all the horrible things …

The Heart of Hospitality: Faith for Creatives

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“Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one another; not lagging in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord; rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing steadfastly in prayer; distributing to the needs of the saints, given to hospitality.”              ~ROMANS 12:10-13 (See vs 9-21) Hospitality, whenever many of us hear the word the first image that comes to mind is that of homecooked meals, friends and loved ones gathered around a table, smiling and sharing in one another’s company. I know that I have often considered hospitality meant that I had to open my home, serve a meal and all that comes with it. And although that is indeed true to the definition, there is so much more to it and yet so much more glorious simplicity than what we typically assign to the word. Hospitality isn’t about a location per se but more about meeting others in their need wherever they are. It’s about being present and available in the moment, with undivided attention, no matter the location, but with sincerity …

Son of God Came Down: A Poem by Briana Lassiter

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Son of God came down Son of Man they found triumphant over the grave Triumphant in victory God could not be bound His love He freely gave He opened up the grave He split the earth, for me to save Love of God come down Touch us with Your sound The sound of truth, the sound of grace Let us glimpse Your precious face Lead us in all truth Let us walk with You Triumphant warriors Kingdom carriers Break all barriers Light of the world; that’s You. ~Poiema, Poetry in Motion By Briana Lassiter I’m married to my dearest friend of 8 years and mom to an energetic 6-year-old. My greatest joys come from traveling with my little family, cooking for appreciative recipients, learning herbalism and natural medicine, and every experience I get to have in prayer ministry. I’m an avid tea and book lover and can’t get enough of either. I love Jesus and the daily adventure that comes from walking in friendship with him as he arranges and rearranges my story.

Take Your Promise, A Prophetic Word for Passover: Season of Salvation pt 2

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“My covenant I will not break, Nor alter the word that has gone out of My lips.” ~PSLAM 89:34 In Psalm 89:34 the word of the Lord says, “My Covenant I will not break, nor alter the word that is gone out of my lips.” Several nights ago the Lord gave me a dream and in that dream, I was on vacation with a group of people. I looked out the window at the night sky and the sky was black but out of nowhere a cloud that looked like smoke upon the dark sky started to turn to the colors of the rainbow. The actual colors were red, yellow, purple, green, and blue. Suddenly the cloud began to move and as it moved it turned into a ring in the heavens. It was like an opening in the firmament and had Hebrew words going through it. But then the cloud-ring froze over and out of it poured snow. I watched people going out and standing with the light under this rainbow-ring that was now frozen with …

Knowing God or Knowing About God by Bri Lassiter

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I feel like I’ve spent a lot of my life knowing about God but not actually knowing Him. It’s as if I’ve somehow thought I could have a relationship with God by knowing as many facts as I can about Him, and then “living right” in accordance with the facts I knew. It’s laughable how unrealistic that thinking is! Imagine approaching ANY other relationship in your life the same way, or imagine trying to apply any Christian catchphrase that we try so hard to live by, to an actual relationship like a husband, wife or friend. What if you tried to function in your human relationships by attempting to just work hard, sacrifice, conform, or serve and please them? What if you just came to them and begged to be used a lot? Or if you just came to them begging for them to fix you and make you clean? Those would sound like red flag signals of a dysfunctional or abusive relationship, void of feelings and necessary love. Yet these are the exact phrases …

Palms of Victory: Season of Salvation pt 1

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“Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your King is coming to you; He is just and having salvation, Lowly and riding on a donkey, A colt, the foal of a donkey.” ~ZECHARIAH 9:9 Before the very foundations of the world, before the Creator spoke and set out His Words to cause light to shine in the darkness, the Precious Lamb of God, the King of Kings and Savior of all was slain, shedding His blood in a covenant that would shape eternity. Before Adam and Eve inhaled the very breath and Spirit of God, the Ruah that gave them purpose by His design, before their feet could know the touch of grass or their ears hear the ring of pleasure in laughter, before they could fall prey to the lie of the evil one and cause all creation to fall, victory over death, hell, and the grave had already been won. They had, we had, every one of us who would believe and receive His free gift and unmerited favor and grace, based off His finished work was …

Strategic Power: Power in the Process pt 4

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“Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the ax.” ~Abraham Lincoln In the book of Acts, we find the disciples waiting in Jerusalem, along with many others for the green light from Heaven to go out and spread the goodness about the Lord and Messiah, Jesus Christ. They’ve witnessed His miracles, they’ve heard His words, they watched Him die a gruesome death on a rugged cross only to see Him risen on the third day. They believe. They believe in what He has said, they believe in what He has done, they believe in Who He is. They believe in what He has commissioned them to do…however… However, He, considering all of their belief instructs them to…wait. “Therefore, when they had come together, they asked Him, saying, “Lord, will You at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” And He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has put in His own authority.  But you shall receive power when the Holy …

The Power in Songs of Praise

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I just wanted to take this moment to encourage you all with not just a song of worship, but with the powerful weapon that we have in worship through song, coming from our very lips and hearts, no matter if they are out of tune or not appreciated by those sitting next to us. Often times we allow men (to the delight of the enemy) to deter us from opening our mouths in song unto or Heavenly Father. What is the big deal with singing to our Heavenly Father? Well, there is power in it that shifts the atmosphere. It is through song that our hearts are encouraged, that we remember what our God has done for us in the past, is presently doing, and will do. It is through song that we find strength, and that the enemy is evicted from our atmosphere, for our God inhabits our praise. (PSALM 22:3) Ephesians 5:18-21 says, “And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another in psalms and …

Out to Abundance: Faith for Creatives

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Revised from May 4, 2018 “…we went through fire and water, but you brought us out to abundance.” ~PSALM 66:12 Another translation of this portion of scripture says, “We went through the fire and through the water, but You brought us out to rich fulfillment.” Here is what we as Creatives and People of Faith have to take note of: THERE IS ‘PROCESS’ BEFORE ‘POSSESSION’. Before we are able to take hold of and step into the new level that God has for us, we must be prepared for it. Who we are before the process is not who we will be on the other side of it when we take possession of what the Lord has promised and called us to. Fire. Consider the occurrences of forest fires, not the ones that are caused by human negligence, but those that take place as a part of the circle of creation. These fires are natural. They may cause great devastation, but, they bring greater enrichment to the ecosystem. Water. Water, rain, are necessary for the nutrients to be able …

Do All Out of Love: Faith for Creatives

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“Let all that you do be done with love.” ~I CORINTHIANS 16:14 Do everything with, in, and out of love. This is not just about doing to or for others out of the love of your heart, which is a good righteous. This is doing, going forth in action, fully consumed and clothed in Christ’s love for you as you do so. The word tells us that He is love (I JOHN 4:7-9). That We are in Him (I JOHN 4:13). When we know how loved we are, perfectly loved, we are able to reign above all fear, the very fear that seeks to paralyze us and keep us silent. When we are clothed in and in partnership with Christ’s love for us we move in confidence and expectation of His goodness in all things and circumstances. Let us, with love, in love, in partnership with Love Himself, begin all things, all prayer, all action, from the confident and secure place of how loved we are. There is no more secure foundation or armor than this! ~Poiema. Poetry in …