Posts

Follow the Yellow Brick Road

Greetings in the Lord! It amazes me how often the Lord will direct my attention to a particular song of a secular singer and show me how He is speaking through that song---it's as if the Lord had inspired it Himself. Take for example, the song "Fire on Babylon" by Sinead O'Connor. She sings about how Babylon had done so much destruction to her family and had projected so many lies into the consciousness of its people that right was considered wrong and wrong was right--and now it is being destroyed: "Life's backwards, life's backwards People turn around The house is burned, the house is burned The children are gone Fire, fire, fire on Babylon-- Oh yes, a change has come!" It reminds me so much of the preaching of Jeremiah, who, after having the call to tell Judah that it would be overrun by Babylon, also preached that Babylon would be overrun by "an alliance of great nations from the land of the north." "Fire on Babylon--oh yes, a c

Revealer of Mysteries

Greetings in the Lord! I don't know if you are like me, but I enjoy a good mystery, a riddle of sorts, that has to be searched out and pursued to find a true answer, a secret uncovered. I love that. Well, with God there is no end to the fun, is there? I mean, He is all-knowing, all-seeing, and the Revealer of Mysteries. That is one of my favorite characteristics of God Almighty--He is the Revealer of Mysteries. It amazes me that God knows the end from the beginning, that He looks into the darkness of what is ahead and sees clearly, like being able to penetrate the thickest of fogs with ease. God knows the schemes the enemy, the plans of temptations and trials against the saints to attempt to derail us from the good path, to mislead and thwart the good plans God has for us. So, I have been pondering some verses for over a month now...actually, the Lord has been leading me to read the same 2 passages of Scripture for that time frame , so I know there is much more to be discov

Brink of a New Season

Greetings in the Lord! It has been a little while since I've received so many strong messages for the Americans of the United States--messages of coming captivity and disaster because of their continued idolatry, rebellion against God, and unwillingness to change their evil ways. They are on the cusp of a new season of judgment from the Lord, a disciplining, so to speak. Today's word is taken from Jeremiah 13 and chapters 5-6, which is quite to the point: "Like cages full of birds, their houses are full of deceit; they have become rich and powerful and have grown fat and sleek. Their evil deeds have no limit; they do not plead the case of the fatherless to win it, they do not defend the rights of the poor." "Should I not punish them for this?" declares the Lord. "Should I not avenge Myself on such a nation as this? A horrible and shocking thing has happened in the land: The prophets prophesy lies, the priests rule by their own authority, and My people l

Blowing the Horn

Greetings in the Lord! Oh, the prophets of the Old Testament--how they spoke with such fervor and directness the words of the Lord. Not people pleasers , to be sure. Well, today's word is taken from that vein. It comes from Ezekiel 33, where the Lord tells Ezekiel that he has been chosen by God to be a "watchman" for the house of Israel; to speak to them whatever the Lord commands...or Ezekiel will be held accountable for not saying anything when he was commanded to speak. "Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel; so hear the word I speak and give them warning from Me. When I say to the wicked, 'O wicked man, you will surely die,' and you do not speak out to dissuade him from his ways, that wicked man will die for his sin, and I will hold you accountable for his blood." Ezekiel 33:7-9 So that's the pretenses under which I share today's word. It's a last call for people to repent and change their ways because soo

60 Years Young

Image
Greetings in the Lord! Last weekend I went to the Seoul International Book Fair and had a special treat as I walked out of Seoul train station--a picture display celebrating their 60t h anniversary of being a nation. South Korea was paying tribute to all the 60+ nations that helped them during the North Korean invasion. The memorabilia was very touching, as were the reflective looks on the faces of the Koreans, many of whom probably could recall their own personal experiences of that time and afterwards. Its funny too, in the time that I've been here, I've had several of the older generation Koreans show their appreciation for all that America has done for them over the years by giving a thumbs up and saying "Americans, good." In February the Lord arranged for a "chance" meeting downtown with a lady who gave me a tour of central Taegu . The main things she showed me were the early American missionary sites in Taegu and the post-war ventures that helped

Bald Eagle

Greetings in the Lord! From time to time I get asked about dream interpretation--how to know when they are "God dreams" and how to discern their meanings, and the like. That's why I often share my dreams and their meanings on this blog, to give inquisitive and maturing Christians insight into this form of communication from the Lord. So, having said that, I'd like to share another dream I had this week. Just before I woke up on Monday I looked above me and saw a man with a huge bald head looking down at me. On his face were really wide nose nostrils, like little black caves in his face, and he had an open mouth with missing teeth. I could almost smell his bad breath as I woke up startled, wondering, "What the heck was that?" After pondering the dream, I understood some of the dream language I have already learned from past dreams: * A big bald head that looks like a rock is a stubborn or hard-headed person; I've had dreams before where a person was

Shake, Rattle and Roll

Image
Greetings in the Lord! It was just this past week that I realized another important prophetic word being fulfilled these days. Actually, it was last month, March, that it began...four years from the time the Lord gave the word. I was in Iceland in March of 2006, and the Lord had given a word at that time for the island nation: "It's the dawn of a new age in Iceland! Look, over the mountains--a bright Light shines. Feel His warmth stirring and melting your hearts. Truth shall reign in the north! The Lord comes riding on His white horse to spear the red dragon, setting the captives free! In an instant, all is changed! Your hearts will burn for Me! Raging to the ends of the earth, proclaiming Truth, taming the earth once again--you are fearless, My Nordic children. You are greatly loved My tender ones. You are gifted and beautiful, polished for the day I unsheathe you to the world. A tall, silver, shining sword will come from the north to touch the ends of the earth. Truth! Trut

Not So Funny Cartoons

Image
Greetings in the Lord! Well, so many things are coming to pass these days prophetically that it's often hard to keep up, but in this listing I wanted to share with you just one of things the Lord had me broadcast a while back. Firstly, some of you may remember that in December of 2009 I was asked to speak to an organization called "Act for America," which is a grassroots political group committed to bringing awareness to the dangers of Muslim extremism in the US. At the time, I told them prophetically that it was open season on America for Muslim extremism activity to take place: verbal intimidation/warfare in the media, lives of celebrities who mock Islam would be threatened, laws pertaining to religious freedom in schools, businesses and organizations would be challenged, compromised and stretched to the limits, and outright attacks and terrorist plots being revealed/thwarted again. It was only a couple weeks later that the prophetic word began to be fulfilled with the

The Lion Wakes Tonight

Image
Greetings in the Lord! I want to share with all of you a dream I had this morning that was pretty scary. I was walking at night with a group of people in an unfamiliar city and we were trying to find our way. Just then, over my shoulder I saw movement along a side street and turned my head to see what it was--a huge lion was prowling the streets! And as it is with many dreams, things are not totally life size , but this lion was as big as a rhinoceros ! "Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour." 1 Peter 5:8 Right after the Holy Spirit said the above verse, the lion turned his head to look at me and roared fiercely--I wanted to run like there was no tomorrow, but instead I was frozen stiff. As my mind whirled of what to do next, my eyes gazed at the lion's body. It was solid muscle. Its paws were as big as my head and I imagined how with one swipe it would remove an entire face from an individual

Be a Clump of Green Grass

Image
Greetings in the Lord! On Easter I was bummed to have to stay home and get well--I was diagnosed with 'walking pneumonia' around that time. But the day was so beautiful that I just had to sneak out and take a walk in the hills surrounding our campus. On my trek I took pictures of newly sprouted blooms on the fruit trees, but noticed the colorful contrast with those blooms and the otherwise lifeless and brown landscape. Then I came upon something so odd that I stopped and studied it for awhile--it was a bright green clump of grass right in the middle of the worn path! It almost looked as if someone had cut out a circle of lawn turf and planted it there. It was odd too, how on an hour long walk I saw no other clumps of green grass anywhere, let alone in the middle of a pathway. Quickly recognizing it as a sign, I took out my camera and took pictures of the strange occurrence and pondered its meaning in my heart for a week. I kept waiting to hear more from the Holy Spirit about

College Bound

Greetings in the Lord! This week are the big games for the men's and women's basketball NCAA Final Four and I couldn't be more excited. While I was reading up on the scouting reports and headlines I came across an interesting article about the men's teams: Duke and Butler. As it turns out, a majority of the top players for these teams are white guys...which is fairly unusual. In fact, it's downright odd. It is estimated that of all the Division I college basketball teams only about 32% are white; and of that who really knows the percentage that actually have major roles on their teams. Therefore I was all the more interested in the article to read what the top white players for these teams had to say on the issue of race. Butler's top guard said he first experienced racial discrimination/intimidation when he was in high school playing in the AAU leagues. The coach from the other all-black team kept yelling, "Get the white kid!" all game. After

I Spy with My Little Eye...

Greetings in the Lord! I want to share with you a dream and prophetic word the Lord gave me early this morning, as it expands on a comment He made to me last week regarding a young man I know. The dream was this: I was having dinner with 3 people, two older ones and the young man. I was listening as the two older ones were laughing and saying, "This young man has had more women around the world than most rock stars!" The young man was smiling and proud of himself, too. "Yeah, it's gross," I said, obviously showing my disapproval to the young man and two adults, who by the way, called themselves 'Christian'. "It's nothing more than a disease, a compulsion called Lust. It's disgusting how many young girls you've preyed upon and took advantage of," I said to the young man. "Look at your hands, they're dirty! It's like you always just got done touching yourself!" At that the young man went from being proud of h

God Prefers Jacob

Greetings in the Lord! Today's word comes from Malachi 1:1-5 primarily, but I had to do some studying to understand better what the Lord was saying. You know, there are some really perplexing verses in the Bible; ones we tend not to explore unless we are studying His Word. Like this one from Malachi 1:1-3, for example. "I have loved you," says the Lord. "But you ask, 'How have you loved us?' Was not Esau Jacob's brother?" the Lord says. "Yet I have loved Jacob, but Esau I have hated, and I have turned his mountains into a wasteland and left his inheritance to the desert jackals." Now I don't know about you, but these verses challenge me. Does God really "hate" Esau and "love" Jacob? Obviously, the Word is true, so the question is: what does He mean by love and hate in this passage? To shed some light on this I had to study out the context of the words used and went to Luke 14:26 where Jesus tells the people: &

Poker Face

Greetings in the Lord! Well, I'm just gonna tell ya upfront that the Lord has been talking to me and showing me about a subject it is past time to deal with, and maybe not one that is discussed everyday in church: sexual purity. And along those lines its been specifically about sexual sin (including homosexuality) within the church. Now the group focus is for the twenty-somethings, but let's just be real here, its a message for all age groups. In fact, this word specifically deals with the "Poker Face," or the ability some have to hide their true intentions/desires to others until an opportunity comes along for them to seize the moment and act upon their hidden feelings. Oh, it looks like their actions are done out of the blue, but that's just because everyone had bought into their poker face and didn't know what feelings were brewing underneath. Many don't know how long the feelings had been growing inside of those poker face wearers, how long they had be

Do Not Pass Go

Greetings in the Lord! With all the excitement of the move this year I've been a bit slow (understatement!) to blog the different words and teaching moments the Lord has put on my heart for this season. And while I enjoy reading what other prophetic voices are publishing about restoration and rebuilding for this season, and certainly am seeing the truth of those words, the Lord is also drawing my attention to another aspect of this season I will share with you. Let's consider King David for a moment. Remember how he was fighting for years with Saul and also against the Philistines? But a day came when he had relative peace and quiet, staying in Jerusalem as King over Israel and ruling without too much trouble--at least not like what he had seen up till then. He sat in leisure while his men were out at war. It was then that David saw and had a rendezvous with Bathsheba. Or let's consider King Solomon, whose reign is trademarked by peace and prosperity and the gift of wi

Piece of Puzzle

Image
Greetings in the Lord! Well, I did not fall off the face of the earth, as it may seem, when I went to Korea, but have been busy working and getting settled in. However, over the Lunar New Year I was able to take a short trip to one of Korea's hot springs locations. Very relaxing and fun! There are many mountains in Korea as you may know, so in addition to the indoor and outdoor spas, we walked around the hillside to the obstacle courses, gardens and pagodas, amusement park and snow hill the hot spring park had put together for tourists. Something fun for everyone. Now the weekend was so perfect I figured that God wanted me to see something, so I kept my eyes alert....but honestly, didn't see anything out of the usual. Then on the last morning we were at the hot springs I had an unusually vivid dream. I was riding with a group of people in a van and arrived at my destination. I and a young person with really long, black curly hair got out and ran off together in the tall grass t

Laughing It Up in the UK

Greetings in the Lord! Recently I shared pictures and a blog about my new abode and work arrangement in Korea--which I still have to pinch myself about! It's just too cool! Then, as I was lesson planning and searching out resources online I decided to check the status of my book online, too. I was floored to find out that websites in several countries, including Japan, Canada, Germany and the UK, are listing my book for sale and that in the UK it is actually 7th on the Best Selling list for the past 90 days...but here's the kicker, the genre that lists it is the Mind, Body, Spirit/Divination one. http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/qid=1264147642/ref=sr_st?rs=275576&page=1&rh=n%3A266239%2Cn%3A%211025612%2Cn%3A61%2Cn%3A275576%2Cp_36%3A2000-5000%2Cp_n_publication_date%3A20090917-20091216&bbn=275576&sort=salesrank The Lord had put on my heart quite some time ago that He was going to use my book to reach many different niches of people, but it is so strange to watch it hap

Feet Carrying Good News in the Mountains

Image
Greetings in the Lord! Well, often the New Year can usher in more than a change of mind and heart, but also a change in location as well. As of January 12t h , I have moved to Korea to teach English for 2010. And what a pleasant surprise it has turned out to be! With a group of 11 Americans I made my way over and am busy teaching at an English school for Korean students--elementary all the way up to businessmen and Korean teachers in professional development. Our school is nestled in the mountains and has a pretty view from any angle, but is still conveniently located near to a large metropolitan city. Our students come from all over the country,however, and usually live on campus for a week or more. Currently our school is being replicated in several other countries for its unique teaching style and philosophy--complete English immersion in a pseudo city-like environment. It's the closest thing our students can come to being in an English-speaking culture without leaving Kor

2010: Joshua Moves Forward

Image
Greetings in the Lord! 2010 is here-- yippee ! But before we move on, how many of you were wondering if you were going to get out of 2009 in one piece? Me too, I must admit. It was a curve ball right from the beginning when I found myself grappling with a sudden job loss. And while the Lord had been preparing me for that to happen, I resisted it every step of the way. Why? I believed it was my "dream job." Yes, I was happy as a bug in a rug and then it was gone! In a blink of an eye--with salt thrown in for good measure--I left blurry-eyed and angry. "It was an assignment, not a career move," the Holy Spirit confided to me. "Well, OK, if you say so," I said, but in my heart was sad and mad and learned again another very important lesson with God: Sometimes worldly loss produces spiritual gain. After allowing me time to grieve and just sit in His presence saying nothing--for I had nothing to say--He gently began to console me and woo me back, teaching me an

Now is the Time for Israel

Greetings in the Lord! I want to share with all of you a very profound dream I had yesterday, coupled with the vision and prophetic word the Lord gave to me on Saturday, when I was at the Messianic congregation I go to on Shabbat . As all dreams of major significance with the Lord, I will wake up extremely tired, almost like I am sick or something; this has happened only a handful of times. In the dream I was lying down sleeping in a field with many other soldiers, both male and female. Apparently we had been sleeping for quite some time and bodies were strewn everywhere, next to and on top of each other as if they just collapsed on the spot. Very slowly we gained consciousness and greeted each other as comrades would. "Get ready; be prepared, you and all the hordes about you, and take command of them. After many days you will be called to arms. In future years you will invade a land that has recovered from war, whose people were gathered from many nations to the mountains o