Back in the day of “The Jesus Revolution.” (You’ve got to see the movie if you haven’t already!) we, in ‘the by-way‘ of Northern Ireland, were as usual a little late to the party!
Thankfully we did get the Holy Spirit invitation, and many of us young people did turn up! I remember the Jesus marches and cheers, and offering Arthur Blessitt “Smile Jesus Loves You” stickers to puzzled little old ladies outside the City Hall where, as I reported in the last blog, 50 years on my brother was sworn in as High Sheriff!
Come Together in Jesus Name was a part of that ‘Jesus’ movement. Hilary and I found ourselves by an odd turn of events involved in leading the choir of young people who presented the ground breaking and life changing musical first to a packed audience in Belfast’s Wellington Hall and then at various venues to thousands all over Ireland.
We became friends with the creators, Jimmy and Carole Owens, who invited us to stay in there home in Van Nuys, California on our honeymoon in 1975. There we rubbed shoulders with their daughter Jamie and her friends many of whom had become noted musical celebrities in the movement. Barry Maguire we knew from having already visited Belfast. He had taught us a simple song that became a firm favorite.
“It’s happy day and I praise God for the weather
It’s happy day and I’m living it for my Lord
It’s happy day and things are going to get better
Living each day by the promises in God’s word.”
I found myself singing this chorus again the other morning, only this time the Spirit slipped in a new third line….
It’s happy day, and things couldn’t get any better……living each day by the promises in God’s word.
Now I know when you look around the world today you could respond, “You must be joking” Those who are ‘red pilled’ and awakening to the Matrix we have all been a part of for so long, are horrified with “This Present Darkness” that is now being exposed in the world around us. However if we are honest we recognize that darkness and the capacity for evil is in every one of us as Job experienced when he came face to face with the Leviathan that dwelt within him!
The good news however is, “The light shines in the darkness and the darkness has not overcome it.” (Jn. 1)
The Light is Christ, and Christ is in you. He is our ‘hope of glory’….and not just ‘in us’ but ‘through us’ in this dark world.
Inspired by Come Together, I then crafted a musical, Come Lord Jesus, based around the song Lord Jesus We Enthrone You, utilizing songs I had written over the previous years illuminating Kingdom Living teachings we’d developed in Community of the King. The thrust behind this was to prepare Jesus’ Bride on earth for the coming of our heavenly Bridegroom.
A few years ago however I was given another emphasis by the Spirit with the song “You Are The Bridge Over Troubled Waters” with the refrain….
You are here, You are here. In our hearts. Oh so near.
You are here. You are here. In our hearts. Oh so dear.
Yeshua.
While we do look forward to the return of Jesus our Head, he wants us to awaken to his presence and power here and now in the lives of those who constitute his body on earth.
So I am reposting the song…..
As Hilary and I watched the recording again we cringed a little at the ‘imperfections’…a bum chord, an unkempt eyebrow, …and that little bug that appears in Hilary’s hair!
“What time did that first appear?” Father asked me. I checked. It was 1.28. Last Sunday as 14 of our family gathered around the table for a birthday celebration I had been prompted to read Psalm 128 aloud to the family to honor Hilary on her 75th birthday.
song of ascents.
1 Blessed are all who fear the Lord,
who walk in obedience to him.
2 You will eat the fruit of your labor;
blessings and prosperity will be yours.
3 Your wife will be like a fruitful vine
within your house;
your children will be like olive shoots
around your table.
4 Yes, this will be the blessing
for the man who fears the Lord.
5 May the Lord bless you from Zion;
may you see the prosperity of Jerusalem
all the days of your life.
6 May you live to see your children’s children—
peace be on Israel.
A few years ago the Lord said to us that when the word ‘church’ came up in conversation, this was the image we should have at the forefront of our minds, rather than pulpits and pews…..a family gathered around the table. To broaden that out “…. being engaged together in the WARP and WEFT of everyday life….WARTS and all!”
(Yesterday when I took three of our grandsons (The WW4K group) to see The Jesus Revolution I noticed near the end, when Chuck Smith’s daughter sits down at the dinner table with him to have an honest ‘heart to heart’ exchange, in the background between them was Di Vinci’s “last supper” scene with Jesus and the disciples – around a table. This was ‘church’ as much as the Calvary Chapel packed tent scenes!)
I watched a clip of the Asbury meetings as I’m sure many of you have. They were singing “Great are you Lord” The Lord then reminded me of a line from one of my songs.
“Greater. Greater. Greater is He.
Greater than the brightest star…..greater than the smallest flea.“
The greatness of God is revealed just as much in that little bug on Hilary’s head as in the brightness of the Asbury star. The issue is our being awakened to be aware of God everywhere at all times and in all things! …and especially that, His power rests on our imperfections – on our weaknesses! (2 Cor. 12)
One of the reasons I enjoy an extended fast is because I no longer have to make decisions about food. When in this season I was presented with the opportunity to enter into such a fast, Father said, “Why don’t you just fast pleasing yourself in order to prefer your wife? What about swopping out a religious practice for a relational reality for only by being in constant contact with me, will you know how to love your wife!”
This morning a book I’d been recommended got delivered.
The title reminded me of the verse in Thessalonians where it says we are to be changed in our ‘atomos’ i.e. in our smallest parts – every moment, every movement and finally every molecule!
“Walking in the Spirit” is a metaphor for simply ‘living life.’ Bottom line……this is the single Atomic Habit we are all to master….courtesy of The Master!
Hilary and I have both had issues with our feet. We came across this little video on “Foot Cruches’ a few days ago.
Already it is bearing fruit in our improved walking ability
I believe Father wants us to increase our capacity to ‘Keep in step with the Spirit‘ (Gal.5:25) It comes as we ‘scrunch’ the ground under our feet….the ground of the miracle that is this life we live on “The Silent Planet” that is beginning to awaken!
“Things Couldn’t Get Any Better.” ………..Life is good, because God is good and God is God……. and we are exactly where we are meant to be on our journey with Him.
Thank you for taking time to read my blog – and giving me the opportunity to journal my journey with you.
In our Father’s unfailing and ever present love.
Paul (and Hilary)