Pastor Dan's Blog

Give Yourself to your Gift

It may be hard for you to picture me as a little boy, but there was a time when I had to hold my cup with two hands and the rake was taller than I was. During the summer the sun would bleach my hair so blonde and bake my back so red but still you couldn’t get me to come in from the sun for I loved to run and play. There was one day that we had gathered at my Grandparents home, and I was a bit older now. My parents, my uncles and aunts and their friends were all there and gathered in the garage enjoying one another. On most occasions, they wouldn’t even notice that I had grabbed a ball, my glove and a bat and was headed out to play, but this day was different. My grandmother grabbed me by the shirt as I tried to make my escape. She said “Danny, I need you to sing.” “Grams, everybody’s singing. You don’t need me to. I want to go play.” “Danny, listen to me, my boy.” She was a smoker and Irish and had the most beautiful blue eyes. “Your voice is a gift from God and it doesn’t belong to you alone. It belongs to this family. Now get in the garage and sing my song.”

Son, I tell you this story – and this is just the beginning of it – because you have mysteries hidden in you – yet to be discovered. You have treasures that need to be discovered and developed for a season yet to be. You see, I didn’t know that it would be my voice that would get me accepted to a very prestigious school and that it would be my voice that would set me apart in the trading pits of New York City and that in fact it would be my voice that would help bring my Grams back from her coma so that she could have her final conversations with her children before she went to heaven. She demanded my gift. She saw to it that it was discovered and developed.

Stir up the gift that is within you. God has not given you the spirit of fear, but power, love and a sound mind. Let patience have her perfect work and let Yahshua author it and finish that work, for He knows the plans and the purposes of that gift. Before the foundations of the world He knew you and He placed you here in our family and in this generation. There are no accidents and there are no throw away parts. You will be held accountable for that which you have been given and for that which you have been assigned. And more than that my son, your satisfaction and your greatest joy will be found in discovering, developing and imparting those gifts to others. In fact that act will allow others to do the same.

Son, can I tell you a secret? You are my joy. You are my gift. You are my song and you are my heart cry. When I wake, I think. How can I stir you up? How can I wake you to your gift? My life is in you. My future is in you. My dream is in you.

When I read my Bible I see that Abraham’s role and title was Father. Even Yahweh Himself prefers the title of Abba – Father. If I could impart this love that I have for you in this moment as I think of my desire to wake up the greatness in you – the You that I know that is alive in there. Yah has given you things and He has gifted you to me and there are nights that I wake up feeling so very blessed. I gladly give my self and my life to you, my son.

There are No Second-Class Citizens in the Body of Christ

My Son, let no man deceive you. There is only one Lord – Yahweh Yahshua. The greatest among us are those that serve and there is no greater love that you will find than laying your life down for your friends. As I have written this letter to you, you have not written this letter to me. I have gone before you to prepare places for you, you have not done this for me, nor would I ask you to. The joy is all mine and one day you will know this joy. It is my pleasure to open doors for you. You will open doors for others one day as this revelation becomes yours. You will not achieve to receive you will achieve to give and to make way for those who have yet to achieve. Yahshua has asked each of us to go to places that he will show us and to people that we know not of. He has promised to fill our mouths with the right things to say and He has promised to equip us and as we obey He promises that He will never leave us and he will never betray us or abandon us. We are never to value ourselves more than we value those that he has sent us to. That would be our only reason for not going.

So, my son I give myself to you. Everything I have is yours. I go because you too must go, because if I do not go, you will not go either because you will inherit my fear or my self-love, both of which will be a curse. There is nothing more valuable than my love for Yahshua and for keeping His every word – His every command.

Should you come upon one that sounds like a believer, who is versed in scripture and can quote books at a time, but does not love people and will not lay a path out for them with his own effort and his own investment, be wary. Should you come upon a teacher that wants you to call him father, but asks you to give him of your substance rather than preparing a place for you, be wary as it is for father’s to lead and to guide and to prepare and to lay his life down for you as an example to those that would follow.

In the Kingdom of God the servants are the greatest, but the servants never speak of greatness, they speak of service and they speak of family. Son, you are too well trained to give your life to a vision built toward material things. You are made in His image and in His likeness and you have in you the creation and more. Bow your knee to the Yahshua that you see in another and to nothing else. And watch closely for He will be doing the same to the Yahshua in you – even while he trains and guides you.

Now remember these words as you grow, for there will come a time when you will be required to give your life for others and now is that time. Don’t trade your life for the approval of men. Don’t even wait for the reaction of men, for if you wait for a reaction – already your intention is wrong. Don’t look on the outward appearance – giving to the rich or to the attractive or to those that you think can reciprocate. Giving your life is the reward for giving your life, for as you give your life, you will have more life to give. If you give something expecting someone to pay you back then what you have given has no value at all and you will find yourself empty and dying – dissatisfied and without energy – weary and waiting for someone to approve – so that you can move again. No matter – come find me and I will give you strength once again.

You are my son.

We are All Called to Do Great Things, but None of Us can do it Alone!

Son, it is not difficult to see the Greatness of God. The stars, they speak of his beauty and the oceans vastness confounds our senses. It is when we look on a child in her frailty that we are required to use our faith to see great things. It takes understanding to know that when we hold an acorn we hold more than just one nut, in fact, a tree, yea a forest and yes, potentially; forests. It is the same with a child. Each child represents an expansive ancestry and an even greater potential tree of descendants. This child indeed could be a nation of people.

It is hard to see the greatness in others and even harder to see greatness in ourselves. Now, hold that thought in your mind, for many can see greatness in their minds – especially when they are still young – but they cannot see their absolute need for others. It is hard for you to remember when you could not lift your head or feed yourself. It is difficult for you to think back to the day when you could not speak an intelligible word or string together a sentence. All of these things were taught to you with the loving touch of your mother from an early age. And as you grew to where you are now, I am here to remind you that you are strong, but not as strong as you could be or should be for your strength is not in your arms or your mind alone. Your strength is in your choices. It is not so much in what you choose but in whom you choose and how you choose them. It is the quality of the ones you choose and the intents you choose them with.

Why do you choose what you choose is far more important than what you choose and how you choose them will determine the success of that choice.

We are all called to do something great, but we cannot do it alone.

We cannot do what we are called to do alone. We cannot have a family alone. Communication requires a listener and a speaker. At every step you are going to need help. Your life will take on greater meaning and greater joy when you can greet each new person with amazement and each familiar person with joyful expectation as if they have grown each time you meet anew. What’s new? What have you seen since last we met? Where have you been?

We Win, Let’s Play

Before we begin, I must tell you that the outcome is set. Circumstances may arise that speak otherwise, but rest assured that there are no obstacles that may present themselves that cannot be overcome. Though you may feel alone, you will not be. Your steps will be ordered and your victory is assured as long as you remember a few simple rules and as long as you choose wisely.

Three questions you must answer now and you must answer them correctly. They are simple and there is an order to the question that is quick and easy if you let it be so. Who is God or Who is He? That is the first Question. He is Yahweh – the God of the Bible and His Son is Yahshua – English-speaking people call Him Jesus. The second question is Who am I? You must answer that question in relation to the first – I am one that believes in Yahweh Yahshua – say the names together – learning to do so brings you to the understanding of the third question, which is simple. Who are we? We are believers who call on the name Yahshua. But we don’t just call on the name. We hear His voice and obey His instructions. We are followers of the creator of all things. We are in relationship with omnipotence Himself. We know omniscience and omnipresence. We have relationship with He who has successfully created and maintained the universe before time, through time and into eternity. He is the We who win’s and when we are with that we – we win. Do you understand? (Proverbs 30:4)

No enemy can stand against you, so there is no us against them. Satan has been defeated. The worst murderer is a candidate for salvation. He may need to be put down to keep him from harming the innocent but he need never be feared. Terrorists and child molesters are to be looked upon with compassion as we step forward with the plans given to us – birthed in prayer and penned in council. We have access to Wisdom Himself.

So, remember, my son, you don’t need to be a pilot if you know one or a mason if you have a way to find one. You don’t need to carry supplies or currency if you have ready access. We have access to all things through our commitment to staying connected to Him – through our decision to stay in relationship to Yahshua and to those who are in relationship with Yahshua.

Your value is in Him. Your esteem is in Yahshua. Your ability is in Yahshua. Your victory is assured and your victory is in Yahshua. This will especially help when the circumstances speak differently. In fact as you experience the truth of this, you will begin to look forward to adverse circumstances because it is then that you will boast even stronger in the Lord, for you will find excitement as you anticipate the creative deliverance that must come.

Listen carefully to the voices of those around you, my son. Many will speak of their own exploits and of their own abilities. They will list their accomplishments and their certifications. They will insist that you give more weight to what you see than what you know that you have heard from the Holy Spirit. It will be these voices that will rail against you like an icy wind on the bare walls of a Minnesota home. These men are not champions and though they stand near you for the moment, they will be gone when victory comes. Stand still, and know that Yahshua is Yahweh.

My Son, attend to my words – since you have access to all wisdom, all power and can be where you need to be, then what is it that you are supposed to do? Ask youself, if you knew you couldn’t fail, what would you do? We Win, Let’s Play!.