Friday, August 29, 2008

Our Field of Dreams

(Please scroll down and pause the playlist before playing clip...)

Do I need to say that "baseball" is a metaphor, or should I assume that you already know that?

17 comments:

Anonymous said...

....awesome, beautiful picture~looks like a small city on a hill! (It is a field of dreams)

Going Against the Flow
TGIF Today God Is First Volume 1 by Os Hillman
Friday, August 29 2008

"But the whole assembly talked about stoning them." Numbers 14:10a
Have you ever had to stand up against the majority for a cause that wasn't popular? God brought the Israelites out of Egypt and promised He would lead them into a land of milk and honey. The process of moving out of Egypt was difficult. They could no longer do things the old way, for the old ways didn't work in the desert. God provided for them during this journey. But there came a point in which the people forgot what God had said. Their discomfort changed their belief about God.

Whenever God is slow to answer our prayers, what we believe about God is revealed. Do we change our plans and move in a different direction when pressure mounts? Or do we continue on the path God has directed for us? Four men believed what God said and were willing to stand; however, the crowd wanted to stone them.

Then Moses and Aaron fell facedown in front of the whole Israelite assembly gathered there. Joshua son of Nun and Caleb son of Jephunneh, who were among those who had explored the land, tore their clothes and said to the entire Israelite assembly, "The land we passed through and explored is exceedingly good. If the Lord is pleased with us, He will lead us into that land, a land flowing with milk and honey, and will give it to us. Only do not rebel against the Lord. And do not be afraid of the people of the land, because we will swallow them up. Their protection is gone, but the Lord is with us. Do not be afraid of them." But the whole assembly talked about stoning them. Then the glory of the Lord appeared at the Tent of Meeting to all the Israelites (Numbers 14:5-10).

Notice Joshua and Caleb's response to the situation. They had spied the land. They believed God. They challenged the crowd. They seemed to know that if the Lord was not pleased with them they would not enter into the Promised Land. Those who grumbled did not enter the Promised Land. Only Joshua and Caleb and a new generation saw the fulfillment of God's promise.

Has God called you to stand for a cause bigger than yourself? You will have opposition to His call; sometimes it even comes from those in your own camp. But if God has called you, then you can be sure He will make a way. He has already opened the way before you. But you must walk in faith, joined with Him to take the land. "...Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go" (Joshua 1:9).

Anonymous said...

"You saw it!" - Ray Kinsella

tracy said...

We see it, with tears running down our cheeks, we see it, we feel it- we operate in a parallel realm. If you make it we make it. We ARE GOING to make it. There is so much more to be done. David & Tracy

Anonymous said...

BEAUTIFUL!

Anonymous said...

Bishop
You know the dream will take on a life all it's own. We open the gate and they will come.

Anonymous said...

DREAM !?!? My dreams are REAL!!!

iconoclast

Son of Zadok said...

Hey Ya'll,

I've been out, in my stubbornness and flesh, gettin' corrected at the Shack.

Proverbs 3:11-12

My son, do not despise the chastening of the LORD,
Nor detest His correction;
For whom the LORD loves He corrects, Just as a father the son in whom he delights.

I'd rather have God put my heart out in the open than live under any false illusion of my own power to save myself, of which there is none. Or having any idea of ever fully obtaining my full salvation in this flesh. Paul pressed on for that prize. So still I praise Him! Your ways, not my ways. It's like trying to challenge God to a game of chess. It's better to fall laughing in His lap laughing saying,

"Daddy this is no fun, I can only win when you let me. Let's go hit some home runs instead."

"Remember when you hit the home run around the world?"


I love baseball. I used to find it boring until I was about 23 and the Reds rose out of their mediocrity momentarily for a season and won 99 games, forcing a one game playoff with the Mets. You see, you can still get a beautiful seat in Cincinnati for $6.00. They lost that one game playoff in the rain that year. But that summer, visiting the park at least a dozen times, with the cheers and the thousands of fans, and the crack of the bat, and the smells and excitement. It was like the one place in the world I could go and yell at the top of my lungs. Maybe I was yelling to God to show me who He really was, because without knowing the truth of the Christ.......well, theirs no power in that.

My God He Saves!

I've got some lungs, and I remember feeling the crowd responding to my bellowing rallying cry, like spraying a flame over ignitable gases.

"LET'S GO REDS!!!

And the voices would rise, gathering together in fevered unity behind one idea, one dream, TO WIN! GO REDS !!!

I'm waxing poetic about baseball, but I'm thinking about how we've been challenged to get off the bench in this game that is life. This underground church. Your hearing the Word of Truth. They've
found you. I've loved the dreams posted on here of late. Also Scribe, whatever you’re doing by God's Spirit, don't stop, you hear from God. There was some real stuff in that word for me. Keep the truth coming.

I could go on about baseball. And with the Field of Dreams post on the mind today, listening to some amazing music my brother was sharing with me I imagined this in my heart.

Now Batting....For The Eagles,

THE BLAST !!!!!

If anyone wants to hear some inspired songs that made me think of CITN today, I've linked a few below. I always enjoy hearing a good song. Share yours sometime.

Be Blessed Friends…

Country is not close to my favorite music, but the message of this song is so real. God loves and accepts real, ordinary people.

youtube.com/watch?v=MnXppT9jOeg

What’s this song about to me? It’s not a political statement. Is it about those who would sacrifice their lives to let others live? Is it an analogy about the tension and battle between the natural and the Kingdom to reconcile that which is lost? Is it about the reality of a soul lost without the love of the Savior? One who's yet to hear. They may be in the world or in church , but have they seen the Christ? The broken life, waiting to find Jesus in you and me. I guess it’s all these things.

youtube.com/watch?v=zRn_x-GIpec

This is unto Jehova Divine !!!! We all and God really Love each Other don't we.

youtube.com/watch?v=zRn_x-GIpec&feature=

Son of Zadok said...

Whoops double posted the last song. It should have been this one.

youtube.com/watch?v=ZTXPyBoIRuU

Love this humanness of ours. God became human like us. He can relate.

Son of Zadok said...

In fact,

Here's one with just the song and lyrics if you want to meditate on the Lord, rather than Alicia Keys. Ha! :)

youtube.com/watch?v=Jij9nMV4Pzc

Son of Zadok said...

Wow To This !!!

This is what I'm talking about!

This is what the WORLD MUST HEAR!

youtube.com/watch?v=YXDJPJ8qC4o

Thank You Jesus ~

Anonymous said...

and now for the weather:

there is a huge storm in the heavens, that has been brewing for quite some time, that looks like is going to manifest in the Conyers area around 10:00 on
Sunday morning.

this storm appears to be intensifying so rapidly, that it makes me wonder if all the prayers that people have been praying, must really be working.

our computer modules are indicating that a huge "blast" of "supernatural wind" will hit so hard, as the front comes in that it is a sure thing, it is going to "change" and "rearange" everything in its path.

expect the reign from this storm to be in the amount of biblical proportions.

it does appear that the the storm will hover just south of I-20 between highway 138 and salem road,
for quite a long time.

all indications are that those who go to church in the area described where the storm will hover, will get saturated by the reign, whether
they believe it or not.

just be prepared!

and now for sports:

the reds win another one...

NTL

linda said...

Good Morning Bish and bloggers

...people will come Ray, they will come... I know I did... I was driving down I-20 on my way to Conyers and I heard this voice over the radio and I knew that I would wind up under that voice's ministry. And, when I look around ITB I see others like me.. people from all over, and from all different walks of life but we came... and now more will come and the finances will come.. I HAVE to believe that.. it is true that now is the time that we all walk by faith. The old ways don't work any more. I can't seem to reason out my bills and my finances, I always could fly by the seat of pants and do fine, Now.. not so much. with faith and patience we inherit the promises.. My only prayer is Lord I have the faith, but this patience thing WHAAAA

Love you all
Linda

linda said...

Good Morning Bish
I forgot to mention that today is the 1st game of the football season for the Georgia Bulldogs. They play GA Southern.. Go DAWGS!!!

Linda

tracy said...

Year in the Now, August 30....nuff said.

Unknown said...

Many apologies for not investing the time to make this shorter. It grew beyond my original plans.

amen, Tracy, August 30.

soz @120 - "Love this humanness of ours." Interesting timing of my reading your comment. Because of recent family developments, I've been considering the new demands on my time--this human limitation--and being forced into deciding what matters to me and what doesn't, what I can and cannot humanly do. It's a cleansing, ordering and cool place to be actually.

The pressures from "the bank" [metaphorically, the people and things who used to get a lot of my attention, including some shoulds in my belief system] against what I know in my heart is important. I've been surprised by some of the previously hidden relationship problems it has revealed and by the hidden support that has been revealed. Mostly though, realizing the strength that somewhere along the line had been worked in me is really cool. I'm not upset by the supporters I expected were but are not. It is what it is--yaaaaayyyy! Love em still AND Truth reigns. Amazing.

Vision is clearer. It is easier to choose the path that brings peace. And the "bank" or "the huffing and/or puffing all-powerful fake wizard" are finding their proper place. I like it!

The voice of James Earl Jones. Very interesting. That would go into the are-you-kidding-me-only-God-could-orchestrate-the-right-actor-to-have-the-right-voice-for-such-a-time-as-this category. Glory of God stuff!

True friends and family don't need an apology or even an explanation and yet they are the ones that you want to give one to the most! Happy Birthday, Pastor Debye and Dad Swilley--120 combined years of amazing lives on Planet Earth. What I desire to celebrate most today, though, is the combined anniversaries. A son and a father with their brides--73 years of serving the Kingdom TOGETHER--and the prophetic picture that their unions were designed to be and are of the relationship between father and son and Christ and the Church. Thank you Swilley’s. I add another amen to all who have honored you.

Okay, Bishop, dropped “calls” aren’t funny to the droppee, but they ARE on the commercial. And friends laughing is even worse if enough time has not passed—(on a blog, I don’t know how to throw my hat in the door first to find out if its okay to laugh yet—but I did--smile). However – the gift of your “relieved”, one little word, like so many others before it, shows the heart of our shepherd that is so like the heart of THE shepherd. As our hearts become conformed to be relieved when the heathen and the religious come, even when they don’t know why, and with their popcorn and drinks and screaming kids dropping trash everywhere, literally and figuratively—when that happens—I’ll be proud of having been a part of building the place where they could come. And when they start helping—we can do more than we can ask or think.

Anonymous said...

Don't know who this is for, but:

a quarterback has to run backwards

to pass...

I love you all.

NTL

Bishop Jim Swilley said...

Pastor Nancy C. posted this under 8/31...


Nancy said...

God’s timing is amazing!! What flows from the head goes straight to us. We are with you in the spirit Bishop.
I watched the Field of Dreams again this afternoon and paraphrased it for you…
People will come Bishop.. They’ll come to Conyers for reasons they can’t even fathom (just like we did). They’ll turn on IRIS drive not even knowing for sure why they are doing it. They’ll arrive at CITN’s door as innocent as children. We will say “Of course, we won’t mind if you look around. It’s the Peace of God they will find and in turn they will pay their tithes without even thinking about it.
They’ll walk to the pew and sit in their “church clothes” on a perfect Sunday morning- They’ll listen to you preach – It will be as if they dip themselves in annointed waters- The annointing will be so thick they will have to wipe the tears from their faces.
People will come, Bishop. The one constant through all the years Bishop has been GOD. You have taken religion down like an army of steam rollers- It’s been erased like a black board-Rebuilt and erased again.
God has always manifested His presence at CITN.
This church is a part of our past Bishop- It reminds us of ALL of GOD’s GOODNESS and his unconditional love.
Ohh, people will come, Bishop. People will most definitely come.
We love you!