"I hope i would leave a legacy of joy, a legacy of real compassion, because i think there is great joy in real compassion. I dont think you can know joy apart from caring deeply about peaople, caring deeply enough about people that you actually do something. But I have a feeling: If my life is motivated by my ambition to leave a legacy, what I'll probably leave as a legacy is ambition. But if my life is motivated by the power of the spirit in me, if i live in the awareness of the indwelling Christ, if i allow His presence to guide my actions to guide my motives, those sorts of things, that's the only time I think that we really leave a great legacy. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, that which is born of the spirit is Spirit. My ambition to be a 'good guy' is a fleshly ambition. When Christ calls us to take up our cross and follow him alot of us think that what that means is we are supposed to lay down our vices and we are supposed to cling to virtues. But i think that unless Christ is lord of our virtues, our virtues become dangerous to us and dangerous to the people around us. I think that when Christ calls us to take up our cross, what He means is you must die not only to whatever vices are in your life, which he will eventually kill off, you must also die to whatever virtues are in your life. your life is not valuable because you are an articulate speaker, your life is not valuable becuase you are a generous person, your life is not valuable because of any of that. If we empty ourselves of everything and allow God to be present then it's no longer us. It's Him. Then it becomes a spiritual thing, and that which is born of the spirit is spirit. That's when i think Chrisitanity really begins to make sense."
-rich mullins, a child of God first and foremost, a musician and lover of people who was killed in a car accident in 1997 but has definitely left a legacy - Jesus

I think this shows how knowing Christ and trusting him goes hand in hand with walking in Him and in His power alone. Not our own idea, but his. We simply "empty ourselves of EVERYTHING and allow God to be present..." then He is our life. He fills us. I am pumped about what He's doing and going to do.

"Christianity is not receiving a message of Christ and adding Him to your present belief system. It is a mighty wind and everything is removed and Life is in its place. .. The spirit of God- the levee breaks and life is going to begin" -Tom Nelson on the Acts church and the receiving of the Holy Spirit, who gives us the power to do what He has called us to do.

I can't say it enough: He is life! He is central to everything. Without Him we are clinging to idols that will bring death, disappointment, and darkness. He is light- He illumines life, brings purpose, and is PRESENT in every situation. Without him, we are spiritually dead being, rotten bodies walking around. With Him we are a temple, encasing the Holy of Holies, the glory of God, the light and works from the inside out. Regenerated new creations, no longer slaves to the old dead lifestyle but free to live in Him and the power of the holy Spirit. Is that not repentance? Turning from the old ways to believe the new? Putting our back to the dead life and living Life in Him? Isn't that were life begins? With him? So whatever is not in Him is wood, hay, and stubble. Life begins in Him.

I love what Donald Miller says about light: "You and I, made from molecules, cannot travel at the speed of light and cannot escape time, at least not with a body. Consider the complexity of light in light of the Hebrew metaphor: we don't see light; we see what it touches. It is more aor less invisible, made from nothing, just purposed and focused energy, infinite in its power (it will never tire if fired into a vacuum, going on forever). How fitting, then, for God to create an existence, then a metaphor, as if to say, here is something entirely unlike you, outside of time, infinite in its power and thrust: here is something you can experience but cannot understand. Throughout the remainder of the Bible, then, God calls Himself Light. The perfection of the Hebrew metaphor is eerie..."

God is indescribable isnt he, but it's fun to try to describe Him. Ha, and He only becomes greater. Ever present. Illuminating all He touches.

I had an awesome weekend at sharptop cove. I went with the Trussville Young Life group hoping to share with some girls, hoping to see lives changed or impacted in someway but God had different plans. I definitely got to share, I definitely experienced brokenness for the girls, but my favorite was the moments of solitude I had with Father. I haven't been to sharptop since the encounter retreat, oh about a year and a half or more ago. Then I was at a point, a very different point, than I am now. I remember we were sent out across camp to hear from father and I felt as if I couldn't. I wasn't sure what He was up to but what I did sense was, as I heard the creek across the way, that I have a river of Life flowing out of me... So I was content with that, chewed on that, and went on about my business. It was all a part of Life's plans...

This past weekend, we were also sent out across camp, it was a clear cold night, they turned out all the lights and Father was there. I realized that my favorite parts were the leader's meetings where we had 15 minutes to be still. If God spoke, he spoke, if not that was fine too. I just loved BE-ing there with "BE" (you know... "I am" the unconjugated form is... "BE") that's His name! Yahweh=I am who I am! And this time, under the stars, I was so content even if He didn't speak to just be in that place, alone with my love. My heart of hearts. And as I wept for the girls who were so content and full on the world, I recognized that it wasn't too long ago that I was there. So I got excited that God would break in on them too... and told them that their time would come when that no longer satisfied.

At the end of the weekend I just kept coming back to how awesome being in His presence is. Being totally there... where I always am whether I acknowledge it or not, in HIM and He is in me. I am overwhelmed and overjoyed at this God that knows my thoughts-something a man could never do- and for someone to know THAT much about me is amazing. I mean, He lives inside me! He's there all the time and KNOWS me! Isn't that what we want so often is to be known? There's something about someone just asking you questions and getting in to your life that wins your heart. And God is that person- wanting to know your story from your point of view, but already knows it because that's who He is by our position in Him!

As I continued to reflect on what God has done the past couple of years I wept more- I am so humbled at His pursuit and was able to see it looking back moreso than being in the midst of it. Oh, His hand is in it all: Yesterday, today and tomorrow forever. As i looked at the tons and tons of stars so intricate and complex something welled up in me and my heart was warmed at the thought of FATHER. Father has done an incredible work in breaking down walls inside of me- and I praised Him for that. We have been a lot of places together and I am looking forward to more. There's something overwhelming about being in His presence. There's something perspective-changing about it. There's also something essential about it.

I loved the times of prayer this summer when Sandy would lead us. We would just sit and be silent and be with him. Sense Him. Knowing that He was there and would continue to be there as things picked up during the day. It was so hard to leave that place. "Your presence Lord is LIFE to me."(Kathryn Scott, Breathe on me Now) Because He IS my life, He is my everything. He is I AM and so I like to get a little more specific with His names sometimes:
LIFE be my life and source today.
GRACE be my love and grace toward others and myself.
PRESENCE stir my soul - Being here with YOU, Life, is enough.

http://www.myspace.com/danielbashta
listen to the song pursuit in worship today.... He says "I cant live without your presence, I can't live without your presence" It's so simple. It's where I find my life and energy and purpose. It's powerful because it is HIM! PRESENCE Himself! This mode of prayer is powerful and many movements have come from it... think about the Acts church-

Knowing Him and who He is causes us to be nothing less than active people when we are In Christ and trusting Him to live his life through us. We can't help it! The love of Christ compels us! Kinda funny because GOD is Love! He compels us! He does it! Being filled with him (yes, as a believer you are filled, so live in it- believe it) overflows into loving and joy peace patience kindness goodness faith gentleness and self control to be manifested and those around you to be recipients of such.

Know (Be intimate with) Him and then WALK in Him, all the while KNOWing He will do it.

could it be that He is more committed to our sanctification than our success?
(so that He will get the glory by refining us/ making us more like Christ than making our plans succeed and taking the chance that we might think "I did it"

could it be that the world and our society is all wrong and HE is right?
(I believe so... He is the one source of truth, in fact, HE is THE Truth. Truth himself lives in you and me and aches to break through the lies that pound us each day... )

could it be that HE is reality and all that I see is temporary?
(possibly so... Life IN Christ is real Life... Life himself is real, yet something I cannot see. At the same time it's amazing that He has such power in and over me. LIFE himself is my heartbeat and driving force. HE is my source. Nothing else truly fuels me or gets me going. )

More to come... many more thoughts from my precious Source of all good things... Oh how He has Won my heart...