I tried to post earlier, but it told me that I couldn't connect. Quite indicative of a rather challenging day. It actually started yesterday when I stayed up till the wee hours of the morning hoping to get a last bit of revelation on The Role of Israel in the End Time Drama (one of my sessions for the Omega Intensive this weekend). After a bout midnight, the revelation gets foggy. So this morning, I drag myself out of bed, make a certain teenager's lunch, get him out the door and the entourage of mom's and kids began for the mother's group that I host.

All was well until a certain child was noticed swinging on the low-hanging power line in the backyard. I went out and tried to graciously explain why that wasn't such a great idea -- Linda Hackett came and took over. "Did you know you could DIE from doing that??!!" So much for diplomacy. Aunt Linda won that round. Zion then comes in and says, "Mommy, would you please tell (nameless other child) to give my guitar back? He is batting acorns with it." Almost immediately a precious little girl comes to me, tugs my shirt and says, "Uh, we can't find Kiwi. The babysitter took him out and when we turned around he was gone." I faked a smile and tried to vent the fumes that felt as if they were coming through my nostrils. I went down to apprise the hamster situation and found that the children, in their attempt to lure said hamster back, had strewn rodent food the entire length of the basement on the freshly cleaned carpet. I began to wonder if I was wearing a sign on my back that said, "Go ahead, test my meekness".

The moms helped me clean up and when everyone left I sat down to study Armageddon and Israel. I have to have something to say to these people this weekend, ya know. I hear what sounds like a wimpering dog crying loudly right outside our house. I ask Grayson to go check it out. He runs back in, "MOM -- it is that 3 legged dog! I am going to run get him. He is getting away, but I will be faster because he only has 3 legs." I admoinish him to not pick up a stray dog. Should I be surprised at any of this?

I make everyone lunch and try a movie for the kids. I should've picked a longer movie. It was only long enough to get me through a few pages of Armageddon. Aaaaggh. What to do? I remember that Allen Hood said once that if you want to preach, practice by preaching to no one. It's time to go get Jackson from school, so I figure, what the heck. I'll try it. I take my notes and glance at them as I am driving down I-435, preaching as I go. Somewhere around the 95th St. exit it got a little anointing on it. And I was reminded that it isn't about how much I study or how great I do, it's about Jesus and Him showing up.

I am convinced that this weekend will go great. Not because I had tons of time to prepare or because any of us are such powerful communicators. But because God anoints weak words and desperate hearts. It occured to me as I was driving that He doesn't "use" me to deliver a message, He invites me into partnership. You "use" a dishrag, you PARTNER with a lover. And if I stand with Holy Spirit as my friend, what more can I ask for?