A Dream about Stoneleigh Bible Week 2001

I had a very interesting dream last night.

I was travelling with my family through the English countryside and we were heading somewhere (I can't quite remember where) but our route led us through the Stoneleigh campsite ground where the Bible Week was in full swing (incredible to think the last Stoneleigh Bible week was held 10 years ago this year).

I remember the beautiful campsite bathed in sunlight and the tents leading for miles. And I remember the sound of music drifting over the quiet campsite. And then as happens in dreams, I was transported to near the front of the main hall where the worship was in full swing. I think we were singing one of my favourite songs; "Great is He". The feeling of joy and wonder.

And then (again as happens in dreams) we were travelling away from Stoneleigh back towards our destination.

I remember waking up in the morning feeling destitute, lonely and depressed. This year will see the final "Together on a Mission" conference in Brighton. Another "final". For many - this isn't a particular problem. Their budgets can stretch to flights to Hong Kong or to the Middle East where the next great conference is being held. But at present for me and some of my friends that isn't an option. What's left in the United Kingdom?

This is where I'm so grateful for my dear friend Pete Day - I shared the dream with him as I do most of my dreams. And he agreed - he said; "I don't know. It seems we are robbed of the glory times. But we must press on!". This word of truth reminded me - maybe there was a reason why I was allowed to dream as I did. Maybe it is a heavenly reminder that these times of refreshing happened as a gift from a gracious God - and more are to come!

I hope so. I hope the UK hasn't been forgotten.

Fireworks Shoot Across the Sky!!

I'm rather horrified that the last time I posted on this blog was in January of this year - proof about what a dry year it's been in terms of the prophetic. So many of my friends and loved ones have struggled and gone through trials that beggar belief. The key theme has been disappointment, cynicism and hoped-for promises from God that remain unanswered. It's come again and again and again. I'm transcribing one of Rob Rufus's sermons from the "Grace and Glory Conference 2010" at present where he called cynicism; "The grain in the cogs of the church".

This song - "Firework" by Katy Perry - actually reminded me of Terry Virgo's closing sermon at Stoneleigh Bible Week in 2001. He re-preached one of Ern Baxter's classic sermons on eagles and ended with a phrase I will never forget. "Soar into your full potential - eagles are meant to fly". This song - "Firework" - makes me think of another statement;

"Fireworks are always seen and heard as they soar across the sky - they just need to be ignited".

So I dedicate this wonderfully prophetic song to my dearest friend Pete Day - pastor of Lansdowne Evangelical FREE church in London. The glory will come - let's hold on together!

"Firework" by Katy Perry. (Lyrics below)

"Do you ever feel like a plastic bag

Drifting throught the wind
Wanting to start again

Do you ever feel, feel so paper thin
Like a house of cards
One blow from caving in

Do you ever feel already buried deep
Six feet under scream
But no one seems to hear a thing

Do you know that there's still a chance for you
Cause there's a spark in you

You just gotta ignite the light
And let it shine
Just own the night
Like the Fourth of July

Cause baby you're a firework
Come on show 'em what your worth
Make 'em go "Oh, oh, oh!"
As you shoot across the sky-y-y

Baby you're a firework
Come on let your colors burst
Make 'em go "Oh, oh, oh!"
You're gunna leave 'em fallin' down-own-own

You don't have to feel like a waste of space
You're original, cannot be replaced
If you only knew what the future holds
After a hurricane comes a rainbow

Maybe you're reason why all the doors are closed
So you can open one that leads you to the perfect road
Katy Perry Firework lyrics found on http://www.directlyrics.com/katy-perry-firework-lyrics.html

Like a lightning bolt, your heart will blow
And when it's time, you'll know

You just gotta ignite the light
And let it shine
Just own the night
Like the Fourth of July

Cause baby you're a firework
Come on show 'em what your worth
Make 'em go "Oh, oh, oh!"
As you shoot across the sky-y-y

Baby you're a firework
Come on slet your colors burst
Make 'em go "Oh, oh, oh!"
You're gunna leave 'em fallin' down-own-own

Boom, boom, boom
Even brighter than the moon, moon, moon
It's always been inside of you, you, you
And now it's time to let it through

Cause baby you're a firework
Come on show 'em what your worth
Make 'em go "Oh, oh, oh!"
As you shoot across the sky-y-y

Baby you're a firework
Come on slet your colors burst
Make 'em go "Oh, oh, oh!"
You're gunna leave 'em goin "Oh, oh, oh!"

Boom, boom, boom
Even brighter than the moon, moon, moon
Boom, boom, boom
Even brighter than the moon, moon, moon".

Dreaming of Hong Kong .... again!!

Well it's been a good while since I have had what I think is some sort of prophetic dream that I could remember and experience so strongly. So I was very excited to wake up this morning after having one such dream. Again - as usual - I have some idea why I dreamt it and what it means. What I don't know is whether it is prophetic of the future or more some commentary on my thoughts, feelings, hopes and fears.

I know most Christians are suspicious of dreams but I hardly need state again that I don't care about such suspicions. The Word of God is full of men and women "dreaming". Time and again God brought warnings and messages through dreams. And of course in Acts 2:17 it states quite categorically;

"'AND IT SHALL BE IN THE LAST DAYS,' God says, 'THAT I WILL POUR FORTH OF MY SPIRIT ON ALL MANKIND; AND YOUR SONS AND YOUR DAUGHTERS SHALL PROPHESY, AND YOUR YOUNG MEN SHALL SEE VISIONS, AND YOUR OLD MEN SHALL DREAM DREAMS".

As with the baptism of the Holy Spirit and spiritual gifts I am not ready to declare they cannot exist simply because of excess and fanatacism as some have done. The Bible says that God can and will speak through dreams therefore I am ready to believe that He can speak to me through dreams just as He speaks through His Word.

So last night I dreamt I was in Hong Kong clearly for a "Glory and Grace Conference". I was on my own - which reminded me of my first visit to Hong Kong a couple of years ago. I did feel lonely (just as I did the first visit) - watching everyone greet each other. Rob and Glenda Rufus and Fini and Isi de Gersigny of course were there and were mainly surrounded by everyone. I remember seeing particularly Rob and Glenda ministering to Fini and Isi and watching them receive powerfully from God. I very much again had the feeling of being a "spectator" - wishing that I could be part of what was going on but not quite managing it - no matter how much I hoped.

As often happens in dreams, there is an element of life on "fast-forward". I had the experience of walking back to the apartment where I was staying on my own absolutely drunk and barely remembering where I was living! I thought that I was drunk on alcohol but then had someone tell me that I hadn't drunk a drop - so clearly the inebriation was from the Presence of the Holy Spirit!

Just before the end of the dream I actually was able to get time to sit and talk to Rob Rufus - which was of course amazing and everything I dreamt of. I don't quite remember the content of the conversation (whereas if/when I do actually get to meet Rob, I think I will be carrying a dictaphone to capture EVERYTHING said!). But I do know that I was sharing my hopes and fears with Rob and that he never once laughed at me or judged me - but was a loving spiritual father - as I imagine he is to the church family in Hong Kong.

I don't know - as I say - what this means but I want to capture it here as I have done with other dreams (something that both Jack Deere and Isi de Gersigny recomend). I hope that it means that 2010 will see me going to Hong Kong again - but hopefully taking friends with me!

I Miss You - Val ...

Okay last night's dream was a very interesting and again a very vivid one. When I used to live in Dunstable I had an ever-so dear friend to me - sort of like an older sister! Her name was Val and she was the wife of one of the elders in our church - who also became an amazing friend and mentor to me although we disagreed quite vigorously at times about issues particularly the Holy Spirit! Val was a teacher at the Christian school I went to and saw me through the yucky teenage years of my life and yet treated me firmly and kindly. What I think I will never get over was that she was always willing to speak to me like an adult whereas many others in the church treated me (and still do!) like a child!

Regretfully, sadly and yet victoriously Val was taken to glory in 2001 prematurely through a disease I detest and loathe - cancer. I will never forget walking the streets of Birmingham crying out that God would take me instead. She was a kind, wonderful, caring, loving wife and mother. I at the time was a mess. She deserved to live! I deserved - well less I felt! Yet God still took her. Martin, her husband told me that people in the church did pray for her healing - but yet it was one of the most upsetting days of my life sitting in the church at her funeral. I will never ever forget her smile particularly.

So in my dream I was somewhat amazed and thrilled to be dreaming that I was walking with Val through Dunstable. She was alive and well. Yet deep down somehow I knew that she was ill and she spoke to me about needing prayer. I had a book of C H Spurgeon's sermons with me in the dream and I found myself flicking through it furiously trying to find something - anything about miraculous healing and signs and wonders. When I woke up I spent a long time trying to figure out why I dreamt that. I don't think I ever felt it was "her time to go". Cancer robbed her family, her friends, me! And I wonder if that dream was speaking to me and reminding me that there is indeed a search on - a desperate search because people are dying (Michael Jackson being a notable one yesterday) every day.

I'm not necessarily saying I felt the call to go and try and pray for Val's resurrection from the dead. I think her death was a memorable and traumatic one for me at the time and that dream reminded me that healing and signs and wonders are more than just theology to argue over. If someone is healed, if someone is raised from the dead - then family and friends and a watching world are saved from the heartache that I still remember so vividly when I heard Val had gone to glory.

People - even children are dying early. I heard the day before yesterday that a former collegue of mine from Bristol was killed in a car crash and he was only in his late 30's. And it's time we saw that;

STOP!!

Terry Virgo and Angels Snipers!!

I had a rather odd series of dreams last night mainly about Terry Virgo. I must admit I don't quite understand them but I thought I would document them and see if some sort of interpretation comes - or whether I can just hold up my hands and admit I ate too much cheese last night!

The first dream was based around some sort of cell group meeting in Terry Virgo's home. I was with my family as though I was a child (but still my own age and thought processes). I remember that there was a wonderful feeling of community and belonging. I can't quite place whether we actually were just visiting Brighton and CCK or whether we belonged to the church but it was a wonderful feeling. Of community. Of togetherness.

The second dream was the interesting one. I was following Terry and Wendy Virgo into what looked like the Stoneleigh Bible Week meeting hall. And Terry was sort of the narrator during the dream. And yet even though he was narrating - I could actually see what he was saying. He was talking about angels being present everywhere. And the angels present in the room were looking at each person gathered there - no one was missed out! But everywhere the angels looked and pointed, there appeared a target - as though it was a shooting gallery. The guns the angels were carrying were golden. And the narration explained that they were glory guns - that each person was targeted for downloads of glory. That no one would or could miss out on being "shot" with the glory from heaven! That was the angels roles.

And Terry in my dream said; "They are marksmen! They are marksmen!".

So there we have it. Too much cheese?! Or something God is trying to say?!

Dreams, Dreams, DREAMS!!

It's time to resurrect the "Spirit of God" blog! I'm shamefully neglected it for too long. And what better way than to re-start it than by talking about dreams. Over the last few weeks I have been having an increasing amount of interesting and significant dreams. I am a big fan of the hit TV show "Heroes" and one of the characters I find the most fascinating is Angela Petrelli. She has an ability and that ability is precognitive dreaming;

"Precognitive dreaming is the ability to see the future through dreams".

But this is far more than just pie in the sky. This is purely and clearly biblical. And yet the church has abandoned it and ignored it and despised it at our peril and I cannot understand why. Let's start with Scripture and then I want to detail my dreams. My intent is that as I get dreams I will document them here. So what does the Word of God say about dreams?

Acts 2:17; "And it shall be in the last days' God says, 'That I will pour out My Spirit on all mankind; ... your young men shall see visions and your old men shall dream dreams".

So we can be certain that dreams form part of New Covenant life. But dreams go back further to Old Covenant days also.

Genesis 29:12: "He had a dream, and behold, a ladder was set on the earth with its top reaching to heaven; and behold, the angels of God were ascending and descending on it".

What a dream! Deuteronomy 13 carries some warnings that I believe are Old Covenant - and some anti-charismatics wrongly apply to today still. But it is interesting that the verse distinguishes between the two giftings;

Deuteronomy 13:1: "If a prophet or a dreamer of dreams arises among you and gives you a sign or a wonder ...".

Then of course there was the famous dream during Gideon's assault against Midean:

Judges 7:13: "When Gideon came, behold, a man was relating a dream to his friend. And he said, "Behold, I had a dream; a loaf of barley bread was tumbling into the camp of Midian, and it came to the tent and struck it so that it fell, and turned it upside down so that the tent lay flat."

The interpretation of that dream? It was even clear to a heathen Mideanite;

Judges 7:14: "His friend replied, "This is nothing less than the sword of Gideon the son of Joash, a man of Israel; God has given Midian and all the camp into his hand."

Of course the book of Daniel is the famous book of dreams and there are countless ones - even to Nebuchadnezzer the king of Babylon. Daniel's gift in particular was this;

Daniel 1:17: "Daniel even understood all kinds of visions and dreams".

But again - as I said dreams were occuring in the New Testament period. Angels would appear in dreams to warn and to speak. For example;

Matthew 2:13: "An angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said; "Get up! Take the Child and His mother to Egypt".

I wonder why in a dream? Angels can appear in the flesh - as Gabriel did to the Virgin Mary. But clearly they can appear in dreams also. There's an interesting account in Acts where I am not quite sure whether it is a dream;

Acts 16:9: "A vision appeared to Paul in the night; a man of Macedonia was standing and saying; "Come over" ... when he had seen the vision ... concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them".

So my question is this - why do New Testament scholars and academics seem to either place dreams and visions in the "closed" category along with most other spiritual gifts or just ignore it? I think that James and Michal Ann Goll have a very useful insight into dreams and why this attitude exists;

"Through dreams God communicates directly with us concerning our destiny as well as the destinies of our families, our nation and our world. Many people today, particularly in the Western culture, never recognise God speaking to them in this way because they have been conditioned by a skeptical and sophisticated society to discount the language of dreams.

Unfortunately this includes many Christian believers also. For many years much of the church in the West had virtually lost dream language as a viable language of the Spirit. Yet within our generation the tide has begun to turn. God is re-awakening His people to the efficacy of dreams in their lives. He is reconnecting us to a vital part of our spiritual heritage that had all but disappeared".

And again;

"Dream language is the mystical language of Heaven. And even though it is a language of mystery and parable, we need to understand that God likes to reveal rather than conceal".

It is my personal belief that God actually is starting to speak more and more through dreams because Western culture particularly makes it exceedingly difficult to set time to be with God alone and in quiet. I try - honestly. But even when I am home alone in my flat there is a phone ringing, a mobile, the internet, neighbours banging. Go up a hill in Birmingham? There are planes flying over head, yobs doing drugs in the bushes (!!!) and so on! So dreams are the perfect forum - we are asleep, we can't move very far and God has got us where He wants us.

In my life I have had a number of very significant dreams which have stuck with me.

1. My call to ministry.

I believe this dream was when God spoke clearly to me and said that I would work for Him somehow. The year was 2001 and it was one of the darkest of my life upto that point. I had gone away to Dublin with some friends to recover from the breakup of my relationship to a guy. Isn't that the grace of God?! Some churches would say I should have been spending months indeed years in penance "repenting". Rather God chose it to speak to me through a dream!

I dreamt that I was walking in Cornwall along a country lane with my former senior pastor Dr Stanley Jebb. And I turned to him and actually gripped his arm and said fervently; "Stanley I MUST preach!".

More of Stanley Jebb later - he appears quite frequently in my dreams and I think God's revealed why.

2. The Tidal Wave - Promises to Come.

I had this dream on Tuesday, November 21, 2006 and it was quite simply a dream of a massive tidal wave speedily approaching the Brighton seafront. I felt God ask during the dream whether we were really prepared for what was coming? We all were praying for revival to come - but were we ready for the devastation that a tidal wave would cause?

I felt that this was partially fulfilled by the awe and wonder and manifest glory at "Together on a Mission 2007" and through Rob's ministry of the Spirit. Partially - but not fully. More's to come!

3. Mind and Matter.

A little more recently I had a dream about Dr Stanley Jebb and Stuart from Big Brother on Tuesday, September 16, 2008. At first I wondered whether this dream was my secret envying of Dr Jebb's incredible mind and razor-sharp logic and Stuart's incredible physique! But God spoke again graciously here.

4. Simon Cowell!

This is a rather amusing and odd one. Isi de Gersigny said at "Glory and Grace" that significant men appearing in dreams often represent God in some form. For her it is her husband Fini. I obviously don't have a husband but I do very much enjoy the TV reality shows like X-Factor and Britain's Got Talent and I greatly admire and like Simon Cowell! As many know he can either be brutally harsh or nice when he likes someone.

In my dreams I have frequently been in company with him and he is always smiling and winking or accepting me.

I hope that means that deep down I am allowing the grace message to sink into my spirit and realise that God is totally and 100% for me and accepting of me and will never reject me!

So my dream last night!

I had a very vivid dream that Pete Day and I were in a massive rolling field and it was dry, dead and barren. There was a water sprinkling system set up across the massive field very similar to the kind that they have in vines where the hoses work their way along wooden structures and gently sprinkle the vegetation. As Pete and I looked at the sprinkling system we noticed that it was broken and the hose had been vandalised and needed to be reconnected.

Dr Stanley Jebb again was present and was speaking to us throughout - and as he spoke - we found ways to fix the water system and instantly the field was lush and fruitful again. Here's what I felt God was saying to me;

Rob Rufus has said frequently that he feels this coming massive move of God needs to come through a theological reformation in the earth - a changing of mind. Christians need to re-orientate themselves from legalism to grace. For me Stanley Jebb represents a teacher. That is what he is! And that seemed to symbolise this truth - that it is the teaching of the grace message that will cause the fruit to spread across the earth and the gospel.

So here's to more dreams and whatever way God wants to speak to me. I'm not sure I would pick dreams to be honest if it were to be a spiritual gift. I'd love to be a healer or a guy with words of knowledge or even better a teacher/preacher. But when God gives gifts they are GOOD gifts and they are given for a reason and I am going to accept and cherish them and use them for the good of His Church if I can!

Rob Rufus's Prophetic Vision over Hong Kong!!

Do you ever wonder why Rob Rufus is in Hong Kong? Do you ever wonder what his dreams for City Church International are? Wonder no more. During his sermon; "The Struggle for the Authentic - Part 2" - Rob Rufus said this;

"For 3 months the screams of God got louder and louder and louder and louder until it dawned on me that God has prefixed the end! Now He is saying "Come to Hong Kong because I have prefixed great victory for you!". After 4 years I am staggered at the blessing and success and fruitfulness and influence of this church.

This is but a small part of what God showed me in those 3 months of what He had prefixed for us and the people He said He would call around us and I am seeing those people in this meeting right now and thousands who are not here yet and I am seeing impact into the politics and media of Hong Kong and I am seeing a base of thousands of people and I am seeing a move of the Spirit in Hong Kong that will touch the entire world - I am seeing multitudes come to Hong Kong to see what's happening in City Church International - I am seeing impact on Beijing and China and pulled into my future by a vision - a kaleo - a scream - a call that has been prefixed!

I am not just called to lead a church - I am called to empower people to change the politics of nations, to change the education system and get wrong teaching out of the education systems. I am called to affect orphans and those who are hungry and not clothed and the broken and the disenfranchised. We are called to bring the misery that is on earth out of the way and the Kingdom of God in. We are called to relieve epidemic poverty, we are called to cure people from AIDS, we are called to bring justice to nations and are called to trumpet that and sound that! Though I may not do many of those things personally - I am called to sound a prophetic trumpet that awakens the scream of God in people's tummies so they will get rid of the silly trivia and the silly things that distract us".

Awesome ... hey?

Dreams and Visions!!

One of the rather distressing side-effects to my problems at work is that I have been assaulted almost nightly by nightmares about the collegue at work I am having difficulty with. I say more about it here. I was driving back from a night shift this morning listening to Isi de Gersigny at the "Grace and Glory Conference" in Hong Kong and she made a comment about dreams that I registered. She was speaking about how sometimes in dreams men can appear - partners, husbands - and she commented that her husband Fini often appears in her dreams. She said she has noticed in her experience that the appearance of such men in dreams tend to represent God.

She made many other amazing comments - the notes from her session are here - and I drove on home and went straight to bed and fell pretty much straight asleep! Anyhow I had a number of vivid dreams and none of them were about Acorns - thank God! The one that stuck in my mind and I remembered when I woke up featured two men in particular. One of them was my former pastor - Dr Stanley Jebb. The other was Stuart - a recent entry in this year's UK Big Brother.

While I was at the gym I was pondering exactly what those two men in particular were in my dream and I reflected how grateful I was for Isi de Gersigny's wise teaching that brought light to this. If I hadn't heard her comments in her sermon I most probably would have felt guilty and condemned particularly about dreaming about Stuart. In past years I do quite frequently dream about men who have quite fit bodies as I do have quite a low self-esteem and have longed for years to have a physique I could be proud of. But in light of Isi's comments I thought this;

Both men had qualities that I greatly admire, long for and love and deeply long to nuture in my own life. Stanley Jebb (pictured in the middle - his wife Shirley is on the left) has one of the most incredible minds that I have ever encountered in my life. He has razor sharp logic and a passionate determination to leave no theological stone unturned. He has a love for God that is rare to find these days and walks in a relationship with God that is wonderful.

Stuart from Big Brother on the other hand has an incredibly fit physique that is the envy of many (including myself!). He has obviously developed an intense fitness regime with amazing results as well as being a man who defied the "cliche" male image. He was very sensative on Big Brother, displayed incredible respect for the women on the show and spoke often about his young 4 year old daughter who he obviously adored.

Initially I wondered whether this dream was simply a projection of my desire to have Stanley's mind and intellect with Stuart's body and physique - but remembering what Isi de Gersigny preached I began to get the sense that God was trying to impress on me that the appearance of these two men in my dream was actually HIM. We cannot see God maybe with our physical eyes, although I do increasingly believe we can expect to see His glory. But maybe this dream was a way of Him communicating to me in His grace and His love that HE possesses those qualities that I long for. A way of Him communicating something new about Himself that I haven't thought about - a way of Him speaking to me and saying that this is Him - and I am His son! His child! His beloved!

I should mention that for the first time in weeks I woke up feeling positive and cheerful and loved - a feeling that really highlights why Isi de Gersigny calls dreams; "Heaven's kiss".