A Psalm

What if we worshipped like the angels? Never tired, never faint.

What if men were no longer mere men, but we're holy saints?

What if sacrifice was rewarded and death of self was exalted?

What if we found value in who we are and not by what we do?

It's the way of the Kingdom, it's the doorway to heaven.

It's the piece we all are needing, and the truth were all seeking.

Its free with high cost, inheriting the earth, but losing your life. 

                          It's all of His glory, ordained in the fullness of the Lamb's wife.

loving the church

I woke up sad this morning. It felt ackward. I couldn't explain why. I just felt sad. So, curious to what the Lord might be doing I sat with Him on the couch and began to process my thoughts. Why do I feel this way?

Then it hit me. I'm tired of Believers slandering Believers. And I'm really exhausted from the amount of power abuse that I hear about when leaders try to "control" their sheep. I'm not talking about subtle power trips. But its manipulative condescending counsel that ultimately ends up bringing a lot of confusion, A LOT of hurt, and many times feeling alienated within your community.

Here's my simple revelation. Everyone has feelings. Treat people with honor. If you don't agree with someone, get over it. And if the Holy Spirit hasn't told you to give (your) advice, then choose not to give any at all. What's the point of idle talk (not being guided by the Holy Spirit in your speech), just so you look good and have all the answers, but yet have no fruit? If you disagree with a leader, still love them.

Jesus was not about being right, but He became the Truth to the people. If we really want to have an influence as leaders, as the Church, we must become passionate about one another! Put away our differences, our doctrinal disagreements, our perfect formulas for winning people's hearts, and our ideologies for the simple fact that we need to be brought back to a place of loving each other. Philipplians 2 is a beautiful example of what it means to lay our lives down for one another. If you have another problem with someone, or a particular group, or even a ministry itself, be the person who rises above and settles it with those leaders. It would help to hear their hearts before we choose to make our judgments. Don't be putting it on fb or twitter, or slander an individual by spilling it out with your spouse, and especially don't go to someone who is not even a part of that group and begin to vomit over everyone how much you disagree or hate something about a leader or group.

Let's change the world differently than how we have in the past! When you want a child to be obedient, you don't tell him what he's not doing....you tell him what he should be doing. Likewise, instead of picking on the Church about every single thing they are doing wrong, how about teaching the truth of God's Word and living out how to do it right?! The truth is, people would rather tell you what you're doing wrong because then they don't have to be accountable to the truth of how to live out the gospel right. For example, instead of saying "the church doesn't believe in signs and wonders anymore. They've taken the supernatural life out of their daily walk." How about changing it to, "if you want to see healing in your church, all you have to do is believe the fullness of God lives in you, receive, believe and pray. You can do it!" But teaching the truth challenges believers, because then they become accountable to the Word. Live your life as the loudest influence for believers. And choose to honor people despite what you think or what you observe. If you have questions, ask them....don't just assume or make judgmental or cynical presumptions. Choose today to love your neighbor. Remember, were brothers, joined together by the blood of Christ. You deserve to be loved and accepted by me. It seems as if believers find it easier to love the unchurched rather than the churched. That's messed up. Jesus paid for it all. I don't need to persecute you. Hear my heart. I'm choosing to get over our differences so that Jesus is not limited through my own ideas of what I think is right. Love outside the box.....He did.

John 15:12 "My command is this, that you love one another as I have loved you."

Need YOUR Help!

HEY FRIENDS! I know I've probably been a broken record on asking for your help in this. But I REALLY AM IN NEED OF YOUR HELP. We've only made 25% of my goal with only 5 days left. The stipulation is that if we don't meet our goal then we get nothing (so all pledges will be sent back to those who pledged). Please read the update and forward! This is how you can help: purchase the pre-sale of the album, forward this to your friends, and pray into this. If you're contemplating getting the album or donating, TODAY is the day to do it. 

We are in serious need of your help to finish this project! We have 5 days left to raise the remaining $750 needed for this album to get out to the public! As a community and as a people passionate about radical extravagant love for God, would you sow into this album today? If only 30 of our friends give $25 we will meet our goal. Or is only 15 of our friends gave $50 we would have met our goal. This TOTALLY POSSIBLE! Help us get the word out. Blessings!

raw milk and more

This was too good not to post! Check out why we switched to raw milk a little over a year ago HERE!

This article was written by the Weston A. Price Foundation

Milk: It Does a Body Good?

Written by Lori Lipinski

July 6 2003

It all depends on where it comes from, doesn't it? The subject of milk sparks just about as much controversy as the subject of fats. Many alternative practitioners feel that it's not necessary for humans to consume cow's milk and link its consumption to health problems, such as ear infections, allergies, cancer and diabetes. On the other hand, the medical community has convinced us that if we don't drink enough milk our bones will disintegrate. And the American Dairy Association wants us to think we'll be cool like celebrities with milk mustaches if we drink lots of milk. The purpose of this article is not to convince you to drink milk or not to drink milk. Instead, it addresses those who do--or would like to--drink milk and consume dairy products. If you fit into this category, then you need to know where your milk has come from and what it has been through. Living Conditions If I were to ask you to picture a cow, you would most likely see in your mind a cow grazing in an open pasture, like one you'd probably seen before on a small family farm. That's a lucky cow, compared to most of the cows bred for dairy production in this country. The majority of commercial dairy cows don't have the luxury of grazing on open fields. Instead they are kept in intense confinement, in individual stalls, on hard cement floors, hooked up to milking machines, forced to produce milk ten months out of the year, in an overcrowded building. This is how the average commercial dairy cow spends her short, miserable life--42 months on average, compared to 12-15 years for a cow on pasture.  Environment Not only is the unnatural building environment a problem for the cow, but it can be a huge problem for the people around it as well. The massive amount of waste produced on a factory farm is overwhelming and can have devastating effects on the surrounding environment. Over one-fifth of the country's dairy products are produced in the central valley of California where confinement operations create as much waste as a city of 21 million people! Much of that waste is forced unnaturally into the environment, polluting our lakes, rivers and streams. On the other hand, small farms are able to recycle manure back into the earth to enrich the soil. Feed A cow's natural diet consists mostly of grass, but since there isn't enough grass to go around on the factory farm, today's factory cow is fed a diet of mostly grain, and other things that they would not normally eat. The bulk of the feed consists of corn and soy, which receives 80 percent of all herbicides used in the US. When we think of pesticides we usually think of produce, but animal products can contain up to 14 times more pesticides than plants!1 Simply switching the cow's diet from grass to grain can cause many problems, but that's only the beginning. According to a recent article in US News & World Report, some 40 billion pounds a year of slaughterhouse wastes like blood, bone and viscera, as well as the remains of millions of euthanized cats and dogs passed along by veterinarians and animal shelters, are rendered annually into livestock feed. Animal-feed manufacturers and farmers also have begun using or trying out dehydrated food garbage, fats emptied from restaurant fryers and grease traps, cement-kiln dust, even newspapers and cardboard that are derived from plant cellulose. Researchers in addition have experimented with cattle and hog manure, and human sewage sludge."2 When I first read this I thought there were probably only a handful of farmers crazy enough to feed dead cats and dogs and other animals parts to their vegetarian cows, but I was dead wrong! During the BSE scare, the FDA ordered a halt to feeding all slaughterhouse wastes to cattle and sheep in the US. At that time 75 percent of the nation's 90 million cattle had been eating feed containing slaughterhouse by-products! Like humans, animals need nutrients to thrive and be healthy. Obviously the feed given to factory farmed cows is not intended to provide proper nourishment. Instead, farmers, or shall I say food manufacturers, are interested in stuffing whatever they can into the cows to bulk them up as quickly as possible. This can quickly lead to sick animals and heavy doses of drugs. Like pesticides, these drugs end up in the milk of the dairy animals, as do trans fats from bakery wastes, undigested proteins from soy and animal foods and aflatoxins from moldy grain. To make matters worse, levels of vitamin A and D drop off precipitously when cows are given any feed other than green growing grass. Antibiotics If you're like a growing number of people today, you would rather not take antibiotics when you get sick. You may even be proud of the fact that you haven't had to use them in years. However, if you drink commercial milk or eat commercially raised meats and poultry, you could be consuming antibiotics on a daily basis without even knowing it! Over 50 percent of all the antibiotics produced in this country are mixed directly into animal feed. Ideally, antibiotics should be used in farming only when necessary to treat infection. However, due to the sickly nature of factory farmed animals, they are fed a constant supply of antibiotics from birth until the time of slaughter. Antibiotic resistance is a serious issue that has gotten a lot of press in recent years. Basically, bacteria are mutating and outsmarting the antibiotics, making them ineffective. (The same phenomenon is occurring on farms where bugs are mutating to withstand pesticide applications.) We criticize medical doctors for over-prescribing antibiotics, but that is only part of the problem. Not only are antibiotics overused in this country, but they are also over-consumed. People are unknowingly consuming more antibiotics than they are actually taking by choice. Due to the heavy doses of antibiotics used on factory farmed animals, your steaks, hamburgers, chicken, and hotdogs are all laced with antibiotics. Milk alone contains traces of up to 80 different antibiotics!3 Hormones Back in 1930, the average dairy cow produced 12 pounds (about a gallon and a half) of milk per day. In 1988, the average was 39 pounds per day. This was accomplished by selective breeding to obtain dairy cows that produced a lot of pituitary hormones, thereby generating large amounts of milk. But the industry was not satisfied with this output. Today rBGH, a synthetic growth hormone, is used to get even more milk out of the dairy cows, bringing the average up to 50 pounds (over 6 gallons) of milk per day. CAPTION: A typical modern dairy cow. Her udder is so full it almost drags on the ground and she must be milked three times per day. Note the unusual growth in front of her forelegs--a goiter or a tumor? This sounds like a great thing for dairy farmers, right? However, when you mess with Mother Nature, you will suffer the consequences. FDA documents show that cows injected with rBGH are 79 percent more likely to contract mastitis.4 In 1991, a report on Monsanto's BGH test herd at the University of Vermont found the same kinds of problems identified by the FDA, plus an alarming number of dead and deformed calves born to cows treated with BGH.5 Other problems include reproductive difficulties, increased need for antibiotics, digestive problems, enlarged hocks and lesions, and foot problems. According to the Humane Farming Association, The FDA admits that BGH injections increase sickness and drug use in dairy cows. Consumer's Union reports that because of increased udder infections, it is more likely that milk from treated cows will be of lower quality--containing more pus and bacteria--than milk from untreated cows."6 Pasteurization Pasteurization is a process of heat treating milk to kill bacteria. Although Louis Pasteur developed this technique for preserving beer and wine, he was not responsible for applying it to milk. That was done at the end of the 1800s as a temporary solution until filthy urban dairies could find a way to produce cleaner milk. But instead of cleaning up milk production, dairies used pasteurization as a way to cover up dirty milk. As milk became more mass produced, pasteurization became necessary for large dairies to increase their profits. So the public then had to be convinced that pasteurized milk was safer than raw milk. Soon raw milk consumption was blamed for all sorts of diseases and outbreaks until the public was finally convinced that pasteurized milk was superior to milk in its natural state. Today if you mention raw milk, many people gasp and utter ridiculous statements like, "You can die from drinking raw milk!" But the truth is that there are far more risks from drinking pasteurized milk than unpasteurized milk. Raw milk naturally contains healthy bacteria that inhibit the growth of undesirable and dangerous organisms. Without these friendly bacteria, pasteurized milk is more susceptible to contamination. Furthermore, modern equipment, such as milking machines, stainless steel tanks and refrigerated trucks, make it entirely possible to bring clean, raw milk to the market anywhere in the US. Not only does pasteurization kill the friendly bacteria, it also greatly diminishes the nutrient content of the milk. Pasteurized milk has up to a 66 percent loss of vitamins A, D and E. Vitamin C loss usually exceeds 50 percent. Heat affects water soluble vitamins and can make them 38 percent to 80 percent less effective. Vitamins B6 and B12 are completely destroyed during pasteurization. Pasteurization also destroys beneficial enzymes, antibodies and hormones. Pasteurization destroys lipase (an enzyme that breaks down fat), which impairs fat metabolism and the ability to properly absorb fat soluble vitamins A and D. (The dairy industry is aware of the diminished vitamin D content in commercial milk, so they fortify it with a form of this vitamin.) We have all been led to believe that milk is a wonderful source of calcium, when in fact, pasteurization makes calcium and other minerals less available. Complete destruction of phosphatase is one method of testing to see if milk has been adequately pasteurized. Phosphatase is essential for the absorption of calcium. Ultrapasteurization As the dairy industry has become more concentrated, many processing plants have switched to ultrapasteurization, which involves higher temperatures and longer treatment times. The industry says this is necessary because many microorganisms have become heat resistant and now survive ordinary pasteurization. Another reason for ultrapasteurization is that it gives the milk a longer shelf life--up to four weeks. The grocers like this but many consumers complain of a burnt or dead taste. The milk is virtually sterile--is that what you want to drink? Milk producers are not advertising the fact that they are ultrapasteurizing the milk--the word is written in very small letters and the milk is sold in the refrigerator section even though it can be kept unrefrigerated until opened. Horizon, the major organic brand, is ultrapasteurized, as are virtually all national brands. Homogenization Milk straight from the cow contains cream, which rises to the top. Homogenization is a process that breaks up the fat globules and evenly distributes them throughout the milk so that they do not rise. This process unnaturally increases the surface area of fat exposing it to air, in which oxidation occurs and increases the susceptibility to spoilage. Homogenization has been linked to heart disease and atherosclerosis. Milk: To Drink or Not to Drink? Considering how modern commercial milk is produced and processed, it's no wonder that millions of Americans are allergic to it. An allergic reaction to dairy can cause symptoms like diarrhea, vomiting (even projectile vomiting), stomach pain, cramping, gas, bloating, nausea, headaches, sinus and chest congestion, and a sore, or scratchy throat. Milk consumption has been linked to many other health conditions as well, such as asthma, atherosclerosis, diabetes, chronic infections (especially upper respiratory and ear infections), obesity, osteoporosis and cancer of the prostate, ovaries, breast and colon. Once you understand how modern milk is produced and processed, it seems logical to just avoid it altogether. But Real Milk--full-fat, unprocessed milk from pasture-fed cows--contains vital nutrients like fat-soluble vitamins A and D, calcium, vitamin B6, B12, and CLA (conjugated linoleic acid, a fatty acid naturally occurring in grass-fed beef and milk that reduces body fat and protects against cancer). Real milk is a source of complete protein and is loaded with enzymes. Raw milk contains beneficial bacteria that protects against pathogens and contributes to a healthy flora in the intestines. Culturing milk greatly enhances its probiotic and enzyme content, making it a therapeutic food for our digestive system and overall health. So the answer to the question is--go ahead and drink milk only if you can get unprocessed milk from pastured cows. In the meantime, here are a few steps that can help you make the transition to more natural dairy products. STEP 1: Remove Commercial Milk from Your Diet Normally I propose a step-by step process for making a dietary change, but considering where commercial milk has come from, and what it has been through, it is best to just remove it from the diet altogether. Instead use some of the better quality dairy products such as raw cheese, good quality whole yogurt, butter and cream that has not been ultrapasteurized. (You can use butter or cream mixed with water on breakfast porridge.) Check the Weston A. Price Foundation Shopping Guide for a listing of good quality dairy products sold in supermarkets and health food stores. STEP 2: Find a Source of Real Milk in Your Area In states like California, this is easy because raw milk is sold in health food stores. In other states you need to either purchase raw milk from a farm or through a cow-share program. The best place to start is by contacting your local chapter or visiting the realmilk.com website. Most people who cannot tolerate commercial milk do beautifully on Real Milk--milk that comes from pastured cows, that contains all the fat and that is unprocessed. It is an especially good food for growing children who need extra nutrients during their growing years. REFERENCES Nutrition News and Views, Nov/Dec 1999, Vol 3, No.6, p. 2. The Next Bad Beef Scandal?" US News & World Report, September 1, 1997. Nutrition News and Views, Nov/Dec 1999, Vol 3, No.6, p 2. Mark Kastel, Down on the Farm: The Real BGH Story- Animal Health Problems, Financial Troubles," published by Rural Vermont, 1991. Andrew Christiansen, Recombinant Bovine Growth Hormone: Alarming Tests, Unfounded Approval: The Story Behind the Rush to Bring rBGH to Market," published by Rural Vermont, 1991. http://www.hfa.org/. This article appeared in Wise Traditions in Food, Farming and the Healing Arts, the quarterly magazine of the Weston A. Price Foundation, Spring 2003. About the Author Lori Lipinski is a Certified Nutritional Consultant, lecturer and writer whose articles have been published and quoted in highly respected national and international health journals and books. Lori developed the "Making the Transition" series to help people transition toward a REAL food diet, one step at a time.

A different way to love



We are really asking the Holy Spirit how is the best way to be living, breathing Christ in the earth today. This has been an extremely hard (and beyond) way of living. Where we personally been at is studying, reflecting, and going deep into the life of Christ in the gospels and allowing our lives to reflect the same thing. What a challenge in every way. The cost is high and the sacrifice is great.

Chicago Gay Pride Parade

The deeper we minister to own convictions, it seems the more conflict we run into, and its not from unbelieving folks. This is probably where many different Christians disagree, which is ok. Not everyone will see eye to eye, but working together despite it speaks great volumes in the least. When we observe the life of Jesus, the only ones he ever rebuked were religious people, the believing people of that day. But when I look at how he ministered to the lost it was really different. I'm not speaking about a message of tolerance or intolerance, because He would tell people to stop from sinning. But the love we observed was how He ate, He drank, He went into their (sinners, tax collectors, adulterers) homes. He loved them where they were at. And when he was confronted by the pharisees about his heretic acts, he said "is it not the sick who need a doctor?"

There's two problems we have found in the Church when ministering to the lost. The first is, the lost dont want to listen to our message of "intolerance" because they feel hated, judged and misunderstood by us. (Truth is, many of us as believers have looked to the lost as projects and not people). They indirectly hate us and have already closed their hearts to our message. What if we actually came to people like Jesus did with the Samaritan women, gave them a life reading and then told them the way to true life? There is a huge brokenness and disconnect from the Church and the lost. We believe in order to even get them to a place where they can receive our message, we must be willing to love them where they're at. The "I'm Sorry" shirts, shouldn't be mis-read. The man who started that was not a tolerant man. He didn't agree with homosexuality (like so many churches are allowing these days) but he was looking for a solution. He was looking for the mending of broken hearts to the spirit of Christ, which is always LOVE. The man who started it was accused by every religious figure about his tolerance, but when you read his story you will find that it was not the spirit he was operating under. He was truly a man looking for a reconcilation, for a solution......and we need one, really bad.

The second problem we have found is that many Christians (who preach an intolerance message) do NOT actually have friends that are lost. Most believers will tell you that homosexuality shouldn't be tolerated and when we ask them if they have a homosexual friend, most do not. Were not talking about you know someone who is gay, or you have a relative who is gay. We're talking about having a friend, someone you hang out with, have gotten to know, gotten to appreciate in your life. The problem lies in that we would rather preach intolerance then actually get to know these individuals, with hearts, with minds, with feelings. They believe their beliefs are as real as our own. So how do we become all things to all men without compromising the message? Do we have a meal, hang out, get to know these individuals the way Jesus did before we cast the stone? By putting love on first, by word and action, the other stuff will follow. I DO NOT believe a message of love is tolerance. I DO believe that has been the fall of the Church in this case. But I also believe we need to put on love and the spirit of reconcilation and begin reconciling people's heart to the love of Christ. This will come in asking for forgiveness in where we have erred. And we have; we have judged, condemned and even told people they are not loved by God for their lifestyles. Maybe not us personally, but we need a man who will stand in the gap for such self-righteous accusations. Who is the accuser of the brethren but the devil himself. I am a woman that is not without sin and I cannot cast a stone at another because of it.

 I was hestitant to share all that, but I felt it was important that you hear our heart in that. To judge a group by saying they are being over-zealous and mis-led is a big accusation. But that is what is happening with the group of "I'm Sorry" believers at different gay pride events. And I can tell you that if we were to ever do something similar there would have been a lot of thought, a lot of prayer and a lot of biblical confirmation to go along with us when we make a decision like that. I understand that not every Christian is going to agree on certain things, but my hope is that honor would still be among believers even when they don't agree. We can't sustain new wine in a old wineskin. We believe, in this time and hour, God is doing a new thing if we will let him. We're going to have to think outside the box and try different things if we want to truly reach the lost.

What do you think? What do you think it would look like loving people the way Jesus did?

Worship Album Coming Soon!

Check out MY WEBSITE!

You get a FREE DOWNLOAD when you sign up or share the page!

Live Music and Art Auction!

 

Come join us for an EPIC night of LIVE MUSIC with special contriuting artists: HOLLY KLUGE, EMILY NEWTON, MARK BITTLE and JAZZ BAND, CRYSTAL JACKEL and JOHN FENTRESS!!!! We will be having a silent art auction with several different prophetic artists, including: SHERI MORT...ILARRO, JOSHUA LOPEZ from SELAH Prophetic Art, MOLLY O'RILEY, CHRISTINE MATTA and MORE! Please join us this night! Caricature drawings of yourself will be available as well on the spot as well! Everything contributed will be raised for Burn 24-7 Ireland! Thanks to Katie Hagstrom and the team @ Cafe Aviv, 20% of all barista sales that night go towards Ireland as well!

If you would like to contribute a piece to the auction please contact me! crystaljackel@gmail.com

Come join this awesome night of great music, aromatic coffee and beautiful art!

God has been doing a wonderful work in our lives here with Burn Rochester. An exciting door has opened for our team from the Burn 24-7 family to go to Ireland, Wales and England in September!!!! God is sending us to the nations! But WE NEED YOUR HELP!

How can you help? COME and enjoy a night of music, art and creativity in support of our Ireland trip this September!

The Burn is diverse in expression, non-denominational in affiliation, simple in focus, and missional in practice."Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks" (John 4:23). This is the heartbeat of the Burn — to see the Father’s dream for this generation realized. We have heard the call from the Lord to go and are taking this step of faith, God is going to do amazing things both corporately and individually. This will be our first missions trip as a team outside of the United States! Our hearts are being stirred for the nation of Ireland! We are going to cry out to the Lord for revival and to minister in the streets as the Lord leads! Ireland has a rich history as being a place of great revival and our desire is that He would move in Ireland in an even greater way than before. The latter rain will be greater than the former! We say THANK YOU for partnering with us!

This benefit will be aiding these team members: Brandon and Crystal Jackel, Cheri Poirier and Kelley Valentine!!! All money raised will go directly to each individual evenly.

For more info on contributing artists:
Holly Kluge, Crystal Jackel, Emily Newton, Sheri Mortillaro, and Joshua Lopez

Loving radically

Greetings family and friends!!!

 Burn Rochester Crew

Sorry its been a good month since we've shared any news! We have been EXTREMELY busy on 

God adventures! In the past year we have experienced incredible measures of God’s presence by mobilizing the corporate body of Christ in the Rochester region to a place of worship and prayer. Monthly we gather night and day fulfilling the greatest commandment, loving the Lord our God." In the place of “worship and intercession” we are raising up a generation of people who walk in “first love". We believe the second commandment (loving people) flows out of the first commandment (loving God). Therefore, BURN 24-7 is a movement centered on His presence." Our primary ministry is to the Lord and then to man. In one year we have experienced great momentum in the midst of raising three children, working and going to school full time. His Grace has been sufficient and His Presence has been leading us. Out of the place of loving God, spending countless hours in His presence, a time came to begin to fulfill the great commission." Since August of 2012 our BURN ROCHESTER CREW has taken ten different domestic mission trips Because Jesus said, “you shall receive power, after the Holy Spirit is come upon you; and you shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost parts of the Earth.” "As we have tarried with the Lord for countless hours in His presence,we can honestly say we have been filled with power! We have left our Jerusalem (Rochester) and have begun to travel abroad to several different cities including: Chicago IL, Harrisburg PA, Wilmington and Middletown OH, Cambridge and Salem MA, Port Huron and Detroit MI, Kansas City MO, Jerusalem Israel, Austin TX, and San Francisco CA, and soon to be Belfast, Ireland!!!!

Raising up Radical Lovers...

Our Vision: Regional transformation through loving God and loving people.

Our Mission: Discipleship through teaching the commandments of Christ: Loving God and loving people.

Looking back at our travels God has used our team's gifts to unconventionally build up His Body in every city. It has become clear we don’t need a ministry name, nor do we need a platform. All we need is LOVE! Jesus said, “If you love Me you obey me.” Out of love we have taken the initiative to say YES when Jesus tells us to DO something. We have seen it with our eyes. Every time we follow through with what we are hearing, His Spirit comes and people get touched with His presence. We are compelled by His love, captivated by His beauty, and smitten by His faithfulness. We've given our hearts fully to Him!

Sound of the Bride Worship Album!

 

We need you! Please prayerfully consider partnering with us on this project!

happy are the helpless

I recently have been reading the Sermon on the Mount, over and over and over and over again. And then when I think I’m moving on, I read it again. The truth is, there is so much in the Sermon on the Mount that I’m becoming overwhelmed by revelation and wrecked by its empowering Truth! I’m convinced it is one of the greatest messages preached in all of history, probably because Jesus was the one giving it! Everyone who knows me well knows one of our greatest passions is to see believers walk into their identity. Want victory? Identity. Want freedom? Identity. Want truth? Identity. Want more to know your purpose? Identity.  This is why I want to share some of the things that have rocked me and  ruined me forever. I found the teachings of Jesus to be the stake  I personally needed, entering into the reality of who I am called to be. I believe the Beatitudes are the KEY for a believer’s walk to move from “striving” to “thriving” in their identity in Jesus Christ.

I want to start by quoting Heidi Baker, a full-time missionary to Mozambique, in her book Compelled by Love, “Believe it or not, our lives are much easier than yours. You see, where I live they are sick and hurting; and so they come and give their lives to Jesus by the hundreds every week around the country. But in your nation, your poor do not know they are poor, and your sick do not really know they are sick unless they are dying of a disease and no one can help them. They look confident, and they appear as if they are altogether. But maybe they are not. So your job is a lot harder than ours.”

Since America was young we were taught to be independent and self-sufficient. For a large portion of us that grew up middle-class, we learned from our youth that America is about equality, fairness and declaring and living out our rights as human beings. We were taught well how to be worth something in society by educating ourselves, pursuing a good standing career, and keeping things sustainable so we can build the dream of the big house, the happy family, the toys to keep life fun and looking good. I recently came to a wall in my own ideologies of what I believed “happiness” looked like. You see, unless I become “poor in spirit” nothing this world has will ever satisfy me. In fact, many of these things fight for my heart. Why is it hard for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of Heaven?

"Blessed are the poor in Spirit for theirs in the Kingdom of Heaven...." Matthew 5:3

“Why does the Kingdom break forth in such power among the poor here in Mozambique? It’s because the poor rely on each other. They need each other. They live in a community of interdependence. They have to share with each other just to survive. Those who have much are often quick to accumulate and slow to give away. They often give without remembering; they receive without forgetting. The poor are truly rich for the simplicity of their devotion.” (Heidi Baker’s Compelled by Love)

Does selling everything and living simple make you poor in Spirit?  No, but there is certainly something to be applied here. It is the condition of the heart, but we must become like those who are physically poor in the same manner in our hearts.

The Greek word for “poor” is ‘Ptochos‘,  and it literally means” having nothing, reduced to begging, like a beggar, totally broke”.  Just as the poor understand they cannot survive without the one who will give to them, so we must come to the understanding in our hearts that Jesus is the Giver of true life.  Because the word "poor" is a term that is not physically poor, but is to be poor in spirit, likewise it is not saying we need to beg God, but to become "like a beggar. Being poor in spirit means we are desperate for God, recognizing our complete need for Jesus. We don’t live in the “whatever”. We live in the constant devotion and pursuit of all that He is. We are hungry for it and nothing will stop us from this obsession.  This is BIG! Think about it! Jesus is saying if He becomes our EVERYTHING, He will give us EVERYTHING! The Kingdom of Heaven is freely given to those who will freely receive. If we do not recognize are need, we do not receive.

This is the heartbeat of what makes God tick.  They are attributes that Holy Spirit is drawn to.  God has a lot of workers but he has few lovers.  Being poor in Spirit would be hearing God and obeying. When a poor person asks you for something they ask humbly and they are not afraid to ask because they will die without it. My heart must say, “Lord, I will die without knowing you, seeing you, touching you! I am so hungry for you! I am in need of your love, your life and your constant supernatural presence!” I believe what it means to be poor in spirit is complete dependence on Him alone. It certainly goes against the grain of what we were taught and what our nature is, but I am convinced it is the ONLY way to live.

 I leave you with the words of Mother Theresa,

“Hungry for love,  He looks at you.
Thirsty for kindness, He begs from you.
Naked for loyalty, He hopes in you.
Sick and imprisoned for friendship, He wants from you.
Will you be that one to Him?”

What are your thoughts? What do you think it means to be poor in spirit?

Some more verses for thought:

"The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit."— Psalm 34:18

"The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise."— Psalm 51:17

"For this is what the high and lofty One says—he who lives forever, whose name is holy: 'I live in a high and holy place, but also with him who is contrite and lowly in spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly and to revive the heart of the contrite."— Isaiah 57:15

This is the one I esteem: he who is humble and contrite in spirit, and trembles at my word.— Isaiah 66:2

Also He spoke this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others: Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, "God, I thank You that I am not like other men—extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I possess." And the tax collector, standing afar off, would not so much as raise his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, "God, be merciful to me a sinner!" I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.— Luke 18:9-14

We're going to Ireland!

GO INTO ALL THE WORLD AND MAKE DISCIPLES...

If God’s ways are higher than our ways, how does one articulate glory?! When His presence comes, everything is caught up in a swirl of love, wonder, awe, thankfulness, anticipation, suspense, and power. Before you know it you get plowed by His spirit because you’re laughing, shouting, crying, and trembling all at once. What brings this incredible array of heaven? Is it music? Song, melody, heart, rhythm, and harmony being the vehicle of heavenly joy? Maybe it’s our prayers. Supplication, thanksgiving, petitioning, decreeing, interceding and groaning, attracting the heart of God. We believe a broken heart and a contrite spirit He does not despise. This is the extent of what our eyes have seen and our ears have heard in the unending times of worship and prayer. Since August our BURN ROCHESTER CREW has taken nine different domestic mission trips. Why? Because Jesus, said “But you shall receive power, after the Holy Spirit is come upon you; and you shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost parts of the Earth." As we have tarried with the Lord for countless hours, being in His presence, we can honestly say that we have been filled with power! We have left our Jerusalem (Rochester) and have begun to travel to several different cities including: Chicago, IL, Harrisburg, PA, Willmington and Middletown, OH, Cambridge and Salom MA, Port Huron and Detroit MI, Kansas City, MO, Jerusalem, Israel, Harrisburg, PA, Austin, TX. Looking back at our travels, God has used our gifts to unconventionally build up his Body in every city. We don’t need a ministry name, nor do we need a platform. All we need is LOVE! Jesus said, “If you love me you obey me.” Out of love, we have taken the initiative to say YES when Jesus tells us to DO something.

And we are saying YES to Him as He leads us this Fall to IRELAND! There is a rich history in Ireland of non-stop worship and praise that lasted three hundred years in Vangor, Ireland. We will be going to the streets of Dublin and to the Ireland Burn in Belfast, as well as monumental sites in history where we will pray and release our adoration to the King of Kings! The Lord is calling us to tarry the nation, unlock the wells of revival and to see the people of Ireland walk in their inheritance. We continue to covet your prayers! We are in need of raising $3900 by August. This will cover the cost for housing, food and transportation. PLEASE PARTNER WITH US ONCE AGAIN! Please send tax-deductible checks to: Elim Fellowship, 1703 Dalton Rd., Lima, NY 14485 (please write Brandon and Crystal Jackel in memo). Thank you again!

With unwavering love,

Brandon and Crystal Jackel

family

 

California!

What’s up everybody!!!!  We want to send word back to the east coast of all the incredible encounters we had in California.  It was a true honor to link shields with Roger Joyner and the Burn crew in Oroville, California!  The city of Oroville has a large number in poverty and they are contending for renewed hope in their region.  We believe God is raising up the Tabernacle of David in Oroville, and believing hope-deferred would be eradicated and renewed hope and the testimony of Jesus would triumph in the region.

The highlight of our journey was spending quality time with the Oroville BURN.  It was a blessing to encounter a crew who is as passionate and hungry for the presence of God as you all are.  It encouraged our heart to see a company of radical lovers of God tarring through the late night and crying out for restoration in the early morning.  These people are true contenders to see justice, love, and mercy established in their land. 

While in California, we also had the opportunity to visit Bethel in Redding.  Our hearts were encouraged as we sat under the ministry of Bill Johnson, Kris Valloton, and other honorable fathers of the faith.  As great of an experience this was, I can honestly say the highlight was to plow and pioneer a resting place for God in Orville.  Something legendary happens spending countless hours with people who have pioneering hearts.  I’m thankful for the regions in our nation where a Kingdom culture has been established such as Redding, CA.  But I can honestly say I desire to see greater things than these in regions such as Oroville and Rochester.  Why?  Because we are standing on the shoulders of leaders such as Bill Johnson.  THEIR CEILING HAS BECOME OUR FLOOR!!!!!

Lastly we had a great opportunity to visit San Francisco, with Roger and his wife Gabriel.  These two led JHOP (Justice House of Prayer) in San Francisco for two years.  On our way to the city Roger gave testimony of their time in San Francisco.  The cry in his heart became contagious as a spirit of travail fell upon the car and we wept for the city.  Entering into the city limits we spent most of our time in prayer as we visited the AIDS memorial and the Castro District, the largest homosexual community in our nation.  Our cry has become,

“Lord, raise up your house of prayer in San Francisco!  Raise up a company of people who carry an anointing to break the back of HIV!!!  Let us see a movement in our day that would contend for the deliverance of those who wrestle with homosexuality, and a community of  believers who will love San Fransisco into their destiny!”

Returning home we have great expectancy in our heart to see further break-through within the Rochester region.  This is why we are alive on the Earth!  This is why Jesus has entrusted to us the ministry of reconciliation!  We won’t bow our knee to mediocrity!  Nor will we tolerate a form of Godliness with no power!  We are lovers at heart, and warriors by trade!  It has been such an honor to love and cry with you all.  We are who we are today because we have found a company of people to live with and a company of people to die with.  I’m convinced that the  keys in fulfilling the destiny of our lives fall in the hands of our brothers and sisters.  Please continue to unlock our dreams as we fervently and persistently unlock yours.  With an unyielding love, we look forward to reuniting our hearts with yours.    

One will put one thousand to flight but two, ten thousands,

Love Always,
Brandon and Crystal