Seven questions every parent and leader should use regularly.

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you can never be too dirty, too posh or too dead for Jesus. Kirsty Cook

Simon Holley
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France 2011: Trip Report

Around six months ago I received an email from Joel Trefcon asking if I would speak at his church in Marguerittes, France. I’m trying to learn to follow the lead of the Holy Spirit for trips like this and so spent some while praying about it. One night I had a dream in which I was underwater but dressed in a suit and tie. I could breathe without any breathing apparatus. I was conducting a wedding underwater between a woman (somehow I knew she was a French woman) and a dolphin. In the dream I was telling people this was a unique event, it had never happened before. Interestingly a big feature was that it was warm in some places but very cold in others.

As dolphins normally mean kindness and compassion and the woman obviously represented the French church I took it as a green light to go ahead. We booked the trip in and I thought no more about it. Two days before we were due to fly my wife Caroline and I were praying when pressed me more on the dolphin. She said “Dolphins just mean so little to you; it must have more meaning to the people there.” After googling ‘dolphin’ and France (and being slightly confused by a spoof website that actually said that the French used to have an actual dolphin on the throne!!) we then found the truth which was that in French history the person who was next in line for the throne was actually known as the le Dauphin (which means dolphin in French) because of the dolphin featured on his coat of arms. Suddenly the dream made sense – Jesus was promising was that he was coming as the true king of France for his bride- the church! The warm and cold spots in the water represented that the nation was warmer in some places-cold in the others but that Jesus was going to help them change the water temperature. So, encouraged in faith, we took a small team on the trip and we were so welcomed by the French people.

A few snaps from the monumental first Sunday at King’s House

Breakthroughs

The pressure and time commitment of moving into our new building has stopped me blogging for a while but we’ve had a couple of great breakthroughs recently that just need to be shared.On a recent trip to a UK town one of our team prayed for a lady in a motorised wheelchair out on the streets. The lady had been unable to walk without assistance for 20 years with an arthritic condition. She had been using a chair or crutches throughout that time. As she was prayed for she felt heat on one side of her body and cold on the other and pins and needles all over. The pain left and after ten minutes or so she was walking pain free and without assistance. We’ve just heard from the church that we were working with that three months later she is completely healed, amazed and engaged with the church.

Another lady who was part of the church was healed of a neurological condition which had given her neck pain for 15 years. A word of knowledge was brought about someone with neck pain and she was instantly healed – before anyone prayed for her. Now a few months on she has been confirmed healed by her doctor and is living life pain free for the first time in fifteen years.

At another meeting a lady from Eastern Europe who was partially sighted and walking with a stick was shouting “see clear. see clear” The next day one of the ministry team bumped into her again and realised the extent of what God had done. Now without her stick, the lady was jumping up and down celebrating her new clear sight that enabled her to get around without the need for a stick to guide her.

A year or so ago I saw Bill Johnson give a word of knowledge, ask the person to stand and tell them to check it out as they were probably healed already. People were amazed as it happened as he said. I’ve been pressing in to see the same in our meetings but with not much success. The words of knowledge were accurate but the people were not instantly healed. On Sunday night I felt the Spirit impress on me to go for it again. I gave a word about someone with neck pain down the right hand side of their neck. A lady responded and I told her to check it out as she may have been healed already. She checked it and we saw the amazement on her face as God had already done the work – pain that she had had for 2 years was completely gone!

What are we to learn from all this? Jesus taught us to always pray and never give up. Why it takes time for some breakthroughs to occur is unclear to me. But what is clear is this – as we keep pressing in suddenly that which seemed impossible becomes possible. Once we have seen it one time, we will see it again. The extraordinary will become ordinary. I’ve been telling our church for three years that the lame will walk and the visually impaired will see and give glory to God. Now we’ve seen it, not in India, not in Africa but on the streets of very ordinary towns in the UK. We must always pray and never give up. The good news of Jesus must be preached with signs and wonders following.

(For more visit http://simonholley.wordpress.com)

John Wesley on manifestations of the Spirit…

After a couple of weeks of increased manifestations of the spirit at kings arms i found this quote from john wesley really helpful
“Lord send us revival without defects but if this is not possible send revival defects and all.
Careful people will assess the fruit of manifestations. Wise people will rejoice at what can be rejoiced in but will be slow to put all the phenomena down to God. it seems we are going to have to live in the tension of rejoicing with caution.”

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The foolishness of the cross

The apostle Paul knew that the message he preached seemed ridiculous to everyone he was sent to preach it to. I wonder if he realised just how bad it would come across when he had his Damascus road experience? Surely he’d encountered Chrisy 1 Corinthians 1:18 For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.
19 For it is written, “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and the discernment of the discerning I will thwart.” 20 Where is the one who is wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world?
21 For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, it pleased God through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe.
22 For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom,
23 but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles,
24 but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.
25 For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.
26 For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth.
27 But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong;
28 God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are,
29 so that no human being might boast in the presence of God.
30 And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption,
31 so that, as it is written, “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.”

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Great post for dads seeking to raise Jesus loving kids

via theresurgence.com

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Ginny Burgin prophetic forum session online

People have been clamouring for the audio from the amazing session with Ginny Burgin at our recent forum – here it is. Audio quality is terrible but you won’t regret it.

click here