Gavin was looking at some ways a few of our Heaven Fest peeps were putting their thoughts about HF being a platform to communicate the Father heart of God into their own personal expression. We had charts and words and photographs and lots of creativity starting to flow.
He grabbed some vellum and an assortment of pens and markers and made his own.
I am almost 100% certain this design will show up on a t-shirt. Worn by a boy with the cutest littled freckled face and the sweetest heart ever.
When you throw a million dollar event but give away A L L the ticket money
for the poor, the hungry and thirsty
for the exploited (sex-traded) children of the world
for the orphan (and fatherless), for the widow (and the single-parents in our area),
and
when the Family of God gathers to worship and pray
to sing along, to cheer and worship
and
when you rent out hundreds of acres so Father can call His children together for a little reunion
when you have a day where almost a third of those gathering are people who don’t know Jesus yet, but some one in the fam brought them, prayed over them, is beliving God for their salvation and they got a free admission just so we could introduce them to Jesus…
when 2000 volunteers sweat and work for the glory
and Jesus is the headliner and you see all the races and all the denominations and every age represented and they just forget their dividing lines and join in one song for one God, and one reason
and when 40,000 people encounter the father heart of God and through the gift they GIVE when they walk through the front gate, nations are impacted and
wells are dug and the hungry are fed and
children are adopted
and the suicidal find hope and life and
lives are transformed
and the Name of Jesus is made glorious
Then the money spent was well worth it. Every dollar, multiplied in its’ impact. On real people. Real lives. Changed.
It is not about the concert. It is not about the bands. It is about the love of a Father, expressed to those He loves. On earth as it is in heaven.
Dang, babe. You’re just hitting your stride. At work on your third (?? losing count) novel, in the upcoming stage production of “Into the Woods,” being chosen to play Jean Valjean in the upcoming “Les Mis” production, running a massive Christian music festival, grandpa, dad, friend, lover, artist, intercessor, gun-toter…ETC! You are the best thing I did for my children, you are the most longsuffering husband ever. On your birthday, you are my gift.
This is the life you give me:
Jean Valjean to Fantine (Les Mis)
“And you’re [God’s] creation. In His eyes, you have never been anything but an innocent and…beautiful woman.”
:)
Ryan Faaland. I have only known him for a year and 6 days. But all along he was being prepared, God was readying our family and preparing the way for him to be grafted into the Rhoades tribe. He and Tredessa fell for each other quickly and I am pretty sure that his first huge family dinner with us made him like Tredessa even more. Haha.
We asked him 10,872 questions. And it was loud. And we played Charades. He laughed easy and he fit – just right. Prepared. A new son…
Your parents raised a good son. I know they are pleased with the man you have turned out to be. You are a man of integrity and character. You are caring and affectionate. You are the tender love God wanted to bless Tredessa with. You were prayed for and highly anticipated. You were long-awaited and appointed to a place of high honor, that of the man of Tredessa’s dreams – a place so unique, so protected in its’ scope and future, 3 massive music festivals turned up dry, man-wise. There was only one who would do…and it was you.
Below is your “birthday card.” It has a few of the words that describe you, things I see, things I was impressed by the Holy Spirit to impress upon you. I hope you will know the deep, full meaning of each. I pray your heart will resonate as these things confirm God’s call on your life, His plans for you, and His deep love for you, Ryan.
I wrote “You brought a part we didn’t know we were missing.” And even though we were waiting for you and looking for you, the gift God gave was more than we could have hoped or asked. We didn’t even know what we really needed. But God is good and He knew. And we love Him for the gift. We love you!
Here they are. Dave, Tara, and Hunter Magoo. They are waiting to be chosen, so they can choose. They are preparing for the baby they cannot see…yet.
“…faith… is the firm foundation under everything that makes life worth living. It’s our handle on what we can’t see. Hebrews 11.1,2 The Message
Even though the years of trying take their toll, hope is renewed again and again. Adoption becomes possibility. A great organization takes them through the paces and excitement rises. “The book” gets finished and delivered, a printed peek into their lives and a birth-mommy can acquaint herself with a possible family for her baby. And we wait.
Meanwhile, DP shares vision about Heaven Fest and adoption is part of the whole this year and he shocks us with the astounding statistic that if just 7% of Christians worldwide would adopt, there would be no more orphans.
And somewhere, a baby is being knit together in her mommy’s womb and she’ll need a home and family and God is preparing this one for her.
And we are not diminished in the waiting. We are not less anxious for the bebe to arrive, but rather enlarged with expectancy and anticipation. Oh yes, we are.
Romans 8:22-25
“All around us we observe a pregnant creation. The difficult times of pain throughout the world are simply birth pangs. But it’s not only around us; it’s within us. The Spirit of God is arousing us within. We’re also feeling the birth pangs. These sterile and barren bodies of ours are yearning for full deliverance. That is why waiting does not diminish us, any more than waiting diminishes a pregnant mother. We are enlarged in the waiting. We, of course, don’t see what is enlarging us. But the longer we wait, the larger we become, and the more joyful our expectancy.”
Dave Powers // Convoy of Hope Haiti Response from Wade Yamaguchi on Vimeo.
www.heavenfest.com A massive music and worship gathering.
www.convoyofhope.com A driving passion to feed the world
