Loving our VOICES series.  If you want to find your voice it helps to hear those who have found theirs!  We’ve got three prophetic voices!  The first voice, Bob Goff, was off the charts.  In fact, we’ve turned Bob’s name into a verb.  We got “goffed.” It means: Just Be Awesome!

This week we got “Tillered.”  John Tiller shared one of the most amazing testimonies I’ve ever heard about how to endure difficult circumstances.  Then 12 year-old Eli, who survived a traumatic fall from his second-story bedroom when he was three, sang I Will Rise by Chris Tomlin. There wasn’t a dry eye in the house!

Check out their ministry here: The Tiller Family. You need to invite them to your church to share their testimony!

You can watch the Voices Trailer here: http://vimeo.com/41160630.

I’ve always believed that church ought to be the most enjoyable hour of the week.  It definitely was this weekend. Listening to Bob Goff preach twice and sharing two meals was unforgettable!  I feel like a hero became a friend.  We decided to adopt each other this weekend.  We’re his church and he’s our law firm. Love it.

The big takeaway for me was that we make the rules.  Why do we automatically conform to the conventions of society?  It’s time to rewrite the rules–church rules, schedule rules, relationship rules.  Bob stopped taking meetings 18 months ago.  He takes off three months every summer. He blows up his law firm on December 31st of every year.  Can you even do those things? Evidently you can because Bob did.

His big advice over dinner?  Take over a country. And he wasn’t kidding. So we did a little plotting!

The bottom line? I love the way Bob is living his life!  Why? Because he’s living life to the fullest.  I think Bob is a rebuke to critics and cynics who point fingers and throw stones. Stop pointing out problems and become part of the solution!  Or to use Bob’s words: “Just be awesome.”

I’ll be honest, when I first met Bob I thought he was crazy. Now I’m convinced he’s not crazy.  Bob is normal.  We’re just so subnormal that he seems abnormal. When you make the decision to follow Jesus, crazy becomes your new normal.  Normal is crazy and crazy is normal.

I thoroughly enjoyed giving the commencement address for Southeastern University last week.  At the end of my address I shared the Lion Chaser’s Manifesto from In a Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day.  It’s been a long time since I’ve posted it.

Quit living as if the purpose of life is to arrive safely at death. Set God-sized goals. Pursue God-ordained passions. Go after a dream that is destined to fail without divine intervention. Keep asking questions. Keep making mistakes. Keep seeking God. Stop pointing out problems and become part of the solution. Stop repeating the past and start creating the future. Stop playing it safe and start taking risks. Expand your horizons. Accumulate experiences. Enjoy the journey. Find every excuse you can to celebrate everything you can. Live like today is the first day and last day of your life. Don’t let what’s wrong with you keep you from worshiping what’s right with God. Burn sinful bridges. Blaze new trails. Criticize by creating. Worry less about what people think and more about what God thinks. Don’t try to be who you’re not. Be yourself. Laugh at yourself. Don’t let fear dictate your decisions. Take a flying leap of faith. Chase the lion!

During our 7:14 AM prayer today, I kept feeling led to pray: “Raise up a Remnant.”

At critical junctures in history, God raises up a remnant to start a revolution.  All it takes is a faithful few.  There was Gideon’s Remnant, Deborah’s remnant, and Elijah’s Remnant. The common denominator is that they dared to defy the status quo and hold fast to the promises of God.  They honored God via acts of courage.  They are the ones who wrote the history that the rest of us read.

I’m circling I Kings 19:30: “Once more a remnant of the house of Judah will take root below and bear fruit above.”

On this National Day of Prayer, I’m praying that God would raise up a Remnant of Circle Makers who will circle II Chronicles 7:14 by hitting their knees everyday!  Thousands have already signed up for the 7:14 Journey.  Love to have you join the remnant.  If you want in, email rossahill@rossahill.com.

So honored to be part of the radio broadcast for the ONE CRY event tomorrow. I’ll be the last “prayer” so to speak.  The passion for God’s presence continues to grow exponentially. When we get on our knees, there is NOTHING that God cannot do!

Tune in Thursday night, 8-10 PM EST. www.ONECRY.com

We kick off a new series this weekend.  We’re inviting some “prophetic voices” to speak into the life of our church.  It’s really a series about finding your voice, and one way you do that is by listening to those who have!

We’ll kick off with Bob Goff on May 5-6.  If you haven’t picked up his book, Love Does, you need to. We’ll have copies at all of our locations!

Here’s the SERIES TRAILER.

Please share your prayer testimonies with me!

Email them to circle@theaterchurch.com.

I’m writing a 40 day devotional called Draw the Circle: The 40 Day Prayer Challenge and I want to include your story!  My goal is to inspire people to keep circling the promises, the dreams, the challenges in their life while establishing a prayer habit. It’ll release in December of this year and piggy-back off of The Circle Maker.  It’ll be 90% new content.  I want to share things I’ve learned and stories I’ve heard since The Circle Maker released.

According to Revelation 12, we overcome the enemy by the blood of the lamb and the word of our testimony.  Not only do you need to share your testimony.  I promise you this: other people need to hear it.

So excited about a short book that will release this summer titled: Praying Circles Around your Children.

Here’s some back copy cover…

You’ll never be a perfect parent, but you can be a praying parent.

You don’t have to do everything right as a parent, but there is one thing you cannot afford to get wrong. That one thing is prayer. It covers a multitude of sins, it turns ordinary parents into prophets who shape the destiny of generations to come, and it’s the most lasting legacy you can leave. Your prayers live on, long after you die, in the lives of those you leave behind. Simply put: prayer is your greatest opportunity and responsibility as a parent.

Now here’s where I need your help.  Which cover do you like better?  If you have a strong opinion, email circle@theaterchurch.com.

Here is the clip that aired on the Today Show on Easter

My friend, Ross Hill, is throwing down the gauntlet. The 7:14 challenge has become The 7:14 Journey.  The bottom line? We’re going to keep circling II Chronicles 7:14 and believe God for revival.  It’s a simple as hitting your knees everyday and spending a few moments humbling yourself before God.  We’re seeking His face and His grace.  We’re asking God to unleash a revival in our generation.  And it’s spreading to nations all around the world.

This is your invitation to join the 7:14 Journey!  Sign up by emailing rossahill@rossahill.com.The first 250 sign-ups get a FREE copy of The Circle Maker.