I’ve been reading No Compromise: The Life Story of Keith Green and God has been speaking to me greatly through it. I owe thanks to my mom for my intrigue and knowledge of Keith Green. When she first became a believer she had a 2 CD collection of his greatest hits. I must have been 8 years old but when I just recently began to listen to Keith myself, it was like i knew all the words and remembered each song. the spirit of those songs were implanted in me long ago, it just recently came to the surface.

Personally, I’m in a season of hunger. I know there’s so much more of God that I have not even begun to scratch the surface. i’m hungry for revival but i know it must begin in my own heart. but i’m becoming more engrossed in the greats that have gone before such as John Wesley, Charles Finney and of course Keith Green. As i read about Keith i see similarities between my own search and hunger and what he went through. there’s so much in the book from his own journal. i read his struggles and his prayers and i see them as my own:

“Prayer is the key. Make me a man of prayer!

Put power in my words. Your word is powerful! make your word my word, make your power my power

I want to be God’s voice, full of love, mercy and fire! but i must be dead!

I am ready for death! kill me, destroy me, burn me beyond recognition. i know now that you would never hurt or harm me. you only want me dead! let it be done!

i don’t want greatness. i want you to be great!

Lower me down, humble me. teach me to humble myself, O Lord! i love you so much, but not as you love the Father. i want to love you that way!”

As i read i see thoughts or prayers that i’ve been having lately. it’s been a struggle this last week. i think it’s only because i’ve really decided in my heart to go after God in the quiet place more. i’m seeking His presence more and more. i guess its just opposition but it’s humbling. i must rely on God and God alone. he’s not so far off. i just call and He answers His kid. it’s my heart that must be renewed constantly to draw near to Him.

I’ve been making my way through the old testament and as i read i realize its all up to God. there is no striving for His children. saul was out looking for a donkey when Samuel anointed Him king. david was tending the sheep. Gideon was pressing grapes when his calling came to him. the apostles were just out fishing. the point is each day is a day that ANYTHING can happen. God can show up at any moment and set a new course for my calling. and i must EXPECT this. expectation opens my heart up to possibilities and power. i never used to receive dreams from the Lord. but once i started expecting them, i’ve since filled pages of a journal with dreams. its awesome.

rabbit trail! i had a dream in which a friend of mine was with me and as we were busy doing something he stopped and said “oh i have to give this to you” and started giving me money. big bills! i woke up and prayed about it and the Lord said that money will come in the future from friends. seemingly random. that’s cool i’m all about that! well that was about a month ago. at church when we do the offering sometimes we do a proclamation about finances. speaking forth that we have a God who supplies. i’ve heard many testimonies but i guess i just wanted my own. with tears 2 sundays ago i spoke forth “we’re believing for checks in the mail, inheritances, etc…” a couple days later i was listening to a song that reminded me of a friend i went to DTS with. so i sent her a hello on facebook. minutes later i got a message. she felt the Lord wanted her to support liz & i and she wanted to send us money! i was humbled and blown away. we don’t even have a specific ministry yet but God IS providing for us. we’re his kids! a couple days later we had an un-expected expense that was $1 short of the amount my friend gave to me. Go God!

so He’s been teaching me many things. He’s giving me things not because i’m DOING anything but just because He loves me. He’s good like that

God is doing so much in me. i have expectation. maybe soon i’ll get a chance to fill you in. but for now, its back to work!

“Our greatest fear is not that we are inadequate, but that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that frightens us. We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, handsome, talented, and fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you. We were born to make manifest the glory of God within us. It is not just in some; it is in everyone. And, as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our fear, our presence automatically liberates others.” – Marianne Williamson

The creation waits in eager expectation for the sons of God to be revealed. For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God. –Romans 8:19-21

You were made in the image of God. If you’ve trusted Jesus as your savior, he has promised that the same Spirit that raise him from the dead lives inside of you. The Spirit of truth, and of power. It is not a spirit of fear, for God is love, and true love casts out all fear. Light and darkness can not coexist within you. that is not how you were designed. you were designed to be GREAT. you were made to change the world. Peter, Paul, Stephen, John, all the apostles walked the same earth with the same Spirit within them. the culture has changed but the call has not.

the spirit of fear that has so gripped the american church is fading. i can feel it and rebuke it. i rebuke it in my life and over all my brothers and sisters. somewhere, sometime, it became the norm, to cater to people, make them feel good, and to not offend. but the Gospel is offensively generous. it is offensive love. it is life changing. and if we accept the call to be lead by the Father, we will leave the “good”, “safe”, “comfortable” life and step into greatness. and there is nothing wrong with being great. because if it is truly the Spirit of God within us leading us to it, then the world will respond with praise to the Father. NOT YOU. men will see your good works and glorify the Father. because they will know, in their own Spirit that it is not you making the change in you possible. its not you singing praise joyfully when life is crashing. its not you setting you free from addiction. its not you removing fear daily. it is God.

it is a daily challenge for me but i’m learning to do it. i’m wanting to do it. i’m working through the fear. its tough for me to go to a mall now cause all i think is “God is gonna ask me to pray for a stranger again”. but thats ok. the more i step out the more i grow. and i cant see miracles until i step out. but God’s word says that the world is waiting. its waiting for Dan Fava to show up. because the Spirit of the Living God is in me. and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.

i love how faithful God is. he knows us. he wants us. i’ve heard him described as the Daddy playing hide and seek with his little kids. you know how it goes. he WANTS to be found. he’ll hide behind the couch but stick his leg out so his children can so obviously see him. and when they do, they pounce on him. “there he is!” and they run to his open arms full of joy and laughter.

this is a season of seeking. and because God’s word says “he rewards those who earnestly seek him” (Hebrews 11:6), it is also a season of finding. one thing we struggle with as Christian missionaries in america is “the feeling”. when you live each day in a foreign country, doing the Lord’s work, not knowing the language, you rely on God, you spend time with him and it FEELS like he’s walking next to you. talking to you. there is no fear because you’re surrounded by his love. in america we are inundated with distractions. the very nature of our lives is to be busy, to consume, to DO so much. we dont see God move because we dont NEED him to. we have insurance, we have bank accounts, we have cars. we often put our hope in such things. Lord forgive me, i have as well. so the Lord is teaching us that we are not bound to location when it comes to basking in His presence. whether in a slum in India or standing in line at Best Buy. the Lord is with me. i can worship Him just the same.

work has been slow. not much freelance has come in the past 2 weeks. yet peace surrounds us. i get to read my Bible and other books as the Lord teaches me and prepares me for the future. i’ve started writing songs again. it’s been almost a year since i’ve written a song. something that was once my passion. in the mornings Liz & I eat breakfast, grab our bibles then go out on our balcony and sit in the cozy chairs i bought her for a wedding gift, and just read, pray and journal. as she went inside this morning, i found myself not wanting to leave that place. its just so good to sit, and pray, and talk with my Father in heaven. part of me says “you should check your email and see if any work came through”. but the Spirit cries out “this is far better than work”. and it is. and i love that. my existence does not depend on my work. i do not survive on bread alone but on the word of the Lord. so i have peace. whether i work or not, God is with me. whether i leave that prayer spot outside or come in, God is with me. and i worship him and carry his presence as i move. i know i have to pay bills, but all i want to do is read and learn and seek. its so good!

we’ve been asking faithfully each night for dreams. dreams was never a way that the Holy Spirit really used to speak to me. and because we serve a faithful God, that has since changed. i fall asleep with an expectancy that the Lord will visit me in slumber. and i think that is part of the change. instead of thinking “God doesnt really speak to me that way” i say “God you are faithful and i desire more of you, so i know you will not deny me”. i could often never remember my dreams. now i wake up and i can close my eyes and go back there. describe them. often as i journal them or explain them to Liz, the interpretation comes. praise the Lord! it’s just so cool. we long to step into the supernatural the way the disciples did in Acts. why are we any different than they are? they were human, so are we. Jesus talked about the miracles he did and said we would do GREATER things. GREATER THINGS THAN JESUS! i want that. i want that a lot. BUT… and its a big but… that cannot be my goal. Love is my goal. to be so overcome with the Love of God, that there would be an overflow. that’s the only way i can pray for a stranger at target for healing. i must be so filled in my own love of the Father that i cant help but view His other children as i know He views me. and thus… revival is born. so i pray, and humble myself. these things i want but nothing i can do can muster up that love. its so simple, yet we make it so hard.

this is probably all ramblings. but i want to update these blogs to share what the Lord is doing. because i know it is not specific to me or Atlanta. God is pouring out His Spirit and He is doing something. It’s like in Narnia when they say “aslan is on the move”. they havent seen Him but there are whispers. an expectancy. and we wait. and we pray. til He comes.

I must resume this blog! so here I am. over the last couple days i was impressed that i must continue to write as time flows forward and the Lord does a new thing. oh so much to write i don’t know where to begin. reading back in my blog you may read my heart and the things the Lord has been speaking/showing/revealing/impressing over the last year. i felt this past week for the first time that it is coming to life. an expectation is in the air and we know God is doing something.

When i was in India i read Irresistible Revolution by Shane Claiborn and it flipped me upside down. The power of Love (God is Love) became real to me and jumped off those pages. It blew me away to see that people have begun to live like Christ and really believe His words, and carry them out. I think of the amazing song “How He Loves”, written by John Mark McMillan and now covered by pretty much everyone. John Mark McMillan’s best friend said at a prayer meeting “if i must give my life in order to ignite this generation for you Lord, i would give it”. The next day he died in a car accident and the next morning, out of brokenness, John wrote How He Loves. and a movement has begun, and a generation is understanding God’s Love like i’ve never seen before. I’M understanding God’s love like i never have before. A song is not just a song, but a prayer and revelation give by God. they are His words to His people and when they sweep through the churches and hearts of God’s children, i think He’s trying to tell us something.

Liz & i attended the Jesus Culture conference this past week. If you dont know them, look them up on itunes and get some of their music. as i listened to the worship and the speakers i could feel the energy and the consistency of the message in all of it. consistent with everything the Lord has been leading me to in the past year. lessons i learned in YWAM i heard repeated. it’s so much to get into but the flow of messages went like this:

What you don’t surrender to Jesus becomes your master. as the Church we can no longer be like Cain. we must surrender ALL. we’ve heard it before but we don’t typically do it. i myself have not been surrendering all. i’d pray for provision but still worry about it, instead of focusing my mind toward heaven and His word which says He takes care of His children.

Dead Christianity comes from 1. Disobedience to the Holy Spirit. 2 Lack of knowing the Living God. 3 Becoming calloused by the common. It’s time to step out when God calls us to. just as simply as telling someone God loves them if we feel like we’re supposed to. it may be weird and awkward but its right.

One thing that was amazing was on thursday night the speaker spoke on a theme that i preached on at my old church; the approval/assurance of God. I was so thrilled to hear it again because i truly feel it is what God’s people need. i loved how he put it. We have amnesia and we have forgotten who we are. Jesus came to seek and save THAT which was lost. what was lost through sin was our identity as children of the Living God, living in close intimacy with our creator. we have divine origins and we have divine endings (John 1). because of the sin of man we are born not knowing who we TRULY are. we are made in God’s image and His Spirit is in us. That same spirit that raised Christ from the dead. Intimacy with God will lead to knowing our Identity, once we know our Identity we receive our inheritance. our inheritance is eternal life. Jesus says eternal life is this: knowing the Father and Christ whom he sent. we receive an inheritance when someone dies and Jesus died 2000 years ago, rose again 3 days later and made sure His children received THAT WHICH WAS THEIRS. again i learned i must just receive this inheritance. i dont need to muster up faith or be perfect. i prayed “God mark me with your power and love” and the Lord spoke “I already have, you just have to walk in it”. praise God for what He has ALREADY done! God does not need me, but he WANTS me.

Now if we lived fully in our identity and God’s love, we would not be the same. someone said “you would not be living the way you are right now if you weren’t afraid”. True love casts out fear. we want to be nice to people give them the happy lovey dovey side of things first so they dont think we’re weird. we should be weird. jesus was weird, he said crazy things because his focus was souls, and winning them through love. people are dieing and we must not be afraid to offend them. there’s so much at stake. Jesus did not come to bring peace but a sword (his words). The sword being the word of God. He cut through people with that sword because He knew what was at stake. He exposed people’s brokenness first. for once we know our condition and how unlovable we are, True Love then comes in and says “i STILL love you, i still LIKE you, even in brokenness”. and our hearts are changed. we must be emptied in order to be filled back up with Him.

finally we must be seekers. Hosea 10:12 says it is time to seek the Lord until He comes. We must be people of prayer. not just the laying in bed before sleep kind of prayers. but prayers that seek the Lord, that dwell on His word. He rewards those who seek Him (Heb 11:6)

all of this means nothing if we dont Do it. i heard a statistic that something like 80% of people in Atlanta claim to be Christians. but why is there no revival? why does it not look like the book of Acts daily? we got to really see a glimpse of coming revival this week in a group of 1500 young people. it was so much fun. it was the first conference where we got to really act. they split us up and sent us to malls to pray for healing for people. we heard testimony after testimony of people being healed. torn ACLs restored, people not needing walkers anymore. we also had a healing workshop where we just prayed for each other and saw about 70 healings. a few people got to run for the first time without asthma, one girl had the metal plate in her wrist disappear, deaf ears openning. it was so cool! “Greater things than these” Jesus said we would do. it was so great to be in the middle of that word come true. people are dieing and not believing. i think americans have written off God as untrue because we’re not doing what we’re supposed to. but i feel He’s ready to pour out His Spirit in signs and wonders (like all revivals) just to show off a bit, and bring us back.

oh man i feel like i havent even scratched the surface. Liz said it so well that its like a rollercoaster and we’re climbing up the first drop. the excitement is building and its just before we get to dive into the ride. it was confirmation that God has brought us to Atlanta for a purpose, and there are people here that are hungry for God as well.