I Am Second

Has anyone seen the new "I Am Second" media campaign in their city? I love it! It's sheer genius. It's compelling and its to the point. Much like the Batman media blitz about 10 years ago. We weren't sure what the advertised symbol's were on billboards everywhere, so we just had to rush home to check the website to see what the messages were referring to. Remember those, first you saw a circle, then the bat sign..etc.

Well, the concept of these messages are similar in that it does create the desire to find out more. And the strategy is simple; various people in all walks of life acknowledging Christ as the driving force of their existence. Actors, politicians, singers, housewives, business people, average teenagers all giving their testimony of overcoming different challenges and obstacles to find the answer to their striving's in Christ. When they surrendered their lives, took a back seat and made Jesus their Lord, he became first and they became "second".

It's an interactive website, where you can post your story or scan many others just like yours and acknowledge your faith among the Internet, YouTube community. It's refreshing, cutting edge and at the forefront of a new generation of evangelistic tools for a technically savvy generation of seekers. I applaud the genesis behind this medium and encourage my readers to check it out at http://www.iamsecond.com/

Lastly, let me say that I am so encouraged and excited to finally see a billboard somewhere that does not feature another airbrushed minister and his wife smiling down from some over sized glamour shot advertising their self professed gifting's and anointing. I don't mean any harm in that statement but I just think we're doing what we see others do and quite often we forget that it was never about us in the first place. As ministers and leaders when we put ourselves up on a throne its a really hard position to uphold. We set ourselves up to fail because in the end there is only one king and we are all in need of his constant grace and mercy to walk this walk with any kind of authenticity.

Because of the kind of work that I do, I more than many understand the fine line that exists between telling people about your ministry and promoting yourself over the message of Christ. I've had to balance it many times with clients in the Christian sector. I just think we need to more vigilant in not mistakenly crossing over it in our zeal to attract attention to our vision.

C'om folks except the Lord build a house its all in vain any way. We can smile all we want and buy all the designer duds we can afford. We may be well coiffed, poised and camera ready but none of that will guarantee his anointing for this new level. Its still about him. "He that wants to glory...let him glory in the Lord, for not he who commends himself is approved, but whom the Lord commends" 2 Cor 10:17-18.

I'm praying for the eyes of our understanding to be opened. We need a fresh revelation and a new anointing to sweep over the body of Christ, whereby we fully understand what is the hope of his calling. It's time for us to begin to decrease so that he can increase in this shifting season. It's time to take ourselves off of the thrones and put Jesus back in his rightful place in our churches and our lives. We've gotten our order a little out of whack. He's got to be first and we've got to become second.

We must believe

Just the other evening I was watching that ground breaking film The Matrix. It’s certainly not a new film and I’ve probably seen it several times in bits and pieces over the years.

It’s a complicated film to be sure and many commentators have delved extensively into the pseudo meaning of each and every frame to both its praise and its detriment. That is not my purpose here. But rather to discuss an idea that was sparked during my viewing. The idea of the limitless power and ability that lies dormant within us until we believe.


Most of us know of the films latent hero named Neo who finds it hard to believe in an unseen and unlimited dimension outside of the Matrix. The protagonist Morpheus tries to convince him that the tangible is not real and the intangible is. It takes a while but eventually Neo unhooks from years of one dimensional thinking and embraces a new way of operating. A way in which he can move and create with incredible freedom and effectiveness. At one point in the film…Neo challenges his oppressors the agents and stops running in fear. His colleagues turn to one another and say…”what just happened” and Morpheus says…”He is starting to believe”. That was a pivotal moment in the film.


Then I thought to myself at what point do we as Christians start to believe in the intangible being more real than what we can see, feel or hear. Christianity has been called the “great confession” but it has to become more than mere words that we repeat out of habit and religious rhetoric. In John 6:63-64 Jesus tells us “The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you are spirit and they are life. Yet there are some of you who do not believe”. In order for things to work in our lives we must leave the realm of the senses. Nothing in our senses can get us to where we are now trying to go. We are entering into a whole new dispensation on the eve of this New Year approaching. Many of us are standing right on the edge of our final destiny. This has been a far off and long awaiting. It has been prophesied to us personally countless times but without us seeing the full manifestation. Many of us can feel the change of the seasons in the spiritual atmosphere and we have been trying unsuccessfully to get there by our natural abilities.


God has gifted us. We are a talented group and he has blessed us with opportunities to use those things that he has given us from birth. But we have reached the edge of the water and we are now attempting to cross with well worn boats that no longer hold us safely. We are afraid to move forward and we unable to push back. We have heard him compelling us to come but we haven’t seen the provision to launch. God is saying that from this day forward anything you can see or feel or touch has nothing to do with where I’m about to take you. It’s a new day. We are going in but we have to take this one by faith. It’s a totally new season and it’s not another level but a whole different dimension.

His words cry out to us; God is a spirit and they that worship [follow] him must worship [follow] him in the spirit. The natural senses are gone because they belong to natural man. We have to die to self to get to him in this new day. It’s time now for the saints of God to “believe”. If only we could actually pull a plug on our old way of thinking and launch ourselves into the reality of the supernatural. But this requires a little more on our part. We must not only talk it but we now are required to walk it literally. We must put the petal to the metal as they say and stand on this thing. Either we believe the word or we don’t. Now I know it’s been hard for many of us recently but it is He that is at work to will and to do of His good pleasure. He has been stretching us and preparing us for maximum service.

We were designed for the supernatural. God never intended for us to live as natural beings and rely on natural provisions, that is something we adapted for ourselves. My favorite scripture in Romans 12:2 says “Be ye not conformed to this world but be ye transformed by the renewing of your minds”. Renew or reboot, change your thinking. Change the system by which we operate. That is why we were born again into the spirit realm. The time for possibility thinking is over. God is moving us into the impossible. That is why our flesh and our natural gifts can take us no further. We’ve been relying and relaxing on an old dispensation that no longer works for this new season.

Everything that God is beckoning us to is impossible naturally. God is trying to teach us who we are in Him and He is showing us who He is in us. In order for God to do this new thing He has to dispense with the old. Open up your spirit eyes and see. All things are possible…..if you believe.

Beware the rise of the Uberkids!

Am I by myself here or has anyone else noticed this sudden proliferation of kid stars dominating popular culture lately. Everywhere we go these often prepubescent darlings are telling us oldsters the best way to buy and do almost everything. Forgive me but I'm not trying to channel Andy Rooney here but what right does a star of Hannah Montana or High School Musical have to tell me how I need to dress or color my hair. Gracious me..I wasn't even buying my own clothes at their age.

These kids have clothing lines, health food endorsements, perfume contracts, lunch boxes, furniture lines, games systems, you name it. When in the world did this get started? It used to be a cute kid had a series..and maybe a comic book accompaniment would follow tops but now no one is satisfied to just have these kids play a character they've got to take over all of wall street with the sweep of one popular Disney series.

And Lord help us unsuspecting consumers who get swept up in all this. I know if I see one more horrific clothing line from the Olsen Twins in my favorite store I'm cutting up my credit card (did I just see my husband praying)? Anyway, its really enough. Granted these kids are ok for the job at hand but let's face it I haven't seen any that have real Oscar potential. Sure they're cute and most can carry a tune but does that qualify them to sell me signature snake skin boots and over sized sunglasses. Let's all agree to leave that to the professionals ok.

I want my kids stars to know their place. Be adorable and cute and then outgrow your roles and disappear..seriously leave for awhile and become big people far from the public eye. Take your money and do something worthwhile like join Greenpeace or go to Princeton like Brooke Shields or something. I don't want to see your freckle faced image on everything from chicken strips to cheap cotton bedspreads at K-Mart. Do I make myself clear! I mean it. I guess these kids really can't be sent to their rooms when they're the ones buying the whole house. Quite honestly what Hollywood parent can control the moneymaker effectively. Its complicated to be sure.

I wish your parents would stop being your agents and accountants and allow you guys to go outside and ride your bikes once in awhile and then maybe every marketing meeting on NASDAQ wouldn't require you to keep working on the expansion of your brand. Seriously guys enough is enough. I like my sheets white, my towels blue and I prefer a floral background on my bedspreads. I don't want to see you all over my boudoir before I turn out the lights..it's just plain scary. Hey I like these kids really, I just wish they could take some time and enjoy not only their gifts and talents but they're being kids. I'm not trying to rain on any one's parade here. Do the show, be a star, have a blast and enjoy the attention. But when the director calls cut really do it. May I suggest something new?

At five o'clock I think you should all break for the evening go home and get some rest. Just like the rest of us. Read a book...eat a snow cone on the back porch, skip the photo shoot this month. You'll feel better I'm sure. At least I know I will.