SESSION NOTES:

We had a great workout this AM. The weather was amazing. For this session we did a LOT of running. We also did a LOT of burpees, and a LOT of battle ropes. It was probably the toughest session we’ve done so far, which is great! We achieve our best through our toughest challenges.

WOD:

After We Pray

So this WOD is about prayer – specifically, the most important part of praying to God.

TL;DR: The most important part of prayer is not the prayer itself.. its not about how we pray, its what happens afterwards

The most important part of prayer is what happens after amen.

I’ll get to that shortly, but first a few reminders about prayer that I think we all can use. These came from pastor JT so credit to him for these prayer tips.

God knows your heart, there is nothing hidden from HIM. (Sammuel 16:7)

You can’t trick God into doing anything. When we pray, are we praying according to His will or ours? Ask yourself that question when you pray.

Come BOLDLY to God with your prayer! He is the creator of the universe, but timidness should not be how we approach God. Pray BOLDY! (John 5:14-15)

Pray in Jesus’s name – His character, His words, His righteousness. (2 Corinthians 5:21)

Remember the Holy Spirit of God is already inside you. Call on His Spirit when you pray.

When you pray the prayers of others, do you even know what you are saying when you pray?

For example, how many times have we said prayers in repetition not even thinking about what words we are saying. Think about the meaning of what you pray.

When in prayer, remember you need:

a) A reverence for God
b) A reverence for His name
c) An eternal mindset
d) Pray for Heaven to come down here
e) Always pray for the needs of the day
f) Lastly always ask for your forgiveness and the forgiveness of others.

==============================================

And finally, the most important part of prayer, which is the part after AMEN:

You have to have faith AND patience. Remain underneath the prayer!

I’ll say that part again – Remain underneath the prayer

There’s a waiting period. Prayer is not an instant solution to your problem. Remember, this is God’s timeline, not yours. After your prayer the words you speak, your actions, all must be in alignment with what you pray. What we believe must match what we pray!

Come to God with all your heart, and all your soul. He knows your intentions already. Your job is to make sure that your intentions match your actions. Not just for the moment, but for eternity.

Working on learning this on guitar. This a favorite of mine.

Way Maker
Leeland

You are here, moving in our midst
I worship You
I worship You
You are here, working in this place
I worship You
I worship You
You are here, moving in our midst
I worship You
I worship You
You are here, working in this place
I worship You
I worship You
You are;
Way maker, miracle worker, promise keeper
Light in the darkness, my God
That is who You are..
You are.
Way maker, miracle worker, promise keeper
Light in the darkness, my God
That is who You are..
You are here, touching every heart
I worship You
I worship You
You are here, healing every heart
I worship You, Jesus
I worship, you turning lives around
You are here, oh, turning lives around
I worship You
I worship, You mended every heart
You are here, mending every heart
I worship You
I worship You
And You are..
Way maker, miracle worker, promise keeper
Light in the darkness, my God
That is who You are
Way maker, miracle worker, promise keeper
Light in the darkness, my God
That is who You are (yeah, sing it again)
You are the
Way maker, miracle worker, promise keeper
(Light in the darkness, my God)
(That is who You are) oh, it’s who you are, Jesus, yeah
Way maker, miracle worker, promise keeper
Light in the darkness, my God
That is… sing “That is who you are”, oh
That is who You are..
And that is who You are
And that is who You are
(That is who You are) my Jesus
That is who You are
(That is who You are) oh, and it’s right
That is who You are..
(That is who You are) my Jesus, oh yeah
yes it is, yeah, it’s who you are
Way maker, miracle worker, promise keeper
(Light in the darkness, my God) hey
That is who You are..
Let’s sing this together, “Even when I don’t see it”, c’mon, even when…
Even when I don’t see it, You’re working
Even when I don’t feel it, You’re working
You never stop, You never stop working
You never stop, You never stop working, c’mon
Even when I don’t see it, You’re working
Even when I don’t feel it, You’re working
You never stop, You never stop working
You never stop, You never stop (working) oh
Even when I don’t see it, You’re working
Even when I don’t feel it, You’re working
You never stop, You never stop working
You never stop (You never stop working) whoa
Even when I don’t see it, You’re working
(Even when I don’t feel it, You’re working) yeah
You never stop, You never stop working
(You never stop, You never stop working) you’re the way maker, yeah
Way maker, miracle worker, promise keeper
Light in the darkness, my God
That is who You are, eh, yeah
Light in the darkness, my God
That is… Sing “That is who you are”, ohh
That is who You are..
That is who You are
Oh, and that is who You are
(That is who You are) yeah
That is who You are..
That is who You are
That is who You are
(That is who You are) oh, it’s who you are, my Jesus
Miracle worker, promise keeper
(Light in the darkness, my God)
That is who You are.
You are..
Way maker (miracle worker, promise keeper)
Light in the darkness, my God
That is who You are
Oh, his name is above, his name is above depression
His name is above loneliness
Oh, his name is above disease, his name is above cancer
His name is above every other name, listen, listen
That is who You are..
That is who You are
That is who You are
(That is who You are) Jesus
And that is who You are..
That is who You are
Oh, I know that is who You are
That is who You are

This past Sunday’s service was different. There was no sermon, I never seen that before. We spent the time in worship and prayer for the various needs of everyone. Around the middle of the service the pastor asked that those in need of physical healing come to the front of the church, so we could all pray over them. Anyone with a terminal illness, a bad medical report, or come stand in place for someone in need of healing.

Over half of the church got up out of their seats and went to the front. I could see the face of one of the girls who sings with the church band, she was looking at all of these people in front of her and was so overcome by it she was crying. For the entire service everyone sang and prayed together for healing.

It was such an amazing & powerful experience to see that.

As one of our members pointed out recently (thanks Mandy!), when I get to the end of our workout session and give the ‘talk’ its really the WOD. Normally that stands for ‘Workout of the Day’. However, as she pointed out it is the ‘Word of the Day’.

That’s actually really significant to me. I’ve always referred to it as a topic talk but in reality its never been my topic or my talk…its come from God. It is His Word..

I’m 100% on that. Everything I’ve put down for the WOD’s has come to me spiritually, that’s the best way that I can explain it. I suppose it is one of the gifts I was given after my commitment to God (see covenants & secrets).

If you’re interested, take some time and go back and read some of the WOD’s. Those words I may have written, but their source is not mine to be honest. There’s been a steady evolution too, of the quality and content over the past few months, which I am so thankful for. I love my calling and I am so PROUD of what’s been posted here.

I hope that you will find Light and Hope in those Words.

Patrick ‘Shannon’

The Phoenix Now Project is my charity. It is part of my calling. I was specifically called by God to create it for the purpose of helping others and helping the community. Its very simple in terms of how it operates. It is structured as an LC3 corporation, which can be thought of as a ‘light’ version of a full charity. However, it is not exclusively a non-profit.

The way it works is each month I put 25% of my personal income into an investment fund, into whatever assets I am called to invest in. At the end of the month I assess the total return for the month and 15% of those profits are donated back to the community, churches, individuals in need, etc.

If in any given month no profits are generated from the fund, then I will substitute 15% of my own personal income in place.

There are no losing months in giving.

Facebook Page: https://bit.ly/3nJtzbx

Main Website: https://phoenixnow.org

SESSION NOTES:

We had a great turnout even though it was hot & humid! Today’s workout featured 2 miles of running, everyone did great. We also did a full body exercise ‘5-3-2 Buckets’ that pretty much kicked our butts once the buckets got slippery from sweating. I mean, the humidity was brutal..

WOD:

“That’s Just Life..”

Sometimes we say that’s just life when something happens in our lives that didn’t necessarily go the way we wanted it to. We certainly don’t say that when something good happens do we?

Like, “Hey, I just got a raise, that’s just life!” 😀

Its never just life when good things happen.

It usually goes like this, something happened that didn’t meet our expectation or what we wanted..so we figure that’s just what happens, that’s just life!

But is that just what happens? is that just life..?

We’re all believers here, so what’s going on with that?

We feel that way because we fail to consider something that’s really tough to accept…

Sometimes God says NO to us.

Sometimes God will close doors if its not right.

If saying no is what it takes for him to demonstrate his glory through you then you better believe he’ll say NO. No to that relationship, no to that injury that won’t heal, no to that job you really wanted. Whatever it is he wants to carry you through in order to demonstrate his glory God will do.

And sometimes that means telling us NO when all we really want is a YES.

God’s timeline is not our timeline. God’s plan is not our plan. That’s the hardest part of believing in God…its believing God.

We all believe in God, right? But do you believe God? There’s a difference there. I’ll say that again – Do you believe God?

He’s a simple truth about believing God – It requires patience & trust. And it requires patience & trust when its the last thing we’ve got. Someone I know said it best… We must remain under prayer. There is a waiting period.

So when we find ourselves saying that’s just life maybe we should think stop for a second, take a step back and think about those things.

Maybe we should be saying instead, that’s just God..

Best title of a post ever, I need more of these 🙂

So what this post is about is my experience making covenants with God and the unexpected things that have come out of those covenants.

A covenant (to me) is an unbreakable agreement with God. However, it’s more than just an agreement. It’s a spiritually binding relationship with God through which He accomplishes His purpose & His kingdom. Covenants can be both between God and man, and vice versa. I don’t claim to be an expert in covenants, but I do know this..

There is no return receipt for a covenant with God.

My covenants with God were made with the understanding that if I ever break any of them, then all of this goes away. Everything.. No more wisdom to speak. No more power to lead. No more conviction in my purpose. No more doors of opportunity.

Isaiah 45 is tattooed on my chest for a reason – “He has broken the bronze gates that have held me back, He has shattered the bars of iron that block my way so that I may know that He is the Lord, who has summoned me by name..” (ISAIAH 45:2-3).

I made some pretty strong covenants and was very blessed to receive some unexpected & powerful gifts in return. At the time it never crossed my mind that I would get anything. I didn’t ask for anything & I didn’t expect anything. I just believed with all my heart and soul that if I did this, God would somehow help me survive the situation I was in.

All I know is I guess that’s how believing in God with all of your heart and soul works..

“Have faith in God,” Jesus answered. “Truly I tell you, if anyone says to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and does not doubt in their heart but believes that what they say will happen, it will be done for them.” (Mark 11:22-23)

Since then, I have been tested severely in my faith and those covenants. Tested daily, and almost failed many times. Even declaring to God I was done, that I could no longer take the pain of holding them. I’ve wanted to go against His Word so many times, not believe in what He has told me and just plain give up and go back to a happier, simpler, easier life where people accept & understand me more. Where I just go live for the next good time. Wash, rinse, repeat…

I’ve followed His Word to the letter and seen things blow up in my face in a moment when everything seemed like it was going so well. I’ve tried to leave certain situations and literally had His voice speak to me and say “DON’T”.

Well, Covenants don’t serve my needs, they serve His.

Serving your covenants will be tested – Again I had to recently make one of the hardest decisions of my life, one which I know I made correctly, because afterwards God chose reveal to me the meaning of some very powerful words that were spoken to me a few months back. At the time I thought I knew what those words were about, at least taken literally. In retrospect I had no idea.

Here’s the thing too that I found out about covenants that I never would have guessed..

When you make a covenant with God, he lets you in on His secrets.

I thought I knew what His words meant, but let me tell you – after He revealed to me the meaning of those words, it blew my mind what they actually meant.. never in a million years would I have thought that’s what His plan was. But that’s how God works, that’s how BIG God is.

He is so much bigger than our present, our lives, our thoughts, our daily struggles, etc. At the end of the day those words were not about me, they were about others.

Should you make a covenant with God? That would be up to you. I have no idea what your situation is, what your needs are, what your calling is, etc. But I do know this, if you take anything away from this post it would be:

Everyone in life has a calling, and if you plan on truly fulfilling that calling, then you’re going to have to enter into a covenant with God. And if you do, it is forever.

I can’t guarantee that I’ll succeed, that I won’t fail. But I will try. After all, I’m human. I’m not anointed, or whatever. I don’t consider myself above others. I’m just answering a call from God and trying with all my heart to succeed. Trying to follow what He is asking me to do.

Everyday there’s so many things left I want to say, people I want to reach, problems I wish I could solve, peoples lives I wish I could change. I’m sure that will be my future for many years to come, but I know that if I follow His word and His purpose for me, over time I WILL do all of those things and more..

SESSION NOTES:

We had a great workout this AM. The weather was perfect and several of our good friends from the old Battle 6:11 group were able to make it out. One thing that is really progressing that is so important to me is that we are starting to become a family. I couldn’t be more proud of everyone, esp. those who consistently show up. My goal is for all of us to grow in mind, body, and spirit and we’re doing it!

WOD:

Establish Your Roots

I was asked a question recently, “Is what you are building going to make it to Heaven?” I think that’s a good way of looking at where we are and what we are doing with our lives.

How much of our daily effort is spent building things that can make it?” Probably not very much to be honest.

Lets take a few steps back, where does all this building begin? – This process has to start with some sort of a foundation, right?

When you build anything it has to start with a foundation. In the context of our lives, we are like a vine or a tree and our foundation is in the form of our “roots”. This is how the Bible refers to us, as a planted vine or a tree whose purpose is to bear fruit. I spoke last week on the significance of bearing fruit, how it takes time to grow, and fruit is not for the tree but for others, etc. All of this growth starts with us establishing the roots.

Laying down roots can be difficult. It is not easy. It something that you’ll want to give up on many times. However, you can’t expect to ever truly blossom if you don’t put in the time to establish those roots and let them grow. As they grow deeper, the more the tree blossoms and grows, and the greater its harvest is.

Imagine what it would be like in life if every time you encountered difficulty you pulled up your roots and just moved them somewhere else – over and over. This could apply to any area of life. The home you live in, your relationships, the schools your children attend, etc. Hoping someday your circumstances and difficulties would someday be waived away and you’d be given a problem free field to blossom in.

Real & lasting growth comes from the cultivation and deepening of those roots, not replanting them.

I thank God everyday that my life is now focused on cultivation and on deepening those roots. I am for the first time in years, moving forward and not just spinning in place. The results are already apparent in my life and my children’s lives. We’ve made so much progress by just working on cultivating the roots we already have.

It breaks my heart to see others spend so much of their time and effort just living for the moment, waiting for that soil to appear that’s going to make their tree blossom.

If you think money or circumstances are going to make your life blossom then ask yourself this, “Is that really how God works in our lives?”

Imagine what it would be like if we all just played a game of musical chairs our whole lives waiting to finally sit in that chair that would make everything right in our life? I don’t know about you but I wouldn’t want to live in a world like that. We all share the same desire to blossom and bear fruit in life, and we all have a choice about how we go about that. Make the right choice, make the hard choice. In this world we were never promised a life of comfort and ease.

Ask yourself this today, “Do I want to spend my time and effort moving forward or do I just want to spend it moving around?”

Stand up in Life

Stand up in life for what you believe in.

This week I reached out and spoke with the leaders of a couple of co-ed singles groups at my church and had some really interesting conversations with them. All of them are a now women’s only singles’ groups. When I asked why they said the same thing, they couldn’t get men to step up. That’s really sad. Are there really no men strong in their faith who are available and willing to ‘step up?’. Apparently not.

I made the decision this week to start dating and was pretty surprised to see my match queue literally overflowing. Its very clear in my profile that having a strong spiritual connection and faith in God and family is a non-negotiable. To me that is the foundation of what I want in someone.

Why don’t men have the courage to put themselves out there and step up in life and take a stand in their faith? I know they are there, but almost none are willing to put in the work. Again, its so disappointing to see all of these women looking so hard for that one good man who has those qualities. It should never be that like that.

If you are a man out there – Get your sh*t together. Be a real man. Stop f*cking over these women, playing games, being selfish & abusive, doing drugs, not following through, having no motivation in life, no desire to better yourself.

Women do not want a man who needs someone to be his mother. They want someone who can lead a family – Lead them to greater things, spiritually, financially, emotionally, etc.

Challenge yourself as a man to become those greater things.

Be that source of unbending strength & safety. Be the rock & stability for those in your life. Live to serve others, not yourself. Be accountable for your actions. Its your responsibility as a man, own it. Have a mission & PURPOSE in life – and be driven to that mission. Make it the reason you get up in the morning.

Be strong, decisive & purposeful in your actions. Be honest, respectful, authentic. Be emotionally available. Set healthy boundaries and hold other people accountable to them. Lead with love. Do what is right in your own life first & EVERYONE will benefit.

Unity

Note: This was very difficult post to write, and way outside of my comfort zone, but I was specifically called to address this, so here it is.

Being a member of both a Non-denominational church & a Catholic church put me in a unique position to observe how both churches respond to the community in a time of crisis. Both churches fulfill their obligation to help. Both churches utilize their congregation to provide to those in need. Both churches take care of their own. This is completely understandable, given the limited amount of resources available.

Its like a modern day example of the parable of “The Good Samaritan” Jesus told in Luke 10:25-37. When the priest, the Levite and the Samaritan came across a man beaten and robbed on the side of the road, all 3 had pity and compassion on this man, but it was only the Samaritan who actually chose to act and help the man. The priest and the Levite are good men to be sure, but they are bound by there religious views of others not like themselves. In other words, they felt due to their standing in the community, their position as leaders, that they could only help those who were also like themselves.

I had a conversation with God about this, and He brought it to light that spiritually churches choose sides in times of need. This is not fulfilling the commandment, “Love thy neighbor as thyself..”

Are our churches so bound by their non-secular dogma that the thought of helping others outside of their own kind is so inconceivable? What would happen if a Catholic church reached out to a non-denominational church with an offer to help in a time of need? Or a non-denomination church reached out to a Baptist church with an offer to help?

To the best of my knowledge this has not happened. Ever.

Its time for that to change. Its time to address this elephant in the room with the church leaders. I believe the necessary first step is a ‘spiritual liaison’ who can work to bridge the gap between churches and start to unify the faiths by moving them towards working for a common goal that we all share.