Not that this one is good quality, but it is hot and fresh off photo booth. Yes, I enjoy using photo booth, but mostly because it’s really humbling. People say I’m photogenic but photo booth usually says the opposite. I dunno.
Paul
Son! by John Sheasby was an excellent novel about returning to the Father’s house. I read The Prodigal Son by Henry Nouwen and although I really enjoyed and was ministered to through that book, I feel that Son! was a better exposition (yay fancy words) than the other. Son! was just a bit more clear and had a little more revelatory ‘meat’ on it. He also addressed other questions I have been wrestling with lately in the Word. Things such as ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice,’ and the significance of the articles given to the prodigal son when he returned. Those articles have deep spiritual significance. Look at Esther for more on the signet ring.
So, I recommend Son! It was a great book, and it covered something that we have a hard time accepting into our hearts – our identity. There is so much power behind truly knowing who we are and why we are here on this earth.
Being a friend of God is one of the most intimate relationships a person can have in this life. Everyone is an adopted child of the King and is entitled to their inheritance and intimacy with the Father, but those that are “friends of God” are shown the mysteries and revelations of God. It says in James 2 that:
And the scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness,” and he was called God‘s friend.
I don’t pretend to understand what all the Lord is doing in my life right now, but I am so humbled to be his friend. He has tabernacled himself in me, and revealing leagues of himself in the process (If it sounds like I’m having a hard time describing what’s happening to me in this moment of my life, it’s because it is impossible to fully illustrate).
All I can say is, seek to be His friend. It’s a good thing.
Paul
Do you ever feel like you’re in the middle of an epic struggle
(This was drafted in July of last year. I have no idea where I was going, but it makes me laugh with myself about where I was then. Just thought I’d go ahead and post it anyway.)
This was an excellent book to kick off the internship. To boil down the book into a sentence or two, Bill Johnson does a fantastic job of stirring the reader’s faith up and encourage them to engage the world with the power that’s inside each and every believer. I cannot express enough how much his words have empowered me and given me fresh encouragement to share with the world what was given to me at my baptism.
I highly recommend this book. Go buy it right now.
Next up is Son! by John Sheasby. Let you know how it is when I get done with it.
After the culmination of many musical ideas, it is time to bring them to fruition. I believe strongly that because I am made from the One who created everything in the heavens and on earth, I should be creating the most artful and touching music on the planet. This is not a statement of pride or arrogance; it is a declaration I am making of myself and fellow believers. We are wasting our time and talent if we do not use what we are given, and it’s high time that we start creating if we haven’t already.
Look for more updates on this soon. I’m putting a crack squad together to do some major damage, creatively speaking of course.
I’m embarking on a very exciting time in my life, and would love to fill you in with what is going on. Beginning January 25th, I will start a 4 month internship with Dwight and Candy Haymon that will also include a trip to Africa in April. For the past 30 years, Dwight and Candy have pastored, planted, and served in numerous churches. Dwight holds a B.A. and M.Div. in Christian Ministries, and Candy holds a B.A. in Christian Education and Church and Family Life. The Lord has placed a great anointing on their lives to pass on their knowledge of the Father and the gifts of the Holy Spirit to others, and it is a great privilege and honor to work underneath them.
Since moving to Atlanta in May of last year, it has been clear to me through God’s affirmation and favor that I am in the right place at the right time. His hand has rested heavy on my life and, through his perfect will, I have been given this opportunity to grow and prepare for a lifetime of ministry. It is with great joy in my heart that I write you and share my desire that you partner with me in this internship.
It is my primary wish that you support me in your prayers; however, I am also in need of your financial support if you feel called to do so. I will be working 1 or 2 days a week to help pay for living expenses, but will need additional funding for the program. Below is a breakdown of the associated costs.
$3300 — Trip to Sierra Leone. This includes all costs for a 16 day trip. The African Trip will consists of working with churches and church leaders in Africa. This is the highlight of the internship; for, we will be training and equipping Christians and leaders from around that area to do the things that Jesus would do.
$300 — Conference fees
$350 — Books, paper, other program materials
$300 — Miscellaneous fees (e.g. utilities, building expenses, special speakers)
$300 — Extra, incidental, reimbursement for the Haymon’s time
——–
$4550 — Total cost of internship program
Beloved, you are acting faithfully in whatever you accomplish for the brethren, and especially when they are strangers; and they have testified to your love before the church. You will do well to send them on their way in a manner worthy of God. For they went out for the sake of the Name, accepting nothing from the Gentiles. Therefore we ought to support such men, so that we may be fellow workers with the truth.
3 John 1:5-8 NASB
Checks can be made payable to Lifegate. Payment can also be sent securely via PayPal on the website below. If you feel that the Lord is calling you to contribute to this endeavor, the due dates for tuition are as follows:
$250 by January 25
$350 by February 1
$450 by February 15
$3500 by March 1
More information can be found at http://lifegateinternational.com/
What’s been going on in the life of Paul Dow? Good golly, so much. And I’ve had more people than I expected come up to me or tell me about how they found the blog and were curious about what’s going on. So let me bring you up to speed…
I’m back in school! I bet a lot of you are wondering if hell froze over because this probably came as a shock to you. Yes, in fact I am back in school. Right now it still feels a bit weird as it has been over 2 years since I sat in a classroom in Auburn, AL. Currently I’m taking a Spanish course in addition to a few others that slipped by during my tenure in Auburn. It was a hassle getting everything squared away, but alas, I’m a school boy again.
What God is doing in my life right now will be a little more difficult to explain as He has done many great things through me. I would say that He has bathed me in His great and perfect love through the trials and spiritual warfare that have been going on. Some might say that something is wrong when the presence of attack is on you, but I adamantly disagree. When moving into territory that is occupied by the enemy, he will fight tooth and nail to try to keep it. It is our land to take, however, and God charters us and gives us the necessary strength to overcome those situations. Our Father in Heaven never places more on us than we can handle (1 Corinthians 10:13), and He desires great and wonderful things for His children (Matthew 7:11).
This has been the current for my life lately. A good friend and brother-in-arms recently gave me a word that God desires more of my intimate time with Him, and I intend to do just that. Let’s be intentional with our time and go deep with our blessing of being in a lasting relationship with the creator of the universe.
More to come soon. If I can pray for you for anything, email me at paul.dow@gmail.com
Much love to you all.
Certified!
Hello all,
Hope everything is going well for you. In short, I’ve been really busy!! I’ve gotten to see a few old faces from the past, worked my tail off at work to get certified as a barista, and served a lot at church, which has been amazing.
God is doing a mighty work in me (and a lot of ppl around me), and I can’t begin to describe all that is going on with that. To say that I’ve turned a corner since moving to Atlanta is an understatement, and I can say that I’ve been broken down and stirred by the Holy Spirit. Things are real.
From Work Today
I’ll fill everyone in some more this week, and in the meantime, I hope you’re having a great week. If you need any prayer, please let me know. Just email me at paul.dow@gmail.com, or call me at 334.750.5009. I’d be happy to speak with you.
Take care!
Paul
I’m getting ahead of myself because there’s a lot of other updates that should be brought to attention, but this shall come first today. I’ve become burdened for my brothers and sisters when it comes to technology. And it all boils down to this:
Sometimes, you just gotta unplug and speak up if you want to be heard. I’m especially concerned with the church, and that is where this is directed. As we exponentially utilize technology to be more and more connected, we miss the point. And we miss opportunities. We say, “I’ll just tell people in a blog or tweet that God loves them” when we could’ve told the guy at the store or the lady in rags next to a supermarket that they are loved and that they mean something. We try to reach the masses as we overlook the God-given moments to share the good news with people.
You have the green light. Go on, tell the world face-to-face that they matter.
