​These messages on taking ownership by leaders are absolutely crucial. We must be in the safety of the Lord. If you are not alarmed at the social engineering of politicians and so called intellectual elite experimenting on our children, maybe you should rethink your vocation. 

If you cannot see the need of repentance over the fact that we the church have let corrupted fantasies and perverted ideas take form before our very eyes in our nation, then I guess you should sit tight, don’t rock the boat and if there is money at the end of your career, you can live off your pension.

Why not join us. The only way darkness can grow in this world is when the church has lost it’s light. Many are taking ownership of the neglect that has taken place on our watch as well as generations before us. They are entering into an experience in God surpassing anything from their past. They have traded in temporal security for the eternal presence of the Lord. They are not waiting to collect a retirement cheque. We are having the time of our lives now.

OK. What kind of title is ABC? As a new christian, the basic teaching was great. It was new. It was full of life. When we seemed to reach the end of this marvelous biblical revelation the pastors went back to the beginning and started over. It was good the second time and somewhat the third time. But, I can remember after years of the same teachings in different variations daring to ask the question, "Is this all there is?"

​Most church people were generational believers. It was hard to believe that they would sit under pastors that could not go further than the ABC'S. Was there more? Surely there had to be more! If not, I would still be grateful but at the same time feel ripped off.  Was God’s revelation like the movie Ground Hog Day?
 
I marveled at the fact how these church people could be sustained by such repetitious teaching. We from the streets needed a whole lot more if we were to overcome the worlds temptations. One pastor would leave, another came, and he taught the same basic doctrines, in a different style. God was aware of our need and led us to teachings outside of our denomination. Teachers who were ostracized by many but also greatly honoured by many.
 
In Bible college, we were taught all the same ABC’S. The same doctrines but more in depth. Teaching from outside the established denominational framework was frowned upon and, for the most part, the work of their own theologians and teachers was considered superior than that of other religious groups. The church structure taught at school in many ways was more deleterious in the long run than helpful.
 
Most of the professors were wonderful and It was in college I was set free from a strong inner rebellious attitude. I graduated loving them all. Still, in all their sincerity, the ABC’S was reinforced over and over.  Was I wrong? Was I hyper critical? Was I being judgmental? Would I find myself on the wrong side of God’s favour? Would I find myself with an elitist attitude eventually causing me to fall into shame?

Hebrews 6 has become extremely important to me. In it is the water shed experience that all believers will enter. The challenge will be similar to untying a boat from the dock and giving yourself up to the mercy of the current, waves and weather. It will be leaving the security of the familiar and entering into unknown territory of God”s emerging kingdom.
 
For many decades the elementary teaching was security. The pastors felt they had proven Truths in hand. The only difficulty they had was to preach the ABC’S with a new form of enthusiasm. The writer in Hebrews 6 says let's move on from the teaching of the foundational doctrines. But wait, God says we must have His permission. The basic doctrines are only the foundation of the house. It’s the part that is hidden and it is there to support the Heaven built building on the top of them. We have made the foundational doctrines the whole building. These doctrines are established to lead and point us to the Kingdom. We have tried to make the Kingdom out of them alone. No wonder we felt there was more.  We were stuck in the basement. God would not permit us to receive the wonders of the ages to come. Such an incredible experience is held for us in the future, until the character of Love, Humility and selflessness has been worked in our lives. Even those who walk in noble character must be hungry for more and give up everything to receive it from God who desires to give it. 
 
I believe what is laid before us is the invitation. We can begin entering the Kingdom age today. As Jesus said, “Your Kingdom come, Your will be done on EARTH as it is in HEAVEN. I marvel at how we say this prayer everywhere but it seems like few have truly believed that God wants to bring the best He has. It is evident when we honestly look at the world in upheaval we need far more than elementary teachings on doctrine to influence it.
 
These doctrines lead us to the doorway of an incredible Life with the Father but in themselves are only stepping stones, absolutely vital but severely incomplete. There is a blindness we all at one time or another fall subject to. It is building a security in the tangible. Doctrines are meant to be part of the journey but not our emphasis year after year. Doctrine, not by God’s plan, becomes a structural framework of security. Where doctrine is the major emphasis, there is often little of the presence of the Lord and at times strong legalisms and independence dominating the church. It is much easier to exercise control of people with doctrine, as long as they obey the churches interpretations. The major problem of division between groups comes from having protected doctrines that are different than other groups. 
 
It is much easier to manage a church by control than leading by Grace. All doctrines lead to Grace. By Grace the Holy Spirit will be experienced in our midst lovingly helping us and leading us to understand God’s tender Mercy and Kindness. Hearing from the Heart of the Father is what brings lasting peace and wisdom into the congregations. He leads us, not away from doctrine but True doctrine is Jesus who is the Living Word.
 
Doctrines are never to be dispensed of. They are always hidden in the fabric of everything. They are our foundation. They are our support. The house of the Lord, the church of Jesus Christ is built on doctrine. The family of God enters liberty when God gives us permission to receive portions of Heaven in our midst beyond what God calls elementary teachings.
 
There are no more ABC, ABC, ABC. Boredom is replaced with creative spontaneity, an overflow of LIFE. Ministry works. 

• The sick are healed.
  
• Families are restored.
  
• The Joy of the Lord strengthens us daily.
  

Every day is full of new mercies and kindness and adventure. Condemnation is destroyed. Rejection is crushed. Anxiety flees away and the churches will experience the wonderful manifest presence of our Lord. Faith replaces doubt. Gross darkness that is covering the earth and it’s people will not be left without a witness. We are to be God's people filled with the light of His Kingdom. In our midst will be a life saving beacon calling the suffering and the searching to healing and liberating truth.

We long for you to be with us……Dan

​We are on the precipice of one of the greatest wonders ever to be on the face of this earth.  The rise of the Church in Jesus Christ. The excitement in this adventure will surpass all our  imaginations and supersede even the most  incredible experiences from Creation till now. To enter this realm  one must have permission. Without meeting the qualifications this new dimension could be life threatening. Can oil mix with water or darkness survive in light? 
 
Many chose the empty solace of a religion that does not lead to change. Many follow powerful charismatic leaders who with tremendous persuasive ability cause the people to vicariously ride in his shadow and build his vision.  This writing today is about such leaders. Many will see this as a criticism. It is not. In my experience of the last 46 years I have found, for the lack of another word, two institutions that taught a major error. First is post secondary higher religious education. Those with superior natural powers rise to the top being praised all the way by the denomination's leaders. The second is with the prophetic ministry.  I have been part of this vital ministry since the early 1980’s. Elitism with supernatural powers can wow people away from seeking more of the Love of the Father.
 
Both of these groups lead to destruction and major hurt among the people. I was taught at a very early age that I must be a sheep before I can lead. To be a sheep one must learn submission. When someone can make it on his own abilities, he or she can skirt around the process of submitting one to another. I was told in both camps, the bible college and the prophetic, that you do not get close to the people because it will cloud your ministry. Many leaders with PHD’S or gifts that would 'wow' anyone do not lead the people {sheep} . They drive them. The sheep know the Shepherd's voice but a shepherd who has never been shaped by growing in the midst of the family cannot know how to lead and their distortion will ultimately hurt those he expects to follow him.
 
The day of the super man or woman are coming to a close. New leaders forged in the fellowship of the saints will replace them. They will grow within the body and Spiritual mothers and fathers will raise them. They will not be hirelings but leaders who serve. They learned that the gifts are just tools to build up the body in the Faith. I have found safety for myself and those who look to me in this statement.

​This is my appeal to those who read this that are at the lonely pinnacle of institutional success and to those with a prophetic teaching that says you must stay aloof from the people.  Ask God for change and even personal repentance. There is still time before you come crashing down as so many are today. Acknowledge you have been bewitched by the false idea of success without brokenness. Leading without ever being led means this:  You have few friends and you only know to be in charge. You are part of an old boys/girls club. You take from people their praise but you have left them orphans. Your teaching or prophesying has not reached the heart of the people because God has not reached yours. I spoke in a few conferences and 'wowed' them but back in my hotel room I was lonely. Being a drug addict in the 60's, I knew full well the euphoria of the “rush.” I also new the coming down from the high. The similarity was uncanny. Finally, I came to the point that this was not what I signed up for nor did it help me in resisting sin. I put it all away and for years I sought only His Love. Eventually I went back into ministry preaching only the Love of the Father. To my surprise many people did not want to hear it. They wanted the miracles, the 'wow' factor of the supernatural or teachings that tickled their ears. 

The sheep know the Shepherd's voice. New shepherds are rising up from the mists of the flock. They know the way of the sheep and can lead them. It’s not too late to come down to the rest of us. Learn the wonderful art of friendship.  I hope to encourage you. I am being satisfied every day. I am a prophetic elder and I stand with a pastor who’s love for God and His people has created a wonderful and loving atmosphere. I have found that the folk in our church are absolutely beautiful. In all my years, I finally am part of a family that will never be broken. I speak not just an idea or theory.  I can say I experience it working. So can you.
 
                                         Love….Dan

​Few in the leadership of the church will admit they are basically insecure. This is not a negative reality, actually it is a basic truth, even a requirement to serve. God’s strength can only grow in us as we acknowledge the best we can do is say “I surrender to your Love."
 
To say “I am weak and He is strong,” is far, far more than a nursery school song. Unfortunately, personal weakness in those who will not acknowledge it is hidden by pride. Those who take ownership of their weakness and come to the Lord will not be disappointed nor rejected. Actually our Father has been waiting for you to come to this point. He has organized every situation and encounter to bring you to the point where life becomes greater than you can handle and it breaks you. He comes to pick you up not reject you. Our submission to true honesty about ourselves opens us up to the very heart of God to fill us. His benevolent embrace brings us out of our brokenness into a new state of being. The Kingdom of God, the bible says, is “Righteousness, Peace and Joy in His Spirit.” The Kingdom is not a place but is a condition. He brings to the humble the very qualities of Heaven. I believe  this wonderful Truth. God is not trying to get us to Heaven but He through Jesus, has brought the Kingdom to us here on the earth where we really need it. 
 
Not all will allow the painful revelation of personal inner weakness to lead them to the true restoration that only the Father can give. Without being Fathered by God, what do we have to give this confused world? It can only be manufactured concepts with no redeeming value resulting in false images of God.  All mankind has weakness. When leaders have not had an authentic encounter with God and do not know His continuous abiding Presence, there is an emptiness that demands to be filled with something. The choice is to swallow pride and call out to God to heal the soul, or erect a religion empty of redeeming eternal values.

​Not all traditions and rituals are empty, but many skirt the fact that inside man is like a broken pot that can’t be fixed. Past wrongs and hurts are pushed down and hidden in the recesses of the heart and mind. What is negative inside has a way of spoiling our dreams and hope for a good life. Temporarily the soul is soothed by empty traditions but it is like medicine that only touches the symptoms and in the end it too is harmful.  
                                                                                                                                                                                       
Some traditions and rituals do help us toward God, but eventually Jesus fills all places in the heart with Himself.

​There is the danger of putting God in a box here. At times He seems to break many of my concepts about Him. Even dead traditions can be given Life from God to help a hungry heart, for a time. One must be careful and have Heavenly Wisdom when helping others. Spiritual fathers and mothers are particularly gifted with wonderful discernment. Their love brings many from faith in traditions to a wonderful experience of Love and Family.

I’m praying for you, Dan

The church in many places is ready and wanting to move deeper into God’s Love and purposes but are blocked at the door. This blockage is also  a stumbling block to the many who listen to what we “preach.” One stumbling block comes in the statement, “don’t tell us what you have, show us.” Have we not yet been admonished by Shakespeare, “You speak an infinite deal about nothing.” Merchant of Venice? I know this for the most part is not the reality but it is for the on looking world. We must take responsibility for this historical disconnect. 

Of course there is an enemy that hates Truth but to say the devil has distorted our message really just does not cut it. Some of the visual disconnect is found when we have said, "it’s the devil." Why did we not perceive this? Perhaps this is a significant reason why many come in the front door of our buildings drawn by promises only to find a lack of substance so they leave. I have in my past realized that I was more style than substance.  
 
We promised rain.

The great cloud laden with wonderful rain came. The thunder roared. We stand waiting to be refreshed  with the deluge of cool life promoting rain. The cloud paused above us and like an enormously cruel tease, it passed on. Not a drop descends as we stood in the dry dust. My understanding, and I believe this to be true, God is not going to encourage old wine skins to be filled.

We should not have stood there and cried, we should have followed the cloud! For this we must, as the church, repent. We have promised much not realizing heaven was not backing us because we were not ready. We  then decided to plant the church on the dry plains rather than follow the cloud which would lead us to Truth and Love in the  lush valley with still waters. There is  pain in change but to walk in the Glory of God we must follow the cloud and not dictate where it should drop it’s rain.  Let's remove this blockage and ask forgiveness for hindering the gospel of good news from reaching  the world. May we join together in our desire to follow the cloud. God wants to give us the ability to change, to lead and to be filled with the wonderful substance of heaven. We together are changing the perception of the world towards the Loving Lord and His people.
 
                          Love…..Dan

​I purposely am calling the church the "peoples church" for a very important reason.  Somehow in church history an important aspect was lost. The church began as an exciting adventure led by selfless leaders who were humble and compassionate, wise and honourable. We have such leaders today.  I wish for more, and that I too may be found among them. It is evident something very precious that makes the church the most wonderful experience is missing.  What was it and where did it go? The church is made up of people who God has Loved into being. He has given important gifts to each of us to help us grow into a marvelous wholeness not found anywhere else in this world. Where did these gifts go? They were lost to the over emphasis of the pastoral role and a distorted authority passed down from decades past. The early church lived in harmony like a symphony with the Spirit as the conductor.  As time passed the instruments in the symphony, the people, became more and more silent. The Life giving flow from the Holy Spirit over time became less. The qualities of love and tenderness among church members were overtaken by a desire to have a king. The king came in the form of pastors. This resulted in the church serving the single vision of one man or a denomination. The peoples church was lost.        

​Let me start by saying not all churches have been courageous. There were times I have not been brave. However, there is a big difference between the fear of telling people that Jesus knows and loves them than criticizing groups of believers who think different. I came to know the saving Love of Jesus in 1972. That’s 46 years!  It’s been a life time of observation. Many times I have complained to the Lord saying, I did not sign up for this. Many times my head fell in shame as He showed me that I too was not innocent. So please do not think I am self righteous. I call on God’s mercy to help me overcome both seen and unseen wrongs that lie within.
 
One of the most humbling things I learned was that I can be absolutely sincere, but sincerely wrong. In these cases I need someone to help me see correctly, not cut me with a religious sword.

Kindness of God brings repentance. 2018 will be great. The sides of our tent are being widened. He is going to impart to us His very essence of incomparable Love and Kindness beyond anything we have previously experienced. We will enter 2019 with an endtime fragrance that will erase the influence of empty rules, traditions and works of self promotion. There has been a stench that caused church pastors to be less acceptable than a bartender or used car salesman. It has been a long time since we were well accepted and even honoured by society. Now we face derision and suspicion. Many churches have had the courage to assess what kind of fruit they are. With a brave heart and honesty, they will comprehend how far we have fallen into our own standards of religious submission. These churches, through repentance from using their own strength to bring about God’s will, are becoming ready for the battle against the father of all lies. I belong in such a church.

It seems like a significant number of believers are biting at the bit. We often use the term, ”biting at the bit” but do we really know what this means? My oldest daughter started riding horses at 10 years old and continued until she went to university. One of the horses she had was absolutely wonderful. She won the Canadian championship on this horse. We loved to see the two of them together. Another horse she had was called Squirrel. Now this horse she bought from the race track. She did not like men. My daughter had a wonderful way with this horse. Not so with me. She would walk the track calculating moves and jumps. I was left holding holding Squirrel. With the skittish horse dancing on the end of a rope, I held onto with all my might.

I never thought that I would call suffering my friend, I sit here with fractured ribs, vertebrae in my neck warn out, recovering from a broken back, dealing with an auto-immune disease called PMR, an uncooperative chemical system, and living with the side effects of some pretty harsh drugs. There is much more in this list, but I don’t like to give sickness too much attention. Suffice to say, I have almost lost my life several times. I know many of you are saying, pray for healing. My answer is I have. It seems the harder I pray the worse I get. Now I have believed in total healing for probably longer than you have born in this fallen world. I have forgotten what a painless life is like. 

I will not roll over and quit. So what do I do? I press into God’s Mercy. I have at times felt as weak as a kitten and I wish I was healthy. I always wonted a healing ministry. I have probably seen more sickness and death more than most. Ten years working in chronic and palliative care, six years doing pathologic autopsies on the dead searching for the cause of death, five years with eight mentally adult women living in my home. Through all this I was pastoring some of the most difficult people. This just scratches the surface of my involvement in suffering. I am tired of it! But I would not trade any of the, morbid experiences for anything.

One thing I can testify is that I have not been short-changed by God who says he heals and delivers. It will come. In the mean time He comes to me in my weakness. God’s Love and Kindness makes me love Him back. Sickness takes a back seat. I heard this story a long time ago. A man was jailed because of his faith. They whipped and beat on him terribly. Then he mercilessly was  thrown in to his dark and filthy cell. There alone with no medical help covered in blood and bruises the Lord came to him. He felt the warmth and Love of Jesus running his hand up and down the torn flesh of his back. What he said next brings me to tears. “He was so wonderful. His love was greater than the pain of the whipping and beatings. It was so wonderful. I had a strange feeling that I wanted to be tortured again just to feel His love and touch.”
                           Love You….Dan

We all can see that Governments for years have been manipulating all aspects of life to bring a system not based on the wholesome attributes given to us of the mom and pa and the kids social structures. Communistic principles are being implemented in secret by our Government that breaks down every structure that has been in place forever. Tried and true social systems, that often are somewhat flawed we know,  have sustained us and prospered us making our societies healthy, wealthy and wise. The tool of our governments has been a media that figures “the end justifies the means.”

How has this happened in the face of the church who preaches “God can do anything”? For the most part, through the past years, we have been pre-occupied with a proliferation of non essential issues. Now we are paying the price. A few Prophets have spoken to our situations. They have said we are warring with the insignificant while ignoring the "real" battles. I have opposed and grieved over what I have seen. The church has been fighting each other in the sandbox and not seen that someone has stolen the house.  "The only way darkness can grow is when the church has lost it’s light.”

It is a terrible thing to fall into the hand of God. To all of us who have disregarded the fact that God is our plumbline and have been swimming in a dirty pond, God is now judging. He has winked at our foolery. He has watched us throw sand in each others eyes. He is full of our squabbles as the enemy robs us of our children's heart.