Transcendence

The Dismantling

Posted on July 22, 2012 by mcalmond

Note: This is a personal post written by my daughter Dana Summers ***

I wanted to share with you that the Lord has been doing in my life over the last year and half.  This has been a trying year for us, as a couple, a family and for me personally.  The Lord began this year by revealing to me, by His mercy, what he was doing.  In January 2011, as I was sitting in a Bible study, I heard one word to start off my new year: “dismantling”.  “What?  I knew that this word was for me, however I hoped it was for someone else.  What does dismantling mean exactly?    The dictionary defines Dismantle as  1. to deprive or strip of apparatus, furniture, equipment, defenses, etc.: 2. to disassemble or pull down; take apart: 3. to divest of dress, covering.  He then gave me the rest:  Embrace the dismantling, Deal with fear of exposure, Remove walls of protection, Begin to see weakness as strength, Be thankful for the past, repent of regret & disappointment, Let go of expectations, Receive new directions, Receive new wisdom and  Restoration.

Apparently I had been holding on to some things and the Lord thought it was time to deal with them.  His timing is perfect, I had to remind myself of that over and over.  I am not going to lie, this has been a really difficult year/season for me.  The Lord didn’t have to let me in on what He was doing.  I am thankful that He did, but still do not have total understanding.  I have learned not to try to interpret what God is doing but to trust him in the unfolding, because it never looks like what I expected.

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Categories: Abiding, Absolute Dependency, Accountability, Anointing, Being a PK, Being Built Up, Belief System, Breaking Forth, Changes, Character, Christian Maturity, Core Values, Covering, Dependency, Divine Encounters, Encouragement, Family, Genuineness, God's Faithfulness, Hearing The Lord, Honesty, Humility, In Spirit and In Truth, Misplaced Dependency, New Beginnings, Prayer, Presumptions, Timing, Transcendence, Victory, Work of God | 2 Comments

Persecuted Christians

Posted on March 31, 2012 by mcalmond

Matt 16:24-25 Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. 25 For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. ESV

I found my thoughts focusing upon the persecuted Christians throughout the world. Did you realize that Christians as a people group are the single most persecuted group in the world? Did you realize that of all the martyred Christians since the time of Christ Jesus, half of them have been martyred in the last century alone? I am not sure of the exact numbers but I believe that the number range maybe close to 100,000,000 Christians have died for their faith in the last century or so alone, with most of these occurring in the last half of the century and the beginning of this one.

Christians are dying for their simple faith in Christ Jesus every minute of everyday. They are not dying because of their hatred for the western culture or governments. They are not dying because they have some kind of a holy war against others. They are not dying because they are strapping bombs around themselves seeking to destroy themselves and any others they can along the way regardless of who they may be. They are not dying because they are out trying to destroy others for any reason at all. No!

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Categories: Believer, Body of Christ, Calling, Christian Maturity, Commands, Death, Exhortation, Faith, Following Through, Hatred, Hope, Mercy, Persecuted Christians, Persecution, Perseverance, Readiness, Spiritual Warfare, Steadfastness, Suffering, Transcendence, Victory | Leave a comment

A Dam, A Loch and His Victory

Posted on February 2, 2012 by mcalmond

While ministering in beautiful Scotland, there were a couple of days wherein an American couple (Richard and Susan) and I went to the Highlands. After spending the night in a B&B, we arose to a new a beautiful new day, setting ourselves to go forth and face the day that the Lord had prepared for us. As for myself, I was excited to get on with it and wondered what awesomeness of the Lord Jesus Christ I would be blessed and privileged to partake of. Finally, after breakfast and some pictures, we were off. We headed out to find a road, we were told would, take us further up into the Highlands.

We had, had an urging that we believed to be from the Lord Jesus. We felt Him setting our agenda. So, off we went. It wasn’t long before we found the side road we were looking for and immediately began our assent further up, ever up, into the Highlands of beautiful Scotland.

This terrain was simply awesome. I was so excited to see more of this nation that I had been coming to for so long now. After a brief stop at a park like area, we discerned that we were to continue along the road we had begun. So, we no sooner got out of the car than we were back into it headed along the road and across the Highlands.

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Categories: Abiding, Angels, Anointing, Celebration, Gifts of the Holy Spirit, God Faith, Growing in Faith, His Praise, His Worship, Holy Spirit Seeing, Obedience, Open Eyes, Prayer Walks, Prophetic Revelation, Spiritual Warfare, Standing in Faith, Training, Transcendence, Victory, Waiting on the Lord, Work of God | Leave a comment

His New Adventure

Posted on November 19, 2011 by mcalmond

We have begun a new chapter in our lives. We are now pastoring a small rural Assembly of God Church in a small town in Ohio. We are truly looking forward to this with all of our hearts in the Lord Jesus Christ! We have no clear idea where all of this will lead us for certain, however we have a very real confidence in the Lord Jesus Christ that He has His plan and purpose for us all, in and through this. May it all be, from beginning to end, for His greater glory, honor and praise!

There was for us, from the very beginning, only one true desire, that only His will, word and ways would be accomplished in and through this whole process. Having walked it out, we rest in the truth that He is most certainly in this new adventure, His new adventure. To what end you may ask? Well, to His end. We have no idea for certain, as I have already said, where specifically this will lead, but we do know that it is in His very capable hands and not ours. This is His work, even as we are all His people. Letting Him has His way in, to and through us all, is our primary goal and aspiration.

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Categories: A Genuine Heart Cry, Authenticity, Awakening, Belief System, Benefits, Breaking Forth, Christian Maturity, Hope, In Spirit and In Truth, Ministry, Pastor, Prayer, Resurrection Life, Simplicity, Spirit, Spiritual Hunger and Thirst, Transcendence, Wind of the Spirit, Word, Work of God | Leave a comment

Awaken To His Praise, His Worship, For Now!

Posted on October 22, 2011 by mcalmond

In 2007, the Lord gave me this word and I wrote out what follows below. I ran across it again this evening and realized that this is already beginning to take place. There is, however, a very real concern, no, a very real growing burden that there will be, as there always seems to be, those who will stubbornly or even defiantly remain in what they know and have known for however long and won’t be open to nor respond appropriately to His, our Lord and Saviors call.

I pray the Lord will rise up and once again confirm His Word for His People to Awake and Arise in His Worship. May He continue to break forth His Anointing for His Worship, His Prophetic Worship Within and Through His Church. May we all by the grace of God and the power of the Holy Spirit surrender to all that He is saying and bless the Lord, doing today! May we once again so deeply hunger and thirst for the Lord Jesus Christ to have His Way With Us All, that we indeed not only cry out but yield, surrender in eyes wide open genuine and authentic saving faith. Blessed be the Lord Jesus Christ!

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Categories: Anointing, Authenticity, Awakening, Body of Christ, Breaking Forth, Calling, Church, Churches, Communion, Dependency, Dying to Self Will, Edification, Empowerment, Exhortation, Father, Genuineness, God Faith, Grace, His Gift of Love, His Praise, His Worship, Holy Ghost Burdens, Hope, Humility, illumination, In Spirit and In Truth, Intimacy, Mercy, Ministry, Now Word, Obedience, Open Ears, Open Eyes, Openness, Paradigm Shift, Pastor, Prayer, Presumptions, Priorities, Prophetic, Prophetic Actions, Prophetic Revelation, Prophetic Worship, Relationship, Spiritual Hunger and Thirst, Spiritual Warfare, Steadfastness, Stirrings, Surrender, Thanksgiving, The Lord Jesus, The Power of God, Timing, Transcendence, Word of God, Work of God, Worship | Leave a comment

The Vitalness of His Manifest Presence

Posted on October 1, 2011 by mcalmond

Exodus 33:14-16 (ESV) And he said, “My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.” 15 And he said to him, “If your presence will not go with me, do not bring us up from here. 16 For how shall it be known that I have found favor in your sight, I and your people? Is it not in your going with us, so that we are distinct, I and your people, from every other people on the face of the earth?”

Here in Exodus we see that the presence of the Lord was so vital to Moses that he said to the Lord that if the Lord was not going to come with them, then don’t send Israel up to the Promise Land. The Lord offered earlier to send up an Angel who would assure them of the fulfillment of the Lord’s promise in providing them the Promise Land. For Moses this was not enough. He wanted the Lord’s presence, not simply the presence of an Angel no matter how great the Angel was.

I find this so very significant for us today as well. The evidence of Gods manifest presence with and amongst His people is both that which confirms the favor of God concerning His people and that which makes them distinct from the rest of the World. This distinction is vital for us as the people of God. We’re to be in, yet not of the world. The question remains however, how far shall we go without His manifest, evident, or tangible presence?

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Categories: A Genuine Heart Cry, A Simple Reminder, Abiding, Absolute Dependency, Angels, Anointing, Authenticity, Belief System, Benefits, Body of Christ, Boundaries, Breaking Forth, Calling, Church, Church Forms, Churches, Communion, Confidence, Core Values, Covering, Dependency, Edification, Empowerment, Encouragement, Exhortation, Family, Father, Genuineness, God's Faithfulness, God's Love, Grace, Healing, His Chosen, Holiness, Holy Spirit, Hope, Humility, In Spirit and In Truth, Intimacy, Mercy, Ministry, Prayer, Presumptions, Relationship, Rest, Seeking The Lord Jesus, Signs & Wonders, Simplicity, Spirit, Spiritual Hunger and Thirst, Stirrings, Surrender, Teaching, Thanksgiving, The Lord Jesus, The Power of God, Transcendence, Truth, Waiting on the Lord, Witness, Word of God, Work of God, Worship | 2 Comments

I’m No Scholar, I’m Just a Guy

Posted on September 3, 2011 by mcalmond

Acts 4:13 (NKJV) Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated and untrained men, they marveled. And they realized that they had been with Jesus.

I can think of no greater compliment than that one was recognized as having been with Jesus. I believe that for me, this is genuinely my goal in life, to become one who is recognized as having been with Jesus. To become one whose life was so changed and impacted by the Life of Christ Jesus that while my other deficiencies may be noted, Christ Jesus is still readily visible and evident in and through my life.

 As was true of Peter and John, I would find myself, in regards to ministry, as fairly uneducated and common. I come from a line, albeit brief line (grandpa, dad and myself), of uneducated and common men who loved the Lord and believed that Jesus had called them to follow Him and so they picked up their Bibles and did so.

 My grandfather was saved out of the Navy shortly after World War 2 under Amy Semple McPherson’s ministry. He believed that he was called into the ministry as preacher of the Lord Jesus. He bought a tent, a flatbed truck (to use as a platform for services and to haul the tent), picked up his Bible and went preaching the Word of God.

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Categories: A Simple Faith, Abiding, Absolute Dependency, Anointing, Authenticity, Baptism of the Holy Spirit, Being Built Up, Belief System, Benefits, Body of Christ, Breaking Forth, Calling, Christian Maturity, Church, Churches, Confidence, Dad, Dependency, Empowerment, Encouragement, Faith, Family, Father, Following Through, Foundations, Genuineness, Gifts of the Holy Spirit, Growing in Faith, Holy Spirit, Holy Spirit Benefits, Holy Spirit Hearing, Holy Spirit Listening, Holy Spirit Seeing, Hope, Humility, illumination, In Spirit and In Truth, Inspiration, Ministry, Ministry Motivation, Now Word, Obedience, Open Ears, Open Eyes, Openness, Pastor, Pioneering, Prayer, Preaching, Priorities, Process, Promises, Reflections, Relationship, Rhema, Righteousness, Seeking The Lord Jesus, Simplicity, Source, Speaking in Tongues, Spirit, Surrender, Teaching, Thanksgiving, The Power of God, Theology, Training, Transcendence, True Love, Truth, Vulnerability, Waiting on the Lord, Word, Work of God | 2 Comments

Is It All About Knowledge, Really?

Posted on August 27, 2011 by mcalmond

It is how you live in Christ Jesus that is all important, not just what you know. Having said this, there has been many times in and throughout history when this issue of knowledge for knowledge sake, came to a head. It was this issue of Knowledge first, over the simplicity of Knowing Jesus first that seemed to be what the battle was about.

For example, there was a time in the later middle ages when the theologians of that day had gone so far as to create a theology that no one but they themselves could understand or relate to. Their theology had become increasingly complex and stood in direct contrast to the simplicity of the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. As this gap widened, so did the reactions of the people. Their reactions were focused upon a theology that was fraught with an over emphasis of subtleties, developing its own exclusive and elitist language with an insistence upon precise definitions and fine distinctions, theologically.

In the book, “Imitation of Christ”, we discover what was the commonly held belief’s of the day, beliefs that were reactions against the theologians and their theology of the day. Here is a taste of it (1.1.3):

“What good is it for you to be able to discuss the Trinity with great profundity, if you lack humility, and thereby offend the Trinity?”

“Verily, high sounding words do not make one holy and just. But a life of virtue does make one acceptable to God.”

“It is better to feel repentance, than to be able to define it.”

“Were you to memorize the entire Bible and all the sayings of the philosophers, what good would this be for you without the love of God and without grace?”

“Vanities of vanities. All is vanity, except loving God and serving only God.”

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Categories: A Simple Faith, A Simple Reminder, Abiding, Absolute Dependency, Anointing, Authenticity, Character, Church History, Communion, Confidence, Core Values, Dependency, Edification, Elitism, Empowerment, Faith, Foundations, Genuineness, Grace, Growing in Faith, His Chosen, History, Holy Spirit, Holy Spirit Benefits, Humility, Intellectualism, Intimacy, Knowledge, Ministry, Ministry Motivation, Obedience, Priorities, Questions, Readiness, Reflections, Relationship, Rest, Resurrection, Resurrection Life, Revelation, Righteousness, Rock, Seeking The Lord Jesus, Separatism, Simplicity, Source, Standing in Faith, Steadfastness, Surrender, Teacher, Teaching, Tenaciousness, The Lord Jesus, The Lord's Fullness, The Power of God, Theology, Training, Transcendence, Transformation, Truth, Victory, Word, Word of God, Work of God | 2 Comments

There Is Always More Than We See, Hear, Or Know

Posted on July 24, 2011 by mcalmond

This post is a bit different than I would normally write. Well, I think it is anyway. I am going to share with you what I received from the Lord Jesus Christ one morning, some time ago, while we were at church. We were not attending our church, rather we were visiting another church where we had been to only once before.

All too often we settle for far less than the fullness of the Lord’s intended purpose for us in any given service or even moment in His timing. For there is always more than we see, hear, or know, that He desires to accomplish. Yet too frequently we stop with just a taste and have seemingly lost our thirst and hunger for the more of His Fullness. This is a true story of such a time.

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Categories: A Genuine Heart Cry, Abiding, Being Built Up, Benefits, Body of Christ, Boundaries, Breaking Forth, Calling, Character, Church, Church Forms, Encouragement, Fields of Ministry, Finding the Right Church, Following Through, Gifts of the Holy Spirit, God's Faithfulness, God's Love, Grace, Healing, Holiness, Holy Spirit, Hope, Humility, In Spirit and In Truth, Inspiration, Intimacy, Lies, Light, Ministry, Noise and Distractions, Open Ears, Open Eyes, Paradigm Shift, Prayer, Priorities, Process, Prophetic, Prophetic Revelation, Protection, Seeking The Lord Jesus, Signs & Wonders, Spiritual Barreness, Spiritual Desperation, Spiritual Hunger and Thirst, Stirrings, Surrender, Teaching, The Lord's Fullness, Transcendence, Truth, Vulnerability, Waiting on the Lord, Wind of the Spirit, Witness, Work of God | Leave a comment

Are We Really Ready For His New Wind?

Posted on July 17, 2011 by mcalmond

I believe there is hope for the church and the people of God. I also believe that we need very real change. Could it be that in spirit and in truth we need a reformation, a rebuilding from the foundation (1 Cor 3) of Christ Jesus and up?

Reformation: 1) improvement (or an intended improvement) in the existing form or condition of institutions or practices etc.; intended to make a striking change for the better in social or political or religious affairs 2) rescuing from error and returning to a rightful course.

There is something stirring out there and I pray that what is stirring is the breath of HIS change that we need. Will we see it when it comes or will our hurts, frustrations and disappointments and dissatisfaction’s with the church and the people of God keep us from seeing the changes that are coming or even that are needed? Will our being blinded by what we want or expect to see or have occur, keep us from seeing what really will be happening in the Lord Jesus and his church/body as happened so many times before?

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Categories: Believer, Body of Christ, Breaking Forth, Calling, Church, Communion, Confidence, Dependency, Exhortation, Holy Ghost Burdens, Holy Spirit, Holy Spirit Hearing, Holy Spirit Seeing, Hope, Humility, illumination, In Spirit and In Truth, Mercy, Ministry, Ministry Motivation, Now Word, Open Ears, Open Eyes, Openness, Priorities, Prophetic, Prophetic Revelation, Readiness, Repent, Repentance, Rhema, Rock, Simplicity, Son and Holy Spirit, Spirit, Surrender, The Lord Jesus, The Power of God, Transcendence, Transformation, Truth, Vulnerability, Waiting on the Lord, Wind of the Spirit, Word of God, Work of God, Worship | Leave a comment

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