Michael Posey reported that this past Sunday The Church of the Harvest had one of, if not the most explosive worship services they have ever had. The healing power of God was released among the people. Faith was high in the room. He attributes at least some of this outbreak to what was released in Atlanta last week during The Mandate. They had great testimonies of healing.

We had leaders present from several different states. We also had some Indonesian representatives with us. On Thursday night we even had the sister of James Brown with us.

On Saturday morning David Rodgers led a mobilization training session. Then we took a group of about 45 people to the streets to witness and minister to people. At the finish we had 86 contact forms ready to give to Bryan Meadows and Embassy International for their follow-up efforts. We trust the Lord of the Harvest to add people to their local church.

All in all it was a very beneficial time in Atlanta. We look forward to what is next!

This story involving music people who arrive at high levels of fame has been repeated way too many times. Whitney Houston is the latest tragedy in a long string of these heartrending human processes of abuse and addiction that lead to pre-mature death.

The concern being presented in this writing is one for the young generation that is now emerging to the forefront. We have many beautiful, talented, gifted, and yes, anointed young people who are currently standing at the beginning of the journey to fame and fortune. Whitney Houston stood in that place many years ago. What are we going to do to prepare these young creative innovators in how to manage the pressure that comes with fame?

Strong and consistent communication is one method of preparation we can develop. We can continuously communicate the privileges that come with celebrity, but also the pitfalls of fame. What is the proper view of fame? Is fame deserved, or is it a privilege? What responsibilities are connected to fame? What is the healthy mind set that will empower a young person to carry the stress of fame without cracking under the pressure? What lessons can be witnessed in the shifting values of a star like Beyonce? How can a young person avoid the pitfalls of a party girl like Lindsey Lohan? Is it possible to track the disastrous journey of Whitney Houston? What caused her to choose Bobby Brown? What caused Rihanna to choose Chris Brown? What caused some of the interesting behavior we witnessed with Michael Jackson? There are obvious privileges and obvious pitfalls. How can we effectively communicate both to the young generation? How do we gently, but aggressively push the conversation when our young people don’t want to listen anymore? We must find a way.

We can improve our presentation of life foundations. Biblical values are the basis for human morality. The Ten Commandments were given by God to provide humanity with a base line on how to live a successful life. Choices are so huge in life. How would Whitney Houston’s life and career have been different if she had chosen relationships? Proverbs 13:20 will tell us if we connect with wise people we will increase in wisdom; but if we connect with fools we will be destroyed. How can we communicate this truth to young people in a way that will be appealing to them? Former President Calvin Coolidge once said, “The right thing to do never requires any subterfuge; it is always simple and direct.” The “right thing” is always the wise thing. Stephen Covey said, “Doing more things faster is no substitute for doing the right things.” The Covey quote addresses one of the issues of fame. Fame seems to push people into doing more things, and doing more things faster, in order to keep the momentum of a career building toward increasing popularity. Biblical values and righteous choices will lead a young emerging star to slow down the process. How can we teach our young people to control the process instead of allowing the process to control them? We must find a way.

We can also improve the life examples we are presenting to the young generation. How can we teach the young ones about making wise moral choices when we are captured in our cycles of immorality? Our marriages must be strong and healthy. Unmarried parents must live in emotional stability and moral purity. We must live our lives in holiness, which can be defined as single-mindedness. Our realization is that everything matters. We cannot afford to behave one way inside the church building, and then another way when we leave the building. We cannot chastise our teenagers about the way they dress, and then intentionally dress as provocatively as possible. We cannot manage our finances in dishonest or “shaky” ways, and then expect our young stars to effectively manage the fortune that could come their way. We cannot continue in our attempts to form identity by performance and pleasing people. That example will lead our children to emotional instability, cycles of rejection, co-dependency, and possible disaster.

The day after Whitney Houston passed away I was watching the video of her rendition of the Star Spangled Banner at the 1991 Super Bowl. No one has ever sung the National Anthem like she did that evening. She looked so vibrant, alive, and filled with joy. Her voice was absolutely glorious. She moved an entire nation with that one song, that one appearance. And then came the video of Ms. Houston at the Michael Jackson celebration in 2001. She looked like skin-covered death. We must search for and discover effective ways to prepare our young ones for success so we don’t have to witness that level of destruction again. Will our passion be stirred? Will we initiate an approach to our young ones? Will we have the strength to endure to the finish? We must find a way.

2012 is going to be a great, great year! I believe it. The number 12 is interesting in scripture. 12 is connected with perfection of government; divine authority and appointment; governmental foundation; and rule through government. I believe that 2012 marks the beginning of governance for the body of Christ. Governance is the effective exercise of authority. This is the beginning of the people of God becoming prevalent in a righteous way. We have been a laughing stock to many for far too long. Our influence and significance will be elevated this year, and increasingly so in the years to come. There is an emerging remnant. But, we must emerge with wisdom instead of foolishness. When we come with wisdom we will also have the ability to think and plan strategically; and governmental structure will increase. The way to GOVERNANCE is through WISDOM. The way to WISDOM is through THE FEAR OF THE LORD. The way to THE FEAR OF THE LORD is through COMPLETE SURRENDER & BROKENNESS.

In II Chronicles 1 and I Kings 3 Solomon has an encounter with the Lord. We first see Solomon worshipping and giving in an extravagant fashion (1000 sacrifices). In response to such extravagance of worship (“on that night”) the Lord visits Solomon and says, “Ask for whatever you want.” That is an extravagant response from God. Solomon asked for knowledge, understanding, and wisdom. Solomon understood he had a governmental deficiency. He knew in order to govern he would need wisdom and an understanding heart. I believe we need to be calling out to God for a strong impartation of divine wisdom. Wisdom is the foundational strength of government (Proverbs 8:15,16).

As this shaking continues God’s Remnant is rising!

* Elijah discovered 7,000 remnant prophets who had not sold out.

* Gideon found 300 faithful, courageous, remnant warriors who brought deliverance to a nation.

* Paul changed the city of Ephesus, starting with just 12 Spirit-filled people.

* Jesus baptized 120 with power and they turned the world upside down.

The Spirit of God is gathering His remnant, spiritual warriors just like us that want to make an impact with their lives.

Join me and our Mandate team, along with others, November 16-18, 2011, at Cornerstone Christian Center in South Chicago Heights, IL for THE MANDATE Conference. Our theme is EXPANSION: BREAK THE LIMITS!

Get ready to receive . . .

Prophetic ministry
Revelation knowledge
Understanding to break demonic opposition
Strategy for establishing Kingdom Culture
The unlocking of spiritual authority for the purpose of EXPANSION
Apostolic equipping, empowering, activating, and sending

Identity – Purpose – Healing – Refreshing – Impartation – Courage

For more information go to www.sharpeningstoneministries.com or call our office at 708-756-3358.

This morning I was reading a piece written by Prince Handley. This is the tremendous truth he shared in his writing. If you could win 1,000 people to Jesus every day, how long do you think it would take to evangelize the whole world? At this time, the population of the world is about six (6) billion people. It would take you 16,427 years to reach every person (even at 1,000 every day!).

However, if you would lead only one person each year to Christ, and would really train them, here’s what would happen:

At the end of one year there would be two of you to take the “Good News” to others. If each of you would lead one person to Christ that next year, there would be four of you at the end of the second year to go tell the “Good News”. At this rate, it would only take you a little over 32 years to reach the rest of the world! (Even if the population increases to 8.5 billion, it would take only one extra year, or 33 years.)

This is why Jesus said, “Go, then to all peoples of the world and make them my disciples: baptize them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, and teach them to obey everything I have commanded you. And remember! I will be with you always, to the end of the age.”

That is the power of exponential growth. We read in Acts how believers were ADDED to the church. Then there is a tipping point by which Luke tells us that believers were MULTIPLYING in number. That is what we desire today.

Let’s go for it!

In Malachi 3:16 the prophet writes: “Then those who feared the LORD spoke to one another, and the LORD listened and heard them; so a book of remembrance was written before Him for those who fear the LORD and who meditate on His name.”

The Lord likes to be in on our conversations. He is listening, and He is recording our thoughts and words.

Let’s have world-changing conversations!

The Mandate is happening in Muskegon, MI July 28-30. We will be at Rivers of Living Water Ministries. Our speaking team will consist of myself, Michael Posey, Dan Caldwell, Stephen Garner, and Rod Stevenson.

There is growing enthusiasm about this Mandate session because of the rising tide of revival that is happening in Michigan.

Check us out at www.sharpeningstoneministries.com.

I was scratching my head last week after hearing about the couple from Toronto, Canada, who announced they were going to raise a “genderless” child. Kathy Witterick and David Stocker, parents of two boys named Jazz and Kio, had a third child named Storm on New Year’s Day. Witterick announced to her family last month that she intends to keep the child’s gender a secret and let him/her figure it out on his own.

So far mom and dad have not granted interviews, but the mother said in a letter to the Edmonton Journal, published May 30, that letting Storm determine his/her gender was “a tribute to freedom and choice in place of limitation.”

“Gender is determined by the foreknowledge of God; it is not our choice. He is the Creator, we are the creature; He is the potter, we are the clay. To say that a child is going to “choose” his/her gender is the ultimate in rebellion against God’s created order.”

“Someday soon, Storm will have something to say about it,” the mom added. (And I’m thinking he/she also may grow up resenting its parents for this bizarre decision.)

We know where this line of reasoning came from. We already have laws on the books in several states to protect people who don’t know their gender or who have altered it surgically. In Gainesville, Fla., for example, a man is allowed to use a women’s restroom if he “feels” he is female, regardless of whether he has had a sex-change operation.

Also, some educators have advocated a policy of not telling little boys they are boys and little girls they are girls. They fear this will lead to “gender stereotypes”—such as girls wanting to play with dolls, boys wanting to drive monster trucks and all kids thinking heterosexuality is normal.

So far it doesn’t look like the Canadian couple is setting a popular trend. I doubt parents are going to send their boys to school in pink tights anytime soon. But this decision was made because we live in a time of growing gender confusion. To stay on track we must reclaim some simple principles from Scripture:

1. God created gender. Gender is one of the most fundamental concepts in the Bible. Genesis 1:27 says God created mankind “male and female”—and both genders together reflect God’s divine image. God, who is a spirit, has both masculine and feminine qualities, so when He made mankind He needed men and women to reflect His nature as well as to procreate.

Gender is determined by the foreknowledge of God; it is not our choice. He is the Creator, we are the creature; He is the potter, we are the clay. To say that a child is going to “choose” his/her gender is the ultimate in rebellion against God’s created order.

2. Attacks on gender are ultimately aimed at God. The apostle Paul noted that the reality of God and his power are clearly evident “through what has been made”—the Creation—but that sinful and unbelieving people reject this obvious truth. Romans 1:21 says: “They did not honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened.”

All we know about gender is obvious in nature—and it should be taught at home (as well as in fourth grade health classes). God made males and females, and when they have sex they often have children. Same-sex couples can’t have children biologically without help from the opposite gender. A penis goes with a vagina. A sperm goes with an egg. It’s a no-brainer. Gender isn’t that difficult to figure out!

It is true that some people develop same-sex attraction, but this is not because God is confused, or because He occasionally creates a male with a female psyche, or because He thinks it will be OK for a certain percentage of men to have sex with each other. Homosexuality is just one of many manifestations of the fallen world we live in—and anyone who struggles with sexual brokenness can find healing and freedom in Christ. (And they should be able to find this healing in any church, without fear of judgment.)

3. Children should be taught to embrace their gender, without unhealthy stereotypes. Many modern psychologists think if you reinforce a boy’s masculinity he’ll grow up to be a wife-beater, a rapist or a violent thug. They also oppose teaching a girl to be feminine, lest she grow up to believe all she can do is bake cookies and vacuum.

This was obviously the thinking behind David Stocker’s decision to keep baby Storm’s gender a secret. He said: “What we noticed is that parents make so many choices for their children. It’s obnoxious.” Stocker thinks he’s providing freedom to his child by adopting this choose-your-own-gender policy; in the end, what he’s doing could be classified as child abuse.

Proverbs 22:6 says: “Train up a child in the way he should go, even when he is old he will not depart from it.” There’s nothing wrong with reinforcing a child’s gender—this will result in emotional health. But in a fallen world where men often oppress women, and where women struggle with their self-worth, we also must train our kids to rise above unhealthy stereotypes.

True masculinity, when transformed by Christ, is not violent or dominating. True femininity is not defined by inferiority, timidity or domesticity. Boys can be trained to be strong yet compassionate gentlemen. Girls can be trained to be confident women of character. And churches can help raise healthy families no matter how confusing our culture becomes.

You see, according to the Rev’d Professor Andrew Linzey, director of the Oxford Centre for Animal Ethics, we shouldn’t even use the word “pet,” because the phrase is demeaning to animals.

Instead, we should call a Labrador Retriever a “Companion animal.”

And please, don’t use the word “owner.” That’s demeaning to pets — I mean, to companion animals — as well. Instead, call yourself a “human carer.”

Ay-yi-yi. What’s another phrase for a “leading academic”?

Of course, such language has its downsides. If some fellow is reaching out to a canine with a temper, instead of shouting “Don’t pet the dog!” we’d have to warn, “Don’t manually stroke the companion animal!” Of course, by the time we got the words out, the poor man could have lost a finger.

As reported by the U.K. Telegraph, Professor Linzey and his colleague, Prof. Priscilla Cohn of Penn State are quite serious. And they have a point: The language we use can shape the way we think.

Linzey and Cohn say “We shall not be able to think clearly unless we discipline ourselves” to use appropriate language that reflects our proper “moral relations with” animals.

Ahh. And what might the proper moral relation be? Linzey and Cohn give us a hint. The word “owner,” they say, “whilst technically correct in law, harks back to a previous age when animals were regarded as just that: property, machines or things to use.”

They even object to the term “wildlife.” Linzey and Cohn “invite authors to use the words ‘free-living’, ‘free-ranging’ or ‘free-roaming’ rather than ‘wild animals’”

Why? Because, they say, “For most, ‘wildness’ is synonymous with uncivilised, unrestrained, barbarous existence. There is an obvious prejudgment here that should be avoided.”

Of course, what we’re seeing here is Linzey’s and Cohn’s own prejudgment — that Humans and animals are equals.

And that’s a perfectly natural conclusion if you hold to a secular, materialistic worldview. As I’ve said many times before, if we humans are nothing more than a random collection of atoms that evolved out of the primordial soup, then, yes, we are no more valuable than the common ground slug.

But the equality — or near equality — of animals and humans is a view that is creeping into the Church as well. The Telegraph says that Professor Linzey is a theologian who was awarded “an honorary degree from the Archbishop of Canterbury for his work promoting the rights of ‘God’s sentient creatures.’”

But we are not all equal. Humans alone bear the image of God. And animals cannot have “rights” in the way we humans do.

Should we care for animals as part of God’s creation? Of course. Christians have long recognized this. It was William Wilberforce, after all, who founded the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. But to treat them as equals or even near-equals? Never.

I’m with Linzey and Cohn on this: Words are important. Which is why you’ll never catch me stroking a companion animal.

Bengt spent much of the 80′s and 90′s serving with Ulf Ekman at Word of Life in Uppsala, Sweden. I admired the leadership of Ulf Ekman during those years. Word of Life had a great impact on the church landscape in Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union. Yesterday I discovered that Bengt Wedemalm was really the driving force behind that pioneering thrust.

I found Bengt to be a strong apostolic leader with a breakthrough anointing. We will see him in Chicago again.