Jesus words in Matthew 5:14 says we "are the light of the world and a town on a hill cannot be hidden." Leonard Cohen once said, 'There is a crack in everything. That's how the light gets in.' Maybe that's one of the presequisites for us to experience God's outpouring? That we acknowledge our brokenness. That we allow him into the cracks and brokenness.

This last sunday I spoke on hearing God's voice and sensing His presence out of 1 Samuel. Obviously we can experience this in both subtle and more dramtic ways. In cultures like ours, where God is mostly at work incogneto, I think we need to hear of examples where God is up front and center, irrevokably on the move. That sort of thing encourages my faith.

But truth be told, most often God's voice is heard and presence felt in and through our brokenness and pain. Glenn V gave me a Leonard Cohen quote following Sunday's message which seems to fit. Leonard once said, 'There is a crack in everything. That's how the light gets in.' This has been my experience, I experienced God as I allow the 'cracks' of my life to be exposed. Glenn shared that it's in and through his pain that he has experienced God. I concur.

One of my regrets about sunday is not being able to show this "I Am Second" video. It's of a man who experienced this reality first hand - Jesus' prsence and voice in pain. His story so fit sunday's message, and so reflects this reality of God's strength, voice and presence in our weakness, I wanted to share it with you.

Maybe as a Simple Church watch it, then talk about. Share the prophetic word, pray. Follow the Spirit's lead and see where He takes you.

I Am Second http://www.iamsecond.com/seconds/nathan-schroer/

Here is a beautiful prophetic word I was given this week, which fits so beautifully with what I spoke on this sunday.

"God's Light is rushing in.

I hear the Spirit of God say, 'Do not allow worry about the current waves of darkness and despair that you see washing over the shores of the earth to consume you and drag you into that despair. Do not become anxious about the depth of darkness and demonic activity that you see where you go. Rather, believe my Word and see that darkness is an optimum condition for a bright move of my Spirit. Despair invites my reformation. Sickness invites my renewal. Lack invites my abundance.

See that I choose to move in the darkest places for that is where I am seen the most. Just as a lamp in a bright room has less effect than in a dark room, so me and my people will be seen as I begin to rise upon my children and release new waves of my glory and new measures of my goodness.

I will be your pillar of fire in the night and I will be your pillar of cloud in the day as I begin to turn up in seen and visible ways. I am not tiptoeing in through the back door in this season but I am rushing in and sweeping through in a way that will be noticed as I reveal more of who I am.

Do not despair in this season of darkness, for I am coming and the darker the room, the brighter the light. See from my perspective as Heaven rejoices in preparation for a move of my Spirit."

Isaiah 60:1-3
"Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord rises upon you. See, darkness covers the earth and thick darkness is over the peoples, but the Lord rises upon you and his glory appears over you. Nations will come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn."