The Pendulum Is Swinging Back Around

As the Pendulum Swings, Revival Breathes Again

You know, I remember back in the 80’s when there was a wind of the Spirit moving across the land. There were real revivals breaking out—raw, unpolished, and powerful. A deep spiritual hunger stirred in the hearts of people, driving them to their knees, calling on God for a move.

And you know what?
He moved.

It was a beautiful kind of chaos—people dancing in the wind of the Spirit, lives being shifted, hearts being healed. It touched every generation. Young people were chasing after something more than what they had. Middle-aged folks were seeking with a seriousness only life experience can bring. And the elders… they were praying, believing, and pouring wisdom into the moment.

God showed up in a powerful way.

Those of us who lived through that wave still talk about it today. We look back on those days of old with a mix of nostalgia and hunger, yearning for God to move like that once again.

And here’s what I believe:

He’s been preparing hearts.
He’s been stirring something deep.
The ground is shifting, and the pendulum is swinging back around.

A new wave is coming.
A fresh wind—stronger, deeper, and wilder than before.
Buckle up, people. Get ready for freedom to rush in like a mighty wind!

The five-fold ministry is going to come alive in a way that will astonish a lot of folks—apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers stepping boldly into their callings. God is setting the stage. He’s awakening His people.

And I don’t know about you…
but I’m ready for it.

How about you?

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A Thought: Why Moana Still Moves Me Every Time

Reflections on Calling, Connection, and the Power of Seeing the Real You

Tonight, I found myself watching Moana again. And once again, it got me — the laughs, the music, the story, and yes… the tears. No matter how many times I’ve seen it, this movie reaches something deep inside me.

There’s something powerful about Moana’s journey — the creation of who she becomes. From the beginning, she sees something beyond the horizon. She feels the pull of purpose long before she can explain it. And even when others try to press her into the expectations of a future chief, she listens to that small, steady voice inside that says, You were called for more.

She learns to believe that she was chosen — not by accident, not by coincidence, but by design. And that faith in who she is becomes the strength that carries her across the sea.

And then there’s Maui — funny, flawed, full of swagger, and yet carrying his own wounds. His story adds heart and humor in a way only he can. And of course… Hei Hei. Or as I like to call him: Drumstick. The fact that they wove such a ridiculous (and perfect) chicken into the story still makes me laugh every single time.

But the moment that truly gets me — every single viewing — is the restoring of the heart of Te Fiti.

Moana sees her.
She recognizes her.
She knows who Te Fiti really is beneath the anger, the destruction, and the pain.

That moment when Moana walks forward, singing gently, offering the heart back to her — and Te Kā’s fiery rage melts into the calm, green, life-giving presence of Te Fiti… yeah. That’s where I lose it. Every time. Something about seeing someone restored to who they were always meant to be hits a place in my own heart.

This movie reminds me that we all carry a purpose, a calling, a heart that sometimes gets buried under life’s storms. But with courage, faith, and a whole lot of heart, we find our way — just like Moana.

And maybe that’s why I love this movie so much.
It’s more than a story.
It’s a reminder.

Know who you are.
Remember who you were created to be.
And don’t be afraid to restore the hearts you encounter along the way — including your own.

Love, love, love this movie.

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It’s All About Family

Rediscovering the connections that hold us together.

As the holidays approach at what feels like lightning speed, I can’t help but pause and reflect on what truly matters. In a season filled with gifts, gatherings, and endless to-do lists, it’s easy to get swept up in the noise. But at the end of the day—during the holidays and all year long—it’s all about family.

And when I say family, I don’t just mean blood relatives. I’m talking about the people who have walked with us through life. The ones who show up. The ones who love us, challenge us, support us, laugh with us, and sometimes even cry with us. The brothers and sisters we grew up with, the cousins who feel like lifelong friends, the aunts and uncles who shaped us, the moms and dads who carried us, the grandparents whose wisdom echoes in our hearts. And yes—our friends who became family along the way.

As we continue on this journey we call life, one thing becomes very clear: we need each other.
Through the good times and the not-so-good times, through seasons of joy and seasons of struggle, we were never meant to walk this path alone.

Somewhere along the way, as technology advanced and life sped up, we lost a little bit of that connection. We became more plugged-in, but more disconnected. More reachable online, but harder to reach in real life. And honestly, that’s heartbreaking. I miss the old days sometimes—the days before constant notifications and WiFi, when conversations were face-to-face and time together felt slower, richer, more intentional.

But even as the world changes, one truth stays the same:
Family is where life happens.
Family is where memories are made.
Family is where we return when the world gets noisy.

I love my family—all of them. The ones related by blood and the ones bound by love. And this holiday season, I’m choosing to slow down, to reconnect, and to remember what matters most.

Because in the end, it really is all about family.

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The Unseen Engine: How Prayer Fuels Every Great Spiritual Movement

The Unseen Engine: How Prayer Fuels Every Great Spiritual Movement

If you look closely at the history of Christianity—from ancient revivals to modern, viral movements—you’ll find one constant, often unseen force driving them all: prayer.

Prayer isn’t just a side activity; it’s the indispensable engine that precedes, sustains, and propels every genuine spiritual awakening, disciple-making effort, and outpouring of faith. It’s the point where human desperation meets divine power.

Here is a breakdown of the crucial role prayer plays in the most powerful movements of faith:

1. The Precursor and Catalyst for Revival

Historically, you cannot find a great revival that wasn’t birthed out of dedicated, corporate prayer.

  • Preparing the Ground: Prayer is often described as “preparing the altar.” It’s the act of confessing sin, humbling the heart, and creating a space—personally and corporately—where God’s presence is actively sought. It’s what transforms a stagnant religious tradition into a dynamic, life-changing experience.
  • The Fulton Street Example: The legendary 1857-1858 Revival in the United States didn’t start with a dynamic preacher or a brilliant program; it began with a handful of laymen meeting for a noon-day prayer meeting. It proves that the greatest awakenings are often revivals of prayer first.
  • A Kingdom Focus: Revival prayer is characterized by an unselfish desire to see God’s glory and kingdom advanced, rather than a focus on personal needs. This shift in focus is often what unlocks a new level of spiritual impact.

2. The Foundation for Disciple-Making Movements (DMMs)

For global missions and movements focused on the multiplication of disciples, prayer is the strategic key to breakthrough in hard-to-reach places.

  • Source of Laborers: When Jesus looked at the crowds, He didn’t tell His disciples to form a new committee or launch a new seminar. He told them, “Pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.” Prayer is the primary recruitment strategy.
  • Spiritual Warfare: DMM leaders view prayer as the essential weapon for spiritual warfare—the power that dismantles strongholds, opens “doors for the message,” and grants boldness to those sharing the Gospel. They pray for specific, seemingly impossible miracles to validate the message.
  • The Lifestyle of Multiplication: In DMMs, prayer is not just a meeting; it’s a way of life. The personal, intense prayer rhythms of leaders are consistently cited as the reason for sustained, high-speed reproduction of new believers and churches.

3. The Sustaining Heart of Viral Outpourings

In recent times, spontaneous movements like the Asbury Outpouring in 2023 have captured global attention. At their core, these events were fueled by prayer.

  • The Starting Point: The Asbury event began not with a formal call, but with a few students simply lingering in the auditorium for spontaneous worship and prayer after a routine chapel service.
  • A Posture of Humility: Throughout its duration, the Outpouring was marked by an “unrushed willingness to linger” and fervent, student-led prayer. Those stewarding the movement emphasized that their main task was listening prayer—tuning in to what God was already doing and cooperating with it.
  • Encounter and Repentance: The atmosphere was consistently described as one of profound love and grace that led directly to a powerful sense of conviction and repentance. This is the ultimate goal of much prayer: a genuine encounter with God that leads to life change.

The Takeaway

Whether you are praying for a personal breakthrough, a change in your community, or for the global spread of the Gospel, the lesson is clear: nothing truly meaningful happens without it.

Prayer is the active choice to rely on divine power instead of human effort. It is the invisible force that makes the impossible possible.

What is one specific, bold thing you could commit to praying for today to invite God to move in a new way?

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Just Take the First Step

“When the mountain looks too big, start with faith”

Have you ever looked at a project—one that means so much to you—that it almost takes your breath away? The kind that carries your memories, your hopes, and the love you’ve poured into every dream you’ve ever had. It’s not just an idea—it’s a piece of your heart.

And yet, as you stand at the edge of it, staring into the magnitude of what it could become, a wave of doubt hits you. You think, This is too big. How can I possibly do this? The weight of it all—time, effort, emotion—feels like more than you can carry.

I’ve been there. That moment when excitement and fear collide. When the heart wants to leap forward, but the mind whispers, slow down… this is too much.

But then—there’s that quiet, steady voice deep inside. A whisper that cuts through the noise and says, Just take the first step… and watch Me work on your behalf.

That’s the beauty of faith—it doesn’t demand that we see the whole path. It only asks that we trust enough to move one step at a time. Because often, the first step is the key that unlocks what’s waiting beyond our sight.

I’ve learned that the projects that scare us most are usually the ones most worth doing. The ones that stretch us, humble us, and remind us that we were never meant to do it alone.

So, whatever your “big thing” is—start small. Start now. Take that first step in faith, and trust that the One who placed the dream in your heart will guide your hands the rest of the way.

“The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.” — Exodus 14:14

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The Long Goodbye

Notes from Alex

About a year ago, I wrote a short story about a journey I’ve come to call The Long Goodbye. The phrase is often used to describe dementia, because it slowly and painfully erodes a person’s memories and personality, leaving loved ones to witness the gradual fading of someone who is still alive. It is, in every sense, a heartbreaking journey—not just for the one walking through it, but for everyone who loves them.

For my family, this has become deeply personal. My father has dementia. Watching the disease touch his heart, his life, his very being, is almost too much to bear at times. There are moments where he looks at us with weariness in his voice and says he is ready to go home. He has told my sister and me this, and he has told his wife the same. Those words carry a weight that cannot be ignored.

In the midst of it all, we’ve found ourselves reminiscing together—about old times, about laughter and love, about people who shaped our family’s story. My Pops often shares memories of my mom, Bobbi, his first wife. They were like two peas in a pod, and I can tell that he misses her deeply. These memories bring him comfort, and in a way, they remind us all of the beauty and richness of the life he has lived.

I share these thoughts not to diminish his relationship with his current wife, but to honor her as well. She has sacrificed greatly to care for my father in this season, and that love and dedication has not gone unnoticed. For that, our family is grateful.

The Long Goodbye is not a journey anyone would choose, but it is one that teaches us to hold onto the good moments tightly, to honor the past, and to walk each day with grace and love for the one we are slowly letting go.

Even in the heaviness of this journey, I am reminded that we are never walking it alone. God meets us in the valleys as surely as He does on the mountaintops, and His love does not fade even when memories do. The Apostle Paul wrote, “Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day” (2 Corinthians 4:16).

That truth gives me comfort—knowing that while my father’s body and mind may be fading, his spirit is being kept in the hands of the One who never forgets. And in that promise, we find strength to endure, love to keep giving, and hope to keep walking this long goodbye with grace.

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Stories in the Smokies

Notes from Alex: Discovering East Tennessee

Exploring the history, lore, and beauty of East Tennessee

I had the opportunity to live in Parrottsville, Tennessee, a small community about 90 minutes east of Knoxville and just 20 miles west of the North Carolina border. During that time, I learned a great many things about the area—and quickly realized how rich it is in American history.

East Tennessee is a region full of stories. From Civil War sites to old legends and ghost tales, the past lingers in the hills and valleys. Some of those stories are good, some are great, and some remind us of harder times—but together they weave a picture of a land shaped by generations of people and events.

We lived right by the Great Smoky Mountains, a place of breathtaking beauty, and just a stone’s throw from the Appalachian Trail. The mountains themselves hold countless stories—of settlers, soldiers, families, and wanderers—all layered into the history and lore of the region.

If you ever have the chance, I encourage you to visit East Tennessee. Walk its trails, breathe in the mountain air, listen to the stories, and discover the history for yourself. The region has so much to offer for anyone who is curious.

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Beautiful Chaos, Guided by the Spirit

Notes from Alex – A Light in the Chaos

As I sit and reflect on my spiritual journey, I see a thread running through my life that started long before I chose to follow Christ. Even as a kid, I felt this pull inside me—a desire to be a positive light in a world that often seemed swallowed up in darkness.

I remember looking around at my community, at my people, and noticing the chaos that swirled like a storm. It was heavy and unsettling, even then. And yet, deep in my heart, I knew I wanted to do something different. To be an encouragement. To bring a spark of light, however small, into the lives of those around me.

Sometimes that looked like the simplest of things—saying hello, asking how are you doing?, or just stopping long enough to really listen. I didn’t always know what I was doing, but I knew it mattered.

When I chose to follow Christ, that quiet nudge inside me didn’t disappear—it became stronger, clearer, and more purposeful. I began to understand that God had given me tools for this journey: prayer, His Word, the ability to speak encouragement, and the call to walk alongside others as they faced their own struggles.

These tools aren’t just for me; they’re meant to be shared. They’re meant to point people toward hope, toward light, toward the One who is greater than all of us.

Looking back, I see how God was already preparing my heart before I even realized it. That desire I felt as a kid—to be a light in the midst of chaos—wasn’t just me. It was Him. It always was.

And this is where I’ve landed: life isn’t about having it all figured out, but about using what God has placed in your hands to encourage, uplift, and shine a light for others on their journey.

And as I continue walking with my Creator, I hold onto this thought: my life is simply beautiful chaos, dancing in the wind of the Spirit.

As Jesus said in John 3:8, “The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.”

That’s how my journey feels—mysterious, sometimes unpredictable, but always alive in the movement of God.

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Homecoming Freewrite — Notes from Alex

Noticing the shadows — a year home in Metlakatla.

I’ve been home in Metlakatla for just over a year now, and the place I thought I knew is showing me new faces. There’s a kind of quiet I remember from growing up here, but underneath it I’m seeing something else — a current of worry and a tangle of things I didn’t expect: prescription pills trading hands like gum, illegal substances moving through corners of town, people who used to be on opposite sides now strangely close. It’s confusing. It’s sad. It’s real.

What puzzles me most is the connections. Folks I remember as neighbors or coworkers now move in ways that suggest there’s a map of relationships I don’t have. Enemies become pals, dealers and users exist beside pastors and parents, and the lines between “that kind of person” and “someone from church” blur. Maybe that’s how communities survive — we adapt, we hide our shame, we make peace with what we can’t face. Or maybe it’s how a problem grows: out of silence and the things done in the shadows.

I’ve been praying about it. Not the quick, “fix-this” kind of prayer, but the heavy, persistent kind that asks for truth and healing. I believe shadows don’t have the last word — light does. If there are people bringing drugs into our streets and wrecking lives, this shouldn’t be something we normalize or tuck away like a family secret. We owe each other honesty, care, and accountability. We owe our kids a town that doesn’t make brokenness into a quiet economy.

That doesn’t mean I want to point fingers from a place of judgment. I want to see people helped, not shamed. I want the folks stuck in cycles of addiction to find paths out, and for the people enabling the flow — whether knowingly or not — to be confronted with help and consequences. And yes, I want the hidden things brought to light, because only in the light can healing begin.

It’s a strange mix: pride in this place that raised me, and grief for the things that are wrong. It’s also a call — to pay attention, to speak up when I can, to pray louder when I can’t. Maybe the first step is simply noticing, and then doing the next small thing: check on a neighbor, show up to a local meeting, call someone who can help. Small lights can join to make a blaze.

“For there is nothing hidden that will not become evident, nor anything secret that will not be known and come to light.” — Luke 8:17

A short prayer: Lord, bring what is hidden into the light. Bring healing where there is harm. Give us courage to act and wisdom to love well. Amen.

“If we want a healthier community tomorrow, it begins with the choices we make inside our own homes today — for our kids, for our families, for the ones watching us most closely.”

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Freewrite – Reflections

Wrestling with Darkness, Seeking the Light

I am sitting here tonight, after a full day of work, saddened and unsettled by the news of what happened today. A man, in what is already being called a political assassination, was shot and killed while speaking to university students.

This was not just any man—he loved his country, and he loved young people. That’s why he chose to engage with them, to debate, to challenge, to listen. And now his life has been taken.

I sit here puzzled, almost speechless, wondering why this even happened. Part of me can’t help but see it through the lens of spiritual warfare. Anytime someone stands up for young people, or speaks truth—whether biblical truth or simply the truth of what is right and just—it seems they are targeted. Not by the light, but by the darkness.

And when darkness strikes, it leaves in its wake confusion, pain, and unanswered questions. That confusion is the very atmosphere the enemy of our soul thrives on.

Tonight, I feel both sadness and anger. Anger, because my heart tells me there is more we can be doing. More to stand for truth. More to protect life. More to speak hope into the next generation.

But what is that “more”? That is the question stirring in me tonight.

So tonight I leave this question not just on my own heart, but with you as well: what more can we do? How do we push back against the darkness that tries to silence truth and steal hope from the next generation? Maybe it’s in prayer, maybe it’s in showing up for young people, maybe it’s in speaking truth when it would be easier to stay quiet.

I don’t have the full answer. But I do know this—we cannot remain numb or passive. Each of us has a role, however small or large, to shine light where darkness wants to dwell.

Jesus reminded us in John 1:5, “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” That is where our confidence rests. The “more” begins with turning to Him, walking in His light, and carrying that light into every space we can.

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