When Hope is Placed on Man & Not THE Man

Last month, as all of you know, Haiti was hit with a 7.1 magnitude earthquake that rocked the nation to it’s core. Displacing 1.5 million people from their homes and killing 200,000 people. As the death toll continues to rise on a daily basis and news media begins to wind down. Aid is now being administered throughout the land and many of the injured have been treated. Still these people are looking for the help of other humans to help them with their pain and suffering, hoping that this will ease some of what they are feeling on a daily basis. The need for the Savior to be seen in this nation is the greatest need of all and the people of Haiti are ready for it.

The thing about aid from men is that there is always an end to what a man can give. The supplies that have been given to help these people will have an end to it. There will come a time when all of what has been donated will run out. Sure we can give more but there will always be a point where we cannot give anymore. The end is imminent no matter how much is donated or given. The Lord on the other hand is a well that will never run dry.

In John 4 we encounter a women who is at the end of her rope, she had searched for help from all arenas of life and all it had done was leave her longing for more. Jesus speaks to her offering her the drink that will satisfy her and give her all that she will ever need. This drink which is offered is the Spirit. It is as an overflowing well that springs from the inside once received. Jesus goes on to say that the only food that He needs is to do the will of the the One who sent Him. Oh how the Holy Sprit really does satisfy the soul.

So the greatest need that the Haitians need is the Savior, when the Haitians put their hope in this Man He will satisfy all of their needs. A well of living water will quench their thirsts. He will heal their bodies, He will be the food that sustains for this age and the age to come. Oh the gift of everlasting life! It is the sweetest gift that was ever given.

This gift is exploding like crazy in Haiti right now. I have heard reports from missionaries all over Haiti giving reports that they have seen over 300 salvations in one day. A church from 100 now has grown into a mega church in Haiti. The Light of Christ is being shown throughout the land!

While America is not in disaster mode we still have to acknowledge that we are in need of a savior on a daily basis. We need to drink from the well that will never run dry. All that we hope in can be found in One Man. He is the only One that satisfies, He is the One who gives life to a dry and weary soul.

2010
02/08
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Kansas City or Cancun: The Choice is Yours

The semester just started for colleges all over the nation and students are already making plans for spring breaks. Throughout the college years places like Daytona Beach and Cancun get swamped with students with no reservations at all, it is time for them to have a good time even if it means they cannot remember it. This is considered fun for many but say that you are not like one of those students, you have a prayer meeting that happens on a weekly basis, you strive to search the deep things of God with all that you are.
Well then here are 5 reasons to come to Kansas City for your spring break:
1. Luke18 is hosting Spring Break Fuel School – Come and get trained, ignited, and revived as a messenger for your campus.
2. The Awakening Services – For the last three months the Lord has been visiting IHOP-KC in a tangible way. Many healings and deliverances have been taking place in the midst of our community. Come and get a taste of the new wine, the wine of the Holy Spirit.
3. The Global Prayer Room – A 24/7 place of prayer and worship! Who could ask for anything else. A place where you can come at any point of your day and sit before the throne of God.
4. Why would you want to dull your spirit when you can set your spirit ablaze? There is no reason for a college student that loves Jesus to immerse himself/herself in the darkness of the world by going to place where wickedness abounds on every corner.
5. I am telling you to! In all honesty this should be reason enough for you to come. What more can I say, you should come and that is that.
2010
02/04
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Haiti Update: Sarah Is Leaving Me

Last night some things got finalized and it looks as though Sarah will be leaving on Sunday to fly to Orlando and then from Orlando onto Haiti Monday. She is going as a nurse in order to help the surgeons that are down there already who need help while administering aid to the people who are dying. She is going with about 4-6 other nurses to work in an area called Corfu(sp). It was hit very badly and very little aid has made it’s way there, at the time of writing this. Right now is a critical time for aid to go to Haiti as disease is starting to run rampant throughout the land and they have little to no pain medication to give to the people as surgeries are taking place. Rum is being used as a sterilizing agent and throughout the land as basic medical supplies are taking a long time to get from anywhere.

If you would like to help out in anyway there are a few ways to get involved:

Pain Meds: As simple as Tylenol and Motrin to anything with a little more kick. If you would like to give to that email me @ benwood25@gmail.com and I will send you our address.

Water Purification System: She is in the process of raising money in order to bring a sustainable water purification system down with her, the cost is $2000. This water system can take water that has dead bodies in it and make it medically sterile. So in other words really bad water to better than Brita. You can give tax deductible donations for this cause here.

Personal Airfare to Orlando: We also are raising money for a plane ticket to Orlando from Kansas City if you would like to give regarding that you can give via paypal to benandsarahwood@yahoo.com. The cost of the ticket is somewhere around $250.

Any help is appreciated greatly! Thank You,

Ben and Sarah Wood

Local Buffalo Video of My Families Adoption Story From Haiti

2010
01/19
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Haiti: A Week In Review – Otherwise Known As Save The Orphans or Electric Boogaloo 2

This has been quite the week in the World of Wood(My Family). For quite some time my Father-in-laws church has been going to Haiti to work with an orphanage. I have had the opportunity to go once before with him, and my wife has gone twice. They go every year about the same time, this year they flew in on Tuesday January 12th, a day before the earthquake rocked the nation. We were able to maintain contact with them throughout the whole experience through text messages.

We heard from them on Wednesday, the day the earthquake hit, and they reassured us that they were fine and to not worry about them. Thursday came around and while we were working on ways to get them home, they assured us they were fine and told us not to come and get them. The orphanage is located in Les Cayes, which is about 4 hours away from Port-au-Prince, it was hit with a little damage but not as much as the nations capital city. In the meantime we were taking the opportunity to try to get visa’s for the two kids that my wife’s family has been trying to adopt for the last three years!

Wednesday came and went with little communication from the island. Thursday the 14th came and we got word they were on their way to a hospital to help administer aid and help wherever they were needed, at the end of the day we received a text saying ‘We need to come back home now!’ It was in getting this message that the week started to pick up in craziness. All members of the family were scouring the internet for charter planes and various other ways to get them out, meanwhile prayers were flying up to heaven faster than a bullet from a gun.

Friday came upon us and we heard that their contact in Haiti was alive and had acquired enough gas to drive to Les Cayes and bring them back to Port-au-Prince in order to catch a cargo ship out of the country. Meanwhile we had heard that there was a chance that visa’s were going to be granted to the two kids. The adoption worker was spending long hours at the embassy trying to get as many visa’s as possible and two might be for Wisken and Lovlie(the two kids).

Saturday came and we knew that the team would be getting in a van at 3am to make their way to Port-au-Prince. My Father-in-law took a step of faith and brought Wisken and Lovlie with him in hopes that their visa’s would be granted and he could bring them home. The reports got throughout the day was that Sarah’s Dad was staying behind with the kids while the rest of the team boarded a US Army cargo plane with 150 other people trying to get back to the states. My Dad waited outside the embassy all day on Saturday with both kids in tow. Meanwhile the adoption worker was inside trying to get up to 12 visa’s for kids that needed to get to their awaiting families in the states. We got word at about 11pm on Saturday that the adoption worker had obtained the visa’s and that Dad would be bringing the kids home the following day.

Sunday came and while we were all filled with joy at the thought of them coming home we got dressed and ready for church. Halfway through church I checked twitter, mostly to see if Randy Bohlender had posted anything witty, but saw that Sue Steege(the children’s pastor at my Father-in-laws church) had posted something about Sarah’s father not being allowed into the airport with the kids.

From what we have pieced together there are three checkpoints that you have to go through in order to get into the airport now in Haiti. Well, Sarah’s father was not being allowed into the first checkpoint by a Haitian officer, even though he had all of the necessary paper work for the kids. He made the trek back to the embassy to try to get some answers only to not get anywhere. They then went back to the airport and talked with some people and they counseled him to sneak the kids through along with all the other Americans. He proceeded to do this with the second checkpoint, but was stopped at the third and was not being allowed to travel any further. With hope deflated, he talked to some other person in order to try to convince the guard at the gate to let them through. It worked! They made it onto the tarmac with kids in tow. Now they had to wait for a plane to bring them home. At about 4 in the afternoon we got word that they were on a plane headed to the States. The new additions to my family arrive with my Father-in-law this afternoon in Buffalo! Praise the Lord, 3 years of prayers and tears are now fulfilled.

All the while Sarah was in planning stage to get to Haiti, her family leaves the place and she wants to get down there to help. That’s my wife. She has a heart for that nation and all of the orphans. Looks as though she will be leaving on this Saturday(the 16th) with at least 4 other nurses to give a hand to the Doctors that are down there.

Ways to help out: we are in need of a plane ticket from Kansas City to Orlando, they have free flights from Orlando into Port-au-Prince, but we still need money for the ticket from here to Orlando. Also they are in need of any medical supplies that you might have, I guess there is no pain medicine anywhere to be found in Haiti right now, so even Tylenol or Motrin works. If you would like to help PLEASE email me @ benwood25@gmail.com or my wife @ swood43@gmail.com

The big need is prayer for safety! So please keep her and the others in mind as you pray.

2010
01/18
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How to Create an IHOP-KC Webstream Desktop Client For Mac

The other day I stumbled onto a application for Mac that lets you create a desktop client for just about any webpage out there. I am an avid tweeter, benwood25, and I love using Hootsuite but there was no desktop client for it. So I created one using this application called fluid. I also love to have the webstream of IHOP on in my house while I am home but hate all the steps that it takes to get to it. So I decided to make a desktop client for it using fluid. I love it and thought I would share it with the rest of the world…

First step is going to fluidapp.com and downloading the application…

It is a free application that does not take up much room at all on your computer…

Follow the steps to install and then you will see this come up on the screen…

Type in the URL of the desired website you want to create and name it whatever you want… I got the link from going to IHOP’s website and clicking on the free webstream link on the main page and then clicking on the high quality link underneath the actual video player of the webstream.

It will then bring you to this page…

Copy the link at the top of the browser and place it in the URL line of the fluidapp…

Next click create and then watch the magic happen… you will see this as the next screen…

Click Launch Now and Poof you now have a desktop application of the Prayer Room Webstream!

I hope you have enjoyed this little tutorial. If you have any questions feel free to ask.

2010
01/09
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The Journey Begins…

I have recently finished a book by Martyn Llyod Jones on Ephesians 3, it was a greta book and brought insight into a great prayer that I have prayed multiple times. I love it when the Lord aligns the hearts of His servants even when many years separate them. Martyn Llyod Jones was a mighty man of prayer. Now that I have finished that book I am about to take on the daunting task of ‘Unlocking the Bible’ by David Pawson. It has been on the shelf calling my name for a little while, I try to not start one book until I finish another one (it helps me to focus on what is at hand and curb my A.D.D). So on with the enjoyment of diving into more information about the Words of God! Page 1 of 1117… 1, 2, 3 GO!

2010
01/04
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Why We Pray For Israel: Part 2

In my previous post I made it pretty clear that our position, in the church, is to pray for the City of Jerusalem and Israel as a nation. This is a command of the Lord for His people in all nations, His great city has a purpose on this earth and He has great plans for the people of that city.

Recently I had the privilege of going to Jerusalem, this is something that I think every follower of Christ should do, if given the opportunity. I went to minister but found that I was the one that was getting ministered to. The great reversal, you think you are going to have something to give to a people and in turn you end up getting the gift. I walked where Jesus walked and stood where He ascended and where He will return and set up His government. It was an amazing experience. Being at IHOP we have a mandate from the Lord to pray for the nation of Israel. We have joined in partnership with the heart cry of the Father for His people to know their Messiah, Jesus. I would sit in the prayer meetings focused on praying for Israel and feel so distracted and disconnected, I would pray for God to give me a heart for His people and still just sit there and feel no connection. It was not until a divine meeting of a Rabbi at the Western Wall one night, that the connection was made. As we made our way into what was known as the Old City that night I was going with the intention of taking some great pictures and seeing some cool things. Instead, as I walked up to the Western Wall where all of the Orthodox Jews were praying, a Rabbi came up to me and embraced me. He then asked me if I was Jewish and had come to pray. I told him I was not Jewish but that I was for Israel. He then embraced me again and with tears streaming from his eyes he led me to a spot to pray at the wall. This image continues to resonate in my being every time someone prays for Israel. My heart was awakened to the love that the Lord has for His people.

I write this little story to tell you that while we are called to pray for Jerusalem and to be a group of people that will provoke the Jews to salvation, Romans 11:11, we need to first get an understanding of the heart of the Father for His people. How can we really provoke some one to Love for the King if we do not have love in our hearts for them.

We have to understand that the Lord has specific promises for His chosen people and our position is to pray for them to be open to receive those promises. In Joel 2 it the Lord speaks and proclaims that He will pour out His Spirit on all flesh causing sons and daughters to prophecy. This outpouring of the Spirit is to proclaim the coming of the King back to earth. He is going to anoint messengers whose whole purpose is to speak with clarity, boldness and authority the ‘Gospel of the Kingdom’, Matthew 24:14, specifically to unsaved Jews.

Our task, as a ‘Gentile’ church, is to pray for the salvation of Israel and to provoke them to jealousy, so that they may receive the mercy of God. We do this by humbly walking out our salvation with fear and trembling before the throne of God. All the while walking in the spiritual gifts that He has imparted to each and everyone of us. When the Jewish people see a humble people walking in signs and wonders and loving Christ with all that they are, this will provoke them. I will tell you that witnessing to them in a way that heaps shame on them will not get you anywhere. It happens.

So in summary we need to ask for a heart for His people, walk humbly, use the gifts that the Lord has given us and boldly proclaim the coming of the King back to earth.

2009
12/10
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Why We Should Pray For Israel: Part 1

I apologize for my lack of Blah-ging  as of late, there have been many distractions that have come my way and have postponed any writing. I do not want to say anything about those distractions other than please pray for my family, both immediate and extended. If you follow me on ‘twitt-ah’(Wes Hall) then you know a little about how to pray. This is not the place for me to rant about my family this is the place for me to talk about the importance of praying for the people and the nation of Israel.

So the question exists ‘Why do we pray for Israel?’, I hope to shed some light on not only why we should pray for them but how to pray for them. First let us examine why we ‘the Chruch’ should pray for Israel. Isaiah 62:6-7 makes it pretty clear that we, the church, should pray for the people of Israel always.

I have set watchmen on your walls, O Jerusalem; They shall never hold their peace day or night. You who make mention of the LORD, do not keep silent, And give Him no rest till He establishes And till He makes Jerusalem a praise in the earth. Isaiah 62:6-7

Here we see that ‘You who make mention of the Lord’, the people of God or the Church, should not keep silent, but should not give the Everlasting God no rest until He makes Jerusalem a praise in all the earth. This command comes straight from the throne of God, we are called to pray for Jerusalem and all it’s inhabitants. The application for this verse is for the city of Jerusalem alone, it is pretty clear that this is talking about Jerusalem the city and the people of the city and not inferring the church is in anyway in that role. Paul makes it very clear in Romans 11:1-2 that God has not forgotten His people.

I say then, has God cast away His people? Certainly not!… God has not cast away His people whom He foreknew. Romans 11:1-2

His people throughout the scriptures has been and will be the people of Jerusalem and Israel. They hold a special place in His heart for them. We are commanded to pray for them always until God makes them the a praise in all of the earth. This means we are to pray for the tiny town in Israel until it is a massive city that shows nothing but the glory of God.

God really does care for the people that He has chosen, in Zechariah 8:2 we read that God is zealous for Zion with great fervor or burning desire. God will do all that He has committed to do for Jerusalem. He has  a burning heart over the matter. He longs to see the promises that He has promised come to pass. He is a faithful God. Isaiah 62:1 is clear that God has plans for Jerusalem and He will finish those plans.

For Zion’s sake I will not hold My peace, And for Jerusalem’s sake I will not rest, Until her righteousness goes forth as brightness, And her salvation as a lamp that burns. Isaiah 62:1

God is committed to this to not only see the promises come about His people but He is committed to seeing the promises concerning Jerusalem for the sake of His own glory. Ezekiel 36: 22-23 is pretty clear that God not only does this for the sake of the people of Israel but for ‘His holy name’s sake’ and His purpose is to make known to all the nations of the earth that He is Lord. He will use the people of Israel to accomplish this through their salvation and the coming of the Son of Man to rule from the City of the Great King(Israel). God has always seen Jerusalem as the place where He will set up His throne to rule and reign from. Jesus talks about the being the city for Him to rule from in Matthew 5:35, for it is Jerusalem that God has established the Messiah to rule from. For Jesus to fulfill this biblical prophecy both the nation of Israel and the City of Jerusalem must exist forever.

If we understand these foundational premises, then it becomes clear why God’s number one focus in human history is the city of Jerusalem and the nation of Israel. Therefore we must partner alongside God and pray for the nation that He has enormous zeal for.

2009
11/30
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A Prayer Meeting Thrives With A Focus

This post mostly gives insight into the role of the prayer leader as he/she helps to bring consistency to the prayer meeting. Although the things that I say are in no way just for the prayer leader alone, all can learn valuable life lessons about prayer meetings in the reading, or shall I say rantings of this horrid writer.

So you are the person that put this prayer meeting together huh, well then here are some things to help you in the leadership on the meeting itself. Take it or leave it. You, as a leader of the prayer meeting that is going on in whatever arena you are in, have the right to dictate the direction the prayer meeting goes in. ‘WHAT?!’ It’s true, you can ask people to pray about certain topics in order to bring structure to the meeting. It is great to ask the intercessors what they are going to be praying about before they grab the proverbial microphone, but you by all means have the right to say, ‘I think that we should focus on _____________(fill in the blank) instead.’ This should in no way hinder the prayer meeting or make it awkward for that person to pray, if you do it with some tact they agree to do what you ask with no hesitation.

Now your whole prayer meeting does not have to have one focus, it can have multiple focuses (focusi, focusee, yeah focuses), you can take the first section and pray for your college, and then you take the next section of time to pray for your city, and then the next part to pray for Israel and so on. This establishes a consistency that is not found when Billy prays for one thing then Jean prays for something completely different right after him, and then Beau decided that he is going to pray for another topic after Jean, this confuses me to even type it yet alone to be in a prayer meeting where it is going on.

Just like in life, if you take the time to organize your prayers together, the meeting runs more efficiently and smoothly. I promise you will not ‘quench the spirit’ if you ask someone to pray on a different topic because it will bring consistency to the meeting as a whole. You being the leader have the liberty to ask someone what they are about to pray for before they ‘step up to the mic and let it rip’. You have the liberty to ask them to wait on that subject matter for the time being because the meeting is not going in that direction. It is OK! Just make sure you do it in a manner that does not belittle or make them not want to pray ever again! That would be bad. Don’t be, what I call a ‘Tactless Wonder’.

2009
11/02
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The Centrality of Christ in our Prayer Meetings

‘…indeed our fellowship is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ. These things we write, so that our joy may be made complete.’ 1 John 1.3-4

I was in a prayer meeting the other week, to open the prayer meeting a worship song was sung to help to bring the room together in agreement. It was a song that had a great melody and had nice words and was preformed well. But something was bugging me about the song that stuck with me throughout the whole prayer meeting and after. I realized that the thing that was bugging me was the lack of content in the song. I don’t want to mention the song but I will say that it is a popular song on Christian radio done by a very prominent artist. What was the content that was lacking? Christ. No where in the song was He mentioned the idea of Christ was there but not ever was His name lifted up and praised. The thing that sets us apart from anything else is this Man and for me to be singing a song in a prayer meeting that does not even mention Him seems to me to be a waste of my breath. The centrality of Christ is one of the things that is being questioned across the globe, but He is the foundation to all that we are. Upon Him the church is built. Without His bloodshed we are nothing. With His bloodshed we are everything.

It is for this reason that we need to strive to make all of the songs in our prayer meetings Christ centered. I was hindered that entire prayer meeting because my spirit was bugged by this. He did so much for us, all I want to do is praise His name and sing about Him. My opinion is that we don’t fully connect with the cross of Christ and the work that He did on it for us. If we would take the time to experience the cross in our personal prayer times we would start to get a grasp of the pain that He went through in order to make a way for us to be with Him forever. So how can we apply this to our prayer meetings? Take the time to really look at the songs that are going to be sung. Think to yourself ‘What am I going to be singing about during this prayer meeting?’ ‘ Are these just nice songs or do they proclaim Christ and the workings of His hands?’ The Lord loves it when we sing songs to Him about Him. It is what we were created for anyway, we might as well do it so the rocks don’t cry louder than us.


2009
10/15
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