Monday, October 15, 2007

New Beginnings: Chapter 2

The Tale of Todd and The Two Reagan's (Part One)


While in Boulder, Reagan C. (whom I will dub "RC" for this blog post so you do not get confused.) and I stayed at the home of Reagan R's mom. Reagan R. is a man, ok got it. We will dub him "RR." He is also from RC's community of friends in Austin, Texas.

The first day we slept (after driving all night) relaxed and ate Ethiopian food (good stuff!). Day two RC and I hiked Glacier Rim trail. We hiked up above the tree line, elevation of 13,000 ft. above sea level, YA!!!









We had a great hike of talking, lots of praying, singing, shouting (not at each other) Praising, knocking down New Age altars that were on the trail, we ate (a rueben from Whole Foods) and some sweet encounters with the Holy Spirit. The views, and the fellowship with each other and the Holy Spirit were the best part of the day. And the fact that I held my own physically with a licensed fitness trainer (RC).



The next morning we didn't have a real plan but had some ideas. And that night we were planning on watching the meteor shower in the mountains, specifically RC and I had planned that. Also RC was meeting some old friends in Fort Collins and RR and I were planning to join her. Somehow we (RR and I) came to the conclusion the RC needed/wanted a day by herself in the mountains and that we would go hang out in the mountains and do some male bonding. Later we found out the conclusion we came to was wrong, by a long ways!

So RR and I borrowed his mom's brand new (or close to it) Mercedes Convertible and headed for Vail and beyond. We didn't have a plan and just drove. Supposedly we would make it back to meet with RC in Ft. Collins. But as the distance began to grow it wasn't looking good to get back and meet her. We sat on a dock at Dillion Reservoir and gazed at sailboats and mountains. We ate at Vail and drove through the mountains in this sweet convertible. My first call to Reagan to let her know we wouldn't make it was not good!

So you know, guys go into that damage control mode and try to salvage some of the situation. We decided to head back (there was NO CHANCE or slim to none that we would make it in time to even catch them on their third or fourth beverage refill) and feel like we were gonna help things out some.

On the way out of Dillion some wild things began to happen. First, major traffic jam, now we are done for, RC will not be happy. Then it began to rain, top had to come back on. We were on the west side of this tunnel and on the west side of some peaks. And then up on the right a sweet double rainbow formed. The main rainbow, was honestly the most brilliant and beautiful one I have ever witnessed. And they both came down and literally landed in the trees not far from us. I used my binoculars to spot the chest of gold, but there was a leprochaun or was that an elk protecting it. Ya right!










So God begins speaking about covenant (hmm) and about Noah. And here is a good nugget from His word. Every time there is a rainbow God himself looks at and remembers his covenant with man. "...and I will look on it to remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all the flesh that is on the earth." -Gen. 9:16

Isn't amazing that God looks at each rainbow to remember? Why does he look at each one to remember? It is not like God will ever have a memory problem. It's one of those amazing God things that we do not have revelation or great answers as to why He does it that way. And that's ok, lets search it out and look for nuggets. But really who is like this God? He is totally other than.

Back from the bunny trail (God is always a good bunny trail). Next there is some movement and we get through the tunnel and then stopped again on the other side. There we parked again but now we were right next to the reason for the traffic jam. A major accident. There were law enforcement people everywhere, emt's, and a flight for life helicopter, etc. It was mainly between a semi and a car. And there was hardly anything left of the car, really. You could feel death in the air. Soberness came flying into our car. Yet we looked up to the right and there was the other end of that beautiful rainbow. The glory of God and the death and pain of earth all right before our eyes. We began to get revelation on how it was in the days of Noah and how it will be during "The Day of the Lord." There will be God's promises and goodness and glory right before our eyes and then blood, death, and pain everywhere around us, all at the same time.
"For the Day of the Lord is GREAT and TERRIBLE; Who can endure it?" (joel 2)
It truly was a picture of what it will be like. Imagine seeing people from your town or neighborhood on one day at Wal-Mart or school, or church or work, etc and then on the next day find out hundreds were killed from a tornado, flood, shooting, etc.







We got back and Reagan C. was still in Ft. Collins and didn't care to see us any time soon so we (Reagan R. and I) went up to nearby (10min) mountain and watched the meteor shower. This turned into some intense intercession and a river of violent tongues which were definitely about the Boulder area. God was breaking our hearts for the city of Boulder and the University of Colorado.

The next day we all put the previous day's miscommunication on the table and made peace. Here was some beginning signs that Reagan C. and I were starting to like each other more than friends. She was mostly ticked because she wanted to be with me and I was actually restless and mostly unexcited and distracted about driving through the incredible beauty of the Rockies in a convertible Mercedes. Who would not be happy doing that? Me because I was missing her and wishing I had "chosen wisely."

We toppled a few Buddha's at Reagan R.'s moms house while there and then we doused the place in oil and prayer the whole time we were there. And yes we had to put all the Buddha's back in place before we left. But we had an encouraging dream the morning we left. In it a little green monster died. RR's mom is gonna get set free from darkness!!

We hit Whole Foods one last time and hit the highway, again driving at night, pulling into KC at 6am.

That is Part One of the Tale of Todd and the Two Reagan's but sadly the end of the Boulder part of the story.

Thursday, October 11, 2007

New Beginnings: Chapter 1

In the aftermath of the Call Nashville I was feeling it was time to step down from the position of Transportation Coordinator of the IHOP Missions Base. And I felt like I was suppose to step down from full-time staff to part-time staff. I didn't know what I would be doing next, but just to follow those instructions. So at the end of July I stepped down. Then one day the sitting in the prayer room after a day of standing on the wall, I said "Lord what do you have to say to me right now?" He began to speak about New Beginnings, and He took me to Romans 6:4.

Romans 6:4-Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was rasied from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.

He said new things are coming, the times and seasons are gonna change. And He specifically said "New Beginnings."

So I have this friend named Reagan from Austin, Texas, whom I met in Washington, DC back in 2005.
We connected there as friends and then we talked again at One Thing 2005. Then at the IHOP Baptism Service on November 12, 2006 I was baptized that night and she decided to do it too. And she asked me to walk with her through the procession, as she was a bit doused in the Spirit and needed some assistance.

That has been our friendship. Then on the six month anniversary (May 12) of our baptism she called and we have been talking and praying together on a weekly or bi-weekly basis since that time.

She was coming to a wedding in KC in August but was going to hike and climb some mountains and hang out in Boulder for a couple days first. Turns out she asked me if I wanted to go and on short notice I said sure.

So on Aug. 8th around the midnight hour we drove off to Boulder in a cool red Matrix rental car. The date was 8/8/7.











So on 8/8 two friends drive off to hike mountains and hang out in one of the coolest cities in America and one of the most wicked cities in America, Boulder, Colorado.

The saga will continue...