Songs of a Great Awakening

Today, our drummer Matt and his family come up from Texas. And then...

Let the rock and roll begin.

We'll be in the studio for an intensive 5 days or so, creating and tracking 4 or 5 songs. Some will be covers, some will be never-before-heard originals. But they will all be a more accurate representation of what Radiant is currently doing than what we have released up to this point.

There is a group of intercessors up in Boston right now, praying and fasting for 40 days for a revival in New England that would sweep across the rest of the USA. They're targeting college campuses, specifically the Ivy League Universities, with prayer and prophetic evangelism. They're contending for another Great Awakening to break out, like those of the past and greater.

Though we cannot be there on site, an intercessor friend of ours had a dream that suggested our involvement. In the dream, some members of Radiant were looking out across the Charles River in Boston. Through a series of other dreams, we began to wonder if this might be a reference to Charles Wesley, who wrote a multitude of hymns that were sung during the Great Awakening.

And we had a thought: what if our part to play this time is in writing the songs of a Great Awakening?

Lord, be with us as we write and arrange these songs this weekend. Anoint us with Your power and Your Spirit. Let this project be a part of the release of a Great Awakening in the nation. Anoint the songs with delivering and healing power. Let us hear the sounds of heaven and communicate them on earth. Amen.

There's an autocrat in my belly, and its name is Self.

I have found an autocrat living inside of me. It goes by the name of Self. Self has somehow remained nearly undetected in spite of the fact that it is determined to exercise absolute authority over my life. Most of the times that I have felt the most selfless and charitable have been when Self is satisfied. Self doesn't mind me doing things for other people as long as It is taken care of first. The trouble occurs when Self is not satisfied. When Self is not satisfied, it rears its ugly head, and all of a sudden I am no longer seeking to meet other people's needs. Self steps up, pulls in the reins and demands that I satisfy its desires. And the killer thing is, I often obey.

I'm currently reading Rees Howells, Intercessor and haven't been able to get past Chapter 5: "The Holy Spirit Takes Possession." At this point in Rees' life he had been a believer for a few years, and the Lord was coming to collect what Rees had promised him: his life. For the first time, Rees had an encounter with the Holy Spirit, who explained to him:

"I am God, and I am come to ask you to give your body to Me that I may work through it. I need a body for My temple, but it must belong to Me without reserve, for two persons with different wills can never live in the same body. Will you give Me yours?" And then He said "But if I come in, I come as God, and you must go out. I shall not mix Myself with your self."

The question Rees came to after struggling with giving up the areas of Self that the Lord highlighted was "How can self be willing to give up self?" The Holy Spirit had a good answer: "Are you willling for Me to make you willing?" It was enough. Rees was willing. As soon as Rees made the decision to give up Self completely, the Holy Spirit came in to possess him completely, and he became a new man.

I want Self to be completely eradicated from my heart, motivations and life. It will take the work of the Holy Spirit to show me where Self is currently ruling, and it will take His help to be willing to lose my Self-will entirely. But I am willing to be made willing.

TheCall Crisis - Houston TX

Something astounding happened in Houston this month. Ten thousand gathered on a Sunday night at an event that was planned in literally weeks, to pray for the ending of abortion and injustice. The following morning, Martin Luther King Day, as many as 14,000 rallied to pray and protest the presence of what will be the largest abortion clinic in the western hemisphere when it opens later this year. Again, this rally was planned in about 20 days. How did an organization such as The Call mobilize that many people in that short amount of time?

My favorite number is the final count of people standing in Silent Siege around the new clinic. 4,200. Four thousand two hundred bodies, standing as a wall, praying and contending against the raising up of this monstrosity. Four thousand two hundred people, in unity with the heart of God, equipped with the power of the Holy Spirit, backed my myriads of angels. Four thousand two hundred people who needed no instruction, no motivation, no inspiration. Four thousand two hundred who came, stuck a piece of LIFE tape over their mouths, and took their place on the wall, some of them not budging for 6 hours as they prayed silently for destinies, LIFE and the ending of abortion in Houston.

As I stood before that building, one in a line of 4,200, I was imagining the battle going on in the spirit. Sure, the spirit of death is huge and scary, and he has a lot of control and power. But if one person, with God, can put a thousand of the enemy to flight, and two can put ten thousand to flight...

What can 4,200 do?

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Radiant's job this month was to book and complete a tour (in two weeks, mind you) to mobilize for TheCall Crisis. We headed to Texas on January 1 and poured ourselves out to see this event succeed. We were so blessed to see the outcome of the event. However, we as a team did suffer some losses. Besides those of sleep and health :), nearly all of Radiant's stage gear was stolen from the back of our drummer's Tahoe. For details on how to help:

Radiant Restoration Fund 2010.

Free Song Download - Merry Christmas!

Some of you may remember me mentioning working on a "Hannah EP" earlier this year, and then, with no announcement of an available product, you may be wondering "Hey! What's the deal?" Well, I'll tell ya. Richy helped me get the basic structure of 5 of my original songs recorded, mixed and ready for listening, and we put all of these on a CD. I still wanted to do some work on the arrangements, as well as record a few more tracks, before I release it as a final product, but I also wanted to make something available in the meantime, so I titled the release the "Show Me Your Face - PreRelease EP" and began to sell it. So, in short, it's not what it will be, but what it is is available for your listening and worshiping pleasure.

I've made one track (called "Satisfaction") available for free download as a Happy Christmas present. Clicking on the banner below will take you to the place where you can download that song and listen to the others.

If you'd like to go ahead and purchase all 5 songs on a physical CD, please hit up the "Buy Now" link below:

Many many beautiful blessings to you this Christmas! And a Merry New Year! :)

Faith - In the Secret Place

But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. Heb 11:6

This morning I was meditating on the ways faith was illustrated in Hebrews 11. I was struck by Sarah, who received a reward of faith because she judged Him faithful who had promised. Moses was counted as faithful because He caught a glimpse of the covenant and plans of God for the nation of Israel, and counted the things dear to God's heart as more valuable than all of the treasures in Egypt. Noah chose to believe the seemingly ridiculous predictions and instructions given to him by God, enough to devote a large portion of his life to following them, and because of it his whole family (not to mention the human race) was saved in the flood.

All the patriarchs acted on a reality that they couldn't see with their eyes. They chose to live as "strangers and pilgrims on the earth," counting the unseen things, and an unseen Kingdom, as more valuable and worthy of pursuit than what is seen.

When we shut our doors and go into the secret place to meet with the Lord, it is an act of faith. We are choosing to put duties and cares of the seen realm on the back burner, and seek after what is hidden. We are deliberately rejecting the things that constantly vie for our attention and affection in order to experience the reality of an unseen realm. We are testifying that this world is not our home, but that we are looking for a different home... a city whose Builder and Maker is God. We are transferring our hope from what is seen to what is not.

This is faith. And oh, how it pleases Him. :)

West USA - MidTour Update

There's something about a high school campus that causes my heart to yearn. It may be that I'm a nerd and stepping into a classroom full of learning materials actually excites me; or it may be that seeing a sea of young people, each carrying such potential, opens my eyes and allows me to dream of what God might have in store for the campuses of America.

I saw a glimpse of revival in my own high school; kids burning brightly with the love of Christ and affecting everyone they came into contact with; and many lost being saved and set free. May we see the power and light of the Gospel going forth across the campuses of America.

Today half of Radiant (in the midst of our 3-week West Coast tour... w00t!) stepped onto a local high school campus in Madera, CA to meet with the Christian club there to encourage them and spread the word about the show tonight. It was so refreshing to be there, somehow, in their world. Many times, with our touring schedule, we blow in and out of a city/youth group in one evening, so it's easy to loose sight of the reality that the kids we minister to live in. We were able to speak a word of encouragement to them about responding rightly to trials and difficulties; and then pray for them. It was a sweet time. The meeting tonight was a full house, with kids from several different youth groups in the city and surrounding areas. It was so good to watch them encounter and behold the Lord in worship and then repent of sins and be washed by the blood of Jesus. May they be burning and shining lamps in their schools, spreading the hope of Christ to their friends.

Tomorrow - a VERY long drive to Utah to stay for a few days, and then we hit the ground running for our next run of ministry which will take us back to the great state of Texas.

Amen!

October 2009 Newsletter

Hello all! For the rest of the story on DC, follow this link to my October 2009 update letter. If you would like to receive this letter by mail, please email your address to hannah(AT)radiantworship.com.

Also, if you want more information on Bound4Life Houston or the 6-story abortion hospital being built there, you can read this blog from one of the girls involved in praying for the close of the abortion industry in Houston.

Blessings!

Hannah