Hollywood Update #1
Yes, I’m still going. 
And, originally, I had been looking at October - not for any particular reason, per se, except that it just… felt right. But recently (yeah, like since MAY), I’ve been facing opposition (more to the timing than the actual going). The opposition isn’t usually outright; it’s more of a “Oh, hm…” or an “Are you sure?” kind of thing.
So I’ve been floundering. God keeps saying the same thing, and I keep asking as though I didn’t hear Him the first time (or second, or third, or…). And, no, God isn’t saying, “OCTOBER!” But He’s still saying, “Go.” And He’s not saying, “Go later.”
So I’m back to looking for a job and a place to live. The later is the most discouraging. Everything is more than I can afford. SUBSTANTIALLY more. I thought about asking for some help from a lady I have contacted in Hollywood (Jeri Penley). But so far, I’ve only thought about it.
But in the midst of all this shakiness and wavering when considering the “practical” side of what’s to come, I find myself with an unshakable confidence in the “big picture” that God has laid out. It is a movement of His hand that will not be stopped; it is coming. And it’s exciting! Especially since we, as the Church, are invited to take part in it!
(What follows is part of an entry from my personal Hollywood journal: written on 9-10-04):
Meantime I am reading some great things in Scripture that excite me about what God has in store - not so much for me as for the Church and those that are lost. Three places in particular have caught my attention: Ezekiel 37 and Isaiah 58 and 60.
Ezekiel 37 talks about the Valley of Dry Bones, and I keep flipping to it (not voluntarily) when I open my Bible. This has been happening for several months, and I often reread it, hoping to catch some new revelation from it (no luck). Then, several folks at church became interested in the book Red Moon Rising (which is about the 24/7 prayer movement). I decided to check it out, and I was able to read the first chapter on-line. One of the first passages of Scripture quoted (if not the first) is Ezekiel 37: The Valley of Dry Bones! (How cool is that?!) While it’s a brief section in the book, the author’s insights did at least point me in a direction for my own study.
So while I’m still working on deciphering what God wants to say to me through Ezekiel 37, I’ve been reading in Isaiah - hence the two chapters that caught my attention. The first (58), I see as a call to the Church to stop standing on ceremony, consumed with endless navel-gazing, and look up and around! To start putting the principles of our faith into action: seeking God, caring for people’s needs, reaching out with the Gospel. If we do that, God promises REVOLUTION!!! A change that no onlooker will be able to explain, ignore, or resist! We will have all our needs met as the Church and be able to spend everything to reach out to those around us. And those around us will respond - with a decision to follow Christ! Salvation! Revival! Blessing beyond your wildest imagination! - if you (we) would humble ourselves and pray, and begin looking to the Father for our help, our guidance, our fulfillment, and our purpose. He is faithful! He is good! He will do what He says He will do! With the psalmist, I echo:
7 The law of the Lord is perfect,
reviving the soul.
The statutes of the Lord are trustworthy.
making wise the simple.
8 The precepts of the Lord are right,
giving joy to the heart.
The commands of the Lord are radiant,
giving light to the eyes.
9 The fear of the Lord is pure,
enduring forever.
The ordinances of the Lord are sure
and altogether righteous.
10 They are more precious than gold,
than much pure gold;
they are sweeter than honey,
than honey from the comb.
~Psalm 19:7-10 (NIV)
The second chapter in Isaiah (60) is along the same lines (message-wise). It’s all about God’s promises to His people (the Church): provision, blessing, joy, nations being drawn to our light, ultimate victory, and all this “swiftly”! (Verse 11, also, particularly caught my attention: 24/7 the gates will be open! )
What else is there to say but, “Church, let’s go!”