If you are a world racer or world race alumni, one word you hear a lot about is Covenant . You hear it at training camp.  You hear it at debriefs.  You hear it from the mouths of men such as Seth Barnes, Andrew Shearmen or Michael Hindes.  I remember hearing this word for the first time.  Part of me yearned for such a thing and another part of me was scared to death - scared I might be rejected or that living in covenant would allow me to see how messed up I really was.

           

 

          If there is one thing I learned about a lot  on the world race it was relationship.  Intimacy thrives under conflict and we had plenty of it.  I mean, living with the same people day in and day out isn't easy at all!  Especially when you're going from place to place, ministry to ministry and in the midst of it all, being broken beyond belief.  Oh, and lets not forget trying to figure out who you are or what your roll is on the race, or even scarier, in life.

            What I have learned is that nothing can be walked out alone.  I mean, sometimes we need to figure out our crap one on one with the Lord, but knowing you have people to walk it out with is the one of the most comforting things in the world.  There is nothing more painful than loneliness.  I think that is why the Lord has such a heart for the widow and the orphan.   He wants to comfort them and allow them to see that He has established covenant with them.  It's a covenant that breaks all law and allows dreams to be born again.  These Spiritual fathers and mothers have placed themselves in the light of vulnerability to breathe life into us and encourage us in finding who we are.  They are encouraging us to dream... and dream big.

 

For years I have had many dreams.  Some have happened, and some have died.  I have mourned and laughed at the things that I have walked out.   When I first came onto the race I was a mess.  I knew nothing about covenant or relationship, but I saw something in these Godly men (men like, Seth Barnes, Andrew Shearman & Gary Black) that made my heart come alive.  I saw that they were living their dreams, and not only that, but they were living them fully alive!  I saw that it really cost them everything to run and follow after what the Lord had called them to do.  The mystery was in the risks they had taken and the faith they had in their dreams.   They had been broken, beaten, and had died to their own expectations only for the Lord to take over and birth life in them. Nothing can spread the gospel more than someone living it and I saw these men living it right before my eyes.  They were walking together and living their dreams

            About a month ago they walked with me through one of the toughest losses in my life, the death of my Mother.  They spoke life and love over me and encouraged me to feel and to mourn.  They encouraged me to find life in death.  Months before my mother had passed I had set a goal to begin the journey on my dream to record my first album.  After she had passed I almost let the dream fade, then one morning I felt the Lord urging me to trust him with my dream and to continue to walk it out.

 

I recorded my first album with the help of Chuck Day, My beautiful wife Jenny and Kim Daniels.  I am risking and believing it will touch people and that this dream can become a reality.  I am living the mystery and walking it out with a ton of mistakes, but regretting nothing.   Crazy thing is, it took incredible men and women believing in me and walking out life in covenant  with me for me to finally grasp the beauty in risk; the beauty in covenant.

Go take a listen to a piece of my heart and let me know if it touches you.

Just go to

www.myspace.com/christelfermusic

 

I am also on facebook or email me at chrisjtelfer@yahoo.com

 

Thanks to all that have believed in me and are partnering with me in this dream.
 
World Race alumni,

Chris Telfer

 

 

 

 

 

Hello everyone

I am leaving for New Delhi, India real soon

and am seeking everyones prayers while I'm away.

I leave to lead worship in Gainsville tomorrow the 21st and will be there for a week before leaving the 26th for India.  I ask for prayers of vision, direction, safety and for the Fathers Love to be loving through us.  I have put together a new blogg which will be my new source of output for all my pictures, videos, music and bloggs.  It's http://chris-telfer.blogspot.com/

Check it out while I'm on the field and shoot a comment or two

Your brother in Christ,

Chris J. Telfer

It's hard to think it's already been over a month that we have all been back. I thought it would feel a lot different than it has. It feels as if a year has been compressed into this small frame of time only pictures of this year give clarity to. Aside from the new stop light down the street and crack in the cement not much has changed. It seems we look for change yet find it staring back at us after a hot shower splattering toothpaste on the reflection we thought we knew. I hate writing so even writing this blog now just sucks so here I go.

I'm sure all of you remember the vision I shared with all of you about the orphans unlocking others with the keys of Christ. I wrote about it when I was in Cambodia so if your lost check out my dreams and visions blog at http://christelfer.theworldrace.org/index.asp?filename=visions-and-dreams.

Well the Lord continues to birth psalm 127 in my heart all over again. In Dondo, Mozambique as I read through it I felt the Lord call me to be a spiritual father to orphans who Jesus loves to play with. As I read on I saw the importance of the holy spirits power. For it says in verse one, unless the Lord builds the house they labor in vain who build it; Unless the Lord guards the city, the watchman keeps awake in vain. Unless I seek to establish myself in his spirit aside from the confirmations of the world, aside from cool little ministries or strategic ways in which to minister then it will be in vain. The Lord continues in verse three by saying, Behold children are a gift of the Lord, the fruit of the womb is a reward. Verse four says, Like arrows in the hand of a warrior so are the children of ones youth. Verse Five continues with saying how blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them.

The Lord is saying these children are weapons of warfare. They are key weapons in the armies of the Lord to battle in the spiritual. I think of an archer being a very meticulous person making each arrow perfect. I see him Sharpening the head, placing each feather with precision so when he aims he will hit his mark with accuracy and power, firing with confidence. The Lord is calling spiritual fathers and mothers into restoring the heart of the children. Malachi 4:5 says I am restoring the hearts of the fathers back to the children and the hearts of the children back to the father so that I may not come and smite the land with a curse. There are different harvests and I see a harvest of orphans ready to receive the Lords word and count the cost at a young age. We are dealing with nations where pagan and ancestral worship has gone on for thousands of years. We are called to fulfill the great commission according to Matthew 28 and the Lord does say in Matt 24:14 that the gospel will be preached to the whole world before his return. Now don't get me wrong I'm not discrediting missions in the states. If anything we need Jesus here more than anything and Gods mission is to glorify himself and our mission is to glorify God. So if your getting upset about overseas missions I'm simply stating what the Lord has called me to and the revelations he has given me so chill out. We need to be on the same page here. Anyways if we expect to go into a nation which has strong spiritual ties we must take prayer and fasting very seriously rooted in the heart of worship and I feel these orphans are a piece of Gods plan. His word says he uses the foolish things of the world to shame the wise. I wouldn't discredit the Lord using these orphans to fall to there knees and pray for their own nation breaking the chains the enemy has had for years allowing for the gospel to burn and claim the land.

I feel the Lord getting me back to the heart of prayer and worship. Love is a choice and I choose to stay grounded in his springs of life and choose Him. I want to encourage all of us and this is for me just as much as it is for you, to keep our eyes fixed upon Him and the visions and dreams in which he has placed in your heart. Proverbs 4:23 says to guard your heart for it is the wellspring of life. The Lord downloaded many supernatural plans to men of the old testament. He said," Ok Moses these are the plans to build my tabernacle and build it on earth as it is in heaven." K so that's not word for word but Jesus did say pray the Lords will be done on earth as it is in heaven Do not let your tiredness, your un-confidence your family your friends, the world strip you of your inheritance. The word says those who are not willing to leave the things of the world are not worthy of Him. The violent seek to take by force and so we with holy anger should seek to hold on to promises he has given us with utter care and invest in them. I believe it was the man in Matthew 25 that buried his treasure the Lord cast out. The things he gives us are meant to be invested in and meant to have return in His Kingdom. For faith without works is dead. We seek not the works but by faith, hope in his love which burns us with passion to fulfill his will by the revival in our own hearts. I have never been so broken in all my life with so many things yet felt the Love of the father in the faithfulness of his word.

I will be leaving for India to visit a few orphanages January 27 so I ask all of you for your prayers. The Lord is calling all of us to stand up and take what he Has for us. One day the Seth Barnes', Gary Blacks and Andrew Shermans will die and we will be responsible for the next generation. We will be responsible for raising up a prophetic generations in the heart of discipleship, not bound by the ways of the world but by the ways of the holy spirit to reach out to their generation. I want my sons and daughters to come to me and because I took my inheritance I can give them living bread. Do you want to give them a stone or a snake because you didn't take what the Lord had for you? Inheritances are meant to be given away and I want to acquire all He has for me, and let me tell you it isn't going to be any easier in five or ten years it will only be harder. It is time we stand up in brokenness and walk with the power of the holy spirit.

Hello friends and fam. 

Just wanted to update everyone and say thanks for all your prayers.  They were felt this past month in China.  Things are going well now that were back in Hong Kong.  Crazy to think this adventure is coming to an end. 

I will be flying into DIA next Tuesday the 20th at 8:00 pm for those of you that would like to greet me there.  Thanks for everything. 

SEE you soon!!!

It's crazy to think that before I know it this journey is going to come to an end.  The Lord has refined me so much this year and really shown me his heart for community and discipleship.  He is doing something big in the church.  He is establishing pillars to be the corners of his Church.  Pillars that will stand and call in all nations to their heavenly father and unite us as the body of Christ.  I am so thankful I have had the opportunity to see His heart for the nations and thus be broken. 

Right now I'm sitting at 2,450 from reaching my final financial goal for the rest of the year.  I am so overjoyed and have faith the Lord is going to supply.  I thank all my supporters thus far for believing in me and in the church to give to a cause greater than ourselves.  Also the Lord has heavily placed it on my heart to go to India within the first three weeks of being back home and spend X-Mas with the orphans.  I am sold out for the one who redeemed me by his Grace. 

The Lord has given me vision and passion to make disciples and be a spiritual father to orphans who want his holy water.  I want to display love and die to self for His sake to glorify his name. 

I'm asking for your spiritual support for the Lord to birth more worship in my heart.  For a new song to be a pillar in the desert place and make a garden in the dark and barren places.  I ask for prayers of clarity in what the Lord is calling me to walk out in him and I also ask for prayers for kingdom resources to build kingdom. 

Once again thank you so much friends and family for all your support and I pray blessings over all of you. 

A humble servant in Christ,

Chris J. Telfer    

These past few weeks have been some of the best on the race.  I have been dreaming again.  I have been hoping in a generation more and more that will live the way Christ intended.  A generation that will be church not do church. The Lord has been showing me that it starts with the one.  Revival starts in our own hearts and the Lord is cultivating vision and dreams in the hearts of his saints.  The meaning of revival is to recover ones breath.  The very breath that was breathed into Adam is being recovered through the second Adam who is Jesus Christ.  

Before the race I had a vision of many children in chains.  In the vision I remember standing upon a hill with a man looking upon people being persecuted in chains.  This man then gave me a key and said to go and unlock them.  As made my way down, the sounds of screams and shrieks filled my ears.  The people were being persecuted.  They were being beaten and yelled at.  The first man I approached was older, dressed in rags and had shackles on his writs and ankles.  I approached him feeling confident he would want what I had.  I asked him if he wanted me to unlock him.  He held out his wrists with gladness and I put in the key and the shackles fell.  As I went for his ankles he took of running and quickly fell to the ground.  I explained I could unlock his legs too but he wouldn't listen and just kept getting up and falling down over and over again.  Frustrated I turned my attention to an old women sitting on the ground caked with dirt and decorated with wrinkles which told the story of years of struggle and persecution. 

 As I approached her she began to scream very loud at me and told me to get away.  I tried to explain to her I could unlock her but she just screamed and told me to get away.  It was as if she was comfortable with her misery and had lost hope.  I then began to get angry and confused because I had this key to unlock these people but I couldn't use it.  I then walked behind her and saw a small boy on his knees.  I remember he was dressed in ripped and stained clothes.  His hair was jet black and he was looking down into the dirt.  As I walked up to him I asked him if I could help him.  His head immediately shot up at me at staring at me with his large dark eyes and said, "Yes, yes please."  I bent down as he held up his little wrists and I put the key in and his shakes fell to the ground.  As I went for his ankles anxiety fell over me, worried he would try and run off like the man before him.  I told me I had to unlock his ankles too and he shook his head in agreement.  Set free, he looked into my eyes and said, "Could you please help me with something else."  "Of course," I told him.  "Could you unlock my friends too."  As I stood up and looked over his head I saw lines of children all kneeling in chains as far as the eye could see.  I gave him the key and he began to unlock kids one by one.  When I opened my eyes from the vision the floor was wet with tears and I continued to weep for a while.  I felt the Lords heart literally in mine and couldn't explain it.  I broke for children I had never met.

I have since held onto this vision since the race asking the Lord ok what does this mean. 

I believe the Lord places desires in our hearts to be fulfilled.  Our God is a redeeming God and I have a heart for the orphan.  Here in Cambodia I have had the opportunity to spend time with a lot of orphans and have my own heart come alive.  My dream is to help their dreams come alive.  My dream is to give these kids hope in the dark places.  My dream is to turn the hearts of the fathers and mothers back to the children and the children back to the fathers and mothers.  My dream is to establish pillars to a church with no wall of religiosity and legalism in the world to call in the masses to worship our redeeming God who's heart is for the orphan.  Who's heart is for restoration.  It is time we all start dreaming of Gods dream of glorifying his name.  I have never felt more alive in all my life seeing the love God has for these children.  It's amazing to see the opportunity we can give to them to chase after their dreams in the Lord.  It's amazing to see hope.

" Open your mouth for the mute, for the rights of the unfortunate.   Open your mouth, judge righteously and defend the rights of the afflicted and needy."

        For the past few days I have had such a burden on my heart.   Our first day in Phuket, Thailand, we were invited to go to a Burmese camp with our contact, Mark.   In the car, he began to explain the problems the Burmese face in their own country, but more so the hardships by the Thai.   Burma's problems began back after WWII after gaining it's independence from the UK.   The remnant of a communist society remained along with a broken economy.   Sai, one our translators who is a native to Burma said, "In Burma, if you're not in the military, you're nothing."   Federalism rules and the people there face a hard way of life.   Because of the strong economic growth due to tourism in Phuket, many Burmese come to Thailand looking to better their lives.   Sai is one of them.   After spending seven years in prison and being arrested several times, Sai has dedicated his life to serve Christ and fight for the rights of the Burmese people.

Yesterday Mark, Chris, Sai and I decided to go and check out some of the local Burmese camps close by.   We had no idea what we were doing, we just felt led to go and build relationships and we had Sai who can speak Thai, Burmese and English.   Decorated with rusty tin and trash mounds, the camps house anywhere from two hundred to a thousand Burmese.   Companies act as sponsors here regulated closely by the government to house the Burmese and use them as a source of cheap labor.   Their homes are like scaffolding.   They can be kicked out, moved, or arrested at any time.   These people live in fear and labor hard.   The government regulates these people almost to a point of house arrest.   The Burmese are not allowed to have a mobile phone.   Not allowed to have any form of transportation.   Their children are not allowed to be educated.   They are not allowed to be out of the camps during the day or meet in groups of five or more after 8:00 pm.   They are treated like dogs and hated by the Thai.   For no reason they are hated and the next generation is being cultivated to take the shackles of their parents.

As we approached two Burmese men standing outside the camp, Sai explained the trouble he could get into for helping us.   The first man named ManYo looked very confused why three white men and a local were talking with him.   Soon after another young Burmese man looked intrigued as well and came over.   Both of them explained the hardships of their day.   They both could not find work for the day and they couldn't afford to pay the police the 900 Baht (Roughly about 30 US dollars) to pay their housing sponsors.   Mark asked if we could see where they lived.   ManYo looking very excited, bobbed his head up and down and led us into the camp.   As I walked up the stairs I had to be very cautious as my foot almost pushed through the wobbly floor numerous times.   Scribbled in red spray paint we arrived at room F-22.   As I took off my sandals and entered I was humbled by this man who allowed me into home.   With a huge smile on his face he explained his wife had just had a baby the day before.   We sat and talked with him and, as I sat there, I felt the Lord say, "Chris, this is my harvest. Their hearts are prepared for me and ready to receive me."   As I looked over the balcony into the camp courtyard I imagined many poor and broken Burmese worshiping the Lord.   It stuck my heart and gave me goosebumps.  

This is church.   Investing in people lives and building relationship.   I'm sick of doing church and I think the Lord over the course of this year is teaching me the heart of being rather than doing.   Yes I could buy food and supplies and meet a physical need which is beautiful but what separates us from the world is sharing his love.   We experience his love by being and then we feed with the bread of life and watch his anointing flow over the hearts of his people.   Anyone can do, but it challenges us to trust and be.   I believe trust is the greatest gift we can give our father and our sacrifice is just a byproduct.   Jesus said to love our neighbor as you love yourself.   I think too often we focus on loving our neighbor and it becomes work and obligation.   Let's face it, community is hard.   Being church is hard but it truly is the heart of God.     The fact is how can we share the love of Christ.   How can we share love for others if we ourselves don't understand the love the father has for us.      

Please pray for these people for they are deep in my heart.

I'm sitting here thinking about all the things experienced here. As we show up to the care points the kids run to meet us. We walk down to the wooden shack the Go Go's work in and greet them. Veus Mossi Ruby the head cook says to me. Come and help me Veus and scrub this pot. I love it. There are times I just stare at the hut with hanging boards and exposed rusted nails and think, this is the most beautiful thing I have ever seen. I walk and circle the place trying to find new kids to meet but now I think we have met them all. Our time here has been so good. I have never missed a country this much before.

God's heart for the orphan is so huge. I believe the Lord's redeeming power is going to burn this generation with his word. One morning in church God spoke to me. He said he wants to burn the land with his glory and that he wants to use the orphans in this land. He want to burn the land with his word and rain down tears of joy to revive Swaziland.

The statistics in the nation are enough to make a person feel hopeless. You walk down the street and watch people pass by and it's hard to imagine that six out of ten of them will be dead in the next five years. Aids is killing the middle generations and leaving the children to fend for themselves in a country that keeps its grasp upon witchcraft and the ways of a fallen generation.

Our hope is to train these children up in the ways of the Lord. Show them their heavenly father and love them with His arms. I know the Lord is going to do a work here. I know God loves to uses the foolish things of the world to prove power.

Father I thank you for all that you have done in us and through us. I thank you for your heart for the orphan and I pray you send more workers to come and disciple this rising generation.