Maintaining a sense of balance, focus, and perspective in life requires that we be connected to the source of all joy, purpose and wisdom. We all know that, that's why we listen to Graham Cooke: to be reminded who the source is, what He is like and just why He is someone we want to be close to. 

We listen because we believe that God is good. We believe that He speaks. And we believe that we can draw near to Him. We tell ourselves (and others) that God is kind, He is invested, He is available. But for a lot of us, if we were honest, where the CD stops is where our faith ends. In reality, however, this is just where the real opportunity begins...

Graham is coming to the Pacific Northwest!

An excerpt from Keys To Brilliant Focus by Graham Cooke.

Graham talks about what it means to live as a celebrant and what that looks like in our lives. Take your joy to the next level by applying this key concept to your life!

It is God that has established us in Christ. It is our choice to remain where He has so wonderfully placed us. Choosing to “Abide in First Love” was one of the teaching subjects in The Missing Piece conference. It literally means occupying the space between the Father and the Son and learning to abide in love. Abiding is concerned with maintaining a place of intimate connection with the Father and the Son, aided by the loving support and power of the Holy Spirit. “Keep yourself in the love of God.” (Jude 1:21)

We did not choose God; He chose us and set His love upon us, as a seal over our own heart. We are to be governed by His passion for us in Christ. Choosing love above all else enables our hearts to be captivated by the Father’s very real affection for us. Our relationship with Him is founded on what He has made available to us in Christ.

Everything about the Christ life within is full of intention. The purpose of God is to bring many sons into glory. We are to be made in His image. We are overcomers learning to become more than conquerors. We are citizens of Heaven here on earth. We are the Bride of Christ; the brother of Jesus; sons of God; servants of the Lord; good soldiers and heirs of His Presence. Everything in the Kingdom is connected to an Intentional Identity.

Knowing who you want to be is an identity issue. Knowing what you want to do is concerned with destiny. Both are two sides of the same coin. They cannot be separated.

One of the most unpalatable truths that we may ever have to face is the fact that the choices we make and sometimes do not make have a very powerful impact on our life.

Choices are always about power. Failure to make the right choice or even not to exercise our options may give that power to someone or something else and leave us feeling weak and ineffective. Choosing the correct decision will open us up to other options of a higher or lower order on that same road. Choice is inescapable, so why not make it a joyful part of living?

Vision gives us a spectacular view of God’s perception for us and around us. Every hindrance in front of us must be overwhelmed by the majesty within our hears. A problem can never be bigger than the Lordship of Christ. Barriers are designed to teach us to overcome. Obstructions are meant to kill off the skeptic in all of us.

Vision is never static or one dimensional. It grows and develops as we do in Christ. Vision creates motion and provides momentum, and is a part of our normal paradox of stillness and movement.

Vision will expose our own frailties, which is both a relief and a release. The Holy Spirit helps us with things that we are not good at; either by cultivating a weakness into a strength or by giving us companions with strengths in those areas. It’s good to know one’s weakness because our fellowship with the Spirit turns everything into an asset. He is a genius at knowing us fully, loving us deeply and providing for us wholly.

We do not get a vision by ourselves and ask God to breathe on it. We worship, pray, meditate and listen to His heart. A vision that is rational, logical and based on what we can reasonably accomplish given our numbers and resources… will ultimately not upgrade anyone involved in the enterprise.

The Father has a vision for us personally and corporately. What does He see? Dreams, visions, scripture and prophecy are the seedbed for a vision that comes from another dimension. We cannot open ourselves up to Christ without becoming supernatural in our lifestyle and processes. A man made vision breeds struggle. It takes away our energy in the Spirit. It strips us of astonishment, awe and wonder.

Vision is not simply a good idea that we ask God to bless. Neither can it be just the best option that we have at our disposal. To make plans and ask the Lord to endorse them is the antithesis of real vision which says: “I only do what the Father is doing.”

Vision begins in stillness. It requires the patience to sit and listen. What we hear creates the big picture. What we see becomes a series of steps that we walk in partnership with the Lord. It is important that the vision be bigger than our faith, and our capacity to achieve it by ourselves.

God wants us to know Him in the same way that He knows us. In every circumstance there is an inbuilt summons to an upgrade in our experience of Him. He is always making overtures to us that demonstrate His love, joy and favor over our lives. He loves His people. He seeks our enjoyment of being through our encounter and experience of Him in the rough and tumble of life.

In every circumstance I have one question in my heart. “What is it Lord that you want to be for me now that you couldn’t be at any other time?” Every situation is also an invitation. God makes overtures to us through every circumstance. Revelation of Him and His nature surrounds us in life. It is impossible to escape truth and a true knowledge of God. The Holy Spirit is simply too good at what He does. He is the spirit of disclosure (John 16:13). He adores Jesus and is endlessly fascinated with His work in our lives.

Thanksgiving creates blessing. Continuous rejoicing opens us up to increase. Life is about possibilities not negatives. Jesus said, “All things are possible, only believe” (Mark 9:23).

Thanksgiving has a creative power to produce good. It is good for us to rejoice. It creates energy, enthusiasm and strength. We are expanded on the inside. Our eyes are bright, watchful for blessing, increase and favor. Goodness is drawn to us as we lift up Jesus in our hearts. We make ourselves attractive to favor and blessing. We are able to look at life and circumstances differently, therefore we see the good in everything.

Sometimes, when we think we love someone, actually what we love most is what he or she gives us. If for any reason that changes, then our relationship could be adjusted to reflect our disappointment or even bewilderment. We are always changed by our experiences of being loved. What makes us mature in loving is when we see our contribution to others as the bigger part of love. We love because we want to be an expression of who Jesus is for us. We love without strings or thought of reward.

Setting people free is the core of true love. The true wisdom of love and freedom is this: “If you love something, set it free. If it doesn’t come back, it was never yours to begin with.” Love desires freedom and the need to be trusted. If we do not learn to love openly and without fear then the objects of our affection will struggle in their relationship with us. Love gives permission for people to explore their life and identity and to make mistakes in the process. Whenever we do something for the first time, we cannot make a mistake because we haven’t done this before. Therefore we can only learn from what happened. Then we must make an adjustment and try again.

When the Gospel came to the Greek people, they had no language for unconditional love. No word could adequately represent the magnitude for the concept. They had to make up a word that defines God’s loving nature. That word is Agape. The most important thing about love is what we do with it.

Scientists say that the sun is a self supporting ball of pure energy derived from continuous thermonuclear reactions at its core. The power unleashed in those reactions is so awesome that theoretically the sun could shine for billions of years with no appreciable change in size or radiance.

How like God to set something in motion that would reflect His endless preoccupation with life eternal. All creation models the Creator. Like the sun His love is ceaseless and constant. Everlasting means ever-present. We always approach God from our own finite sense of what life means to us. In and of ourselves we are bounded, demarcated, and terminable.