Stone Speak A symposium on worship, arts and the prophetic,
here and across the pond...

“You think you know a story, but you only know how it ends. To get to the heart of the story, you have to go back to the beginning.” King Henry VIII

She was said to be “the people’s princess”, a girl from Wales who captured the hearts of millions. In her passing, she enchanted us with a sense of Snow White mystery, being laid to rest on a private island of her family’s estate. For all her prestige and beauty, Diana captured the child- like wonder of princess stories and showed her true, royal posture in her unending charities to see the world become a
better place.

For many, the changing of the guards was marked by that tragic day in August when Diana lost her life in a car chase in Paris. The outpouring of support in flowers, cards, and weeping in the streets of London revealed to the establishment that a new sense of honor, royalty and government was in the air. It was a cameo in the life of “England’s Rose”.

Goodbye England’s Rose
May you ever grow in our hearts
You were the grace that placed itself
Where lives were torn apart
You called out to our country
And you whispered to those in pain
Now you belong to heaven
And the stars spell out your name

And it seems to me you lived your life
Like a candle in the wind
Never fading with the sunset
When the rain set in
And your footsteps will always fall here
Along England’s greenest hills
Your candle burned out long before
Your legend ever will.

All across the world there are signs of the crossover season we are in. The shaking and shifting of governments, to the shaking of the earth, the changing of the guards has begun.
Yet, for one government, there will be no end...

For unto us a Child is born,
Unto us a Son is given;
And the government will be upon His shoulder.
And His name will be called
Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
Of the increase of His government and peace
There will be no end,
Upon the throne of David and over His kingdom,
To order it and establish it with judgment and justice
From that time forward, even forever.
The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this.
Isaiah 9:6-8

There is a king returning. Over the centuries, this has been marked by legend and fantasy in story and film, but the Biblical reality is the government to come will be a kingdom government ruled by the Lion of Judah. All will bend a knee to the Lord Jesus Christ, “the light of the world”. The Lord
is revealing this in many forms as the acceleration of His return is displayed. As we prepare for the Lord’s coming, His desire is to reveal His majesty in this crossover season. With anticipation, we are to discover the imagery of this mystery of a “once and future king” as we watch the changing of the guards unfold.

Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me. To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne. Revelation 3:20-21

I will give you the treasures of darkness And hidden riches of secret
places, That you may know that I, the LORD, Who call you by your
name, Am the God of Israel. Isaiah 45:3

The imageries the crossover for me have been numerous.
I realized the changing of the guards years ago during the

Queen’s Jubilee. It started with a dream...

In my dream, my son, Taylor, was wearing a proper, night’s cloak of robin’s egg blue. Taylor walked over to a stone and effortlessly removed a sword just like young King Arthur. He looked at me and smiled. Taylor has always represented Jesus in my dreams. I knew from the simple dream a king
was returning.

The next day, we took Taylor to visit St Paul’s Cathedral. Suddenly, I saw moving through a stream of visitors a man wearing the same cloak I saw in my dream! I began to move quickly to see who it was, but a buzzing group of officials closed in around him and hurried him into the cathedral. We waited patiently to see if we could get a glimpse of him when they reopened St Paul’s. We discovered later that the man in the cloak was the Duke of Kent who was being ushered in to a knighting ceremony. The pageantry took place in a small chapel where a painting of Christ hangs called Light of the World.

Minstrels in blue cloaks assemble
Poets of the Holy Grail
Abbey bells ring over London
As tales of Troubadours avail

Light of the world
We bow down
Lost in your wonder love and praise
And all the Kingdoms of this world will cast down
All of their kingly crowns
All of their kingly crowns
In March squires to the order of Saint Michael and Saint
George to the Fanfare of the knighthood
Drawing arms and lifting swords

Light of the world
We bow down
Lost in your wonder love and praise
And all the Kingdoms of this world will cast down
All of their kingly crowns

All of their kingly crowns

July at St. Paul’s Cathedral
Golden celebration days
I dreamt my son drew from a stone
The sword that brought King Arthur praise

Light of the world
We bow down
Lost in your wonder love and praise
And all the Kingdoms of this world will cast down
All of their kingly crowns
All of their kingly crowns
Rebecca Holihan

The excitement of what the Lord was doing led me on a quest to discover many mysteries in the days ahead. I studied, researched and “spied out the land” to not miss the coming king. I had a clear word that this would be as much in the natural as the supernatural, so I became watchful like Simeon.

And behold, there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon,
and this man was just and devout, waiting for the Consolation of
Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. Luke 2:25

I let all the imagery, symbology, stories and tales build in me a kingdom mindset. Every thread that weaved into the concept of kingdom became infused within my spirit. Through journaling, I created a mapping of the coming days. I began to see patterns as well as an acceleration of the coming king. It was astonishing to see how these things were being drawn so close to me even though I was living
on the other side of the pond. I was being captivated by the picture the Lord was creating and keen on any manner in which He would use me to establish His design. As a way to express my own creativity, I began to build royal gardens, write poetry and music to express the intimacy I felt about His kingdom.

But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. Matthew 6:33

The sun is setting on the Heartland
It rises on Cathedral skies
And I’m no longer that cowgirl in the sand
And only God could answer why

A thousand years of prayer has brought me here
Centuries of people crying out in God’s ear
Now I’m flying ‘cross the ocean with my mustard seed and fears
A thousand years of prayer has brought me here
A thousand years of prayer has brought me here.
Rebecca Holihan

It is hard to look at the imagery surrounding the royal family without being focused on heraldry. It is a bit of a strange word in the West, but basically it is the art that signifies and identifies a person or group. The first Coats of Arms were used by Christians during the Crusades, but heraldry dates
back as far as the tribes of Israel. I saw the similarities between English heraldry and Biblical mantles. Mantles were worn as a sign of authority.

Now Elijah took his mantle, rolled it up, and struck the water; and it was divided this way and that, so that the two of them crossed over on dry ground. 2 Kings 2:8

Similar to heraldry, a mantle could be passed on to others revealing the significance and mystery of God’s favor on an individual. In the realm of kings and queens, this is seen as the mark of a sovereign put in place by God alone.

Then it happened, as they continued on and talked, that suddenly a chariot of fire appeared with horses of fire, and separated the two of them; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven. And Elisha saw it, and he cried out, “My father, my father, the chariot of Israel and its horsemen!” So he saw him no more. And he took hold of his own clothes and tore them into two pieces. He also took up the mantle of Elijah that had fallen from him, and went back and stood by the bank of the Jordan. Then he took the mantle of Elijah that had fallen from him, and struck the water, and said, “Where is the LORD God of Elijah?” And when he also had struck the water, it was divided this way and that; and Elisha crossed over. 2 Kings 2:11-14

In many ways, we have not seen ourselves as “kingdom people” or “royal priesthoods” because of our inability to grasp the concepts of royal imagery and symbols. If we understood that there are mantles to be picked up, and heraldry to be handed over to us, if we would assume the persona and the role God has ordained for us we would live like royalty. This is our birthright. Royal inheritance is God’s good gift and is birthed in us like children from the Lord. We have authority we have not utilized and inheritance unclaimed.

Listen to me, you islands; hear this, you distant nations:
Before I was born the LORD called me; from my mother’s womb he has spoken my name. He made my mouth like a sharpened sword, in the shadow of his hand he hid me; he made me into a polished arrow and concealed me in his quiver. He said to me, “You are my servant, Israel, in whom I will display my splendor.”

Children are a heritage from the LORD, offspring a reward from him. Like arrows in the hands of a warrior are children born in one’s youth. Blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them. They will not be put to shame when they contend with their opponents in court. Psalm 127:3-5

Foreigners will rebuild your walls, and their kings will serve you. Though in anger I struck you, in favor I will show you compassion. Your gates will always stand open, they will never be shut, day or night, so that people may bring you the wealth of the nations— their kings led in triumphal procession. For the nation or kingdom that will not serve you will perish; it will be utterly ruined. Isaiah 60:10-12

I have set my heart on pilgrimage, similar to those over the centuries looking for treasure and spices. My desire is to usher in the king and raise the age-old foundations in order to participate in the changing of the guards. Like the Lady of the Lake in poet’s tales, I want to see the King restored to
His rightful place and His government to be established.

Blessed is the man whose strength is in You, Whose heart is set on pilgrimage. Psalm 84:5

And near him stood the Lady of the Lake,
Who knows a subtler magic than his own--
Clothed in white samite, mystic, wonderful.
She gave the King his huge cross-hilted sword,
Whereby to drive the heathen out: a mist
Of incense curled about her, and her face
Wellnigh was hidden in the minster gloom;
But there was heard among the holy hymns
A voice as of the waters, for she dwells
Down in a deep; calm, whatsoever storms
May shake the world, and when the surface rolls,
Hath power to walk the waters like our Lord.
'There likewise I beheld Excalibur
Before him at his crowning borne, the sword
That rose from out the bosom of the lake,
And Arthur rowed across and took it--rich
With jewels, elfin Urim, on the hilt,
Bewildering heart and eye--the blade so bright
That men are blinded by it--on one side,
Graven in the oldest tongue of all this world... Tennyson

The Princess who stole the hearts of millions has left a living legacy. The heraldry of Diana lives on in her son William, the future king of England. This year marks an amazing witness of the changing of the guards. Amidst our dreams, passion and pilgrimage we can be enamored with the crossover into
kingdom government as we watch in anticipation for the coming of the King of Kings.

Mankind is many rivers
That only want to run.
Holy tragedy and loss make the many One.
Mankind is a holy, crowned
Mother and her Son.
For worship, for mourning:
God is here, is gone.
Love is broken on the Cross.
The flower on the gun.
6 September 1997
Ted Hughes, Poet Laureate

She had visions from God with instructions that she was to recover her homeland from the English. She was martyred at the age of nineteen for leading the French army into battle against the British, and was responsible for the coronation of the “Dauphin”, the prince who would be king, Charles the VII. The title “Dauphin” literally means “dolphin” and is the French equivalent of Prince of Wales, a title relating to the heir of the throne. Joan of Arc is considered a heroine of France.
As a young girl of thirteen, Joan began to hear the voice of the Lord. She had rarely heard His voice without seeing bright light. According to historian, Robert Lacey, “After hearing her,” recalled one eyewitness, “the would-be king appeared radiant.” Joan led the Dauphin’s army into battle with skill and clarity about her mission.
As stated in the book Great Tales from English History, “The fascination of Joan’s story is that a teenage girl should have persuaded ever-widening circles of people to agree with her that the King of Heaven had chosen her to bring reparation to the kingdom.”

We read such stories, legends and tales of heroes and heroines with an almost distant gleam of thrill and excitement. Stories like this and those of giant slayers are only the reality of today’s movies, right? But what if you were called to change history or to advance history? What if you were like Moses, called to deliver a people from slavery after 400 years of crying out to the Lord? Such tales seem more and more uncommon today. In fact, there seems to be few true history makers in our modern era that create that air of adventure and passion as those of the past. What would it take to be a history maker? When hearing God’s voice, what has he called you to do that is bigger than your image of yourself, bigger than your imagination?

In this season of the crossover, we must first realize that we have come into a new age, an age like no other. We are living in a time of history in the making. We have entered a new epoch--which means this is the dawn of a new appointed time. As God’s people, we have a role to play in the advancing of this historic moment. The changing of the guard implies that a fresh anointing has come, a new move of the prophetic is on the horizon and an increase of God’s government is about to be revealed. With this window of opportunity in 2011, we must each ask ourselves how will we respond to the unfolding of events this year and what will it take to crossover into the new realm of the season we are in? Consider the following:
•    You are not a spectator
Many of us have come through a time of preparation and testing as we have waited on the promise God has for us. This past season has been like those who wandered in the wilderness awaiting entry into the promise land. Now that the promise has come, we can still be a bit bewildered about what to do and how to make the crossover into the new. We are on new ground with new circumstances. There is no spiritual map that has led us to this point. If we stand and do nothing, we are mere spectators. At one time in Joshua’s journey he saw God part the waters, but in this new place, the waters didn’t part until the people of God made the move to crossover.

So when the people broke camp to cross the Jordan, the priests carrying the ark of the covenant went ahead of them. Now the Jordan is at flood stage all during harvest. Yet as soon as the priests who carried the ark reached the Jordan and their feet touched the water’s edge, the water from upstream stopped flowing. It piled up in a heap a great distance away, at a town called Adam in the vicinity of Zarethan, while the water flowing down to the Sea of the Arabah (that is, the Dead Sea) was completely cut off. So the people crossed over opposite Jericho. The priests who carried the ark of the covenant of the LORD stopped in the middle of the Jordan and stood on dry ground, while all Israel passed by until the whole nation had completed the crossing on dry ground. Joshua 3:14-17

It is a brand new day, and like Joshua, the situations and circumstances of life have changed. With the promise at hand, it requires us to no longer wait but to respond. This is a year of action and stepping into the waters as we experience God’s new plan.
•    You have to have a story
I love a good story. I am always excited to hear something amazing about expeditions, daring feats and tales that are handed down as epic events in history. When I was young, I would read these stories imagining myself as the character who slayed the giant, won the battle, or got the prince. As we grow older and time passes, imagination like that seems to be in vain. Yet, the Bible is clear that we need to believe He has so much more for us.
However, as it is written:

“What no eye has seen, what no ear has heard, and what no human mind has conceived” -the things God has prepared for those who love him. 1 Corinthians 2:9

At times, it is hard to fathom that we are Bible characters, but the story didn’t stop after the book was written. We have a role and a responsibility to step into the pages of history. This role is more profound then any time in history.

These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised, since God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect. Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. Hebrews 11:39-12; 1-3

As you crossover into the new, there is an expectation that you will begin to walk out the promise. It will require you to come out of the wilderness of the past and to see things with fresh eyes. It will mean laying down old traditions and embracing change. With the shift in thinking, there will be new expectations. As was told to Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz, ”You are not in Kansas anymore.”

 On the evening of the fourteenth day of the month, while camped at Gilgal on the plains of Jericho, the Israelites celebrated the Passover. The day after the Passover, that very day, they ate some of the produce of the land: unleavened bread and roasted grain.  The manna stopped the day after they ate this food from the land; there was no longer any manna for the Israelites, but that year they ate the produce of Canaan. Joshua 5:10-12

•    Live out your assignment
In order to fulfill your destiny, you must complete the assignment you were promised. This takes a lot of focus and faith to believe that God is using you for something much bigger than you have ever considered. He wants you to be a history maker. When we think less of ourselves than the image God has for us, the tendency is to doubt the promise and work it out ourselves.

Abraham fell facedown; he laughed and said to himself, “Will a son be born to a man a hundred years old? Will Sarah bear a child at the age of ninety?” And Abraham said to God, “If only Ishmael might live under your blessing!” Then God said, “Yes, but your wife Sarah will bear you a son, and you will call him Isaac. I will establish my covenant with him as an everlasting covenant for his descendants after him. And as for Ishmael, I have heard you: I will surely bless him; I will make him fruitful and will greatly increase his numbers. He will be the father of twelve rulers, and I will make him into a great nation. But my covenant I will establish with Isaac, whom Sarah will bear to you by this time next year.” When he had finished speaking with Abraham, God went up from him.
Genesis 17:17-22

You are a Bible character called to do great things. As you crossover into the promise that God has spoken over your life, walk in boldness with the belief that God is about to make history, and He is going to use you to fulfill it. You, too, will have a story to share that will go down in history and bring glory to God.

Many have undertaken to draw up an account of the things that have been fulfilled among us, just as they were handed down to us by those who from the first were eyewitnesses and servants of the word. With this in mind, since I myself have carefully investigated everything from the beginning, I too decided to write an orderly account for you… Luke 1:1-3

History Maker

Is it true today that when people pray
Cloudless skies will break
Kings and queens will shake
Yes it's true and I believe it
I'm living for you

Is it true today that when people pray
We'll see dead men rise
And the blind set free
Yes it's true and I believe it
I'm living for you

I'm gonna be a history maker in this land
I'm gonna be a speaker of truth to all mankind
I'm gonna stand, I'm gonna run
Into your arms, into your arms again
Into your arms, into your arms again

Well it's true today that when people stand
With the fire of God, and the truth in hand
We'll see miracles, we'll see angels sing
We'll see broken hearts making history
Yes it's true and I believe it
We're living for you