I need powerful prayer. I am feeling ill. Yesterday I had a fever, today hasn’t been much better. Thanks beloved family & friends. You are all so wonderful.
God is super amazing is He not?!! I am so excited about all He is doing & planning… so many of my dreams are on the horizon. God is so detailed & loving… that He would pay attention & care about me so much!
I pray that the Lord would give you wisdom & grace to accomplish all your dreams!
I need your help so much LORD JESUS CHRIST, Son of God the Father Almighty, One True Savior of the world, Victor of death and bringer of Life, the definition & source of Love… the Love of my life!!!
This weekend we had The Canvas Retreat, a weekend away to be together with the Lord Jesus. A time of expectation and encounters with God’s Presence. Saturday night ended up being a Holy Spirit blasting time!!! So many got set free from addictions, lifestyles, and passiveness. It was a beautiful picture. Heaven entered the room, the moment we gathered together to form a recyclable-fire-tunnel and pray & prophesy over everybody. God fell on us. I have had dreams on my heart for the past several months, and I was a complete MESS when by the time I had finished the prayer tunnel… because by the mouthes of so many, the Lord spoke to me about my dreams. We started the ipod going afterwards and the Holy Spirit, who fell on us a good hour before, started running like a crazy person around the room!!! We had such amazing wild worship, in TOTAL freedom and full of JOY!!! (Honestly, it felt like I was in the Twin View Campus at Bethel Church – Redding, CA… and it was MARVELOUS.) PRAISE GOD!!!
But because of that amazing awesome time, I really need you God. Those dreams you have for me, those things… hard things you have for me to do while I am here on this earth… I NEED your help. Help me. Give me more passion, more love, more power, more Holy Spirit, more wisdom, more favor… make me like you Jesus. Totally dependant on Father God.
If you find some time in your day, and the Lord moves you – pray for me? Pray this prayer FOR me? Thank you, may our Lord Jesus BLESS YOU WITH CRAZY FAVOR!
Food for thought: “You can overdose on the Holy Ghost, but what a way to die!” – Kris Vallotton
My beautiful Brooke is coming for a November visit!!! I am so excited…
My lovely Rachel is coming for a December visit!!! Life is so good…
PRAISE THE LORD!
I am SO SO SO excited for December 10th! Bethel is hosting their 15th annual Holiday Feast!
Where the family of Bethel formally invite the less fortunate family members of the Redding community to be treated & served like kings & queens! We (Bethel family) will serve them (around 600 people) 2 grand Christmas meals (lunch & dinner) with all the HUGE fancy fixings!!! And have new clothing, shoes, “winter” gear (no not like a Fargo winter, of course), and presents!
Bethel Family Volunteers include: 128 Table Hosts, 240 Servers, 40 beverage servers, 24 Greeters/Ushers, 16 Hospitality Hosts/Hostesses (my job from 9am til 6pm!), 58 Kitchen, 40 Dishes Crew, 10 Decorators, 10 Bus Ministry, 32 Clothing giveaway, 18 Set up/clean up Crew, 12 Photography with Santa Crew, 24 Children’s Event, 10 Office/Registration Crew, 8 Table Busing Crew.
What an amazing opportunity! I am so grateful to be able to learn new things from this house… this event is right up my alley & I cannot wait to experience that night & minister to the Lord’s heart so affectionately in this way! I even get to serve in my area of expertise, Hospitality! I am so happy & excited I am almost bursting with joy just thinking about the day…
Pray with our family here? We have great expectations for the Lord on that day – pray we would be His pure embodiment of love… thank you!!!
There are so many dreams in my life! So many projects my heart is working on, more my head is scheming on, and some my hands are attempting to create!
At the Bethel house, in their Supernatural School of Ministry, they require their students to draw up a list of 100 dreams for their life & Pastor Danny Silk teaches couples in his premarital courses to draw up a life of dreams to accomplish as a couple 120 years out! I currently have 37 dreams written down… and struggling to add to it – but the Lord is bringing new dreams every day…
What are YOUR dreams?! I challenge you to make your own lists…
There are 7 standards to a healthy relationship: Love, Honor/Respect, Self-Control, Responsibility, Truth, Faith & Vision.
So I am taking this premarital course written by Danny Silk, one of Bethel’s associate pastors. It is amazing. Course, I am not getting married… yet. I figure that if I learn all these lessons now, then I can make a better informed decision about who to allow to pursue me in the future. Here are a tiny bit of my notes…
If you don’t learn these 7 pillars, you will instead learn to be fabulous frauds in the church & in your marriage.
The CORE of a healthy relationship is that you can be you no matter what is going on, or where you are (Responsibility). In order to have a healthy relationship we need healthy goals: Safety & Connection.
LOVE – Unconditional acceptance communicates that you get to be you & I get to be me.
HONOR – (Respect = Freedom!) is the currency of heaven; the result of honor is that you feel powerful around me, we engage together. With respect I can trust that you will do whats best for us.
SELF CONTROL – (Fruit of the Holy Spirit!) I manage me no matter what you are doing or not doing. I will never blame you for how I treat you or communicate with you. Proverbs 25:28
RESPONSIBILITY – I must respond to the situations in my life, anticipate life & be prepared for it. I need a plan for what I am going to do or say no matter what you choose to do. (I have a plan when you are disrespectful to me, I will never blame you for the words I use, actions I make, or distance I create… because I am responsible for my response.)
TRUTH – I will courageously show you who I am even when I am afraid. Truth sets us free, free to be ourselves around each other. (If you think you are married to a psycho-path… you attract who you are, not what you want.) The lack of trust says more about you than it does the person you don’t trust.
FAITH – We must have a supernatural supply of love & forgiveness. God is my supply & you are my target! You need to learn how to create intimacy without sex, or you won’t be able to have intimacy without sex.
VISION – Any relationship has to have a purpose. Plan out your relationship’s purpose, how far can you see? Plan for 120 years!
ENDING GOAL: Peace, Hope & Joy! (if you are missing any one of the above 7 pillars, these 3 things will slip out of your relationship)
Accountability is limited to what you will allow someone to address in your life.
I have a committment to being a healthy person – no matter what you do. I don’t control you, nor will I ever try & you don’t control me, and if you ever try…
Healthy people do NOT work well in unhealthy environments. (Jesus created so many problems they killed him for it!) For example, a marriage where both are alcoholics. An alcoholiage. One gets cleaned up & wants nothing to do with alcohol anymore… there will be severe friction & less tolerance from the healthy side to the continued alcoholic in that marriage. Health wants nothing to do with sickness.
The result in your healing is FREEDOM! Do what ever you can to get free, no matter the cost. Jesus Christ is & will ever be the only answer.
Many of you know that I moved out here to Redding, CA to learn how to rest… & the best place on the planet to do that? Bethel Church! However… (Nate stop reading right here, I don’t want you to see the following… haha)
Meg & I met this older couple at church Sunday morning. They were so wonderful that I blurted out a Monday dinner invitation before asking Megan! (We made lasanga) Myrna (the lady) had so many Words for me! She grabbed me while the two of us were in the kitchen and told me that I “will not be idle for much longer… that the season of resting that I am in & the lessons I am learning here, I will need for the soon coming future!” WOWIE! A crazy Word from a sweet woman of the Lord God.
(The above Word + the Word I received during my visit to Vacaville, CA a few weeks ago… where Graham Cooke pastors… “Be open. Be open to what God may do” = a wondering little me. God, what are you going to whack me with while I lay here in wonder, love & praise?! Help me to be ready.
Although resting is proving to be sometimes difficult, I am REALLY very much enjoying myself. I feel God stirring inside of me. There are great things coming, heavy tasks, righteous responsibilities, deep callings & wide hungers.
Thank you God for calling me to this time of resting, a time to remember who I am in You & what every inch of my foundation looks like. Wreck & ruin me… it will hurt & I might whince, but use me anyway. I am yours.
This past Sunday morning at Bethel Pastor Bill Johnson preached. Sort of. He only got like 15 minutes to preach, because…
At the 11:00am service we had almost 2 hours of heaven-fused worship! GLORIOUS! For near a half hour of that worship there were no instruments, no discernable words… just the heaven sound. Those of you who know what that sounds like, MAN OH MAN! Whoa! It was beyond discription, but I will attempt. I actually felt like we took the experience one notch up than ever before – the whole room (of well over 1,000 people) was just so hungry to express our love for Him. It felt like instead of the angels coming down & worshipping with us… that we were joined IN HEAVEN with the angels to worship! It was this different level of experiencing His presence… simply astounding. I had tears in my eyes, the whole continuous, non-dynamical half hour of our groaning melodies to the Lord was so… _________ – ah, there is no word that fits here!
At the 7pm service Momma Heidi Baker came on a suprise visit to her Bethel family! (Becca I can only guess at what your heart must be feeling right now!) It was such a good time with her. Drunk as ever, passionate, Christ-like, Truth-filled & bringing the house down… ah, gotta love Momma Heidi. She shared TONS of stories from home – Pemba, Mozy… Africa! Oh how I want to be there next summer… (bring in $6,000 Lord!)
If FULL was the goal today, I may need a new tank… this one is overflowed.
Friday night church at Bethel was AMAZING!!! Great great sermon by Chris who oversees the healing rooms here at Bethel. Here are my notes:
John 13:23 “There was reclining on Jesus’ bosom one of His disciples, whom Jesus loved.”
The differences between Paul & John (The disciple whom Jesus loved):
Paul – John 13:37 Paul declares his love for Jesus
John – John 13:23 always declared how much Jesus loved him
Paul – John 18:17; 18:25-26 denied Christ the SAME night as his declaration of love
John – John 19:26-27 was the only one ministering to Jesus in His dying moment
WE LOVE HIM BECAUSE HE FIRST LOVED US (1 John 4:19)
If you say “We love Him” only – you will be doomed before the night is done. If you understand the revelation of “He loves us” – you will serve victoriously until the end!
How does one live victoriously until the end? Look at what God has done & what He is doing… NOT at what hasn’t happened. Whatever you focus on will manifest! The enemy knows of he can distract you – he can immobilize you. Like a lion tamer distracts the training lion from the whip & himself with the stool. Imagine you are the lion & satan the lion tamer… he whips you & then distracts you with the stool, because that is where he attracts your attention to. BUT if you were not to be distracted… you could do some serious damage, eh?
There is POWER in remembering what God has done! 2 Timothy 1:6 & Luke 22:19
Healing is only difficult when you think is has anything to do with you. How should you pray for the sick? Like Jesus did! Out of worship for God’s glory!!! REMEMBERING what He has done & knowing He can do it again through you… (Deut. 5:15; 7:18; 8:18; 15:15; 16:3; 16:12; 24:9… to name a few examples! God really had to drill the importance of remembrance into the Jews, who were so easy to forget God.) So learn the moral & lesson – REMEMBER GOD & WHAT HE CAN DO & HAS DONE ALREADY!!!
“I am a fellow servant of yours and your brethren who hold the testimony of Jesus; worship God. For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.” Revelation 19:10
So the service was so awesome! A born deaf man (in his 50’s) was TOTALLY healed! 100% healed! Praise God!!! There were probably 20 other healings, like rotator-cuffs & slip disc vertebrae. I got to pray with a girl who had broken her toe years ago & when it healed she could no longer bend it (I saw her odd attempt at bending the right foot’s big toe, nothing) After we worshipped God over her toe & declared healing to it, she could bend it!!! It took about 15 minutes, but I think that is pretty fast service! hahaha…
What is your testimony declaring?
Hey family of the living God, the Holy One, the Lord Jesus Christ who is coming to catch up the faithful, righteous & Holy Beloved of the Bridegroom…
I want to express my love for a moment…
These past few weeks here in California have been difficult to say the least: I have not really made any hopeful friendships (purity standards are awfully low here, surprising I know), been openly mocked & ridiculed to my face (in a mean way, they were not joking around) at my new job of 2 weeks, and suffered from severe homesickness for Fargo (an altogether new experience for me, even though I had moved away from Minnesota 7 years ago). I love Fargo & everyone that makes it worth the missing. Rachel Shane said it best in her blog from just the other day. Fargo is just all around the best place on the planet because of what God is doing there & the people who are willing to make any sacrifice to see His will done…
I love Fargo. And like Rachel Shane, I know God has called me here to California for a season… and I will obediently learn until He calls me out of this place… then I will run as fast as I can to where He is leading next! (Please Lord, let it be Fargo!)
Although I wouldn’t mind a trip to Israel in the middle of it all! haha… Ray Hughes spoke at church last night & shared that he is going to Israel in the middle of October. He has been given special security clearances by the Israeli government to go places normal “tourists” cannot go… to pray for Israel & release a new anointing over her, to prepare for the coming spiritual seasons. I have a chance to go on his team! I only need approx. $3,200. Great. The one thing I don’t have is $. ISRAEL!!! Oh heavens, do I want to be in Israel! Do you know what a trip like that would be?! HEAVENLY! It is on my life’s bucket list… go to Israel. Ray Hughes’ team will be there for 2 weeks! Oh Lord… please. Send me to Israel Lord, I will go… send me.
Well, here I am now living in the beautiful mountainous city of Redding, California! If you would have told me I would one day be living in California Iwould have laughed for a week straight. Why would anyone move to the one state in the US with the worst economy & worst job market?! Californians want to move out themselves! Well, here I am. Crazy Rachel. Just back from sharing Jesus’ love and message of salvation with men holding machine guns and rifles… to live in economy sunk California. Hey, is Jesus soveriegn or is His soveriegn? I believe Meg and I are bringing great things to this city, and God has blessed us every step of the way.
Yesterday we made our first visit to Bethel Church, they are in the middle of a pastors & leaders conference called: The Hem of His Garment. So we only walked in the front door a little bit, then over to the Prayer House. The Prayer House & Gardens were amazing! So tranquil and peaceful. It honestly felt romantic to walk through the cobblestoned gardens… in and out of the willow trees and secret nooks that are perfect for devotions. With all of the made waterfalls, pool of Bethesda and trickeling streams, a top a large hill in the mountains that overlooks the entrance to the grounds at Bethel. Music playing softly from inside the House… it is a small slice of heaven. A perfect place to sit and listen to God.
We have really enjoyed the family we are living with, the two children are adorable. Meg & I have really enjoyed our poolside afternoons (soaking in the sun, of course!) after long mornings of resumes, cover letters, and applications. We are going for a hike on a mountain trail this evening, which I am VERY excited for! Liz is flying into Oakland for a school visit this weekend and we may drive down to see her (get nursing certificate stuff done in Sacramento) and spend some time in San Fran too!
I will keep you updated on all the Lord is doing here & in our lives! Please pray that Meg & I recieve favor from the Lord on jobs here. I have applied as a CNA at a living care facility and a Phlebotomist at a couple hospitals.
Hello family!
I am back in the USA! Praise God! I thought I would quick update you on the #’s for this week, because I have things to do & a huge move to California in a couple weeks to get ready for while I am at my parent’s home.
Our Dentist pulled 175 rotting teeth! You have never seen so many bloody/ gauze smiles coming from a dentist visit! Teeth were flying everywhere!!!
Our Optometrist saw 270 people & gave out 252 pairs of eye glasses! What a thing we take for granted!!!
Our Doctors & Nurses saw 2,500 patients this week! So many smiles mixed with such desperation…
Our Pharmacy wrote out (& gave with no cost to the DR people) 3,300 prescriptions!
Our Pastors prayed with every single person that came through our clinics, 278 made 1st time decisions for Jesus Christ, but even one person would have been reason enough to go.
If you are looking for a way to sow into the work of the Kingdom, and give to an organization that really does a ton of work, it is HOPE International. Look them up, click here and learn more: http://www.hopeinternationalministries.org/ & go and give!
Let me explain!!!
We were all on catamarans (huge sailboat looking things) most of the day today, and praise the Lord I don’t ever get sea sick, but when back on land the whole world MOVES! I walk almost like a drunk person and feel very weird & off balance. I am wondering how flying will feel when I am like this?! With such a large group we needed 2 catamarans, we all stopped and snorkeled together twice and had lunch boated out to us in between snorkel sites. Many of us snorkeled free as a fish, because of the salt water… a life vest is really for those who can’t swim at all. Snorkels, goggles & flippers. IT WAS AMAZING!!! I am so glad that I brought that underwater camera! I got great photos, and had one of the men who could dive MUCH deeper than I could (my ears are not what they used to be, haha) take my camera for some really amazing shots. He even went down and took a picture of a spotted Morea eel! Some of the reefs are very close to the surface, others were a 25 foot dive. The first dive had a huge reef that was really close to the surface only 10 feet maybe, and with so many things to see! The second dive was at 3 smaller reefs at about a 25 feet depth, BUT SO MANY FISH! We even saw a barracuda! (also where we saw the Morea eel) It was so much fun and stunningly gorgeous. Everything you read & hear about vacations in the Caribbean. My teeter/totter world is mainly because I spent the whole sail back to port (2 hours?) on the back of the boat with Pastor Kurt. He was on one side fishing, and I was on the other motor side. When I mean the back of the boat, I mean the part of the boat that holds the motor and is not really apart of the boat! But it is large enough to lay down on with 2 people safely, so I wasn’t really being all that risky I thought. Pastor Kurt actually did lay down at one point! Fishing pole in one hand and a coke by his head!!! It was hysterical.
Pastor Bob, if you are reading this… Pastor Kurt just thinks the world of you. Debbie & he have spoke only the best of you while I have been down here. They have treated me like their own daughter… and I have tucked them in a special place in my heart. By the way, I have a couple gifts for you, from them! (and I have a couple gifts for your wife)
Well Glory gang, I am headed to my exit meeting… where I get my worm pill (which I have only heard horrible things about). I am coming back with a tan, sorry! but it is only from 2 days! All week at the clinic I was indoors! SO I never saw the sun on my skin! haha… I kept saying that I better get a tan or my mom will think I lied to her about where I was going! Yesterday I swam before and after church on the beach (church in a bathing suit! which we should implement in Fargo… any takers? haha) and got a “little pink” & we will leave it there for the benefit of my mother. I was very worried about today, because of being outside in the sun all day on the boat… but I was VERY careful and used sunscreen more than I drank water! It was weird, but I was that concerned. Right now I look very tan with a kiss of pink.
I fly out of Santiago at 8:50 am, land in Miami at 11:00 am and land in Minneapolis at 10:00 pm.
Yesterday’s letter from Eden was so remarkable, I cried. Eden, you have no idea the love I have for you. Thank you for praying & fasting, I believe that because you did… I recovered WELL from the E coli poisoning. And I had a couple Divine Appointments, while beach shopping on Sunday, I will tell you about when I get back home.
Today’s letter from Shawna was so awesome! I read it while driving to the catamarans with Pastor Kurt, I rode in the front seat this time! He thought it was INCREDIBLE what everyone did for me, it really touched his heart. I read a little bit of yours to him Shawna & told his about your fasting Eden, and he was beyond touched. So was I :)
Tomorrow is the Lewis’ family letter! I am SO EXCITED for that letter! I am going to read it during my layover in Miami.
I gotta go! My exit meeting is in a few minutes down in the cabana. I love you all! and mom… I will see you at MSP at 10:20! Thanks for all your prayers… SO MANY PEOPLE WERE TOUCHED, HELPED, BROUGHT INTO THE KINGDOM!!!!! and LOVED.
<3
Good Morning family!
I wanted to thank those who prayed for me last night… I woke this morning with NO FEVER!!! My stomach is still angry with me and I am not sure how breakfast is going to go (all I ate yesterday was 1 slice of french toast in the morning, a few bites of a dinner roll dipped in broth for lunch (to take meds with), and even less of the same for dinner (meds again). Thanks again for praying!!!!!!
Today is Sunday! The day of rest. Praise the Lord!!! We have church today on the ocean front at 11 am and then the rest of the day is ours to do as we please, until 6 pm when we are to choose from 6 different local churches which service we would like to attend. Tomorrow (Monday) is our reward day which isn’t really a free day, since Pastor Kurt has pre-planned our adventure, for our safety. (which you can decide not to participate in if you are okay staying in Sousa for shopping or lounging around the resort, but that is boring!) The adventure is an all day ride on the catamaran with reef snorkeling! I am so glad I brought an underwater camera! I had originally hoped to go through the 27 waterfalls/ lagoons here in Sousa, but this adventure will be just as awesome I am sure… and much less physically challenging. Then Tuesday is our traveling back home day! I have a 7 hour lay-over in Miami, FL before my 10:20 pm arrival to MSP. Where I am excited to see my mom! (Thanks though Shawna) Shannon, we should go see Hiccup again!!!
ps. yesterday morning I got to pray with a mother of 4 ninos to receive Christ!!! PRAISE THE HOLY ONE!
until the whole world hears of His LOVE…
Unfortunately I didn’t think I would need my camera cord, I thought the computers would have SD card ports… so I am unable to share photos & videos with you all.
But Pastor Kurt and the crazy awesome Tech team have been downloading videos & pictures of the mission everyday we have been here. Photo albums are posted on Kurt Holthus’ facebook page. Videos are on Hope International Ministries group page. Go check it out! I guarantee that you will see me, but only a few times… taking pictures of blood pressures & pulses are really not that exciting for a photographer.
Pastor Kurt asked us on Tuesday night whoever felt out of their element to raise their hand… I did NOT raise mine. Thanks to Christ & Pastor Cal’s Mission Chicago training, I feel right at home! In a country that isn’t my own, with a language that I don’t know very well and an impoverished people that I cannot identify with. Except today…
despite the fact that today’s clinic was the worst we have been to yet (trust me, that is all in itself astonishing) it was a nearby mountain Christian school for children. The truck I rode on stalled in the middle of a VERY steep hill in front of the school, which was not very entertaining. Many orphans live at the school, which is directly the product of HOPE International. The school itself is “nice” but EVERYTHING around it screams poverty, desolation, and illness. The least amount of smiles were shown today, instead of happiness to have loving people to help them & play with them… I saw what it meant to look into the eyes of the desperate today. And I have been here in this awful environment 6 days already.
Why was I out of my element today? Because I got REALLY sick. No not Deng Fever, Praise the Lord! But the doctors think I got E coli poisoning. I woke up (6 am) with my stomach churning, but decided not to say anything and stick it out! When we came back from the school for lunch before our next clinic held at the resort today for resort staff, I laid down for a few minutes because I thought I might just be suffering from heat stroke & upset stomach. Within minutes I was freezing and sweating everywhere. I got underneath 5 thick blankets and tried to warm up. One of my lovely roomies, Natalie, went to grab a doctor. I got free meds out of the deal, but kinda wish I didn’t need them :) That was about 1:30 this afternoon, it is now 7:30 and I only feel a little better. If you are wondering why in the world am I on the computer then, is because #1 I had to go down to dinner to eat a bite (okay seriously only 2 bites) so I could take the meds. #2 I really wanted to inform you all so you could pray. Pastor Kurt & all the other pastors came into my room about 3 pm to pray over me, but I could use your prayers too. I greatly welcome them, I need to be out doing the work of the Kingdom! I am not willing to be ill when I wake in the morning.
ps. It did not rain yesterday or today! Praise the Lord, I like the rain… correction, I love the rain… but rain + that steep hill & gravel dirt would have made for a nightmare today. Not to mention most of the clinic was outdoors, because of extremely small quarters. And the Ministry team really appreciates the sun so they can play with the kids without it, although they do regardless of the rain, but it makes for a better day/time.
pss. I thought I would fill you in on something pretty neato, here at this resort are 2 other missions teams! One got here the same time as us, from Washington, and leaving today. The other from Indiana and they got here a few days ago. Both are working at local orphanages, and seem to be really nice teams. They are much smaller than us, but we do have a HUGE team, of a little over 100.
Thanks for praying, I love you all very much!
psss. I forgot to mention that yesterday was Amy’s letter & today was Ashley’s letter. Both were personal and I am not sharing them with you! Plus I don’t have them with me, they are in my room ;) I think tomorrow’s letter is Eden’s! Amy, I loved the scrapbook page, you are too funny! Ash I cannot wait to show you all the pictures you have requested, they will break your heart…
Go with God!
Hola familia! Today we were in Puerto Plata, a little more “wealthy” than Sousa and all the other places we have been so far this week, basically not as much garbage. We set up clinic in the local Assembleas de Dios iglesia (Assemblies of God Church)! I got to meet MANY fellow brothers & sisters in the Lord there, while getting their vitals and escorting them from station to station. I saw a very severe case of Tincea Capititus (the infected skin on the scalp, again) I took a picture of the little boy’s head this time, I spoke with the pediatrician, that little boy will have a huge bald spot for the rest of his life. The mother said she had received the special medicated shampoo before but the fungus had come back, the Dominican doctor she had seen did not tell her to wash the child’s bed sheets & pillow case in very hot water to kill the fungus living there, makes for better business if your patients have to keep coming back to see you (That is why I love being here, we are helping them with necessary medications, showing them the love of Christ, praying for salvation & teaching them proper hygiene). I met Jose, a brother in the Lord Jesus Christ & a member of that church, who was helping me with my Spanish & I helped him with his English! I learned how to say that I am in school to be a pastor “Yo soy encargada de pastores” which was neat to learn. I am having fun telling everyone here what my home is like in North Dakota! I must be really friendly or something because the people here just LOVE me! It is crazy, I get more hugs & kisses than any team member, except the pediatrician who is very affectionate with the babies… but I suppose he is giving them! I was escorting a mother & daughter at one point this afternoon and took them to the prayer room while we waited for their prescriptions from pharmacy… I got to pray with them to receive Christ as their Lord & Savior!!! It was so neat, I cried (yes big shock to my roomies: Amber & Sara).
Those who helped send me, THIS IS WHAT YOUR MONEY IS DOING! It is bringing people into the Kingdom! Now fellow brothers & sisters in the Lord. You have gained so many more family members this week, and still 3 more days!
A very cute grandmother grabbed me this evening, when we were about to leave Puerto Plata, and prophesied over me! She said that she saw the fire of God all over me & saw the Holy Spirit’s anointing all over me, and then proceeded to pray over my ministry! It was the coolest thing ever! I needed a translator to interpret obviously & grabbed one when the grandmother’s speech started to sound important (she was kissing, crying & hugging me for about 5 minutes while shouting praises to God, which I understood on my own). I have to thank those who prayed for me, I had a WAY easier time today understanding & speaking Spanish. I am even getting team members asking me to talk to their patients! It is crazy awesome. I love it here.
Last night we went to the Jewish Temple/ Museum and got to see REALLY neat stuff there. Practically an entire history account of the WWII and Dominica’s role in helping refugees. The ruler of Dominica in 1938 was Generalissimo Rafael L. Trujillo. He had massacred 15,000 Dominicans that year, for no reason at all, shot them as they fled down the mountain & had more of his men waiting to kill those who made it to the bottom of the mountain. Then in 1939 he welcomed 1 million Jews to his shores (just gave them 15,000 acres of his land) here in Sousa, to relocate. They had to help the economy & culture by providing trade services for free, but it sure beat the acid showers awaiting them in Germany! It was actually rumored to have been his attempt to whiten the population here and improve the economy in Dominica, also clean up his name a little bit after what he had done the previous year. It was very cool to learn all of this, but VERY sad at the same time. How sad that the people of Dominica who were massacred did not get any global attention or help, but cool that God provided another venue for His people to survive… once again.
I love you all…
(Remember to pray for our brothers & sisters in Chicago who are there to hold VBS, salvation rallys & work projects to improve south-side Chicago & Chicago City Church. I love you Pastor Cal & Kelly & TEAM!)
Hola!
Today we were at a nearby Christian school & church, set up in a bunch of classrooms. I don’t have a lot of time to inform here, I am about to leave in 10 minutes for The Jewish Temple for a Jewish history lesson/tour in a Jewish museum nearby! Apparently during WWII Dominica warmly welcomed the Jews here & they became a huge part of society and culture. Which is so cool! Tell you all about it later…
So I found out I was wrong. Yesterday, at our all day clinic, we did not see 400 villagers… we saw 715. WOW!!!!!!!!!! Tonight we found out that the one dentist we have has now pulled a total of 120 rotting teeth (Tuesday thru today) and the one optometrist we have has given 220 eye glasses to needy people! Today I listened to 350 blood pressures & pulses, in case you care (which I assume you do, haha) my ears hurt. Would you pray for me? The stethoscopes we are using are not good quality and are VERY uncomfy. I obviously cannot & would not complain here about it (except to the other nurses who are also hurting) but the insides of my ears are seriously in a lot of pain… I can feel them throbbing even with nothing in them! When you see so many patients… well, thank you.
I love you all so much! 3 more monsoon like rains today! Never has Pastor Kurt seen so much rain on a trip, or so many smiling faces from our team during it all. The team is great & I already have an invite with one of the doctors to come with her team to Guatemala! I will obviously have to check it out once I am at home…
Hasta luego mis amigos!
Dear friend Katie,
I hope you are reading this. I could REALLY use some lessons in Spanish right about now. Could you pray a Holy Spirit download into my brain?! I can understand most of my patients if they talk real slow (which is never, even when asked to), I don’t hear/understand every word, but I am able to understand mostly what is ailing them. I wish I knew more Spanish!!!!! and had my lovely Katie with me as a translator for us. Every doctor & pastor has a translator assigned to them, it would be nice to have one assigned to the nursing team though! :)
Hola! Jesus te Ama! (Jesus loves you!)
I keep forgetting to mention to y’all that we are staying at Sousa By The Sea Resort, while we are here. We are not here very much to enjoy all the things to do here at the resort, but it is very nice while we are here for dinner and bed. And the food is amazing! Some of it is kinda not that great, but some things are so good! The oatmeal in the morning is the BEST I have ever had, seriously. The chef will make you any kind of omelet, made to order, you want! I haven’t tried it yet, just because the oatmeal is so wonderful :) Not to mention the nonalcoholic (of course) pina coladas!
Today we went up the mountain! It was an hour drive away, going 90+ mph up a gravel one way road (practically, those who have been to a 3rd world country said amen) with HUGE pot holes, now… we are not talking about American sized potholes… these are POT HOLES. Cram about 25 of us on an open truck (4 trucks + 25 per truck = a lot of medical help), pew benches & no seatbelts… it is a wild ride! It is fun until you get pelted in the face by a rogue tree branch at 90 mph. True story.
Today’s all day clinic was held in a club. Yes, a dance/alcohol club. Praise the Lord!!! Across the street from a Christian school house!!!!!!!!! I got to meet so many fellow brothers & sisters in Christ, who would all say to me Soy de Cristo! y tu? to which I would reply Si! Soy de Cristo!!! Hola hermano! o Hermana! Tu es mi familia!!! (I belong to Christ! Hello brother/sister! You are my family!) It was touching, sometimes I laughed, others I cried. Most of the time, when you would tell them Jesus te ama! they would kiss me on the cheek and give me a hug like they had never met anyone who would love them despite not knowing them. It was incredible to be given the chance to greet them so and yet heartbreaking. Today we saw a lot of scabies on children, they are infections caused by bugs in the skin. They usually form around the hands, but can be found anywhere. They form raised bumps on the skin and possibly make lines or just randomly placed all over. It RAINED again today, but not American rain… no, rainforest downpour! This time the rain lasted a very long time, almost 45 minutes! Now, some of you are saying, that isn’t a long time to rain… you have not experienced a Dominica rain! It is like a wild monsoon, SO MUCH RAIN comes down, it is crazy and the sound is almost deafening. Good thing I am a nurse & get to be stationed sort of inside, no one really builds walls here, just a roof with bars for walls so when it rains, you are only partly safe from getting wet.
One poor woman had to have surgery, well sort of, we cut her open at least. She had a bite that got infected, REALLY infected and she had placed a leaf on it under her dress to suck the poison out of it. The incredible thing was that she wanted us to look at her arm! NOT her thigh! The nurse I was working with saw it under her dress while taking her vitals, noticed that the condition was not reported on the woman’s sheet… wrote it in & insisted to the transporter that they mention it right away to the doctor, when they moved her to one of the many doctor stations. What ended up happening, because of the horribly developed infection from the originally minor bite, there was an ulcer under the skin. One of the doctors cut her open, very painful without drugs.. by the way, removed what he could of the ulcer infection and cleaned what he could, prescribing her with a heavy antibiotic for the next couple weeks… which she picked up from our pharmacy. If the infection had taken completely over… maybe a few more weeks, that woman would have lost her leg. She would have needed it amputated & if she couldn’t pay for major surgery (which is probably very likely, considering) she would have developed a fever from the infection (her body trying to fight everything off) and died, possibly within a few months.
fyi ~ Several people came to know the Lord Jesus Christ today!
I read Brianna’s letter today! (while on the 90 mph truck ride up a mountain) It was wonderful & very encouraging. (I am SO GLAD that I asked you all to do this! It helps a lot, you have no idea) Her letter was all very personal, so I am keeping it to myself! Just know that I cried and was very encouraged… and felt very loved. She did share a verse with me Joshua 1:9 ~ Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified, do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.
ps. the internet costs me mucho pesos out here, although sometimes it is free (if the office doesn’t know the password screen is down, like it was down yesterday & right now… even though I bought a pass for today… argh) so, I will not post again until Saturday or Sunday, unless I find out that the internet passwords are down again & I can use it for free again. I love you all!
Hola! Me llamo Raquel, soy de Christo. Soy Enfermara, necesito su estatura (esparada aye y balasa y quitesa la gorra) y peso. Necesito presion y pulso (ihnada y exarda), Siente se, por favor. Son mia tu songresa! Necesito temperature. Vamos con miga, por favor.
This is the phrase I get to say 400 times a day! (approx. saying, haha. it differs with what I need to do with each villager.) Basically it all means: Hello! My name is Rachel, I belong to Christ. I am a nurse. I need your height (back to the wall and stand tall and remove your hat) and weight. I need your blood pressure and pulse (inhale and exhale), please have a seat. Show me your smile! {great for the sad & scared children!} I need your temperature. Please come with me.
Today we were at Templo Biblio, a few minutes from where we are staying. The clinics we set up are set into stations, the order as follows: Intake (names & ages, heights, weights, BP, pulses, temps), triage waiting room, doctors or lab tech or dentist or optometrist!, prayer room (pastors), blessing room (gifts, toys, and a Word of God teaching tool) and all the while the Evangelist team is playing with the kids and shouting salvation messages through translators!!! It is the neatest experience. Chaos, pure chaos… but awesome! Oh, and by the way, we had about 4 monsoon like rains today… it helped cool down the rainforest humidity & heat… but we got WET!
Today there were several children cases of tincea capititis: a skin infection in the hair, causing spotted baldness…. but this gets far worse than baldness, possibly permanent baldness… it apparently itches like crazy, it is really bad. A special yet simple one time use shampoo & the infection is cured! And if we catch it in time, the child may regain their hair in those previously infected spots! Some cases are too far off and will never regain their hair, sadly.
I do not know the exact amount of people who made a choice to have a relationship with Jesus Christ today, but it was over 9! (the total from one pastor out of 5 pastors, in 2 hour time span during a 6 hour day), hopefully I will be able to give a grand total by the end of the week.
I read Megan’s letter today! (my future roomie, a couple more weeks!) It was very encouraging!!! I will share only one phrase from the letter, since most of it is personal to me: {Don’t go to bed without some blood on your sword! Make sure to put on armor of God every day.} What that means is that I am to live like Christ in such a way that brings ALL glory to God and thereby slaughters the enemy… leaving blood on my sword! I LOVE IT!!! (totally a Bill Johnson thing to say, haha)
Well I love you all! Talk to you tomorrow!
ps. two of our team members got married on the beach today! They are not having a honeymoon, they will be back on the medical team Thursday! They are going to take Wednesday (tomorrow) and hang around the resort. They have been on this trip before and this is how they wanted to start their life together, bringing medical hope & spiritual/eternity hope to the people here in the Dominica. Praise God for such family in the body of Christ!!!
Hola mis amigos!
I made it to the Dominican Republic just fine! I am getting to know our team little by little, it is so hard with SO MANY! There is about 100 of us! I am mostly only getting to know the medical team, since that is where I will be serving. I traveled alone from MSP and met the HOPE team in Miami, FL. Then we got on the plane bound for Puerto Plata, DR. and landed at 2:30pm in the DR. I read Brooke’s letter on the plane to the DR, I laughed initially & then cried. How inspirational, thank you Brooke! It helped embolden me and I have now made a few friends now, by the end of day one. I am feeling ready to take on all that tomorrow holds! Which sounds crazier than anything I’ve seen before. During tonight’s debriefing a HUGE storm moved in! We watched it move across the horizon over the ocean while Pastor Kurt spoke, it was CRAZY to watch!!! With in a few minutes it was really heavily raining, like really heavy. Some people who were here last year said it didn’t rain at all while they were here! Seems like this year will be very different! Ah… the rainforest during rainy season, so unpredictable…
Pastor Cal, Thank you for all you have taught me in Chicago! Those lessons are being capitalized on here, on a much larger scale. I would never have been ready for this had the Lord not placed you in my life to help me prepare for worldwide missions – there, in Chicago. The poor, needy, desperate & unloved are everywhere… thanks for helping me learn to love them all through the messes & imperfections of life. I love you & Kelly & appreciate the hearts you have.
A small excerpt from Brooke’s letter: God has indeed called you here & that His call is irrevocable. You will do great things in His Name while in the Dominican. In the past weeks the Holy Spirit has been allowing me to imagine His presence as that of a lion. So, I thought I’d do some mild research on lions, here are some results on the African Lion: height – 4′ length – 5-8′ weight – 330-500 lbs, top speed -50 mph, and a lions’ roar can be heard 5 miles away. So imagine if one of these beasts walked around with you, laid by your side at night… showed their teeth to an enemy… sweet right? Now, let’s greatly agree that God, Christ, and Mr. Holy Spirit are WAY better, and how much more are we blown away by the thought of the Lion by our side?! Proverbs 30:30 “The Lion, which is mightiest among beasts, does not turn back before any.” Close your eyes & imagine each beat to be the step of the lion walking toward you, nesting with you, getting righteously angry with you, loving with you. As the beat of your heart never leaves you, neither does Christ & His roar out does any lion. Take your moments on this adventure to rest, close your eyes & feel the beat of your own heart & know that He is closer to you than your own heart. (Fitting song with Brooke’s letter: Grace Kim’s: The Conquering Lion)
until the whole world hears of His LOVE…
Hello heaven-bound, righteous, loving, pure, and Holy Brides! (If your Lord & Savior is Jesus Christ that is: by faith, NOT works… sorry Jehovah witness’ read the Bible again) Do I sound like I am picking a fight?! YOU BETCHA!
Today I learned that I am not perfect, really though… come on, who is? We all know there is only One who is, God/Jesus/Holy Spirit. Thank you Pastor Bob for last week’s sermon, really helped me out today. I am spending time at home with my mom & sister before flying out to the Dominican Republic Monday morning when something happened… a few times. I got angry. I would like to say it was merely me being upset, but I will be honest… I was angry. I was provoked/subjected to mindless & idle conversation about things that don’t matter, and those talking were so passionate about the stupid trivial things of the world, I mean REALLY dumb stuff. The fixation of their passion? Me, and how I needed their “help”. Oh if only they would look above things in this world and see what their ‘bleeding hearts’ could really be exercising over! Josh, Peter, Katie & Abbey…. I felt like I was watching Mark Rutland’s sermon we heard in Tulsa! I wasn’t hearing it, I was watching it!!! It was frustrating & broke my heart & made me angry, because they would hear me but not listen, stubborn & unwilling to understand. Like the people in Isaiah 6:9 ‘Keep on hearing, but do not understand; Keep on seeing, but do not perceive.’ Which made me understand Jesus better when He spoke John 16:12. Anyway, I had to get away from the ‘helpful’ speakers… draw away for a time and re-collect myself & be in conversation with the Lord. So I would walk away for a few minutes & then re-approach and engage my family again. I cannot wait to raise a family that glorifies the Lord in ALL things… a family like the Schuester’s. And everyone said Amen.
I was wounded today, concerning the above reference. I got hit by the all too common “I thought you were a ‘Christian’ so why are you…” phrase. I am more of a Words of Affirmation woman than I realized. I shot back the very true phrase “I am NOT perfect! I only hope & try to be like Jesus here, one day I will be made perfect.” Argh. Lord forgive me for lashing out instead of being compassionate & extending grace.
Today: I purchased TONS of toys for the children in the Dominican! I have a suitcase ONLY for those toys! haha. I packed everything in my one hiking backpack (yes, I am a lady & packed EVERYTHING for a week and a half in one bag!) I didn’t need my second checked bag allowance… until now! The toy suitcase has it all: nerf balls, bats & balls, puzzles, blowpops, jump ropes, sand castle tools, pencils, tootsie pops, frisbees, water balls, soccer balls, hair clips, socks, bouncy balls & more! I am so excited.
Ever been wounded & cut down by someone? Did you know that you can be healed from those hurts? Did you know that you do NOT need to lash out at those who hurt you? Jesus Christ can change all of that ugly stuff inside of you. You simply need to ask Him to, over & over & over again; anytime you need to be cleaned up, ask Him to do the cleaning. Trust me, you are that big of a mess! Don’t worry, I am no better. He will ALWAYS clean you up, and He will be glad to do it. Why? Because He loves you more than you can fathom. Questions? shoot me a message!
Boker Tov! (Good morning in Israeli)
We are down to 50 hours before I leave my parent’s home to arrive at the airport… thereafter flying out for the Dominican Republic! I am far beyond excited. Sharing Christ’s message of love & salvation to a dying nation, literally. I mentioned before that it is the rainy season & hurricane season down there in the DR & Haiti… that plus the 100,000+ still buried under the rubble created by January’s earthquake = possible catastrophic diseases. They need HOPE now… and it is my life’s honor to be apart of the team bringing it to them. 100+ Jesus followers are arriving in the DR this Monday evening (21st), for 9 days we will be split into 3 teams by profession: Medical Ministry, Construction Ministry & Ministry. (I am serving on the medical team)
I want to thank those who fulfilled the Lord’s Word concerning me, you know who you are. This type of trip includes great expenses, my personal total came just under $2,300… included trip cost, immunizations, mountain gear, and toys/clothes for DR children. To those of you who helped me – every penny that came in was just enough to pay every penny of my expenses! Praise the Lord & thank you!!!
Here is a heads up… I should be able to use the internet to update you all while I am down there. They have been having trouble on the island keeping power on or internet working this past week, so if you don’t hear from me… that is probably why!
Neato tidbit: I had this brilliant idea come to me via my good friend Brooke: to have a close girlfriend write me an encouraging letter for each day that I am down at the equator. Considering I am leaving the United States mainland for the 1st time, traveling most of the way by myself & going away for 9 days without knowing a single person! Talk about my kind of adventure!!! I may chose to share, day to day, what I am encouraged with from their letters each day… so you can also look forward to it! Each lovely woman of God pre-wrote me a letter, sealed their letter in an envelope and handed it over to me; I have them all packed in my carry-on… waiting to be opened! Each was given a specific day to write for, so each envelope on the front has the day intended written on it. What a treat! I can hardly wait! And letters from such amazing women: Brooke, Liz, Megan, Ashley, Brianna, Rachel & Daniel & Kay & P. Brad (a family combo!), Shawna, Eden & Amy!
Weird feelings: I am so mixed up! This week Megan & I had to choose on a new living situation (in Cali), I was working HARD & long hours during a management crunch time, finishing packing for this international trip – and clearly don’t know what I am doing, AND on top of all that… I had to say goodbye to several good friends of mine. I will not see any of them for at least a year, maybe much longer. All of these people are bonded to me, they are my family… people I would lay my life down for, covenant friends. My heart broke from saying sudden goodbyes (mucho bawling to my roomie Amber) + all the excitement from the DR and moving to Cali = slightly stressed little me. So much so I pulled a muscle in my neck today, which now is burning from the IcyHot. ouch. Lord… help.
Chat with y’all on Sunday before I leave!
I love you all, in the most pure love… Jesus Christ’s love.
Two of my very good friends are getting married in 2 days: A & S. S is one of my very best friends, and has honored me by asking me to be one of the witnesses to stand at her union (bridesmaid). The next couple of days are going to be a swirl of nails, hair, shoes, dresses, make-up, decorations, pictures, preperations and cupcakes! I am so excited, I LOVE weddings. But not for the same reasons as most of the world…
Did you know that in Biblical days when a Jewish couple were engaged they were to consider themselves married in everyway, except that which leads to family? (sexual relations) That weddings were a week long party? How did they ever get any work done!?! The bride & groom spent there first night together on the first night of the week celebration, and in the morning the bridegroom would throw the now bloody bedsheet over the top of the marriage-bed tent?! As a trophy showing that they had survived the purity road in their engagement & throughout life.
Why don’t we do that anymore? Minus the obvious disgusting display of sheets needing to be burned, we should be celebrating such victories! A & S get to celebrate such a victory! And we, their friends & siblings in Christ Jesus, get to celebrate with them and testify to their righteous & pure relationship.
Do you feel convicted & inspired to change your relationship lifestyle? As one who can stand & testify or God’s greatness and mercy, you can come back from a lifestyle of sex to Father God’s original pure creation, a bride pure and whole. All you need to do is ask like this: Jesus, come into my life & forgive me of all my sins. Change my heart. Restore my soul. Help me to stand firm in your Word. Let me be overwhelmed by your love, so that it is the only thing I need in this short life. In your name, Jesus. Amen. Congradulations! You now have a fresh start & are now on your way to the most INCREDIBLE life with Jesus. A satisfying one beyond any of your wildest dreams. Let Him sweep you off your feet & sing songs over you! If you have any questions, please feel free to leave me a message, I would love to get to know you & assist you in any way that I can.
God is funny sometimes.
Let me tell you a story concerning my soon trip to Sousa, Dominican Republic… When I spoke to Pastor Kurt Holthus about making a spot on the medical HOPE team mine, God and I had an interesting dialogue. He told me that He was going to provide EVERY PENNY for me to go, which I was not too pleased about. See I grew up understanding that raising support was a bad thing & bringing the Eternal Gospel to other nations was manipulative. I’ve chosen to change my upbringing & perspective (I really don’t have any other choice, those of you who understand the Gospel & have been saved from death know what I mean).
The trip costs $1,600… not to mention required immunizations, passport, gear & other miscellaneous items. I have kept track of what I have spent on everything, $2,282.04 so far.
The college ministry pastor’s, at my church, wife has been praying with me that I would have all the money before it was due. Guess what? I had every penny paid for 3 days before it was due! An amazing feat for only 3 months. Only God could do something so wonderful. Then something else happened. I got my trip information in the mail, more gear was mentioned & necessary for the trip. I thanked the Lord & told Him that He did His part & I could cover the rest. A few days later a girlfriend handed me a $50 check, which might squeeze me with just enough!
Lesson learned? When God says He will provide every penny, He means EVERY PENNY.
Why would God be so persistent in this? Why not let me sow into my own ministry? If someone understands the benefits of sowing & reaping from a Kingdm perspective, anyone would jump at the chance to sow into a God-glorifying ministry/person. So why not let me cover a very small portion of the bill? Well I believe it is because He loves me. See Jesus knows that I am a giver & servant, I would much rather give than receive ANY day of the week. One of my biggest faults is that I do not ask for help, only on rare & stressful occasions will I. God wanted me to trust Him with everything & for everything.
A good friend of mine once told my mother, who was concerned about my low-income choice to be a sold-out Christian who has a heart for the mission field, that “If God wants her to go somewhere, He will pick-pocket people to get her there. God will pay her way.” All I had to say to that was Amen, and I will continue to testify of His great provisions forever.
Desperate to see the Lord move in your own life? ASK HIM TO! He always will answer favorably to a desperate heart who seeks after His heart. “You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart.” Jeremiah 29:13.
The Master Cleanse
Referred to me by my lovely cousin, Anna, an RN. More info can be found online, go google it.
So last week I attempted to do this Master Cleanse business. I actually got half way done with an almost 3 week process; then I developed a fever and quit the program. I learned a couple of things though. I used to eat a lot! See in a German family, a lot like a French family, eating is a social activity. You cook together, extravagant meals, and then indulge! The kitchen is where family is.
What I learned: Typically Americans eat when they are dehydrated. When your head tells you that you are hungry, drink water. When your stomach tells you that you are hungry, eat. Eat healthy (by color) & only enough to keep you a couple of hours. I have tested this for a week, it is SO TRUE.
You are what you eat. Ezekial 3:3.
I went to a local restaurant a few months ago called “Passage to India” and had original Indian food, so I am told by some of the Indian International Students that I am friends with. I discovered something, I do NOT like curry. I must own 120 different spices in my own kitchen & curry is not one of them! I pray my stomach is more tolerable towards food choices from other countries, or I am in some serious adaptation times ahead of me.
Today, after morning church, I went back to that same restaurant. I took one of my friends from New Delhi, India there… so she could have a taste of home. My taste buds and stomach did not like me very much for putting them through another “trip” to India, I prayed the whole time that the Lord would be in control of my insides.
God bless my friend M.S., God bless India & God bless curry.
Do you want to know how to have a personal friendship with Jesus Christ? Simply ask the Lord God to forgive you of your sins & ask Him to come into your heart and take control of your life. Trust me, He will & it will be worth it all. My only valuable possession? Jesus Christ.
My heavenly family!
Do you like the title?! I am just practicing my Creole for the Dominican Republic! haha…
So I scheduled my international traveling shots appointment today! It is for March 23rd and is going to cost me $200!!!! To get stuck with several different needles & medications! As Pastor Cal always says, “hey! people pay to have this much fun! oh wait…”
So even though it is currently really expensive to be me, I know it is all for my good. Especially with the rainy season hitting the DR & Haiti really soon. Rainy season + 100,000 possible more dead lying around under rubble = possible chaotic diseases.
Please pray that I survive the all of the shots & that I do not get sick from them. Thank you. God bless you & yours!
Dominican Republic & Haiti share the island of Hispaniola. With all the destruction from the 7.0 earthquake, more than 200,000 dead were collected from the streets & buried in mass graves. The Haitian death toll could reach 300,000 once those under the rubble are found. Because of the corrupted infrastructure of the country, building codes are not enforced, causing the real reason for the historic death toll. With the rainy season on its way, fear of catastrophic diseases threatens the nation. They need hope.
We have a chance to rebuild & renew.
I am joining up with HOPE International, and a team of 135 Bondslaves for Jesus Christ. This large team will serve together, although it is broken into 3 sub-divisions: Ministry, Medical, Construction. Of course, the Medical & Construction teams are also considered ministry teams (no protesting emails, please.)
If you are willing, would you ask the Lord how you can put faith into action? If you feel the Lord prompting you, would consider partnering with me in prayer? or finances? or better yet, BOTH?!
My personal need: $1,600
* Complete total due: May 22nd. You may make checks out to & send any monetary support to: Rachel Wegner, 1770 – 42nd Street S. # 209, Fargo, ND 58103
HOPE International’s need: $16,000
* My sincere hope is to exceed my personal need and commit the rest to HOPE’s financial needs.
I truly & honestly love you all. May He bless and enrich your lives & ministries beyond your wildest dreams…
How do you start a message that will inform everyone about some of the greatest revelations you’ve ever had up to this moment?
God is good.
If you don’t know that yet, in your heart of hearts, you need to do that right now. Pray like this: Jesus, Help my unbelief. Show me your goodness, your love, your mercy, your grace everyday. He loves you. He loves all of us more than we will ever know or understand. He will show you, if you will look & see.
So a friend of mine, Preston, has the great privilege of going to school out in Redding, CA at one of Bethel church’s many school’s of God’s business; Bethel church is where Bill Johnson pastors. Anyway, Preston gave me this book Bill wrote called When Heaven Invades Earth. I am currently on page 52… and my life is forever changed. I was warned that I needed 2 seat belts while reading this book, I found out why they said that. Here are a few excerpts:
‘If you are not walking in the miraculous, you’re living far below your birthright!… It is abnormal for a Christian not to have an appetite for the impossible. It has been written into our spiritual DNA to hunger for the impossibilities around us to bow at the name of Jesus… “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore” In other words: I got it all back. Now go use it and reclaim mankind… religious hypocritical leaders (Pharisees & Sadducees: in the Bible & today’s) became blind to His dominion because of their own corrupted hearts & were judged for their unfulfilled potential… Unbelief is faith in the inferior. He (Jesus) only did what He saw His Father do… If I believe that sickness is to the body what sin is to the soul, then no disease will intimidate me… People who are filled with unbelief call themselves realists, they believe the material world rules over the spiritual world; People of faith are also realists. They just have their foundation in a superior reality. Heaven’s reality.’
Friends, it is HEAVEN’S REALITY that we are meant to have HERE! on this earth, NOW! If you accept anything less, you are not living your birthright – and we will ALL be judged for our unfulfilled potential.
Thank you Jesus.
I heard God twice today.
First time was during a 7 mile rollerblade trip with Peter this afternoon. We were going up this REALLY duanting hill, about 3.5 miles into the trip. Once I finally reached the top, at the bridge, I wanted to take a moment and look back at the hill behind & below me; the one that I had just conquered. At that moment of contemplation God said, ‘Rachel, I never want you looking back on the battle field – press on.’ I replied, “WOW, yes Lord,” and went on to catch up to Peter.
Second time was during the drive home from learning to slack line in the park with a few friends. I don’t even remember what I was thinking about. I had no music on. All of a sudden God put a picture of a friend in my head, it was Dave. I remembered telling him that he was a true Barnabas (a man of great encouragement) and the Lord spoke. ‘Rachel, that is only half of what Dave is.’ “What is the other half Lord?” ‘Dave is a visionary. He sees potential in people, thru my eyes, and then gives them the Word. He sees the greatness & then delivers the encouragement.’ I called Dave right away to tell him what the Lord had said to me about him. God is so good. Those two things ended up being what Dave calls his ‘personal mission in life’. Praise Jesus.
Think I sound a bit nuts with all the ‘hearing from the Lord’ or you do not know Jesus personally? Have a genuine relationship with Him? It would be my humble honor to assist you in anyway that I can. God bless you.
Fishing 101. Otherwise known as Dating Advice 101. Class location? Applebee’s on east 13th. Oh brother.
Gotta love dinner with the guys. There I was, surrounded by great & mighty men of God, being probed for answers about girls & the tactics they should use… any advice was quickly tucked away into each man’s mind… for later. The analogy I used? I paralleled dating to fishing.
Fishing: Cast out your line, wait for a nibble, slow small jolts to the line to encourage the fish, wait for the tug, yank & sink the hook into the jaw, reel ‘er in, measure the fish, then either throw it back or eat it.
Dating: Put yourself out there, wait to see who encourages your character, put yourself on the line for the lady, watch for signs of encouraging glances or conversations, sit down with her & have an intentional chat, then either throw her back (wish her well & bless her) or date her. Confidence is key.
If you find yourself wanting more… the Lord told me to write a book. Wait a couple years and I should have it done! God is humorous in unfolding His plans for you… God bless Applebee’s.
Activate.
So many great & challenging Words from God. So many answers. Almost all of my prayer requests were given me! Amazing. God is good & so faithful. Wow.
One prayer requst in particular was really cool. Only the Lord and Jana (a mentor of mine) knew about this prayer request, which I have been praying for one full year. Since Buelah last year. I needed spiritual parents. Brad & Kay are awesome, the best I could have ever dreamed of… but they have 300+ college students as their “kids”. I needed ‘parents’ that had much less ‘children’ looking to them for council. For a long time I was frustrated because I wanted someone NOW. I kept praying and God answered me, a year later. A woman & her husband approached me after the main conference was over. The woman (now known as “mom”) told me that the Lord had told her the other day that she was to call me daughter and I was to call her mother. A spiritual adoption took place. Right there she & her husband prayed for me, for like at least a half hour. Praise Jesus!!!
So blessed by Bobby Conner & the church that holds these prophectic conferences every year, they are such a blessing.
Where is my fruit?
I have been asking the Lord to give me the knowledge, gift & opportunities to bring the lost into the Kingdom. To be a grave thief. To be able to see fruit in my life. Alas, I have yet to see someone saved in Jesus name. I have prayed for many people, I have seen people baptized in the Holy Spirit & physically healed… and have not seen anyone born again. Why God?
I came to this revelation while asking God, “where is my fruit?”. I had been hearing the challenge about bearing good fruit, that if the relationship with God was genuine… producing fruit would be not be helped. You are doomed to be fruitful while in His love & grace.
Matthew 7:17-20 “Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down & thrown into the fire. Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.”
Over the past 2 weeks, God has been so good to me. Daily He has pointed out the new fruit. Where I had been hesitant to look, He made the fruit impossible to miss. God is so incredibly faithful.
Be a good tree & He promises you… your fruit will be good. If you are having trouble seeing your fruit, ask Him to show you. Then watch & see… listen & hear. God is faithful ~ He will complete His good work IN you!
Two .99 cent cheeseburgers & a small cookie-dough blizzard. ~ $5.59
Five friends there with you. ~ $ ridiculously priced gas to get you there
One afflicted & deaf woman, who catches your eye & tears God’s heart. ~ pricelessly tragic
Why does God allow such suffering in people? One story in the Bible accounts for someone’s suffering so that God could be glorified in the healing. I greeted the woman like a sister. We hugged. We smiled. We talked… sort of. She was deaf & so we wrote messages on DQ napkins. I asked her if she had been deaf all her life, she said yes. We talked about non-important things for awhile… then I asked her if I could pray for her. Her answer broke my heart, because I know it broke God’s heart. Her answer was no. I laid a hand on her shoulder while she wrote another note about some movie & prayed in my Spirit anyway. I later asked her if she wanted to come to church with me, which started in 5 minutes. Again, her answer was no. I blessed her in Jesus’ name & she said “bless you” back to me.
GOD! Break my heart for what breaks yours. I abandon myself to your agenda. I throw myself & all I have at the feet of you. I lay my heart on the alter. I come before your throne. I run into the courts of heaven. Break my heart for what breaks yours. All I have for your Kingdom’s cause.
I am ablaze with the fire from a culture of another Kingdom. I start fires.
GOD IS MOVING!!! oh my word. You need to check out April’s Relevant Magazine issue – the article about the burning grasses by Rachel Wegner (yes, i had an identity crisis with this one). What Rachel wrote about is CRAZY cool, because WE are IN that movement! WOW GOD! This is SO BIG, I know that unless you are also IN it, you don’t understand just how huge this really is. This is the start of the never-ending revival! We are in those days! umm…. SO FREAKIN’ COOL!!! AHHH!!!!!!
If you have no idea what we are so pumped about & you have no idea who this Jesus guy is – EMAIL ME! I would love to share Jesus with you. He loves you & me more than we could ever hope to imagine. If you have not seen the wave yet & therefore have been unable to catch it… pray that He would set you ablaze! Your your intense intimacy with Him is what is going to burn you & your circle of influence.
“But if it were I, I would appeal to God; I would lay my cause before Him. Blessed is the man whom God corrects; so do not despise the discipline of the Almighty.” ~ Job 5:8, 17
Spring semester is almost over. Summer is coming. With this in mind, many youth leaders & pastors are prepping students to go home. Many of the students here have learned more about God in Chi Alpha than their studies in classes. During the year, God has touched them… but at home, they will find that most of the people they know have not experienced God like they have. It could be a shock if they are not ready. This is an important ministry time for them, now, before they head home.
The Lord has blessed us here in this tri-college area with AMAZING discipleship. Mentors are everywhere. Accountability is easy. We are a huge threat to the powers of darkness, because love reigns & saturates the hearts here. God is moving in big ways, because we are letting Him.
But at home, what most students will find will be very different. Who will be there to instruct them? Who will hold them accountable? Who will be there to sharpen them in the ways of the Lord? In most cases, no one will be there. But do not be scared for them. Read Job 5:8,17again. The Holy Spirit will guide, guard, instruct, challenge, discipline, and bless them. Though, Intimacy is key.
When we think about the Holy Spirit’s conviction, we usually think negative thoughts. Hey, we are sinful & human. But the Bible is very specifically joyful here when mentioning the Holy Spirit’s discipline. We are BLESSED when He disciplines. Why? Because God cares if you are heading in the wrong direction! It is an honor to be so cared for. God knows what is going on in your life at all times & cares about what happens to you! AMAZING!!!
I challenge you to change your perspective about the Holy Spirit’s correcting whispers. It is an honor to hear correction from God. What a privilege it is to be disciplined now, before it’s too late to change.
God Bless the Minnesota Police.
A small group of us, around 30 college students, got together tonight to praise Jesus. Just a weekly get together, on our own time, seeking God & glorifying Him. In the past we have had Ipod’s playing the worship music or some of our VERY talented musicians on acoustic. This particular night we planned on seeking His face from 7pm until church the next morning… with our musicians plugged in. Needless to say you could hear the amps from across campus.
During the first few hours of praise, I had found my spot in the house – a prayer closet located in a vacant corner bedroom. At one point in the evening I was pouring my heart out to God, thanking Him for the freedom we enjoy here in America. How we are able to worship Him with windows & doors open freely, without having to spend time with Him hidden in closets. (I had not heard of the coming persecution we are about to face here in America because of our faith and so therefore, at the time, I prayed that thankful prayer.) I later found my way back into the main living room area where most were.
Cops. Ah, gotta love the police. No one called them in, they just happened to be searching around the campus for parties. They found us. HA! 1 out of the 3 cops was a Christian, and actually attends our church. He had our attention & so addressed the whole group. He said “Out of all the parties I have to break-up this is by far the best! You guys rock! … It is good for us to cry out to God, for if we don’t, the rocks and trees will.” PRAISE JESUS! Did you catch the WE ? What a witness to the other two cops standing there looking confused! My goodness. Awesome.
Naturally we had to dissipate. By law the cops have to check back later & if they were to find the party still going… charges would be made. Ah, the persecution. I gladly welcome it, as long as His name is lifted up.
I would go to jail for Jesus.
Jesus, the Lover of my soul… He romances His bride & cares for her <3
The closer I get to smelling His fragrence, the more & more I long to stay ‘in meeting’ with Him. For those of you who were not there, Saturday night 40 or so people got together for a bball party! (The Final Four, so I am told. I didn’t watch a second of anything!) Amazing food galore… spectacular company… BUT the highlight of the night was the 3 hour worship & prayer service that followed the excuse to get together. It was like a hot pocket. God sealed us is together, locked the apartment down… and Jesus just went nutso on us. People were laying hands on eachother & praying, crying together, etc. The Holy Spirit rained down on us – all fear was cast out of the room & our hearts. People were walking in things they normally would NEVER do, confidence was peaked… because of the “hot pocket” Jesus created. He made it a safe place by casting out all fear from the atmosphere & put the place on Christ blood lock-down! A sweet, sweet confident romance was in blossom. Heaven’s oil seeped from my brow; oil was raining from heaven & soaked the floor. How faithfull is the Lord our God! He is quick to care for you & me, how He loves us!!! What a neat story of God’s love; creating such a safe place where we could bless His heart!
I believe the Lord folded us all into a romantic “victory battle”. If you want to know what that means (especially if you just thought, huh?), please leave me a message. It would be my HONOR to let you leave with answers. May the Lord Jesus bless you today!
He’s not a baby in the manger anymore, He’s not a broken man on the cross, He didn’t stay in the grave… AND He’s not staying in heaven forever!
Praise Jesus! What an awesome day that today represents, the transfer of our inheritance promise. Jesus Christ, Son of God, became a man to die for our sins & defeat satan… for YOU & me! Out of LOVE for us, He came, died & the BEST part is… He rose from the dead & is seated at His throne in heaven! Preparing a place for you there!
What must I do to become apart of that heavenly family? What must I do to get rid of my sins & become what the Bible calls, the Bride of Christ?
Easy. Ask the Lord to forgive your sins. Name them, but also recognize that there are sins that you may not be aware of. Declare to the heavens that you recognize that Jesus is the Son of God, that came to die for you & that you invite Him to come & live in your heart all the days of your life. After doing so, WELCOME TO THE FAMILY OF GOD! Now that you are here, there is another part you may pray, if you desire. John the baptist & Jesus talked about two baptisms. Water baptism, for the forgiveness of sins (a good thing for you to do)… AND the baptism of the Holy Spirit, the official invitation for heaven itself to be deposited into you! The language of angels will be made known to you & you will be able to communicate with God through the prayer language of Tongues. Read the book of ‘Acts’ in the Bible. Tongues is intimate & useful. Satan only understands the languages of the earth, thereby learning your weaknesses & wickedness by your tongue. Speaking in Tongues cannot be understood by him, thus creating a private, intimate & necessary communication line with God Himself. If you would like this gift, pray like this: Lord, I know of your goodness… I praise you for your majesty! I ask that you would baptize me with your Holy Spirit. Wash me clean Lord. Fill me up. I will clean out the empty storehouses in my own heart, so that you may fill them up with the Kingdom. May my desires be pure & move your heart. Fill me with your Holy Spirit… your Holy Presence… so that I may commune with you in secret & learn the ways of your heart. Thank you Lord Jesus! The Bible says ALL who seek this blessed gift, WILL receive it.
Do not believe the lies that you are not worthy or have to be ‘selected’ to get the gift… Who are you going to believe? The world that only wants you to fail & loves to hate you… or the Bible & the Lord who wants you to succeed & loves to love you? If this is a hard choice… I pray that your heart would soften to the Lord & that you would no longer be offended. The great day is coming, when it will be too late to have the honor of living for Him, amidst sinful turmoil.
If you prayed the prayer to receive Jesus as your Lord & Savior… congratulations! Welcome to the other side of the grave! You’ve decided to die to your selfish desires… died to yourself/ killed the previous man & have become a NEW person!!! I am honored, truly, to be your sister in Christ. Let me know if I can be of any service/assistance to you in your new life with Jesus!!!
in His faithful & eternal love…
I am convinced that God is good.
I have been consistently attacked in the past few weeks & I am FINALLY listening to my Spirit Man. Those flaming arrows that I have not recently been dodging – yep, satan shot them my way. And you know what I did? nothing. I allowed them to hit me. I allowed them. Admitting this is hard, since I know that I have been called of God to “specialize” in this very area. Prophetically I am (in Jesus’ name & power) a great handmaiden (warrior), demons & hell FEAR ME. ‘Ester’ has been spoken over me so many times… I doubt I could recount them all. The healing mantle that Branham bore in the 1950’s is my calling. All wrapped into a single description: I am, in Jesus, a slave that is greatly feared by hell… beholding the beauty, wisdom, faith, grace, courage & boldness of Ester… that walks in close relationship with the King of kings – listening & doing what He tells me to.
God became Man & CONQUERED satan & death, out of love for me. Because of this, I will constantly ‘waste’ my life, seeking Him in His private chambers, because He has been so incredibly good to me. Despite my every mistake. GOD IS GOOD… and I love Him.
If you have been feeling ‘attacked’ by satan – realize that he is attacking you because he FEARS that YOUwill awaken & accomplish God’s calling for you in that moment. Don’t go looking for demons, only kill the ones that get in the way. Ultimately, satan is NOT an honorable mention. Stop focusing your fear on him. Focus your love on Jesus, and all will be well. Of course, flaming arrows will still be shot your way… especially as you grow up in God… but it will be out of fear of you walking in God’s will. For more in depth understanding, please leave me a message. You are MORE than a conqueror… because He dwells inside of you. Greater is He who is in YOU, than he who is in the world.
Do not make the mistake of fearing satan. Repent of all your weak & misguided ways… then realize your inheritance & birthright. Realize the only fear is the right fear, fear of the Lord.
I don’t drink. I don’t steal. I don’t lie. I have never killed anybody. Life is not fair! Why don’t I get spiritual break thru? Why doesn’t God listen to me? What a punk.
Character is more than not doing bad things. Character is the actual nature of God expressed thru human life… therefore character is incomplete without joy. JOY is an essential expression.
I have been seriously struggling in this area recently. A real spirit of frustration & negativity always likes to attach itself onto me whenever I travel to my parent’s house in the cities. (My mom & sister actually and very SERIOUSLY tried to convince me last weekend that living in joy is unrealistic, that I needed to wake up to the real world of negativity & cruelty. WOW.) Like an idiot – I let it attach itself to me… AND brought it back home with me. ARGH! Why do I allow that? Bill Johnson says ‘what you allow, reigns.’ ouch. I allowed that to reign in my life this past week, and I feel so incredibly starved of God right now because of it. Please, pray for me and my family. Thank you. Praise Jesus, my friend above any & all friends, that my lifestory got rewritten. Hallelujah!
There are 3 possible reasons your break-thru has been seemingly stunted. * If you re-guard iniquity in your heart, God will not hear you… it’s in a Psalm. * 1 John 5, are you praying according to His will? Even if it is Biblically correct, what is God saying? * PERSISTENCE IN PRAYER. Do not be one prayer short of a break-thru. If it matters to you, it matters to Him – this fierce desire of His heart is completely Biblical.
Be persistent enough to receive your fulfilled joy. Your dreams & desires accomplished. He has positioned us, so that in the throne room of heaven we can affect the course of history & the outcome of a matter. BUT we need to have a friendship with God that can bear the weight of that glory. The glory of a joyful relationship with the Lover of all that you are, dispite your every mistake.
Lately I have been riveted for the lukewarm Christians. see Revelation 3:16. I feel like those who are lukewarm are the same ones who may participate in the Great Falling Away on the great and terrible Day of the Lord. see my recent blog: Tasty Tid-bits of the End Times. I honestly feel scared for those who may fall away from the faith in that day. Can you imagine what that will look like?! Christians ending up doubting God and thereby joining forces with the enemy… unfathomable. I feel challenged to help raise up true Sons & Daughters of God – to prepare most of the Church for that day, so that the True believers end up with the greater percentage of people in the split between the Church.
How do I accomplish all of that?!? And some of you are thinking, why do you care?
I am very different then I was before college. I grew up knowing that evangelists were only to be pastors or missionaries on some far off foreign field. My parents raised me with that in my head – and they had no intention of me joining those ranks. NOW I KNOW THE TRUTH. If you are saved, then God has called you to the ministry. The type depends on Him – mission field or market place – but you are in the game! So, I have been challenged since then to live a life of love & devotion to the Lord… ministering to Him & His beloved.
Ezekiel was also challenged. His life is just a marvel to me!!! Listen to what the Lord asked of him: “I am sending you to the Israelites, to a rebellious & stubborn nation who will fail to listen to you… I will make your forehead like the hardest stone, because of their hardened & un-yielding hearts.” Ezekiel 2:1-15. Sounds like fun. It is one thing to go somewhere and learn that nobody wants to listen to you, but can you imagine being asked to go to a place that you already know won’t listen to you? And Zeek was there for SO MANY YEARS! yep, great fun. Most of us have it so easy!
So how do we measure Ezekiel’s success? Not one came to know the Lord through his preaching! We measure success by his faithfulness to deliver the Word of the Lord day in and day out… no matter the response or lack-there-of. How successful will you choose be today?
Hot ~ Cold ~ Lukewarm…. which are you?
He said to me, “Son of man, stand up on your feet & I will speak to you.” As He spoke, the Spirit came into me and raised me to my feet, and I heard Him speaking to me. Ezekiel 2:2
But the Lord provided a great fish to swallow Jonah, and Jonah was inside the fish three days & three nights. Jonah 1:17
“Be clean!” immediately the man was cured of his leprosy. Matthew 8:3
With five small loaves & two small fish… Jesus gave thanks and distributed to all those who were seated – about 5,000 men… with 12 baskets of bread left over. John 6:8-13
(Sea of Galilee: Tiberias to Capernaum = 5 miles) Jesus approached them on the water, 3.5 miles out of Tiberias, when they took Him into the boat with them – they immediately reach the shoreat Capernaum. John 6:19-21
so on and so on…
What limits do you set on the Lord? Have you walked on water today? I have yet to. Have you raised the dead in Jesus’ name? I hope to. Been transported several miles instantaneously? Some of us know people who have been… Abbey… :) Psalm 119:96 tells us that we as humans have limits, but that the Lord has none. NONE. In His name & by His power your limits expand, but only because He has none. What would you suppose life would be like if a people so devoted & in love with the Lord Jesus would not put any limits on Him? Are we such a generation? We could be. I want to be. So, I ask again… what limits have you put on Jesus today?
Let’s fall in love with Jesus together & become a limit-less people who are completely devoted to Him. In so doing, God will be able to move in ways He has never been allowed to in history. Moses, Abraham, Daniel, David & Ester did not achieve greatness because they did well – but because they BELIEVED well. Let’s believe well together.
John 16
One of the great challenges in this day is to experience a move of God and then pass it on to the next generation and have it grow & increase. It has NEVER happened in history. Do not base your idea of ’revival’ off of history – because they have all lacked the nature of God. God only goes from Glory to Glory, to the increase of His government ~ He only knows advancement. So, if we base the revival to come on history – we will come to the conclusion that it is suppose to end. BUT if we base it off of the nature of God & who He is… a never-ending revival will advance us into His likeness. It is hard to base something substantial on a negative; there is a 2-part equation to the core of a revival: history has focused on only 1 side: ”how sinful we are, how unworthy we are” BUT until we come into the revelation of “how Holy He is on our behalf” (side 2) we have nothing substantial to build on. You don’t have a platform to expand on into a lifestyle that changes culture, because you will always be dealing with unworthiness. At some point we will actually have to believe that we are forgiven. It is going to come to that soon. Believe that you are completely forgiven. God re-writes your story every time you ask Him to. Throughout history no revival has had a solid foundation to build off of, and thereby being unfit to pass on to the next generation. The issue of inheritance is a big deal. The idea of starting ahead. Inheritance is for that purpose! WE HAVE A RESPONSIBILITY! We constantly ONLY EVER live for a generation we will never see. That is the whole point – to intentionally leave an inheritance. It is not all about you, me or our generation. We must understand our purpose & destiny. It must be that the kingdoms of this world become the Kingdoms of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Stop thinking what God can do for you! Instead, what can you do for God & His grand scheme today? I have felt this incredible conviction about this subject lately. I have been hearing so many stories of people who complain about not feeling ministered to in certain areas or at certain groups that meet to MINISTER TO THE LORD. While I attempt to not get frustrated here, let me again mention this incredible topic of inheritance. Who can you be ministering to? Who can you pass on an inheritance to? YOU WILL ALWAYS BE PASSING SOMETHING ALONG TO SOMEONE! But what will you choose it to be? A negative attitude laced with judgments? Or a heart focused on Jesus laced with loving everyone around you in that moment? Now I realize the thought that has entered both of our minds – ‘rach, you sound awfully judgmental & hypocritical right now’ – yes I understand… here is the point. If the Lord has put it on my heart SO heavily to help get this point across… I will take the heat for the risk I am taking here.
If you are going to speak – speak in peace. If you are going to think – think encouraging thoughts. If you move – move in grace. If you do something – do it in love. If you live – live in complete adoration to see Him glorified.
Recommended/relevant listening: A little longer, Brian & Jenn Johnson
** some notes are from Bill Johnson’s How to gain strength to bear the weight of the Glory God is sending you ~ available for purchase @ elijahlist.com
The other day I was driving Samantha home after a super fun night of fellowship & while we were my truck I turned on my ipod/itrip and played some spontaneous prophetic worship – I don’t even know who sings it or where it is from! As the song started – God’s presence just saturated the vehicle. Sam and I were basking in His presence… just so thick. I wanted to share what the editing crew did on the song, because they added bits of speakers amidst the singing in the background. I believe the words will still inspire you as much as they ministered to us in the truck.
Nothing comes easy or cheap. Nothing of God doesn’t hurt. Nothing in this life will cost you nothing if it’s worth it. You are a prophetic generation! You are being handed down an anointing from God to do much more than previous generations. You have been called of God to do everything that they do & then some. He has to get DEEP in your heart so that you go after Him. But you will never get it with a lazy attitude. You will never get it with a mocking spirit. You will never get it unless you run the race and finish. Lord I want more of you, living water rain down on me. Lord! We are hungry for your Jesus! Lord, I need more of you, come and fill me up. You gotta want it bad! You gotta want it more than life. You gotta want God so bad, that you are so messed up – that you cannot live a regular life. That your normal lifestyle will out-radicalize anyone you know. Because being on fire as a believer is normal friend ~ it’s NOT special. Living breath of Life, come and fill me up. Father you know that there is a passion burning on the inside of us that is getting brighter & stronger every day! A hungry man gets hungrier, a thirsty man gets thirstier! We declare that we are hungrier than we have ever been! We are thirstier than we have ever been! There is something on the inside of us that has not yet been quenched or satisfied!How bad do you want this thing? How bad do you want to see souls saved? How bad do you want to lives changed? How bad to you want to want to see the healings & miracles? How bad do you want it? Because your hunger is going to determine your visitation. We lift our holy hands up, we want to touch you… we lift our voices up. We are hungry for more of you! Father, we love you. We pray that you would challenge us all in our hunger for more of you. Let us be hungry. Jesus, we hunger to be right with you. Lord, we are here to confirm that we are hungry for you, the rumor that has been going around heaven it’s true, we confirm it – we are hungry Lord! You’ve found a group of people that you can pour your Spirit out to! God, I am not going to let you go until you bless my generation ~ I am not going to let you go until you move in revival ~ God I need you! Jesus! Come on, right now Lord. We need you! We want your presence, we want your Glory ~ God whatever it takes! Move in my generation, my school, my family, move in my city, move in my church!!! ….. If you are a government and ruling over a people, you can keep those people under control pretty good, until they get hungry. Because when a populous gets hungry… revolution is in the making. Oh can you hear it? It’s the song of the redeemed. The pursuit of passion for the One who set us free. Oh, can you hear it? We’re crying out for more! And listen to our song, it’s turning into a holy roar! Spirit, whisper our revival! We have open hearts with hopes of unity. Servants who love humanity. Lord, send us out reaching & rushing. God let heaven have a knock on it right now, we want you God, we want more… more of your Spirit. Father, we pray that a Holy hunger would come into this House right now. If you don’t move God ~ I am gonna die. Come on, let us lift up our voices! JESUS!!! Jesus, we are desperate for you God! We are desperate for you God, we are desperate for you, oh God! Come on, put your hunger on display! How bad do you want it?! How bad you want Him? We come rejoicing, singing & crying out to you Lord, can you hear the holy roar?! Lord use this generation! You said this is the generation who will seek your face! This is the generation that will receive blessing from the Lord! Can you hear the holy roar? Can you hear it?!Let this generation be raised up as gate keepers for their city God, to usher in the Presence of God. To pray until it breaks! Let loose that Spirit of intercession on these people, that they won’t stop until it breaks. No doubter will stop them. ……… It’s the sound of the hungry God! …… Lord embed something in our hearts, that it wouldn’t be a one day thing. That it would be in our lives forever! You said to call to You and you would answer God – raise up a generation that is not afraid to shout a shout unto you my God! …. Who told you it was gonna be normal? Who told you it was gonna look normal? It is going to take a radical thing to bring about what we need, we need a radical move of God! I REBUKE RELIGION IN JESUS’ NAME. Jesus! Put the cry of a warrior on the inside of us! We cry out to you oh God ~ open the heavens oh God! Come down! Break out in revival in our cities… break out in revival in our Church.
goosebumpies? yea, me too. Love you all! Talk to you again real soon…
Song quoted: (itunes search) Spontaneous Worship, Prophetic Worship
Brides of Christ & Warriors of God…
Do you know why today is so sweet? It isn’t because I had to snowblow in -15 degrees + windchill for a half hour (2 hours later the skin on my legs is STILL tender)… nope. It is because I get to spend the day of love with my Savior! I am sitting in my 600 thread count king sized bed spending time with Jesus. Later this afternoon I am meeting up with 2 precious sisters of mine for a much needed hot coffee. Tonight everyone will get together for our weekly Chi Alpha gathering – to worship Him in Spirit & Truth… then listen to Kay shamelessly talk about relationships & giggle while watching Brad, who will be attempting to stop her before she goes too far (rarely ever succeeding!). Could Valentine’s Day be any better?! I am positive that it could NOT. Be blessed today! Be encouraged! Be loved!
We know how much God loves us & we have put our trust in His love. God is love & all who live in love live in God… and God lives in them. As we live in God, our love grows more perfect. ~ 1 John 4:16-17
Don’t have anyone to love today? Let the Lord love you! He is holding His breath just to see you look His way… how long will you have Him wait?
ps. funny story ~ last year Brad & Kay were teaching on Godly relationships, basically how to be a great husband & wife. Which starts with just having righteous & pure friendships. Translation? purity boudaries with the male/female friendships. Kay proceeded to claim that the men needed to respectfully treat the women just like they treated their guy friends. BAD ADVICE. Unless we are supposed to cuddle together in the afternoon for no reason at all, or walk up to eachother and hold on for several minutes while telling the other just how much you love them in their ear… yeah, boundaries. Great lesson.
For the past year & a half I have been in-training with the Lord. He has been teaching me who I am going to be in spiritual warfare. I try hard to be a lady (I will make a perfect wife & mother some day) but I am a Kingdom handmaiden at heart! I have learned SO MUCH from Pastor Brad & Graham Cooke… here is some of what I have learned so far. We are caught up in the global spiritual war between God & the enemy. Life is full of fights; you are either in a battle simulation or a real fight. You have to know the difference between your battle ground, training ground & your proving ground. You have to come into a place where you trust the Lord & where the Lord can trust you. The Holy Spirit is irrepressibly enthusiastic about you winning your fights, but you have to learn the skills on how to walk with the Holy Spirit first. There have been times in my life when I have been tested & failed miserably. So I thought, well… that’s it! darn. But here is the good news! You may fail your tests but the Lord doesn’t fail you! nope. He just puts the test aside for a later time! meaning? You get to take the test again! (yippee?) Ha! BUT if you are not careful & do not do heart checks often, failing your tests over & over could create unbelief in your heart. It got me thinking… where are my training grounds right now? What is it that the Lord is attempting to teach me? What I have learned is that the Lord is the architect of all my pain & suffering. Because what God could prevent by His power, He allows in His wisdom. So that we get to understand just how majestic He is! You have to relish the fight! You have to want it. Because it is going to be there whether you like it or not, so well…. :) The Lord is not raising up chocolate soldiers or weekend warriors. Fighting is good! So go out there and train with the Holy Spirit… learn how to fight. PASS YOUR TESTS! Do not struggle from one trauma to the other… you have to get beyond that place. If the Lord meant for you to spend 10 years in distress & development, and you spent the last 10 years crying & not learning your lessons… then guess what? You have ANOTHER 10 years to go! ouch. Luckily, God does not measure in time – He measures by success. If you find yourself failing, repent! Chances are good that you have sin in your life ~ sin gives satan legal rights to your progress. Repent & continue to walk with God. You will stumble from time to time as you are learning to walk with Him, just repent and soldier on!
It is my earnest desire to see God’s people be baptized in the Holy Spirit, so that they may fully participate in the battle! To learn from God, face to face. If you have any questions at all or want to know more about becoming a Child of God … or want to know more about being baptized in the Holy Spirit ~ just let me know. It would be an honor to help you soldier on.
** most notes are from Graham Cooke’s How to mess with the Enemy’s head ~ Which can be purchased at elijahlist.com **
Yes. I am totally going to go there. The End Times are a touchy subject, some people have their minds passionately set on what they believe to be true & the church actually has different stand-points depending on where you go. I am not going to attempt to depict all the different views. How ’bout we just go straight to the source? Now, some of you may be asking – why talk about the End Times? Is it really that important? YES. The Bible mentions the End Times in about 150 chapters ~ f.y.i. that is MORE than Jesus! Clearly… God wants His Church to understand what is to come… so we can be prepared! Now don’t be stupid and only concentrate on the “Time line” – recognize ALL the signs to come, so you won’t be offended when the events actually happen. If you want passion for Jesus – you HAVE to have passion for the End Times. The day is coming when signs & wonders will be poured out onto the earth, and you have to have Divine insight & Biblical wisdom (1 – see below references) to answer all the questions you will be faced with from your neighbors. (2) Which is it? Great or terrible? YES! haha… for sinners that Day will be terrible, but for those who are His… that Day will be great! When you are reading Revelation, resist the temptation to assume it’s figurative – instead assume it’s literal. His purpose in sending all the Bowls & Trumpets is to remove everything that hinders love in your heart. He is attempting to draw you back to Him, allow Him to work. Understand His roll in calamity! Our biggest problem in that Day (& today) is not satan, terrorists, or the groaning of earth…. it is in fact God’s zeal for the Nations to walk in purity with Him righteousness exalts a nation, sin brings it low. (3a) The beginning of birth pains: meaning the Nations will have military conflicts with each other. Some believe that we are in this or at the beginning of this NOW. This is the beginning of sorrows; military experts believe we are in the early stages of WWIII right now. (3b) The time of world wide counterfeit peace & safety. Which is during the first 3.5 years of the final 7 years. DO NOT be surprised when you are persecuted; everyone else will be celebrating peace & safety (led by the anti-christ) and you will be among the few who sit back saying “uh… NO, I read about this guy…”. (3c) The Great Tribulation – the final 3.5 years of the 7 years – will suddenly end the world wide celebration. (4) Do not cartoon-ize him, tho it is easily done since he is so ‘out there’ in description… fact: he is a real flesh & blood living demonized person. He will have a vast political, military & economic alliance with a 10-Nation confederation ~ together they will work to persecute Christians. He will use demonic ‘miracles’ Revelation 13:12-14, political process 13:15, and economic oppression 13:16-17 – to manipulate & control the world. He will be unreasonable & behaving like a wild beast. Watch out for the Image of the Beast (statue/idol) it appears to be a statue, but it moves! weird & demonic. Beware of the Mark of the Anti-christ will be issued on the forehead or right hand, Revelation 13:16-17touches on the mark… it will be everyone’s only access to the world’s economic system & without the Mark you will not have access. It is your promised devotion to the anti-christ… and NO you will not accidentally receive this Mark. Just like you cannot get someone accidentally saved, there is a conscious decision made – just as there will be for the receiving/rejecting of the Mark. HINT: if you love Jesus, do NOT take this Mark! (5) IF YOU ARE NOT PREPARED FOR THIS ONE, YOU WILL FALL AWAY! This is a heavy point, but if you are not mentally prepared for this – you will ‘check out’ and be in the offended group that the Bible says will participate in the Great Falling Away. The 3b point is ONLY for unbelievers, and it’s a time of pressure on the church, separating the True and False believers. Will you make excuses, be offended and ‘check out’ in this day? Rev. 17:6A time of increased persecution. A false religious system will be set up in the Great Tribulation… and a Great Falling Away will occur. YOU will seem to be horribly intolerant when you say to friends & family… ‘don’t join that group, that is the anti-christ group’. Will you have the guts to confront sin? Do you have the guts now?In that day of great persecution & false peace/safety the Church will expose satan’s role – and in doing that we will set ourselves up as a target. This is when you need to know that you know that you know… your Redeemer Jesus. Those of you that are struggling to find time with God now, it is NOT going to get easier. Now is your best time to go deep. Do you think you will dive in when it gets harder? Don’t count on it. (6) Jesus warned us of it in Matthew 24:3-5. At the End there will be an endurance element. Why? Because there are going to be many who aren’t going to make it! Will you? ‘some will depart from the faith’ meaning they had to have faith at some point. This is another touchy subject in the church – once saved always saved? Don’t put your faith in it or count on it. Some argue (and I once agreed) that if you really knew Jesus & your relationship was genuine… you wouldn’t ever fall away. I am finding that argument impossible to support anymore… but read the Bible & decide for yourself. (7) The salvation of Israel will occur in that day, as the Church provokes Israel to jealousy by standing with them in infliction. Because the anti-christ will have turned on them to persecute them also. Israel has ALWAYS been the focus of hell’s wrath… WHY?!?! … because God made the Jews an ancient promise (OT), when Israel invites Jesus back as their King – satan will be cast into the Lake of Fire & to his eternal damnation. Thru out history satan has been focusing on the nation of Israel, because he knows that if there are no more Jews at the End of the Age to accept Jesus as Lord… Jesus won’t come back & he escapes his prison sentance Rev. 19:11 thru 20:3. Jesus refuses to force Himself on Israel… she must invite Him back. PAY ATTENTION TO ISRAEL!!! SHE IS YOUR TIMELINE GUIDE. Jerusalem is central to God’s campaign. Jesus INSISTS that the Church stands with her, it is NOT optional. Obey His leadership. You love God? Then you will love Israel. Why? Don’t ask – it just is so. (8) ‘the world-wide saints will be captured up in the air, as they are instantly changed into the resurrected body’ we will see Jesus face to face & we will always be with our King. We will be raised at the LAST TRUMPET Revelation 11:15-19, post-tribulation? I believe it is. (9) The ground you are standing on will be re-built and will be the new Heaven. God’s Kingdom will be re-built on this earth & we will reign here with Him forever. Sorry, no harp on a cloud in the sky. He will come to finish the battle in Jerusalem & march from Jordan up to Jerusalem killing His enemies as He goes. Jesus Mean & Wild: The Unexpected Love of an Untamable God, by Mark Galli (a must read)… Jesus is not exactly the cute & quiet God you may have imagined Him to be. Prepare yourself – He will slay His enemies & tread the winepress (Isaiah wrote about it & cringed!). He will establish His throne & Kingdom there in Jerusalem. The exact place that the enemy thought he owned. (10) The time to come is the Kingdom of heaven here on earth! Full of glory, righteousness, hope & beauty! *This 10th point is HUGE, too big to discuss along with this incredibly long post. Another day…*
1. the universal value of eschatology
2. the End Times appear to be a study in opposites, but they are not ~ Malachi 4:5; Joel 2:11
3. there are 3 Biblical essential prophetic timelines ~ Matthew 24; 1 Thessalonians 5:2-3; Daniel 9:27
4. the reality of the anti-christ will be revealed
5. persecution at the end of the age
6. the Great Falling Away ~ Matthew 24:9-13, 10:22; 2Thessalonians 2:1-10; 1 Timothy 4:1-2; 2 Peter 2:1-3, 2:9-16; Rev. 2:26 & the Great Harvest (revival) ~ Revelation 5:9, 14:6
7. the unique place of Israel in the End Times (battle for Jerusalem)
8. the timing of the Rapture (VERY controversial in the Church) ~ 1 Thessalonians 3:13, 4:16-17; Zechariah 14:5; Matthew 24:31; 1 Corinthians 15:50-52; Isaiah 27:13; Revelation 11:15-17
9. (mind blower) Jesus is coming back to earth to live permanently ~ Titus 2:13 & TONS in the NT, look them up yourself.
10. the millennial Kingdom & how we position our hearts to live there ~ Revelation 21
** most notes from Passion for Jesus ’07 ~ randy & kelsey bohlender **
Tasting The Divine 