This here post goes out to, well everyone on the 'ol WWW, but a particular shout to my freebirds and my dearest motherbird, Dawning Bride. Thank you for never ceasing to pray for me. Thank you for always believing in God to go after me as I was a lost sheep... thank you for choosing to interceed on my behalf. Thank you for giving me the devotional "Streams in the Desert". This is the August 12 devotional. It really did me in for a good one. Here is to all who are thirsty...
2 Peter 1:4 "Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises."
When a shipwright builds a vessel, does he build it to keep it upon the stocks? Nay, he builds it for the sea and the storm. When we was making it, he thought of tempests and hurricanes; if he did not, he was a poor shipbuilder. When God made thee a believer, He meant to try thee; and when He gave thee promises, and bade thee trust them, He gave such promises as are suitable for times of tempest and tossing. Dost thou think that God makes shams like some that have made belts for swimming, which were good to exhibit in a shop, but of no use in the sea? We have all heard of swords which were useless in war; and even of shoes which were made to sell, but never meant to walk in. God's shoes are of iron and brass, and you can walk to heaven in them without their ever wearing out; and His lifebelts, you may swim a thousand Atlantics upon them, and there will be no fear of your sinking. His Word of promise is meant to be tried and proved. There is nothing Christ dislikes more than for His people to make a show-thing of Him, and not to use Him. He loves to be employed by us. Covenant blessings are not to be looked at only, but to be appropriated. Even our Lord Jesus is given to us for our present use. Thou dost not make use of Christ as thou oughtest to do. O man, I beseech you do not treat God's promises as if they were curiosities for a museum; but use them as everyday sources of comfort. Trust the Lord whenever you time of need comes on. C. H. Spurgeon
Go to the deeps of God's promise, And claim whatsoever ye will; The blessing of God will not fail thee, His Word He will surely fulfill.
So one morning we quietly sat together in our Ukrainian living room, talking sweetly to one another when all of the sudden... a squealing- naked child (see above photgraph) came thundering into our house. This child we later found his name to be Denis... but back to the story... we all froze in shock of what was happening and as Denis rounds the corner of a chair he runs into the caveman-like Matthew Rock. Mind you beards and fro-like hair are abnormal to Ukrainian society. So this child is caught in a state of fear/shock and cannot pull himself away from the locked eyes of Matthew. This stare down from one surprised mind to another held for about 10 solid seconds. As Denis was trying to figure out if this bearded gentle man was really gentle and Matthew was wondering how a half naked boy got himself so close so quickly. Anyhow... end of story, Denis snaps out of the trance and squeals a mighty one while bolting back out the door.
Our ministry this month would be yours truly teachin some children (and a few grown men) to play softball. Now, I have done my share of lessons and camps back in America, but there is NOTHING that would compare to this sort of teaching. I found myself wondering how someone doesn't have a clue how to put on a glove. Thats makes it all worth it. The curious minded are so eager to learn the "American" game. So we were challenged to play against the Ukrainian team. GRACE. It was real fun, no lie, we had a blast teaching and pointing and trying to communicate the rules of a pop-fly... a tag-up.. and all sorts of detailed rules of the game. The Ukrainians caught on rather quickly and we got to enjoy some good competition! Oh the Love of God is too good I say. Welp in the middle of our drought and 120 degree heat we found ourselves swimming in a rock-quarry! Our contacts blessed us beyond words... we were in a little place of heaven I believe! We spent the day exploring higher rocks to leap off of into the water, we swam til we were sore, we played catch with a football while jumping off the rocks into the water... what a fantasy.
Not much longer and my feet will be marching the grounds of America. First I would like to ask prayer for re-entering... I know I have changed and been transformed for life over the past year, and I want to be able to bring that change freely back to where God has asked me to be. Thank you all for constant support/prayer and thought. I know i say it alot but my deepest thanks to all of you, I would not have had the opportunity without you. Each of yall has made it possible for me to serve, travel, learn, and respond to the voice of our Father. Thank you. I cannot wait to hug and love on all of you!
Im goin to dedicate this blog to picking yer minds. Just some quotes and thoughts that have passed through in the past few days.
And if I were to sit in the fields while the storm passes... a day afterwards to ask "where is that terrible storm, with all of its terrible blackness?" I would hear the grass say " part of it is in me"... and the wildflowers would sing "part of it is in us" and the fruits and daisy would say "awe yes, part of the storm is incandescent in me." A rich blessing arrives afterward; the think fruitage of the peace and tenderness of a calm sky enhances our lives, but the storm will always pass.
"Yes, the Lord will give what is good and our land will yield its increase." Psalm 85:12
He longs to reveal His faithfulness, He is calling all of US to have faith so that He can pour out His faithfulness.
Jesus said "if I do not do the works of my Father, do not believe me" John 10:37
"Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart" Ps. 37
"... if i will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you a blessing until there is no more need." Malachi 3:10
I do not ask my cross to understand
my way to see
Better in darkness just to feel Thy hand,
and follow Thee
"Hope against hope, He believed" Romans 4:18 talking about Abraham
You will never possess that which you do not pursue
The world says seeing is believing but God wants us to believe in order to see
"Faith is to believe what we do not seem and the reward of this faith is to see what we believe" - Saint Augustine
So we have been praying for our contact to get a sum of money to help build a new basketball court for the neighborhood... as he met with the advisors and government officials they gave the "ok" and money for the construction to take place! thanks to God... i believe God loves basketball.
We were on house arrest (ish) for a few hours the other day.... a cop came and was asking for all sorts of paperwork (that we didnt have but the embassy did) and asking for our passports. Ultimately our translator and contact used peace and love to resolve the issue. Ha, Lord does know we don't have the money that the cop thought we did. He might have been just lookin for a little extra cash from "the americans"
We are prayin into the next and last half month in Ukraine.... there is a great possibility that my team might be working with a ministry that hosts and puts on softball camps for youth! hahahahahhahaha!!!!!! what an awesome way to end this years journey!
Thank you all for love/prayer/support. I wish i could hug all yer necks! maybe one day. I still have around $1000 to raise until the end of this month. Please keep finances in yer prayers!
Well my devoted blog lovers, i was challenged by one of my wonderful sisters (nicole) to write more often. so here is an attempt to scramble my thoughts together in some sort of understandable - readable way.
I started a new book.
By the way I have become a whoppin % more eager to read on this journey.
Oh and... i have also found in my adventures in several different countries and continents that America just might be the ONLY nation to make brooms life size. or in other words brooms made anywhere but the US i have had to bend over the whole time im sweepin... thus causing me to ache or complain and think about American brooms which i am now a bigger fan of.... so cheers for American brooms.
Anyhow i was saying i picked up a new book "Honor" by Fawn Parish. havent gotten but 50 pages in and im itching to vent some of my thoughts to the world web. HA.
Honor defined in Greek - to highly value, to prize, to not take lightly, to esteem, to give weight to, to ascribe worth"
Honor is a holy feature of the heart and mind of God. (take a minute to meditate on that one and you might not be the same)
A paragraph had be thinking, curious, pondering, dreaming, praying about so I am going to treat yall as this book treated me. Here is the spill...
"The dullest and most uninterested person you talk to may one day be a creature ... you would be strongly tempted to worship, or else a horror of corruption such as you now meet only in a nightmare. All day long we are helping each other to one of the other of these destinations. It is in light of these overwhelming possiblilities... that we should conduct all our dealing with one another, all friendships, all loves, all play, all politics... Nations, cultures, acts, civilizations - these are mortal, and their life is to ours as that of a gnat. It is immortals whom we joke with, marry, snub and exploit - immortal horrors, or everlasting splendors."
Just what if honor was the very foundation of how we thought and acted toward one another? What if we began to treat each other with the same significance that God Himself regards us? What kind of world would we live in if this was our devotion? (see 1 Peter 2:17)
We could shatter hell's grip on individuals, cultures, cities, generations and drastically affect how future generations view Christ and His claims.
"Honor has the power to reveal the heart of God"
Anyhow just some scoop to ponder, to test with yer lives.
So we are playing volleyball most mornings in a majestic-gorgeous park and then in the evenings we play soccer or basketball or frisbee. Well basically its amazing and i never thought i could be sore from throwing a football around with elementary year old boys... but i am. No worries i AM stretching my shoulder Poppa.
To my dearest Suz, i will not be able to make it for yer birthday tomorrow. But if i were... u better believe i would hug yer neck so tight! i guess il save that mighty embrace for early september. I love you so much and i miss yer laugh and love!
This house does not exist. The one with open rooms. The free meals to those in need have yet to reach the table. That table which seats the bums of the weary or longing... or even the drunk. The porch of refuge squeaks as worn shoes rock in healthy chairs. The rockers smile upon that fresh-cut lawn; the one which welcomes the wildflowers and blankets in the spring. This piece of land will carefully count the footsteps, taking memory of each stride and rest upon it. To the foreigner or neighbor the inside will yeild peace. "Go easy now", says the decor of the open room. Hearts of stripes and wounds will find themselves healed and full. Full as the stomach after a meal from heaven. Pillow after pillow will hold tired dreamers. The dreams will recieve their fan and burn a fire once more. The essence of love will never be contained. The bold walls will reak of hope. Miracles will find their playground in this house. Trust and honor will resound onto the community surrounding this house. Freedom unknown will be discovered here. Grace unknown will be felt. Love will reign in this house.
The dream of such a house belongs to me... although this house will belong to the Lord and His heavenly being, I trust I will be able to see it into existance. "...and calls into existance the things that do not exist." Romans 4:17
I want to share with you this dream of ours (God's and mine). I want to share it with you because I believe we are all apart of the same body of Christ, we all live in this time... in this world... and I want to ask for yer prayers for this dream. I want to ask for each of you to believe in this dream with me. To pray it into existance along side of me. A huge part of this race has taught me community. God calls us to this type of living.. supporting one another, praying for one another, asking things of one another, living with one another, giving to one another... and on and on. I want this generation to be a generation who loves. One who loves and supports and gives. So with me will you stand for a dream of such a generation?
I cannot begin to thank you enough for all of yer prayers and support for me. Honestly I would not be here without it. So thank you and my prayer is for God to begin to pour into yer pockets that which you've sown into my life. In prayer, in thought, in finance, in love. Thank you.
Allow me to give you a glimpse of what has taken place in this joint.
So we have been working with IHOP (international House of Prayer), there are a few located throughout the world and what it is, in a glimpse I say, is a place where God and heaven loves to invade. Ok, so I will do my best to describe the seemingly indescribable. There is a room, a normal room, in the middle of a normal street on the outskirts of Prague (considered one of the worlds most atheist countries). It is a room decorated with white walls plane as jane. There are seats facing the front of the room where there is open space for dancing, playing music, waving banners, or jumping around. Well from 9pm until 4am we worship... we pray... we weep for countries or faces we have seen, we dance because we are filled with joy from our Father, we rest and soak in the Spirit of God that sometimes allows us to do none other than lie in stillness... this room is where God tells us what to pray for and we speak it into existence. This is the place where prayers that have been prayed for years on end will come alive. This room filled with His lovers is a place I desire to be in because I know as I step foot into that simple room... I will be met with God's peace and freedom. Freedom to worship however my spirit leads me to... freedom because everyones desire is to get closer to God in any way possible. Freedom to sing as loud as you want because you want the Father to get the praise He deserves. Freedom to dance or move because God blessed us with the ability to dance in joy. Freedom to play music even if you don't have a clue what instrument you are playing.. but heaven loves when we worship and so we worship. God is creative and He allows us to be creative with our ways of worship to Him... He delights in our voices, in our music, in our groaning, in our prayers, in our dance.
In this room people of many nations have held hands in peace and love. In this room different skin colored faces have prayed love into one another. In this room... this God filled room... love abounds.
So we stay there for hours into the night and until the dusk turns into the dawn... and we meet heaven... and it is fabulous. I actually thought I wouldn't be able to stay up all night, thinking about it made me weary... but hold onto yer pants, once I got in that room... I could have stayed for days I'm certain.
During the days we meet a lot and I mean more than 3 handfulls of travelers and backpackers... most of them wondering about life, and curious to see what this world is really about... so we have met some legit folks and we have been able to be a friend to some who are traveling alone. It really has been wonderful... and I thank you for each of yall allowing me to be here. Because of yall's support and love I have been able to love on people all over the world, and my life has been ruined for none but Jesus.
We leave for Moldova ministry in the morning around 3:30 and we have about 30 hours of trains and layovers until we reach our next site in Moldova. Which is something like VBS and sports ministry stuff I believe.
I love you all so dearly! any comments or questions i will love love to hear or respond/answer whatever I can!
I was made to be loved by Him and be in
love with Him; to live wearing the keys of true love on an unbreakable chain.
My mind and heart dwell in heavenly places. Though understanding of this world
may never come, I will continue to have revelation on the unseen world. I do
not fit the mold of earth’s desire because I live to please a different home. I
can sing and dance with angels. I can close my mind off and be lifted into
another realm. I can feel and hear into heaven. I am being transformed into a
face that died for all humanity. I will always have everything I need. I have
been promised an inheritance that is beyond all understanding. I have searched
and I have searched hard to discover that nothing of this earth will ever
amount to the least of heaven. I am made to uncover injustice and cry for the
whisper of my Father to shower it with love. I am made to hold orphans and sing
into their unloved ears. I am made to hold the hand of a gypsy child who will
never know my name. I am made to dream of America turning back to a nation who
seeks to live in the Kingdom and allow God to rule ourland. I canbelieve in a world with no divorce, no abuse, no violence because I have
found the source of unending love and peace. I can believe that everything
works together for my own good because that is a promise to us by the God who
breathed life into our being.
This writing is not finished, it will never be finished… discovery
is everlasting.
