Heavenly Adventures

Missions Recap

2008-05-05T11:43:00.000-07:00

So I am finally reporting on missions week. I have been processing some things that happened to me while I was in Tijuana and since I have been back that have left me quite undone in an amazingly good way. Our team had about 150 people so we broke up into smaller groups and went out to different churches around Tijuana. We did evening services and went out to the streets before the services to invite people to come and pray and whatever else happened. One of the guys on our team declared the night before that he would see drug addicts restored and set free on this trip. 5 minutes after he stepped of the bus a man walked up to him and said i am a drug addict I dont want to be aymore only Jesus can help me would you pray for me. Our team saw many other amazing things happen. People were healed of cancer, deafness, the people in the churches were activated in healing, the children were activated in healing. It was totally amazing. On Saturday we went downtown to Revolution street and spent a few hours shopping and then did a service at an outdoor stage that night. We saw many people getting healed and saved. One young man who had just gotten saved helped interpret for those who were praying or the sick. He was in awe. he had been in the Kingdom for 10 minutes and was already participating in the miraculous!! Just the way it should be. This is a picture of a beautiful lady named Maricella who we saw on the street when we were shopping. She needed healing in both her knees, lower back and shouler and Jesus did not disapoint her. It was so precious to see her face light up when she got up to try and walk and see how her knees felt and realized that they didnt hurt anymore. God is sooo good. He's gooder than we know.
The other teams saw incredible things too. If you would like to hear some of the testimonies you can go to http://www.ibethel.org/ and download the sermon of the week from Sunday night April 27th.
As for me, I had forgotten how much I love the Hispanic people and culture. I was suprised at how much spanglish I remembered and was able to ask people if they needed healing and understand the jist of what they were saying. It was soo much fun. I'll share more later on my personal breakthroughs.
On the trip back we spent the night at a church in Laguna Beach and had a little time to play at the ocean, my second favorite place on the planet!

Thank you for you prayers and support! I couldnt have done it without you.

Pour out Your Glory!!

2008-05-03T04:43:00.000-07:00

This started out as Bible class until our teacher ended up on the floor in the glory. The increase has begun!!

Sing Over Me Jesus

2008-05-01T21:07:00.000-07:00

When I look into Your eyes - I see You

When I look into your eyes - I feel loved

Captivated by Your gaze
Saturated in Your Grace

When I look into Your eyes - I'm free

When You look into my eyes - You see me
Your gaze it penetrates right through me

I'm everything You dreamed I'd be
Perfect and complete

When You look into my eyes - I see

To the Nations We Go!

2008-04-07T21:34:00.000-07:00

This week is Missions Week in school. We have 23 different teams going everywhere from Japan to Alabama.

We heard already on Sunday from a team that was heading to Mexico. They came across a car accident on the way there and stopped to see if they could pray for those who were hurt. A baby was ejected from one of the cars and had died just before they got there. The team prayed for the baby and the baby was brought back to life!! The mother received Jesus right there on the spot!

Another group is in Australia with Pastor Bill, there was young girl who came to one of the meetings and went up to receive prayer. She has had an aborton a few weeks earlier and was very upset about what she had done. After being prayed for she went home and ended up going to the hospital because she was feeling sick. They discovered that she was sick because she was 4 months pregnant!!! Talk about the restoration of all things!

Radical displays of the extravagant love of God!! There is nothing better!

My team is headed to Tijuana at 3 am. Adventures with Poppa God await us!

Thanks for your prayers! I will post testimonies and pictures when I get back.

Core Values - An Adventure in Identity

2008-04-02T23:17:00.000-07:00

I have been looking at what are the lenses that I see life through. I have continually struggled with constantly scrutinizing and judging other people. I knew that some of this came out of fear of being rejected so I would judge and reject others first. Then I had no value for anything they had to say so they couldn't hurt me. Very effective at pushing people away and isolating myself, not very effective in accomplishing life's purpose of being everything I was created to be. I will never fully fulfill my destiny without other people and they will never fulfill theirs without me. We were created to need each other.

So how do I get out of this cycle? I have been reading about core values. These are the lenses we see and perceive life through. We all have them whether we know what they are or not, whether they are good or bad. Here are a few things I have discovered about mine:

rejection and isolation were 2 of my major core values, along with performance and people pleasing. ( gasp - I know you are soo surprised!!)
No matter how hard people tried to love me, it rarely made it through the walls I built. Here I thought I had been doing so well in dealing with issues. Soo the good news is that with revelation comes the grace to change. Holy Spirit does not point out issues just so we can feel bad about ourselves but He comes with the full weight of Grace - the supernatural ability to change.
Being transformed isn't always easy, but the freedom and joy are well worth it.

So enter my new core values that are transforming how I think and act from the inside out:

I am more than enough just the way that I am. I don't have to be better than or less than anyone else. I just have to be me.

Fear has no place in my life. I will not make decisions or be moved by fear in any of its forms.
I have been made perfect in love and perfect love casts out fear.

I am not a victim of circumstances. I am a daughter and heir of the One to Whom nothing is impossible. I am to overcome and overpower anything evil that is against me.

I have been granted access to all things in the Kingdom. It is my Father's good pleasure to give me the Kingdom. I don't need permission to come boldly and receive what I have need of.

I am accepted and approved of just as I am, therefore rejection has no place in my life. I freely receive and give love because I have been set free in love.

So that is just a little sampling of what I have been up to lately. God is soo good and faithful, I am amazed more every day.

An Amazing Day

2008-02-26T23:01:00.000-08:00

Worship today in school was absolutely beautiful;
delicately intimate and yet wildly passionate.

There was a release from heaven of creativity and the arts,
and moments of gentle stillness, waiting in His Presence.

This led into an outbreak of healing all across the room. People were being healed of all kinds if illnesses and injuries.

Yes, just another beautiful day, what a privilege to be in the center of His will!

Dreaming with God

2008-02-26T02:32:00.000-08:00

A question for us all to ponder.....

If there was no limit on how amazing you could be, what would you do?

Take a few moments and just write down whatever comes to mind.

Then look at what you wrote and ask Jesus
what lie am I believing that is keeping me from walking in this?

and then

what truth needs to replace that lie?

This is an exercise we did in our revival group a few weeks ago. It was amazing.
The truth is that when we are in Him there is no limit to how amazing we can be!!

My Favorite Song at the Moment

2008-02-24T05:37:00.000-08:00

I Have Found By: Justin Byrne and Jon Mohr

I have found a peace that plows on through the storm
I have found a joy that jumps over sadness
I have found a love that lights up every room
I have found, I found You

You are all I want, You are all I need
Everything my heart could hope for
We are longing for, the Glory of the Lord
Cause we know there' s so much more

I have found a trust that teaches how to rest
I have found a grace that guides me by the hand
I have found a strength that stands like a mountain
I have found, I found You

Only You, fill my soul

:)

Some more pics...

2008-02-18T01:06:00.001-08:00

Some gems a couple found in their house...

Fire tunnel in school of ministry :)

Another mild mannered, orderly Sunday night service....NOT!!

The Beauty Around

2008-02-17T23:44:00.000-08:00

This is the view from the prayer chapel.

This is my present from my extravagant Papa God!

these are pictures from the sundial bridge. It is a glass top pedestrian bridge over the Sacramento river.

The Goodness of Your Love

2007-12-07T05:30:00.000-08:00

How great is Your goodness, Oh Lord
Endless, the depth of Your love
Kindness and faithfulness
I am overwhelmed once again
I have tasted of Your love
Felt the beating of Your heart
I am now forever changed.

Satisfaction escaped me, hopelessness taunting
The pain of regret and past shadows haunting
But oh what a love, so faithful, so true
One drink from Your cup, One kiss from Your lips
Forever Yours I become
Hopelessly addicted,
never settling for less,
Forever and always
Yours I am, and You are mine.

Thanks Lord for Giving!

2007-11-22T10:49:00.000-08:00

I am home this week for Thanksgiving break. It has been so much fun to see friends and family again. The best part though has been seeing the freedom that I have gained since being gone tested out.

I left a difficult church situation a few years ago. It was hard to get over. I never thought I would leave there. So the last few years I have had a hard time finding a new church home. I went to several places but always felt out of place. So I decided just to stay at a church I liked in spite of how I felt. As much as I liked it there even after a year I still had so many walls up that I didnt get to know too many people. So this last Sunday was the first time I have been back since I left for school and it was absolutely amazing. For the first time I didnt feel out of place or anxious and fearful about what anyone was thinking about me!

I can't explain how amazing it felt to be able to just worship and enjoy life without all the extra clutter in my mind. That feeling alone was well worth what it took to get there.

So for those who were so nice to me in spite of the armor I always had on, thank you. I look forward to getting to know more people better and enjoying church life again.

Have a Happy Thanksgiving!

Finally She Speaks

2007-11-02T06:41:00.000-07:00

My how the time has gotten away. It is hard to believe I have been here for almost 2 months already. School has been this amazing, challenging, exposing, intoxicating, sifting, freeing, transforming experience all rolled into one. And it's only been 2 months!! It's amazing to constantly be a part of a community of 700 students all hungry and pursuing the same goal - to see the face of the One we love and be transformed by His love.

Sorry I haven't written sooner. It has taken me a little longer than I anticipated to transition. I think I forgot that almost everything in my life was changing the day I moved. It's funny ha ha ha, how change seems to trigger every area of insecurity you haven't dealt with and some you didn't know you had. But the freedom gained is so worth every uncomfortable moment!

I will post some stories of things that are happening soon! Thanks for all the prayers and support!

Just Like Me

2007-10-11T02:13:00.000-07:00

Identity. Just what is that?

Who am I? Who should I be? So many questions constantly plaguing me.
I've searched and I've sought, struggled and toiled,
with these feelings of worthlessness that in me do boil.
I've looked and I've longed to fit in with the crowd,
Never realizing my home is safe in the clouds.
The heavenly place where i am seated with You,
Oh the glory of your face longing to shine through
the veils that I wear, the shame I embrace,
maybe if I could just change my face.
Perhaps a new dress, new car, new shoes,
Yes, maybe that's just what I'll do.
I'll change who I am and become someone new, This old model here will just never do.
Then I could be great, be someone, be loved,
perhaps be accepted, fit in, and even thought well of.
Could I finally be, someone of worth, if I could just change the place of my birth?
Yet emptier and emptier, this shell that is me, never finding just the right person to be.
you see the problem I face is a common one too,
I don't like me so maybe I should just be like you.
Have you ever had this struggle too?

And yet all the while , quietly in the shadows,
They are watching and waiting, ready for my unveiling.

If only I believed that who I am is perfect, unique,
and in all of the world there's no other me.
Knitted together, fashioned in the womb, by hands filled with love and a God Who is Good,
Perfectly made and completely loved,
Kissed with the sunshine from heaven above,
a piece in this puzzle called the body of Christ,
And to think without me here, it's just not quite right.

I'm finding my place right by His side.
Boldness and confidence now flow from within, I've finally found the place I fit in.
A great mystery you say? No, it was there all along.
I just couldn't see it, I didn't hear the song.
I was to busy working, striving to please,
A lover whose desire is just to have me.
Then that one precious moment when silence was found,
Deep in my heart, what is that beautiful sound?
It was the sound of my Father, my Lover, my Friend,
Singing over me the song that causes struggles to end.
A voice filled with love, a sound so sweet, I think He knew just what I'd need.

Come away with me My child, My precious My delight,
Its time to stop hiding and step into My light.
Only in my presence will you find perfect peace, only in my arms is the safe place to dream.
You see I've been waiting, watching you there,
listening, loving, catching every tear.
Listen no more to the voices screaming in your ears,
not good enough, to big, to small,
Because you My love, are betrothed to the fairest of them all,
His heart for you is higher than the tallest of mountains,
His love the purest and refreshing fountain.
So come now and rest, stay with me awhile,
Let me look into your eyes and just enjoy your smile.
For to me you are perfect. Just the right fit.
And look here beside me, is the place where you sit.
Here is your throne, a crown, made of love
Now you're Ruling and reigning with me from above.
So go now and paint this picture you see.
And go show the others that they too look just like Me.