Look what the Lord has done...

Just to name a few from Ephesians
He has:
Blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing,
Predestined us to be His sons and daughters,
Freely given His grace,
Redeemed us with His blood,
Forgave us of our sins,
Lavished His grace on us,
Marked us with the seal of His Holy Spirit (guaranteeing our inheritance),
He loved us and made us alive in Christ...
And the list goes on.

I am overwhelmed by all that He is done. I have taken for granted so many things that He has done for me and promised me. All I have to do is open His Word and I will see written plainly in the love letter how much He is in love with us and how we ravish His heart. I am amazed...

Oh, no. You never let go. You never let go of me.

We sang words that poured from our hearts as the sun illuminating the gray sky began to fade away. And as the sky darkened, we continued to sing fervently.

"Hard times will come, hard times will go away...
Your love never changes..."

I sat and thought about those words. I, myself, was having a hard time; a hard time dealing with doubt. I had been so excited about the change that God had been doing in my life, I had forgotten about how it felt in the hard times. But thank goodness that we have a God that says," Take heart (be of good cheer) for I have overcome the world". He said "there will be tribulation", but He promises that He will always be with you, that He is always present.

I just wish that I could impart that to the children that we worked with today; the children who have either no father figure or one that is basically nonexistent and children who have guns as a regular part of their lives("sometimes its a fake gun, sometimes it's a real gun" a girl told us today). It's one thing to tell them, but I'm praying that the Holy Spirit make known to them who there Father is and how much He loves them, that He will never leave nor forsake them.

I want them to know the God of unconditional love, of goodness and mercy, of compassion and justice, the God of love and grace.

Though hard times may come. I know they will pass. I know He is with me and I know that He who conquered death will make a way for me when there seems to be no way.

Every tribe, every tongue, every nation...

Every time, and it never fails, that I see young children from different nations I can't help but think about the impact that they are going to make. The impact that they will make on the people around them and ultimately their home country as they develop into the leaders that God has called them to be. Getting the opportunity to share the love of Christ with children from many different nations and backgrounds on Saturday was one of the most precious things that I have ever had the chance to do.

Thinking about the event during the week and how I could prepare for it was nothing compared to how the Holy Spirit and God's love was able to prepare me once I arrived at the church. I had to let every worry and anxiety about working with children and handling them fall to the wayside. And when I did... I was able to just love them. Right away, I found a friend. A little girl from Nepal came up to me and told me about how one of the boys was teasing her. I took her hand and invited her to sit with me. As we listened to the directions, she braided my hair. I felt like I had become part of the community. The kids were so open, and eager to learn about Jesus. I smiled and laughed as a young boy responded to the fact that we would be "walking where Jesus walked" during the guided tour with, "On water?!"

And throughout the day I felt the Holy Spirit welling up inside of me, joy bursting within me. These are the leaders of the world, the next generation; young Pauls, Davids and Marys; revolutionists, world-changers. These are the children of promise.

1,2,3...

Hearing the voice of God...

something beautiful, unique, and often seen as difficult.

As rain patters on the ground and birds chirp in waking, I am reminded of God's promises. Swooping carefree from one branch to another, they sing a song of praise. I want to be carefree like the sparrow, with a natural spring of praise overflowing from my heart.

I was reminded the other day not to overcomplicate things. Sometimes I get to the point of frustration in trying to hear from God, or just feel distracted. It is in the stillness of my mind that He is able to speak the loudest.

"Be still and know that I am God, " He says with great care. (Psalm 46:10)

It has been 3 days here at YWAM, but I am learning a lot. I am so grateful for this opportunity to rest in God and to have such a great family to encourage me here. I know that God is working on me with seeing Him as my perfect and loving Father that I can run to at any time and with so much more, and I am so glad that I can already see my confidence building. I keep getting the image of sitting on His lap. Him holding me close. I know He's telling me how much He loves me, I'm just waiting for that day when I will be completely unashamed and confident to jump up on His lap.




It has been hard, in some ways, thinking about the Father aspect of God. I have pushed the thoughts about my dad to the back of my mind, trying to ignore them, but I have decided to do that no longer. I said in some ways before though because God has been a wonderful Father to me and been there in ways that my earthly father couldn't, I just want to discover more about that aspect of God and to be able to just run and embrace Him.

Joy. Unspeakable Joy.

Inexplicable joy...

There is no other feeling like it.

Knowing that God has something planned for you, something bigger than yourself, and all you can do is hold on and watch God work through you. It's amazing.

God has showered His love and blessings on me and I just don't know what to do. I'm gonna share this love, is what I'm gonna do.

It's like this past Sunday when I was covered in prayer by the youth group at my church. As soon as Bill announced it, people crowded in to lay hands on me. And I could hear prayers coming from every direction. It was absolutely incredible. I love those kids and I am so blessed to have so many people supporting me and loving me.

I will never be the same because of the people that God has placed in my path.

It is not just the monetary blessings that have helped me... there have been so many thoughtful acts that people have done. Providing me with meals, thinking about the things that I may need or love to take with me, and of course the prayers.... I have been showered in prayer. From the time I got to Hope Chapel, up until this point, I have been covered by prayer. I love it! I am so blessed and I owe it all to Jesus. I am ready to go spread His name and His love! So, ready!

Wait.

Just thought I'd share a little something this morning that God showed me.

I have learned a little something from my dog. I thought it was a little tiresome that he follows me around EVERYWHERE, but God told me "I want you to be like that. Follow me. Don't just follow me, walk beside me. And don't jump ahead. Trust me. Wait on me." I remembered as Boomer would try to anticipate my moves and jump up on the couch if he thought that's where I was headed. I remember that God is always with me, but I have to stay with Him and trust in Him.

Outpour.

For a long time I had struggled with my thoughts and started to believe the lies that I never had salvation. A lot of that was me not fully understanding God's love and the fact that I do not have to work for salvation. My mind couldn't grasp the concept that it was done and paid for once and for all at the cross. I thought that I had to try to be holy, not understanding that it was in God's presence that I am made whole. I was forgetting that Jesus paid the price so that I may be blameless in His sight. I was striving thinking that salvation was of my own merit when, after all, it is by God's grace that I am saved.

As I prayed with my friends tonight, I saw this image of a sandcastle with walls and a heart inside. First it was just four walls with water (or love) pouring in, seeping through the walls. Then I pictured a sandcastle, the walls disintegrating as God's grace like the ocean flowed in. I can't help but think about God's love and how it overtakes us... wiping away all worries and concerns.

I know that there are barriers and mindsets God wants to tear down in my life. It's happening... I am just praying for outpour and more of Him.