"God will open doors for you to preach and nobody will be able to shut them."
I found out that it also means that even I cannot shut them. I want to be found faithful and obedient to the Lord but sometimes it is so discouraging that I just want to return my calling. I felt badly enough one night and was ready to quit. The next morning I received an invitation to fill the pulpit at First Christian Church Winfield for Oct 24. I couldn't have said no to them. I used to work for them and this was a great opportunity to go back to minister to them. I said yes without thinking too much about it.
I did preach that Sunday on "Dying to Self, Looking to Jesus." In my short training to preach, I noticed that all the sermons were meant for me. They were direct lessons for me and preaching them to others was secondary. I didn't know how close to home this would get.
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
Monday, Oct 11
CCF officially moved into the Band Room Galle Johnson 205. We had an amazing service even though we have a small group. The Drama Team performed and 5 people responded to the altar call. God is bringing us the hurting and the ones struggling. That is the ministry. The wall is completed, now the actual work begins. Praise the Lord.
Sunday, October 10, 2010
A Bride
What a journey from May! I can't even begin to imagine the roller coaster but here are the new revelations and lessons:
1. Jesus calls us to be His bride:
He calls us to an intimate relationship with Him. Without such a relationship, nothing will be birthed (yes, we know this on earth, don't we?). We all get spiritually pregnant with the fruits of the Holy Spirit. He gives us gifts for our enjoyment. I've felt that I've been in labor for CCF for months now. Only a beloved warrior will fight. It is only the love of God that sustains His bride. The love of God is displayed in many facets - giving His righteousness, justification, purification, gifts and anointings of the Holy Spirit, power & authority etc. There's so much - read your bible and you'll find out for yourself! My puny brain cannot even begin to fathom.
2. Knowing Him in His suffering:
We learn to share in His suffering. The words of the song "Knowing You Jesus (All I Once Held Dear)" are becoming more and more real to me. When I am slandered, gossiped and lied about, it is persecution for His word. When my mistakes or those of others affect me, I know He hurts because of our suffering. Studying the Song of Solomon has been more than comforting for me as I walk through this season. I don't accept that God is the author of the suffering but He is the Deliverer and He loves me so much that He will and has released everything I need to overcome. Amen!
1. Jesus calls us to be His bride:
He calls us to an intimate relationship with Him. Without such a relationship, nothing will be birthed (yes, we know this on earth, don't we?). We all get spiritually pregnant with the fruits of the Holy Spirit. He gives us gifts for our enjoyment. I've felt that I've been in labor for CCF for months now. Only a beloved warrior will fight. It is only the love of God that sustains His bride. The love of God is displayed in many facets - giving His righteousness, justification, purification, gifts and anointings of the Holy Spirit, power & authority etc. There's so much - read your bible and you'll find out for yourself! My puny brain cannot even begin to fathom.
2. Knowing Him in His suffering:
We learn to share in His suffering. The words of the song "Knowing You Jesus (All I Once Held Dear)" are becoming more and more real to me. When I am slandered, gossiped and lied about, it is persecution for His word. When my mistakes or those of others affect me, I know He hurts because of our suffering. Studying the Song of Solomon has been more than comforting for me as I walk through this season. I don't accept that God is the author of the suffering but He is the Deliverer and He loves me so much that He will and has released everything I need to overcome. Amen!
Waiting for THE Thunderstorm
At the revival services last week, I received a few more words for this season. I am waiting for a life partner. I would be lying if I said that the wait is getting easier. Moving into ministry like this alone is difficult and I've been asking God to send me helpers & ministry partners. The Lord has been sending me friends to encourage me along the way in this wait. I managed to get together with a few friends from Alabama two weekends ago and they shared this. "A woman gives birth, a man doesn't. In your case, you have to birth your ministry and it is not his job. It is your job but he will come along and be the husband - to protect and guard."
I didn't go forward for prayer to ask for a husband this round because I know it is already done but God knows the heart. Even without voicing this, Pastor Hansie Steyn called me out twice concerning this, that he was praying for a husband to come along and exhorting me to keep waiting. God uses people to speak into our lives. Before you think, "hmm I thought this is about the campus ministry," I need to tell you that I know for a fact that my marriage and ministry will go hand-in-hand. It is my battle to wait for the right partner to not jeopardize that which God has called me (and us) to do.
While praying and interceding for the campus ministry, I had three snapshots of Cowley College that I saw and sensed an urgency. I saw Cowley in the bright sunlight, with a beautiful blue sky over it - a normal day, nothing unusual. Then, the next snapshot was Cowley with storm clouds covering it until there was only some light left in the horizon. This was not a scary storm but one Kansans would love to watch. The last vision was with the storm clouds again but this time, above the clouds was the brightest light, the glory of the Lord. After seeing this, I started praying, "Lord, break, break, break those clouds! Come down, let your glory fall and rain, start raining. Send your rain, rain, rain!" Praise the Lord!
I am standing and believing in His promise that He has given me the land under my feet. I listened to "Taking Your Land" on GodTV the other night. Something struck me there - Christians need to learn to take authority. The devil doesn't fear a Christian who just knows his position, the Word etc but one who knows and is willing to act on what he knows and will take authority. I'm learning to take spiritual authority over the campus when I pray for the campus, not begging God. God already wants to send His glory and revival on campus. He wants to more than I do, or all of us on campus combined. He just needs people who are willing to command and be His voice on campus. What a humbling experience! I ask, "Why me?" but the Lord always answers, "Why not you?". To that, I have no answer other than, "You called me because of your Son!"
I didn't go forward for prayer to ask for a husband this round because I know it is already done but God knows the heart. Even without voicing this, Pastor Hansie Steyn called me out twice concerning this, that he was praying for a husband to come along and exhorting me to keep waiting. God uses people to speak into our lives. Before you think, "hmm I thought this is about the campus ministry," I need to tell you that I know for a fact that my marriage and ministry will go hand-in-hand. It is my battle to wait for the right partner to not jeopardize that which God has called me (and us) to do.
While praying and interceding for the campus ministry, I had three snapshots of Cowley College that I saw and sensed an urgency. I saw Cowley in the bright sunlight, with a beautiful blue sky over it - a normal day, nothing unusual. Then, the next snapshot was Cowley with storm clouds covering it until there was only some light left in the horizon. This was not a scary storm but one Kansans would love to watch. The last vision was with the storm clouds again but this time, above the clouds was the brightest light, the glory of the Lord. After seeing this, I started praying, "Lord, break, break, break those clouds! Come down, let your glory fall and rain, start raining. Send your rain, rain, rain!" Praise the Lord!
I am standing and believing in His promise that He has given me the land under my feet. I listened to "Taking Your Land" on GodTV the other night. Something struck me there - Christians need to learn to take authority. The devil doesn't fear a Christian who just knows his position, the Word etc but one who knows and is willing to act on what he knows and will take authority. I'm learning to take spiritual authority over the campus when I pray for the campus, not begging God. God already wants to send His glory and revival on campus. He wants to more than I do, or all of us on campus combined. He just needs people who are willing to command and be His voice on campus. What a humbling experience! I ask, "Why me?" but the Lord always answers, "Why not you?". To that, I have no answer other than, "You called me because of your Son!"
Preaching - The Oil of Joy
I thought giving sermons would be difficult, getting the timing and knowing how much to say and such. While preparing for the weekly sermons, I realized that first the message was for me. I take Wednesday night as my prep night and that gives me (and the Lord) a few days to let the message minister to me over and over. God would convict me of the lies I have believed and the truths that I was going to proclaim. I found out that deciding how much to talk about and how to teach the subject wasn't that hard after many years of lesson planning.
I have been reading both Bondage Breaker by Neil Anderson and The Pleasures of a Loving God by Mike Bickle. I want to give my students who God says He is and who He says we are. Without teaching the truth, there will never be a change. We are studying the many characteristics of God - as a Bridegroom and as a Father. I preached on the God of gladness and studied on the oil of joy.
I had a dream last week about the oil of joy. I dreamed I was taking a spa vacation. I had a long soak in a bath tub and after that, the attendant said it was time for my oil of joy treatment. Oil was poured over me from the top of my head and it ran down my body to my feet. Following this, I stepped out of the shower into the room and praise music was coming from the tv. A voice asked me, "So what is the perfect response to the oil of joy?" I didn't even have to think to answer, "Dance!" I started dancing in that room.
Now, if I could really do this in a worship service at school, I would. Once a keyboard player is raised up, I would be able to. For now, I'll dance in my heart and spirit. I heard someone say this, your level of willingness to dance is a reflection of how free you realize you are. I'm free!
I have been reading both Bondage Breaker by Neil Anderson and The Pleasures of a Loving God by Mike Bickle. I want to give my students who God says He is and who He says we are. Without teaching the truth, there will never be a change. We are studying the many characteristics of God - as a Bridegroom and as a Father. I preached on the God of gladness and studied on the oil of joy.
I had a dream last week about the oil of joy. I dreamed I was taking a spa vacation. I had a long soak in a bath tub and after that, the attendant said it was time for my oil of joy treatment. Oil was poured over me from the top of my head and it ran down my body to my feet. Following this, I stepped out of the shower into the room and praise music was coming from the tv. A voice asked me, "So what is the perfect response to the oil of joy?" I didn't even have to think to answer, "Dance!" I started dancing in that room.
Now, if I could really do this in a worship service at school, I would. Once a keyboard player is raised up, I would be able to. For now, I'll dance in my heart and spirit. I heard someone say this, your level of willingness to dance is a reflection of how free you realize you are. I'm free!
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