Word for the Desperately Hungry

Again I just felt like I should share what God impressed on my heart today......Just cry out to God with your entire heart and give him all you have holding nothing back. Just let go and you will step into a deeper realm of intimacy unlike anything you've ever known...I'm trying to head that direction. Want to go??? :)

“O God, you are my God; I earnestly search for you. My soul thirsts for you; my whole body longs for you…” -Psalm 63:1

“I have more for you. But you must recognize and receive it. This is a gift I so want to give you but you must find it. I do not hide if in a evil attempt, but I wan to see you earnestly seek this piece of history I have for you. When you cry out, believe I hear. When you speak words, believe that I am speaking through you. As you smile feel my love radiate out of you. As your worship comes before me hear me singing over you. The more you hunger and cry for is at the Threshold. Step over and join in the next chapter. Do you see how every action you physically do can be drawn from the passion you have and the expression I’ve placed in you. Do you see the purpose of your friendships, do you see why I have placed you here? All my purpose for you can be perfectly played out when you daily submit to my leading. Choose to walk in all I have for you, whatever that is. You must follow, sometimes blindly. Throw away your plan B’s. There is getting to know me or nothing. I see your heart striving to know me, but I also see the flesh with its back up. There is no other way. Are you on fire or cold? Are you awake or sleeping? I despise the drowsy lukewarm routine of a half hearted follower. I must have zeal and desperation overflowing from every bit of my spotless, warrior bride. My bride must follow the Kings orders without question, out of her trust. Do you not understand the cure you hold? The answer to all of creations question is upon your lips. Run with it.

“So I run straight to the goal with purpose in every step…” -1 Corinthians 9:20

“If we are living now by the Holy Spirit, let us follow the Holy Spirit’s leading in every part of our lives…” -Galatians 5:23

Delighting in a Child-like Faith

In Isaiah 43:14-28 we read of how the Lord is going to deliver Israel. God the Father just begins to dote on his children saying how they were created just for him. Then in verse 21 there is a shift in the direction of this Word of God. “I have made Israel for myself, ad they will someday honor me before the whole world. But my dear people, you refuse to ask for my help! You have frown tired of me!” Can you hear that ache of pain in his voice? Its as if this Father who lovingly delights in his children has been rejected by him, they claim they no longer need to lean on him for strength, they think they can do it on their own. Is that not what we do all the time? We try things on our own strength, and this is when God’s heart doesn’t grow angry with us as many think, but a pang of sadness reaches through him to see his children walk away from their Protector-Provider-Father.

Then in verse 25, “I-yes, I alone- am the one who blots out your sins for my own sake and will never think of them again.” God doesn’t have to forgive us, in His sovereignty he would be more than justified to allow our ultimate consequence of sin-eternal separation from Him-to be carried out. He would be right, but for HIS sake he blots out our sins. For HIS sake he forgives so that the Father/Child relationship can carry on. In His mercy he creates a way for his children to come back home and embrace the intimate relationship he created them for. God was revealing this to me today in my prayer time. I had expected him to speak to me, but he blew me away. This week a group and myself are really diving into God and striving to lock eyes and hearts with him in a new way. And as I did this God began to speak to me through a Jason Upton song...he often does that. But with this fresh look at how our Father forgives, and his heart toward us I felt him say the following, I just wrote and he spoke. I believe this is a Word for me and for you. I know I have often lost site of that childlike faith and he just so wants to be part of every aspect of our life. Listen to what he is speaking to you in this Word and let him begin to break down walls, let him minister to you in a way you’ve been yearning for but couldn’t seem to reach. He just wants delight in you, let him. Read this Word and be delighted in!

“I miss the times as you had such a child-like faith, when we simply played together. Spent time with each other we would spin in the rain, your laughter brought a bubble of laughter and joy from my lips as I watched you in contentment. My dear child do not let the worries and problems of the world harden you childlikeness. Yes, I am sovereign and full of justice but I am your Abba Daddy who delights in you. These burdens aren’t yours to carry. Pray over them and let me work in them and while you show me all you can do.
Build your masterpiece so I an give you a gold star. Your imagination is a gift from me, let me be part of your everything. Let me play with you. Let me work with you. Let me dream with you. Let Me imagine with you. Come take a walk with Me. Allow me to speak to you as the snow falls. Hear me singing to you as the wind whistles in time to the song. Hear my sights of pure love as the birds sing. Seethe pictures I paint each morning for you. Return to the child like days where you knew, you had a knowing of how special you were to your daddy. And you just wanted to tell your daddy , you were special, cause you knew somehow he knew it to.
I will hang the work of your hands on my wall of beautiful treasures. Daily you will be my delight and your every attempt to glorify me is here before Me constantly. Never do I forget the beautiful pieces of your heart towards me. Won’t you receive my unashamed abandoned delight over you? I forgive you so I may draw you near once more. Thrive my lovely child, my strong, adventurous, captivating, imaginative sons and daughters, draw from my delight in you and thrive. Spend the simple moments with me. Its all an act of love for My glory. Every bit of your life do I delight in. Now go out my little ones grow strong but not prideful. Grow wise but do not allow your minds to cloud out my love. Grow in confidence in Me, but hold to this child-like faith, you , myeloid child. I delight in you, now delight in my joy in you!”

Its time for us to invite God into every area of our lives and try and grasp the truth that our every action is a blessing from God. We do all for his glory, he delights in our every action when it is done to our best because we are making our Daddy proud.

Isnt a Sure-footed Slip Better than an Ill-fated Fall?

I recently took a Bible Study class that Pastor Jon taught. It was a great learning time of how to cross reference and find the definition of the words in the original language. As I began to use the tools that are out there I discovered some interesting concepts, so shall I share with you both my hermeneutic particular as well as my exegesis? I suppose it leans more to the former. As I dug into this illumination of scripture God gave me a strong word to confirm the truths he revealed, and now I feel him telling me to let you all in on it. Here goes!

I was reading in Psalm 68:19 one day and read "Praise the Lord: praise God our Saviour! For each day he carries us in his arms." I mulled over this picture that began to be painted in my minds eye. The burdens we carry daily God overlooked as he lifted us into his arms and carried us along the way. A cross reference verse that my New Living Translation connected this to was Psalm 55:22, which reads, "Give your burdens to the Lord, and he will take care of you. He will not permit the godly to slip and fall."

Immediately one concept cemented in my mind. It doesn't say here that the godly wont ever slip when the Lord takes care of you. When we do slip we wont fall. An ill-footed slip is better than an ill-fated fall. In the mind having a sure footed grounding in the Lord the familiar scripture from 1 Peter 5 then came to mind. "Be careful! Watch out for attacks from the Devil, your great enemy. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for a victim do devour. Take a firm stand against him, and be strong in your faith. Remember that your Christian brothers and sisters all over the world are going through the same kind of suffering as you are." The concept of needed a strong standing in the Lord is reinforced. A reminded as well that you aren't the only one who will face this issue of slipping. It says that your brothers in Christ are enduring such sufferings as well. And these people are there to lean on in the midst of a slip up. You also can see here that its not just us as we are struggling to 'balance' there is an enemy trying to push us to not only slip but to fall.

I wanted to dig deeper into this idea as the wheels in my mind continued to give me no rest and continued to crank. So I grabbed my NKJ and flipped back to Psalm 55:22. This translation served to fill in the color for the roughly sketched image in my mind. "Cast all your burdens on the Lord, and He will sustain you; He shall never permit the righteous to be moved." There is the familiar language of that verse that we have all sung of in Sunday school (Cast your burdens! *clap clap clap* Unto Jesus! *clap clap clap* ok you get the idea...). God showed me the picture in my minds eye- there you stand. You are SO sick of the burdens you've been drudging along with. Whatever that might be, I know they are coming into your thoughts right now, can you see yourself standing there-sick of carrying these weighty things around with you? You then just abruptly take hold of the wretched burdens and forcefully throw them on to Jesus. Not at all in a mocking, or angry way, you just realize how strong he is and how willing he is to take these. You then stager as the heaviness leaves you. You haven't walked with out that seemingly 'stabilizing' weight thats been upon you. You stumble to find your footing, you may even perhaps slip. But then the sturdy, strength filled hands of Jesus take hold of our shoulders and we are not moved.

This release of your burdens is a complete paradigm shift. Where we once lived out of our wounds and selfishness with out burdens weighing us down we can now hardly balance under the lightness which is found as we allow Jesus to be are "paraklete" the one who comes along side us. What then does this life lived out under a new burden free atmosphere look like?

Strongs Concordance's definition for this Hebrew word 'cast' found in Ps. 55, is "salak"- to be thrown, adventured, hunt, plucked. This implies that this casting off of burdens comes with adventure- moving into new territory. This same salak/cast is used in Isaiah 38:17, "Indeed it was for my own peace that I was in great bitterness But you have lovingly delivered my soul from the pit of corruption, For you have cast all my sin behind your back." I believe that this use of cast speaks to the fact that as we cast our burdens onto the Lord its part of the act of letting go of out past transgressions, forgiving ourselves and he then in turns doesnt keep them at the forefront of his focus, he throws them behind him so we can set out on this adventure with him. He begins to sustain us in a new way, where we wont slip. This sustain in Strong's means "to provide, contain, feed, nourish, abide, able to abide." We are walking in this new life with God, remember this is the godly-not a picture of becoming saved for the first time. Its a deeper level when the 'godly' allow God to take them in his arms and when they let go of their burdens, he is then able to abide with us-at a deeper level. As Ps. 55 says he wont allow us to be moved-moved from this place of his protection, provision and where he abides with us. All we must do is submit to his help and cast our burdens upon him!

After I was just praying about this and asking God to help me take the steps to cast my burdens to him and let him throw them behind his back, God just began to speak to me- and I believe he wants to tell YOU this as well. Open your heart to what he whispered to mine...
"Stop holding onto these horrible burdens. Pluck them out of your life and hurl them to me. Don't fear the unnerved feelings. I am taking you on this adventure. I will hold you and sustain you. I will abide in you. With this weightiness gone, I am able to receive you. I will feed you as you look for nourishment. Take that step to embrace the romance adventure I have for you. The moment you throw your burdens to me I throw them behind my back. As I am the center of the being of the universe the burdens you once were so familiar with I cast as far as the the east is from the west. Come embark on this with me!"

So...how about it? Are you willing to throw off the burdens, realize that when you slip the Lord is sustaining you and embark on this adventure he is waiting to walk in with you? You are sure to slip at some time, under a heavy load-the struggle to stand back up with be harder. If you fall under a heavy load, you will get hurt. Let's cast off these burdens. I know I am trying..its a daily choice..but isn't it a choice worth making?

I Need Africa More Than Africa Needs Me

There is a cause that I have decided to get behind, its called Mocha Club. You give seven dollars a month to an organization that supports Africa. Seven dollars can send two kids through a semester of school. Seven dollars can give seven Africans clean water for a year. What do we do with the seven dollars? We spend it on two coffees and it goes no further. Mocha Club has asked its members to write a blog to raise awareness. You dont have to have thousands of dollars to make a difference.

I need Africa more than Africa needs me. How you ask? In my previous blogs I’ve told you about the concept that God hasn’t let me stop thinking about. I hold a unique expression of God that no one else has. If I’m going to truly live with that conviction God whispered something into my heart- you must then search out the unique expressions I have placed in others. Every single person holds an expression of God in them that we would other wise miss out on. Now think of that in the relation to the beautiful people of Africa. They hold expressions of God like no one else. When we let these people who are in such devastation slip out of our memories, a facet of God is being forgotten.
I know I need Africa, I need to learn from them. I need to see the pieces of God that He breathed into their lives. I need to believe that God is a provider who can take a person who needs a miracle and turn their lives into more then they ever could've imagined. I believe God can use us in amazing ways to reach out... I believe that I need the child in Africa who smiles amidst a 20 year war. I need the widow who continues to worship in the midst of her grief. I need the young man in Africa who walks barefoot to a well miles away from home to get one gallon of water for his sickly siblings. I think its time to consider if perhaps we need Africa more then Africa needs us.


So what do you think? Is it possible we need Africa more then it needs us? Tell me what you think-make your own blog about it. Myself and others teamed with Mocha Club are trying to change the pity over Africa to genuine compassion in action with partnership- come check out my blog and Mochaclub.org on Decmember 1st and we can learn together how to help that change happen. Tell me, do we need Africa?

Vision Statement and Governing Values

So in my class at RSM we had to take two weeks and sit down and come up with the vision statement we have for our lives and then the governing values. It was an incredible challenge. I freak out a little bit every time I have to think seriously about my future just cause I have to daily say "God I'm going to TRUST YOU!!!"

The other day I listened to "Caged" a mesage by Sammy A. (an awesome speaker-check him out)! Sammy's message hit the spot, God totally used it to both encourage me and to open my eyes to my self worth, and that of others....He said something in there that I have latched onto. "Each person holds a unique expression of God in them." I, myself hold an expression of God that the world wont see if I dont determine to let that expression shine through. The same goes for every single person on the face of the earth-thats another blog. But as I thought about that, I have decided that that is my vision statement right now. My purpose-to live out that expression God has breathed into me.

So if you want to read my vision statement, governing values, supporting verses and my mini-explanations, read on. More blogs to come on the "God breathed expression" dealio. :)

Vision Statement:

“To actively live out the unique God-breathed expression of the Lord Almighty that has been placed within me in order to bring glory to the Father God.”

‘And the Lord God formed a man’s body from the dust of the ground and breathed into it the breath of life. And the man became a living person.’ -Genesis 2:7

‘For in Him we live and move and exist…’ - Acts 17:28

- I am choosing to live with the conviction that I hold within me an expression of God that no other human holds. God in his divine mystery is so unfathomably limitless that each person holds a unique expression of him. I haven’t yet heard him whisper the ‘big thing’ he wants me to do but I will daily set about trying to live out the expression of God within me to bring others to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. I know I am meant to live a life full of exploits that God has written down in his book as part of a grand scheme adventure, until I know the main plot of my story, I am living each day in faith that I am carrying out the steps to get to where God wants me to be. I’m living out the expression of God that has been breathed into me by the same one who created the stars and knows them by name.

Governing Values:

1) Relationship with God-my getting to know him.

‘Because of our faith, Christ has brought us into this place of highest privilege, where we now stand, and we confidently and joyfully look forward to sharing God’s glory.’ -Romans 5:2

-My first priority is to get to know God, my life has no meaning without that intimate relationship with him. I see my life as a small piece of the puzzle known as God’s master plan. The only way I could ever fulfill the works he has planned for me long ago is if I KNOW my God.

2) Relationship with family and friends.

‘Finally, all of you should be of one mind, full of sympathy toward each other, loving one another with tender hearts and humble minds.’ -1 Peter 3:8

- I have learned that we need each other more then we could ever fully know. It is alright to let others see my weaknesses and faults, I can lean on the people in my life. I need to not ‘go it alone’ and need to life selflessly, making my family and friends a priority.

3) My place on the wall (my sphere of influence)

‘O Jerusalem, I have posted watchmen on you walls; they will pray to the Lord day and night for the fulfillment of his promises. Take no rest, all you who pray.’ -Isaiah 62:6

- I have realized that God has placed me in the areas that I have influence in on purpose. I have been posted at a certain place on the wall, to influence those around me for Christ. I need to live life on purpose on the wall and recognize the work in front of me. Some of these places I see now is school, work and my family, and even my church.

4) Serving my spiritual leaders

‘Work hard, but not just to please your masters when they are watching As slaves of Christ, do the will of God with all your heart. Work with enthusiasm as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people.” -Philippians 6:6-7

- I recognize that everything I do is unto the Lord. I also recognize that God has placed my parents, pastors and leaders in my life as part of his will for my life. My serving them to the best of my ability as unto the Lord both blesses them in their ministry and brings a smile to my Father God’s face. In sowing my time into being a blessing to my leaders, I know God will bless me with a harvest that is woven in with that of the leaders I am under.

Following Your Vision out of the Prison

I've been doing a lot of thinking about my vision for my life. What is it. What is my passion, whats one of the BIG things God is asking me to do? What is my HARD THING that he has called me to live out the expression of him that he place in my that no one else possesses...well I have an answer for you. Ready??

I have no idea.

Its hard at times to keep trusting and clinging to God with no vision. I have recently been meditating on Hebrews 10:35-36 (yes I've been on a Hebrews 10 kick in my blogs..), in the NLT it says "Do not throw away this confident trust in the Lord, no matter what happens. Remeber the great reward it brings you! Patient endurance is what you need now, so you will continue to do God's will. Then you will receive all he has promised. " Think about what God has whispered to your heart. The dreams, the hopes, the hard things that you couldn't possibly do by yourself. Remember that sweet moment when he first brought that preposterous idea to your mind? How he loved the reality that you CANT do it on your own. The broad smile that enveloped his face as he whispered to you "You see beloved, we get to do this together! You are right in thinking you can't do it alone, no my child, together we will be more than conquerers!"

Now think of that vision for your life you have, where are you now? Are you in a place where it is dry. Do you see any sign of that dream coming to pass? What does Hebrews say? Dont you dare throw away that trust in God, and have patient endurance. With this thought in mind God laid Acts 12:9 on my heart tonight.

"So Peter left the cell, following the angel. But all the time he thought it was a vision. He didnt realize it was really happening." -Acts 12:9

Now track with me. I read this in context and God brought up some things. Imagine it, Peter is in the prison. This is the famous scripture where he is rejoicing while in this desolate place. Sining praise and worship while chained to the wall. Do you think he had a firm grasp on the vision God gave him of being building the foundation the church? It wasn't in plain site, I think its safe to say. There were some three things I saw God point out in this situation.
1) Peter was asleep and the angel told him to "Quick! Get Up!"
We to often are asleep to what God is trying to do. We need to ask God to put an urgency in us that keeps us alert and in active pursuit of what God has for us. Even when we dont know the big picture, pursuing a deeper relationship with God is a step in the right direction. Here, Peter was asleep, and you can't blame him, but whose not to say God wanted him awake to what was about to happen?
2) "Get dressed and put on your sandals"
While we need to be awake, we need to be prepared. You say- what!? If we don't know where God is taking us, we dont know the vision for our lives (me either, remember). I've been reading Bill Johnson's 'Strengthen Yourself in the Lord' and he said something that blew me away to grip in your mind. God never puts you through something you aren't prepared to handle. Think of the scriptures, time and time and time again you see it played out. Even now if you look back over the past year of your life, picture some of the hard things, you obviously came out the other end alive. Now think back months, weeks before those events, do you remember those verses that popped out to you that were so very applicable? God was preparing you. You must take the garments you acquired from those events and dress yourself for what is around the corner on the path to your vision, you hopes, the big thing God wants to walk through with you.
3) Follow your vision out of the prison
The verse that God brought me to says how Peter followed the angel out of the cell but the entire time he thought it was a vision. We need to be kingdom minded, have a focus on the vision. The promise for the dream that God deposited in your heart, however far down the line that dream applies, we need to see that dream and hear God's promise and movie forward. Set our faces like flint and dont fear when we stumble and trip. God is working with us on this one remember? He will pull you back up and set you on your feet as you step forward once more focused on that vision, on that promise.

In this cell place, this prison where you feel chained, helpless, lost without seeing leaps of advancement in your hopes and dreams-dont throw away the confident trust in the Lord-NO MATTER WHAT HAPPENS. One minute Peter was chained, asleep and seemingly ill-equipped. Next thing he was awakened, prepared and following his vision right out of this prison he was sleeping in. God is saying wake up to the things I have for you. Stop thinking you arent going to make it, I created you, I breathed into you-you are my crowning glory and I made you to carry out that part of my plan that no one else could!

Lastly, at the end of the verse, a little tag on to Acts 12:9 you see "He didn't realize it was really happening" Peter was so focused on the vision God had for him, as he was dressed and awake he followed his vision right of of the prison. He wasn't focused on the chains God broke off of him. He just walked out focused on the vision. Follow your vision out of the dry place your in. Cling to the promise God has whispered in your ear, dont throw away the confident trust in the Lord. You can walk out of this place focused on your vision.

For those of you like me, who arent yet sure of that big life vision-we need to be singing and praying and worshiping and waiting on God in our every day life as we get closer to him till we can hear that whisper of what he is inviting us to do with him. Until then, set your face toward the goal of living out the unique expression of God that was breathed into you at the time God was knitting you together. Hold to the Confident Trust and Patient Endurance we have in Christ.

Rest in your relationship wit HIM

I want to share with you a picture that God gave me through some scriptures I was reading. I've been thinking about letting God be our resting place. What does it mean to rest in God-and what can keep us from that?

As I was thinking about this I read Hebrews 4, the entire chapter is talking about entering into God's place of rest. It says repeatedly how this place of rest is for all people and it references the time in the wilderness where the Israelites had hardened their heart, had disobeyed so God vowed that they wouldn't enter his rest. As I looked into this more I came across verses 10-11 that say

"For anyone who enters God's rest will find rest from their labors, just as God rested after creating the world. Let us do our best to enter that place of rest. For anyone who disobeys God, as the people of Israel did, will fall."

I began to explore what it meant in saying we would rest 'just as God rested after creating the world." As I turned to Genesis I read how he rested on the seventh day. But what happened after that? We see the beginning of the relationship with man. The next words of the Lord that are recorded are when he admonishes Adam to not ear of the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil. Is it to far to think that in God's time of resting he established his relationship with man? In verse 2:18 we see that God says "it is not food for man to be alone" he recognized in his rest, perhaps, that man needs companionship, and God as well wanted companionship.

I looked back to Hebrews 4, and saw that as God rested after creating the world, this is where he entered into relationship. Our rest in God is a relationship. We can enter "that place of rest" by entering into the most intimate and important relationship of our lives-one with our Almighty God Creator and Unconditional Lover.

This in turn seemed to make sense with what happened at the fall. When Adam and Eve sinned this broke their relationship with God. Just as Hebrews reminds of Israel's disobedience breaking this intimate relationship. They were unable to enter God's rest because of their disobedience breaking their close relationship. When that barrier of disobedience your heart can become hardened, which makes a deep relationship with Father God nearly impossible, the rest you seek seems far, because the barrier is within you.

Track with me, in Hebrews 4 it refers to the scripture from Psalm 95:11 where God says "they will never enter my rest." The Hebrew word for rest here is translated as "resting place, still, with ease" the same rest that is used in Isaiah 28:12 as it says "God's people could have rest in their own land if they would only obey hi, but the will not listen." Doesnt that tie in directly with the illumination God brought to my attention? A seeming direct link between obedience to God and a rest, an ease in our relationship with Him.

We need to do our best to enter this place of rest, we need to WORK at this rest. It is work to have healthy relationship. It is work at times-to obey God's voice. We mustn't harden our hearts!! In closing I want you to notice that it is no random thing to have the familiar verse 12 that states "For the word of God is full of living power.." It reveals our innermost thoughts, we can open and vulnerable and surrender all to God in our rested relationship. Just two verses later we read "Let us cling to him and never stop trusting him.." Cling to him, cling to that place of relationship and enter that place of rest.

Lord God please just come and show us what it means to rest in you. We know that disobedience is a interference in our relationship with you. The stresses of this world can be lost in our relationship with you-when we are in your arms, when we are rested in you, we can leave stress behind, show us what that is God. We don't want to harden our hearts!

Shaking The Foundations

The other day I got this word from the Lord, its not an 'audible' voice, its a feeling, words that kinda go from heart to paper. Whose to say that all this is accurate, all I know is that I FEEL that God spoke this to me. He then brought a scripture to my mind to back it up, a confirmation. So now, I'm blogging it for you to get out of it what you may. With this word, I know it applies to the Body of Christ at Large, let God speak to you through it as you wish.

"My offensive Word is being delivered out. Times are coming where others of the faith will be brought to their knees. They will see the error of their ways and stop the illusion. A raw and real passion is being born within my people. No longer will people turn in disdain. Rather the hundreds will come rushing to my body as they seek the source of my unyielding mercy. They wont see a group of people who haven't any problems. No they will see fallen people who still live with a hope and a strength that is unworldly. They will see raw emotions and raw people. A generation who seeks my face at all cost. What must you do to be one in this generation you ask? You have to search, war, and rend your heart. Tear out your heart as an offering to me. Lay it at my feet as a show of your devotion. I find no pleasure in the burnt offerings of old. No, I rather say lay your hearts bare before e and my consuming fire will burn it.

No remnant of a sinful nature can with stand my breath. This heart will be pure zeal and devotion and strive to be found weeping at my feet. The world will laugh , they will leave you alone in your hearts bare state, but they willl watch. They will leave your side but you will never leave their mind. Arise Arise Aries. Oh Radiant Ones. The veil is rent and your hearts laid bare. Come before me and do not fear the burning process. It will be an awakening of your soul. A thirst set with in you never satisfied. The only quenching thing is my touch. I wont leave you dry, but the thirst will remain as a reminder of your need for me. Your heart is mine-give it back. Let for the tight grip you keep over it. Loose your lips to speak my words.

Fear not the disdain. Fear not the shaking. These all must come as a purifying process for my chosen and set apart ones. A new wind this way comes a fresh breath for my people. A new drive a new direction. Reach. Be ready. If you do not stand trough this testing, this shaking, how then would this powerful wind replenish you? You wouldnt be able to see it for what it really is. Know I am here. Now always, hear my voice in the wind- see my smile in the sky- smell my peace in the rain and feel my love in the rain and feel my love in your life. Your heart is what I desire, desire mine. Arise!"

God then took me to Haggai 2:5-9
"Take courage and work, for I am with you, says the Lord Almighty. My Spirit remains among you, just as I promised when you came out of Egypt. So do not be afraid. For this what the Lord Almighty says: in just a little while I will again shake the heavens and the earth. I will shake the oceans and the dry land, too. I will shake ll the nations, and the treasures of all the nations will come to this Temple. I will fill this place with glory, says the Lord Almighty. The silver is mine, and the gold is mine, says the Lord Almighty. The future glory of this Temple will be greater than its past glory, Temple will be greater than its past glory, says the Lord Almighty. And in this place I will bring peace. I, the Lord Almighty, have spoken."

All I know is that God is certainly taking me, and others I've talked with, through a purifying and shaking process. Something big is around the corner, and God needs a ready and radiant warrior bride to rise to the occasion. Whatever youre going through, consider if its not God shaking the weak places. God has showed me that the places with a weak foundation, where its not rooted in God will easily be shaken. He is shaking us to show us the weak points and asking us to re-lay a new, strong foundation.

The Young And Learning Bride

I recently was talking with a close friend of mine about the idea that Jesus, God, is our lover-our prince and husband. When you grow up with one certain picture of God you begin to subconsciously place him in a box and limit your spirit's access to all the facets of God's character. When I first got a hold of the picture of Jesus as my lover I ran with it. As an 'emotional girl' its a great picture of God to get a hold of. I understand its harder for guys to grasp, they are less emotionally driven-but when a guy can get a hold of that its powerful! So if you have struggled to get a grasp on that idea of Jesus Christ-the very one risen from the dead- he wants to be married to you, he wants to love on you and hold you close to him, maybe I can share with you the pieces that helped fix the puzzle for me and maybe just maybe God will speak through it and show you a little glimpse of how much he longs for you!

In Hosea you read the story of Hosea and his unfaithful wife. God uses this as a picture of Israel and himself. How Israel has betrayed his love time and time again, yet he draws them back to him.

The thing is we are part of Israel, in Isaiah 14:1 it says "Israel will be his special people once agai. He will bring them back to settle once again in their own land. And people from many nations will come and join them there and become a part of Israel."

Then again in Zachariah 2:11 it says- "Many nations will join themselves to the Lord on that day, and they too will be my people. I will live among among you...."

We are part of Israel, these are just two examples of how we are being tied into Israel. Not to mention that it is a general known thing that all through out the Bible that Israel often represents us as the body of Christ. So, we ARE part of Israel. Now, going back to Hosea. Hosea's wife is a picture of Israel, in turn being a picture of US. Us as the body of Christ, us as God's special possession. Are you ready for this!?

Hosea 2: 19-20 says.."I will make you my wife forever, showing you righteousness and justice. Unfailing love and compassion, I will be faithful to you and make you mine, and you will finally know me as Lord."

Did you get that? This is GOD talking about YOU!!! He wants to make you his wife! How his heart breaks whenever we turn towards another lover! In Psalm 45: 10-11 we read "Listen to me, O royal daughter; take to heart what I say. Forget your people and your home land far away. For your royal husband delights in your beauty; honor him for he is Lord."

One morning as I was doing my devotions I felt the Lord speaking to me on this subject. I often have my journal at hand to write these things down. And at one point he mentioned this idea of me as his bride. Even though you may have been saved now for awhile, you are may still be a young bride. Now here is the things that was a 'light bulb' moment for me. At times I almost look at how I've messed up and think, wow, I should know better then this! But God said to me-as new bride, a young just married bride- YOU WONT KNOW HOW TO PERFECTLY SERVE AND LOVE YOUR HUSBAND...wow..read that again. Youre not even EXPECTED to know it. Its a process you learn! At first all you know how to do is love out of pure joy and pure love for you husband. The mature, learned love comes with time. All God wants us to do is LOVE on him. Yearn for him and then he will help us learn how to love him and serve him better.

And as a new bride your new husband doesn't get mad when you don't know how to do everything right! The mercy of our loving God! Let God love on you, let him reveal to you his deep desire for you! "I am my lover's, the one he desires. Come my love..." -Song of Songss 7:10

Lord God I just ask that whoever may ever read this-that you would come right now and reveal yourself to them as their lover. Show them your deep desire for their hearts full surrender to you. As our faithful husband you will not break our hearts! Lord I pray that you break the boxes we have placed you in. May you come in right now and warm our hearts with your unfailing love and walk with us, take our hand and lead us in the way we must go, lead us through this marriage with you-you love us so so so much, may we never forget it!

check out this song to hear how God sees us as his Beloved!

The next line in the noon time

I'm in that mood to talk to you. God has stirred my heart so I thought I would share some thoughts. This blog won't have any awesome picture God gave me, no loves notes from him really, just some convictions he is cementing in my heart and some spark of an all consuming fire.

Ive been reading some good books lately. Just finished Do Hard Things by Alex and Brett Harris as well as A Heart Ablaze by John Bevere. Both good, both convicting. (Both I suggest to you! :p )

When I look back at the last bit of my life, not that I've lived the majority, but I've lived an important chunk of it. I'm 18, going to be 19 in a seemingly small 7 or so months. I feel like I am just now grasping some really important daily used principles. And just in case any of you are in the same boat as I am, I am going to try and share some of those ramblings.

I have lived for God all my life, came to a point where it became real for me, and from there I've been striving to figure out what he wants me to do. I have just come to grips with all that matters is my KNOWING him. All else falls into place. Now somethign that he has laid heavy on my heart as of late is using every moment he gives me. "Sure," you think, "heard this shpeel a good 90,000 times." Yeah I've heard it just about that many time to-we all have, so here is a question I pose to you. You've heard it time and time again, use the time you have. Its so short-don't take advantage of it, ok, so why are you?

I have to. I only have a year and a half of my teenage years left. What have I done with them? I've stressed out over school, the future adn the present much to much! So what now? I'm going to TAKE THE MOMENT AND RUN WITH IT.

We often sit and watch the beautiful sunrise and sunset and say, wow what a unnessay beauty the sun's coming and going produces. Yes its beautiful, and yes God wants us to enjoy it-he paints it for us but let me pose another thought for you. We may be up early and marvel at the suns beauty as it comes, then later in the middle of the day we find ourself thinking thoughts like "hmm, sure is hot now. Wish the sun would just set so I wouldn't have to deal with it anymore." Next thing you know it does. We sit around admiring the sun...while it comes..while it goes. Yet when is it in the most stable point of its cycle? In the middle of the day. This is when we have the most opportunity to work, to do whatever it may be we do.

Our life is passed the rising of the sun. We have rose, if you're able to read this blog- you are old enough to realized a few years have passed in your life, whether you used them to the best of your ability or not. The setting isnt here yet, the part we say is so beautiful. But WHY do we sit in our moment we have right now and think of how nice it was BACK THEN. Or wonder what it will be like in the future-when the pretty colors are across the sky, when our sun is setting.

Take the time you have now, take the moments, the oppurtunities, to work all your hours you can while the sun is still up. We can't be stuck in the future or the past so much so that we miss out on the HARD THINGS WE CAN DO NOW. Yes, I'm rambling but stick with me.

How many times do we allow the eaier road to get our attention only to realize all the influence we could've had on the other side. We have to stop living for ourselves, stop living for what benefits us. Don't you think that enough generations have come and gone with that mind set. Even today, I look back and think of how I may have impacted someone today. Even if you plant a seed in the heart of someone who needed a thought of God-that would be worth it, but what did you do today?

Did you get to wrapped up in scolding your kids and forget to tell them that they are royalty worthy to inherit all of the world? Did you get to mad at your family member and forget that loving someone is one of the most precious things a human can do? Did you get to frightened of the future that you missed the opportunity to comfort someone who was loosing their grip on life during the here and now?

I know that I can live harder, I can do better, I can't sit here and be okay with living a good life. I need to live THE life God planned out for me. We may rejoice in the thought that God has every moment of our life written down, which is indeed an awesome thought! I love it! But heres the thing- He has it all written down, he has when the scenes play and the perfect timing. So you th, all I have to do is ask to live by that script hes written and I'm golden. Not quite, you may ask him to read it to you and he will-but you need to know the script.

You can't act out this divine adventure and romance in perfect timing with out knowing the script. You have to take your time on stage, you have to live in the heat of the day. The morning and evening are the most calm moments of the day, but noon is when the most people are awake. The most people are walking by you-how many have you reached out to? Right now is the noon time of this generation. Its our time to step out and speak to those around us. Its the time for us to read the script and act it out, memorize it and work hard to take every moment we get.

So take your moment today. Let yourself take the harder path so when you get to the other side you can look back and say, "wow-what I would've missed had I not tried hard." Know the script, work hard at noontime and hear the voice of your divine lover saying come! The time is now! Rise up and seize the moment.

Dont let this day go by without having done everything you know how to do to live for God. To reach out, to make a difference. To make an impact in at least ONE PERSON's life today.

God help us to live moment by moment according to what you have for me, and help me to choose the hard things you have for me. Let me not miss a single thing you have for me. In this noon time may I step out into the beating down sun and offer water to those who are thirsty. May I step out in the noon time and not dwell only on the coming rest, but rather say GOD here I am, I am working for you- whats the next line???

A Word for the Weary

I blog about different things God reveals to me through His Word, or some awesome thing he did and just ways he is working in my life. This particular subject is something that I didnt know if I was going to blog about-but he said do it, cause someone else needs to hear this. So here I am, you should read it, because this might just be what you wanted God to speak to you-so here it is. God can speak through your crazy friends to ya know. :D

During my devotions the other day God just seemed to keep telling me to 'not grow weary.' Which seemed a little weird because, at this point in time-I dont feel weary! But then as it kept coming up this one morning I decided to listen to what He was trying to say-after all God knows what we need before we ask. Which means he most certainly knows what we need before WE even know what we need. So I starting thinking, maybe its not so much telling me at this moment to not be weary, maybe its God giving a warning against becoming weary. Cause I've fallen into that pattern in the past. As I was thinking about all this a song came on my mp3 play by Phil Wickham entitled "Fall Into You" (LISTEN TO IT!! follow the link to a page that displays a little player where you can listen to the awesome song!) One of my favorites- it paints this picture of utter dependence on God and letting yourself just fall into his arms, admitting your weakness. God had given me a few verses to meditate on, which seemed to go with this theme he was bringing up, this was one of them-
*"The Lord says, "I will guide you along the best pathway for your life. I will advise you and watch over you." Psalm 32:8

After I read that I was praying and God gave me this picture..
Im running down a hallway that seems to never stop. There is nothing to decipher how long I've been running, how far I've made it. My breathing grows heavy and my legs become so weak. I collapse-tears streaming down my face. I was running so hard FOR my God-why couldn't I endure?? I lift my eyes to see my Saviour standing just ahed. He calls to me. I must go to him! But I'm so weak! He is my strength, I must embrace him. I struggle to stand to my feet, I stand, I move forward but fall. I'm so close, a piercing pain through my heart, I feel his very heart ache as I struggle-just two more steps-I hear him say. I move on and he is now within reach. I want to stand tall and be strong FOR him. But my legs begin to buckles. As I strive to keep my balance he whispers, "let yourself fall, fall into me, I am your strength. Yes this is what was missing in your striving." Yes, this is what was missing. I fall into his arms and am immediately overcome with his love. I am barely able to utter the words "I have need you to be this close, I am so very weak. I need you, OH, I need you!" As my Saviour's eyes well up with tears at my weak words he sees my heart's desire to please him. He whispers to me- "all this time you've been trying to run this race, fight this fight, FOR me. My beloved! Wont you run it WITH me? I have all ready endured this struggle in your stead. Come now, take my hand, let me be your strength and your guide. When it seems that weariness shall overcome you, I'm here just fall into me."

Then I read this scripture in Isaiah 40:28-31
*"Have you never heard or understood? Don't you now that the Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of all the earth? He never grows faint or weary. No one can measure the depths of his understanding. He gives power to those who are tired and worn out; he offers strength to the weak. Even youths will become exhausted, and young men will five up. But those who wait on the Lord will find new strength. They will fly high on the wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint."

Awesome right? Now I know this is a bit lengthy-but there is more that I read that day that God used to cement his point. I've been reading an excerpt from "Journal of the Unknown Prophet" every so often, its a book with some things that God spoke to this one woman over a period of time, and guess the title of that day's entry-*To Those Experiencing Weariness* and this is what it said-

"Dearly beloved, I know you are weary: I see you so worn down with the cares and the pressures of each day that you have almost lost sight of My hand upon your life. O beloved, as you enter the end of the age, so shall the pressures increase, so shall your need for times of refreshing become more desperate. For you see, without Me you are nothing.

Apart from Me you are able to do nothing. In your own strength, in your own power, you will be continually frustrated and unable to accomplish all you have need of. For it is only in a vital, continual union with Me that you shall survive.

And so, I am drawing you to a place where I will be your very breath, where communion with me will be your very reason for existence each day, where nothing less will sustain you. I am drawing you to a deeper place in the Spirit where your need for my presence will be so consuming that unless you draw close to Me, the cares and the stresses of life, even of My call upon you, will overwhelm. For you see, beloved, I called you to abide in Me. The Father and I seek for those in these times with whom We can make our abode. We seek worshipers in spirit and in truth. We seek those who hunger for our fellowship."

All these things God brought to my attention in one sitting. So what do I close with? I say to you who may be weary, and as a warning to myself- when you feel weary, be quit and feel God's strong embrace holding you up. When you cant see threw your tears lift your face to see God's eyes welling with tears for your struggle, and when all you can think of is how you've failed the race, hear God whisper to you "Stop running FOR me, come take my had, run WITH me!"

The Everlasting Orders of the Father King

"Let every created thing give praise to the Lord, for he issued his command and they came into being. He established them forever and forever. His orders will never be revoked." -Psalm 148:5-6

I came across this verse during my devotions this morning. I had read today's devotion in "My Utmost for His Highest" by Oswald Chambers as well. In that devotion it was talking about how God's purpose for us isnt an end goal but the process of trusting him and walking with him everyday. Our purpose isnt for the future but today. Good stuff- so as I read the above verse I had purpose and calling on my mind.

At God's command all things were created-at God's command you and I were created-just like that. When he created us he had a specific purpose in mind. He didn't created you then think..hmm how will I use this silly little person? No-he created you with the thought-"Here, now this beautiful child can have this personality and I'll give them this talent so they can perfectly do THIS as I want them to." At his command we came into being with a purpose and divine calling over our lives.

Verse 6 says "He established them forever and forever. His orders will never be revoked." So what are these orders?? As I was thinking about that God just gave me this thought-the orders and the orders he placed on our lives. As we are soldiers of this ALMIGHTY KING he has given us orders. Orders, things to carry out. The order he gave you is your purpose and calling. How awesome right? But even more-he says these orders will never be revoked.

To many times those who profess to be Christians fall away. It happens so often for a myriad of reasons. By God's grace many come back to Christ and realized the error of their ways. But as they come they are usually weighed down by guilt and shame, and by the thought that they have done to much to be used by God any more. But what does this verse say?! God's orders are first-established forever! Secondly they are NEVER revoked. When a lost child comes back to God their calling is there waiting!

God does not look at them and say "I am sorry, I have removed the calling on your life because you messed up so badly. I can't use you for what I wanted, so no longer do you have a divine role to play in my plan." NOT AT ALL!!! He instead looks at you and says the words just like the father with his prodigal son "My son was lost but is now found! Look my child, I have held onto this, your divine purpose, while you were away. It is still here waiting for you to pick it up and carry it out. These are my orders for your life and I wouldn't ever take it away from you!"

He will not remove the calling over your life. While you could walk away from it. When you don't walk in his perfect will you can't accomplish all he wants you to do. You must be seeking him and the orders over your life will be played out. Never think that you dont have an important role to play in God's master plan. You do! He created you with that exact role in mind. He taylored your every personality trait, your family, the time you live in and they people you know.

You were created at God's command. God's orders are established and here to stay forever. His orders for YOU won't ever be revoked. Do you hear him speaking to you? Do you hear him saying "Now is the time for you to rise up and make this your own." ? His orders are here forever, the question is now, whether you will carry out your Father King's orders and play the divine, one of a kind, role that he created just for you.

"Yet who knows whether you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this?"
-Esther 4:14

Crossing the line in the Domincan Republic

How do I begin!!? This blog has needed to be written for a week or so now.

I just recently went on a mission trip to Barahona, Dominican Republic. 39 of us from my church went. The very first day was great, we went out and invited people to the mass crusade that was going on the next four evenings. But we didnt even understand what was about to happen. Wenesday evening we had a prayer time right before we got ready for the crusade....it was powerful. But it was nothing like what God had in store for us that evening.

30,000 people were there that night, and every following night. After an awesome message from Dominic they transitioned into some worship. Then we got the signal to begin praying. Our team went out and you could feel the presence of God! People began to be healed right away! It was honestly the first time I had been able to be a part of someone's healing. It was awesome!! While the language barrier was hard at times it got easier every night. The people were so ready to be healed and expected it!

Every day the momentum was building as was our faith. The drama's we performed in the area towns were powerful and we saw people get saved and healed after every one! God was getting these people's attention! It was a great expirience to share with all the people from church. We all got closer I feel and became more unified and all caught the same vision to bring this same expectancy and presence home with us.

One great thing was that God wasn't only touching these beautiful people of the DR, he was touching and healing our own team! One girl on our team has been having migarains for a year! And she came to a few of us and asked us to pray-RIGHT there-she was healed. She has had NO problems since!

One afternoon two other girls and myself were being prayed over by one of the interpreters that became a great friend of ours and God touched each of us in awesome ways! He began to speak to personal situations in each of our lives and his presence was so heavy that we ended up on the ground laughing in the spirit for nearly an hour!! I know that it was a needed refresher in my life!

Each night people were conitnueing to be healed-blind people seeing, paralyzed people walking. Deaf ears opened. Simple aches and pains touched and instantly healed! God was moving in such HUGE WAYS! It hard for me to tell you what it was like. Our youth Pastor was talking about the only difference between the power and healings we saw there and the level of power we expirience here is expectancy. These people were expecting God to move-we here in the states often have a hard time expecting God even wants to heal us from our physical pains-I once didnt get it either! But not now!

We crossed the line. The line where expirience and an encounter meet. You walk away from an encounter being changed-not just remembering a good time. This line between an expirience and an encounter is expectancy. We crossed it! The last eveing was so amazing. The healings were still happening in the hundreads and God came in with such a heavy presence! You could feel the enemy getting mad over the souls he was loosing-this was an encounter I would never forget!

Sunday was our free day-we thought we weren't going to have any 'intense God times.' God had other plans. There was a group of us getting ready to say good bye to the same inturpreter who prayed over me and two other girls earlier. And we wanted to pray over him. So we did. Then he says I want to pray over you-this man is very annointed so we welcomed it for sure!

Soon people were weeping, and some were laying on the ground! The presence of God had a work to do in each of us that day. I myself, had a lot of things confirmed. God just convicted me. As you might have read in my blog before this-I have decided to be a full time zealot for God. No matter what I'm getting ot know God and am going to tell everyone else about HIM on the way. Well there are a few people God has watned me to pray over in the past that I see a lot, and I havent done it. God just began to show me-he said "You see the annointing this man has? You can have the same. I am with him just like I am with you. Let me work in and through you." I used to be afraid that if I prayed for a sick person-that they wouldn't be healed. God helped clear that up for sure! I have had it cemented that its not about me at all-its all about God. He is the one who is doing the work and the presure is on him to show up. One thing God showed me was the certain people I was to pray over. He then began to show me how HIS heat hurts for these people. Why they need a touch from him. I was crying uncontrolably as I felt God's pain and his longing for these people. I also got a glimpse of the pain they had gone through. How some may have asked God to show up but didnt understand why he hadnt in a certain way. God said "once you pray over them, they will see me move!"

No longer will I be medicore. I will be different. The tangible presence and power we saw moving in the DR WILL be seen in Michigan. In Battle Creek. In my school and work place. I know now with out a shadow of a doubt what I saw and witnessed down there. I witnessed desperate people meeting with their loving God who had been calling them by name since they were born. God has been calling YOU since you were born. He's been calling everyone around me to come to him-now I will be one to help point the way. I will step out in obedience when he urges me to pray over someone. I know his power-I know he never turned away someone who came to him for healing, so why would he now? According to Hebrews 8:13 he is the same yesturday, today and forever. God is a God of now. Not just tomorrow-he doesnt want you to do big things for him tomorrow, he wants to move NOW. In this moment, in this day-let him use you. Step out in faith and EXPECT him to come in and do a powerful work.

The line between a memorable expirience and a life-changing encounter is a line of expectation. Wont you cross it with me?

"I will thank the Lord with all my heart as I meet with his godly people. How amazing are the deeds of the Lord! All who delight in him should ponder them. Everything he does reveals his glory and majesty. His righteousness never fails. Who can forget the wonders he persforms? How gracious and merciful is our Lord!" -Psalm 111:1-5

HIS willing hands,
Cassie

Diving into glorious misery of self dissatisfaction

Diving into glorious misery of self dissatisfaction...read that carefully..sounds like a crazy depression party right? By no means-this title is my weekend and a commitment in my life-in a nutshell. This past weekend my church had the awesome blessing of hosting the Desperation Youth Conference. It was amazing!!! Absolutely amazing, and I can't even try and explain all the awesome things God did so I am going to tell you about one particular seminar that pierced my heart. David Perkins, is an amazing man of God, when I look at him I see many characteristics that I want to strive for in my life. Saturday afternoon I was able to go to a seminar David was teaching entitled Zealots. He centered it around the scripture found in Romans 12:11- I like how the NIV says it best- "Never be lacking in zeal, but have spiritual fervor, serving the Lord."

He spoke so plainly and passionately about what it looks like to live as a zealot for God. To live a life that is centered around KNOWING God. Not just knowing about him, or who he is, or even knowing him a little-but your life goal and purpose is to KNOW God. David spoke all about standing up for what is righteous without a second thought. Stand up for what is righteous when those around you aren't able to, when they aren't strong enough to do so. When they look at you and begin to feel uncomfortable they will say "you think you're better than us!" NO! Thats not is at all. Just say that you are standing up for what is right for you and for them. After all, Jesus most certainly offended people. He didnt live to offend but he lived to KNOW God, and if that offended people-tough! The abandoned lifestyle that David described was one that he could testify to having lived. And if he lived it, I want to follow.

He gave some points on how to get there and the one that most resonated with me was-
To Get dissatisfied with yourself.
In order to strive to live zealously you can't be okay with where youre at. You must long to KNOW God more. And a great way to want more is to get really fascinated with Jesus. When youre focusing on him you will more clearly see how Jesus' heart worked and begin to live accordingly. He also said to get around someone who brings out the best in you-some spiritual leader in your life that is somewhere you want to be. Being around those people who are so on fire and so desperate create in you a GLORIOUS MISERY. You become so dissatisfied with where you are that you will try to get all you can out of these leaders in your life. Read what they read- listen to what they do and take their advice.Take their hand and lay it on your forehead ans say "I want what you have! Pray for me!!!!" You look at where you are and where they are-you become dissatisfied with where you are but encouraged to see that you can get so much closer to GOD!!!

Another thing that was a GREAT encouragement to me was how he said that you don't have to know what youre called to do-long before that you must know what you were created to do- and that is to KNOW GOD. Live to KNOW him and let the chips fall! Be abandoned in the way you seek to know your living Lord. "I give you permission to be a zealot, to live out loud." By the time David was concluding his seminar I was near tears, God had come and stirred my heart so deeply with a longing so REAL..it felt physical, OH GOD I WANT THAT!!! I was screaming inside-Lord I dont live that way but SOOOOOO want to! GOD I WANT THAT!!!!! I WANT TO KNOW YOU!

"Never be lacking in zeal...." NEVER. Not just 'be zealous when youre at church, when your on a mission trip NEVER BE LACKING IN ZEAL!" Thats not me..not yet....

So here I am, ready to dive into a state of glorious misery where I am dissatisfied with myself. Imagine what that would look like- an entire generation that cared for nothing else but to KNOW God. How would you do that? What would it look like....it would look like zealots who have spiritual fervor. Abandoned now and always, as a zealot living to KNOW God. If you-whoever you are- ever see me straying from this state-straying from living to KNOW God and GOD alone- come along side me and then smack me! And say "Would an abandoned zealot do that?" Thats what I want to be, thats where I'm headed. Lets throw all else aside and live to KNOW God-ask me what I'm going to 'do.' Know God, what about you??

yours truly,
an abandoned zealot in glorious misery
-Cassie

A Tale of The Advocate and the Accused

"For Christ has entered into Heaven itself to appear now before God as our Advocate." Hebrews 9:24

"All rise." The assembly rises as the Guilty Accused enters with head hung. But beside them walks the One Who Pleads on behalf of all the Guilty. The Just One speaks and proclaims "All the sin before my eyes is to much. I have promised to destroy the wickedness of all so it shall not enter into my holy place. I wont break my promise, my heart breaks, but you must pas the cost of the life you've chosen to live" The Accused nods in agreement and understanding, for all the Just said was true. "Present your Defense." The Accused steps forward but can't even look into the One Just Judge's eyes that brim with tears over the chosen fate of the Guilty. The Accused crumbles to the floor in pain as their very heart breaks inside them for how they've grieved their Father.
At this The Advocate steps forward. As He places a steady hand on the shoulder of the now shaking Guilty he begins, "just One, all you've said is true. The cost must be paid according to the ancient covenant. But I call to your remembrance the BLOOD shed on a hill one fateful eve not so long ago. Behold evidence 316." At this the assebmly seems to stand still as the arch angels present a pile of what seems to be grave clothes. "Behold Just Father, the garments of my resurrection. Do not forget your covenant with all the accused. If they believe in their hearts and declare with their mouths that I, Your Son, am Lord and Redemer- will you not turn Your anger from them? Here I present the solution. If my beloved Guilty one signs their life to the pursiuit of your heart- to be a servant to our ways- my BLOOD and that of the new covenant shall cover them. The cost has already been paid, if they so choose to embrace it."
The Just looks to the Accused who still, ashamed at their filth, covers their face. "Child, dearest child, Your Advocate's case is approved! Sign your name dear one! All debts have been paid. Take the gift in your hands." Accused tries to stand to sign, but can not. The Advocate comes and lifts them to their feet to help them to the table to sign. As the Advocate helps them stand they sign it. The Advocate declared,"Now speak, I loose your lips Child!"
The Accused begins through their tears,"My life, heart, future and hopes are yours and in your hands-you are LORD and REDEEMER!" In a flash of light a dark forms seems to be pulled from the body of the Once Accused and is thrown to the opposite side of the room. The assembly watches as the form is nailed to to the ancient tree that once held the Advocate. The ear spliting sound of stone pounding iron breaks across the room then silence falls. As the once acused now looks to the Just they see that the sound was His gavel, the sound of a covenant approved. Sound of debt paid.
Once Accused runs to the Advocate's arms and begins to thank him. "Dear child, you have been Redeemed. I loved you all to much to let you suffer the fate you so readily seemed to embrace. Thus the Just Father and Judge created the altar and sacrifice! Now, to seal this forever." The Advocate reached out his hand and placed it over the Redeemed's arm. With a warm spark exploding within their arm the Advocate removes His hand. "Here, now, my name is upon your arm. For you are MINE. Now all will know you belong to ME."
At this the Just Father and Judge reaches out to the Redeemed. "Come into my arms and know that you are forgiven. Now your burden is broken and your yoke can be light!" They embraced and Redeemed stepped away.
"Hear this now, write this in the ancient book. This child once accused and guilty, has had their debt paid and is Redeemed by the BLOOD of the Perfect Sacrifice and by the TESTIMONY of the Advocate!" A great cheer was raised through out all of the assembly. "Now belvoed go tell the other guilty of all you've seen and heard. Remembering always the cost paid for your second life you now live. Walk in our love and lead others to the day of their case with our Holy Advocate. You my lovely, now know the path that leads here well! Now go and win the prize- you are Redeemed!"

"That is why we have a great High Priest who has gone to heaven, Jesus the Son of God. Let us cling to him and never stop trusting him...Let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it." Hebrews 4:14,16

Live to make "wet eyes proud"

Wet Eyes- an excerpt from "When God Writes Your Love Story" by Eric and Leslie Ludy

Wet eyes are watching you! The moist eyes of Jesus, tenderly longing for you to let go of your life and hold fast to Him. His eyes are gentle as they see you stumble and scrape your knee in sin once again. He doesn't kick you when you're down, but rather he carefully stabilizes you with His mercy and grace, and helps you to your feet. He is so patient when you falter, and is ever faithful to forgive you.
His eyes are smiling as they find you longing to please Him.
Just as the little three year old child picks up a crayon and scribbles a masterpiece for his earthly father, so you scribble your very best rendition of a life honoring to your Father in heaven. And even though He might not be able to tell if it is a picture o Him or a hippo, your little scribbles of love mean everything yo you God.
His eyes are also full of pride as they observe you trusting Him. He, more than anyone, knows how difficult it is to stand against the tide. He simply wants an ordinary person to trust His nature and character, and to test His perfect faithfulness. And as Oswald Chambers has said, "If we deliberately choose to obey God, then he will tax the remotest star and the last grain of sand to assist us with all His almighty power."
Wet eyes are watching you. The caring eyes of heaven have spent too many years burning with tears of pain over your life and mine. Let us choose today to bless God's heart with the gift of loving him with all our heart, soul, mind and strength. Let's make those wet eyes proud.

Wow. I don't know about you, but those words touched my heart. God most definitely is using his children today to speak God inspired truths to his people. That made my eyes wet!

I just finished reading Driven By Eternity by John Bevere before reading this book by the Ludys. After that book God really challenged me to examine my heart and its motives. I began to question some of the things I've done and whether I had done it with a heart wanting to please God.

But I so do. My hearts cry is to live in a way that brings a smile to my Father and Lover's lips. And one line that particularly pricked my heart strings was where it says "His eyes are smiling as they find you longing to please him." He sees our hearts, and has seen how desperately I've tried to walk in his ways. He is so quick to forgive, I can't wrap my mind around it-I can only ask him to conform my mind to that of his! As I was listening to the simple truths revealed in the excerpt above God spoke something to my heart, and I feel like some of your hearts out there-in big wide cyber space- need to hear these same words from your father. Remember that he is the one who says "I have set the stars in place and I am the one who says to Israel 'You are mine!" (Isa. 51:16)

This same living and loving God spoke these tender words from his heart directly to mine and wants you to hear them as well, read it slowly and let him play the heartstrings of your beloved heart.
"I watch as you carefully try and draw a picture of life as you see it outlines in my word. Then when I see you color outside of the lines I fell a prick of pain because I know youre trying-but I have to show you that you messed up. I tell you in the most loving way because I don't want you to think I don't like your picture, I just want you to have the best picture possible. How my heart swells with love and pride as your tender heart receives my discipline and instruction; as you erase your mistake and try again. Such a beautiful picture you draw. Little do you know that this one picture of life you diligently work on is just one piece of the much bigger picture I have written on the hearts of my beloved children across time."

We can't accept our Daddy's love and forgiveness then rub his good name in the dirt. We must see the error of our ways and begin to live to make our Daddy's wet eyes proud. Run home to his open arms. When we fall, don't assume we have no hope. Jesus' name holds all the hope we need. His hands contain all the strength we need. And Jesus' heart is exploding with all the love we could ever need. Let him wrap you in his merciful arms and then begin to live in order to make His eyes brimming with tears proud.

"He has removed our rebellious acts as far away from us as the east is from the west. The Lord is like a father to his children, tender and compassionate to those who fear him." -Psalm 103:12-13

Dont Blink

This morning at my church Pastor Jon continued our series-Relationship Revolution. PJ spoke on parenting. Why would I decide to blog after hearing a message on parenting? I'm not a parent. No but I have them and I know A LOT of kids who have them, or the lack there of. He shared how quickly your kids can grow up. Well me, I'm on the reverse end of the spectrum-I'm the kid. The one who grows up in the 'blink of an eye.' All the days of being little and having no responsibility are gone. Youre only little for a short time, enjoy it while you can, be thankful for the little things. While my parents have watched me grow up fast, all the time I have with them has gone by fast. Im graduated and going to college, when did that happen? Over a short 14 or so years I've went from the little kid in sunday school to God blessing me with an awesome church where he's implemented me as a leader and drawn me deeper into his arms than I ever thought possible..who blinked? Was it me or my parents?

I don't want to ever come to a place where I take God's blessing for granted. Lately some of those blessings hes been dealing with for me, are my parents. They are AMAZING!!!! God is so great to bless me in this way. So that is one of the first things I got out of the message.

Pastor Jon also shared some things that some jr highers shared anonymously in relation to their parents. They said how much it hurt when their mom or dad dissaproved, or things like "my parents say I never tell them that I love them, but I do and they just never listen." Things like this. Their notes broke my heart. As I was thinking about that, and how many hurting people produce hurting kids God spoke to me. While any parents makes mistakes, God's grace covers all mistakes, but you have to go to him and repent and turn from your sinful ways. So for the kids and teens and now adults who have had hard relationships with their parents I pray for! God will fill the needs in his children's lives. Those whose parents werent always there, whose dad left, whose mom never listens, God will bring others into you life! If the parents dont come to a place of humbling themselves before God and heading down the right path God will bring those role models, the ones who will invest their time, love and heart into these hurting kids. God is the ultimate Father to the fatherless. He is so merciful that he hears the 14 year old daughter's cries for a father that loves her, and he comes in to fill the need then puts a godly man of integrity in her life to show her that she deserves better. The son that tries his best to impress his father but just gets beat later that night is restored to his Heavenly father and sees that he doesnt have to follow suit, he can break the cycle. God will hold up the weak, there is always hope in him, but he wants us as christains to do our part.

God spoke to my heart through the Jr Highers comments. He said "You hear that, you say you want to be the face of love to the people around you? You want to reach out with my hands, have my heart? This breaks my heart. My children are hurting and you can be one of those who fills the void." yeah. Soak that in. Every kind word I say to the hurting, every hug and smile is a balm that can be placed on their hurting hearts. God wants us to reach out, why not start out with the ones you see every week. While I cant be a mom to these people, I can love on them. I can let God work on my selfish tendancies and show my to love even more unconditionally. God please do that!

In conlcusion, if you can, jump on itunes.com and search for Resurrection Life Chruch of Richland and listen to these messges. God is awesome. I am going to be thankful for the little things and not take it all for advantage. I'm going to look at the Jr Highers in a different light, not in a pity, but genuine compassion and love knowing that God can use me to heal the hurts they have. Lastly, I'm not going to blink.

God, I can hardly find words to tell you whats on my heart. Thank you for how youve spoken to me and numerous others on all of this. HELP me to be more thankful, more selfless. God I SOOOOO want to be someone to love on those who are hurting. Help me to not get selfish and prideful, let me always look for ways to be used by you. Ways to make the lasting impression on the people around me. Ways to tell others about you, to leave a lasting legacy. Help me to store up gold and silver not just stray. Lord you are so loving, so merciful, thank you that we can always be redeemed in you..God no words can say it better than THANK YOU. Use us God!

Lay Down My Guns

I came across this on youtube. I've loved Sanctus Real for awhile now, and I love the song Lay Down My Guns from their most recently released album, We Need Eachother. This interview is with Matt Hammitt the lead sing on the subject of that song and then there is a video that is amazing...please watch it. Its intense. I hope it gives you hope in your life that we can find rest in GOD and also, I hope it moves you to pray for our soldiers and the leaders of this country. We are blessed to live here, even when its hard to remember that, its none the less true.

Interview with Matt Hammitt...
JFH (John): What's the story behind "Lay Down My Guns?"
Matt: There's this guy named Doug McKelvey who contributed some of the lyrics for "I'm Not Alright" on the last record and he was really the first cowrite we used with the band besides producers who had contributed stuff here and there. What he had basically done with that song, "I'm Not Alright," is he came in and had done such a good job with helping us edit the lyrics and taking them to the next level. So we had been looking to get stuff from him ever since, if it works. So instead of just cowriting, he'd send us some random lyrics. We actually weren't going to use any outside writers on this record, and then Doug sent over kind of a b-file of extra lyrics and he had a worship song that had the line, "Lay down your guns, lift up your hands." And I just liked that one line. We didn't use any of the other lyrics and I basically wrote a whole new concept on that one line, and then even changed that line a little bit. Because it immediately made me think of the war that's going on right now and what soldiers go through, and just thinking of these guys away from their families for so long... They basically live to defend themselves in our country. And how good does it feel when you can finally come home and set your guns down and be able to not be on your guard anymore. Just be able to have that release, y'know? And then it made me think of how that's life too. That, while we're on this earth, kind of like spiritually and emotionally, we have so many defenses up all of the time that we have to have because we have an enemy. What would it feel like? How good would it feel to get to heaven and lay down our guns and lift up our hands and learn to completely love again. It's really just a metaphor using the war in Iraq as a metaphor for our spiritual journey. I like that song a lot.

I'm Tired Of My Hands Getting In The Way

So I've heard of some different kinds of 'visions' God can give someone, the sort of 'open' ones where you basically feel like your in another place, or a snap shot. Like a picture that flashes, then I guess there are 'closed'. More of a thought placed in your mind...
During the After Party at my youth group a song called Teach Me How To Pray was playing by Jason Upton. One line says somehting a long the lines of "I'm tired of my hands getting in the way." God has been showing me how even though I KNOW God is able to do ANYTHING, I have issues with trying things in my own strength. Even though all the strength in the width of eternity and more is at my fingertips, sometimes I try things on my own...which ends up failing...so as that song was playing God gave me a sort of 'closed' vision you could say..
I was reaching at something, trying to move it. And as my hands would reach out for it I saw that Jesus, I just knew it was him, couldnt exactly see him, he reached out to grab the same object but stopped when he saw my hands in the way. He then came along side me, placed his hands on my shoulders and reached for my hands that he folded and placed infront of me then grabbed the object himself.
Then it was like I was trying to speak to someone and kept stumbling over my words and Jesus again walked up to me, placed his hands around his neck, reached out and placed his hands over mine and I was able to say whatever I had been trying to say.
Likewise, I saw myself walking on this seemingly smooth path but I kept falling. I would fall and get back up and keep going but then trip. I saw myself fall and this time I was having trouble getting up and Jesus came up and knelt down infront of me. he grabbed me by both shoulders and looked into my eyes then we stood up togehter. He then put his arm around my side and we walked on together.
The last snapshot I got was me sitting down writing in a notebook. I looked frustrated and worried he came up along side me and knelt down once more, he looked at what I was writing. I didnt even look at him I just kept writing in a fury. He placed his hand over a page of what I had written and tilted my chin up to look at his face. Again, I couldnt SEE his face...but I was looking at it. He then looked down at my hand gripping the pen. I followed his eyes and watched as he unfolded my hand and slipped the pen out of his hand.

Thats a lot of rambling kinda, but yeah. The last snapshot kinda hit me the most. I am by no means perfect, but as I try to live my life for God he is still pointing out the things that need work. My dependence on him needs to be heightened. I of course trust him for all things, but like I said, there are times I jump ahead without taking the needed time and deep prayer to hear God's voice clearly on an issue. So he is working on me to really pay attention when I go into something, to make sure and depend on him and not try and do things in my own strength....so not sure why I shared that. But I wanted to. So say a prayer for me in my endevour to purge the things in my life that are hindering my walk from going even DEEPER, cause there is so much more of God to discover!

"Only in returning to me and waiting for me will you be saved. In quitness and confidence is your strengh." - Isa. 30:15

Janice Marie Leo

I wrote this and then read it at Jan’s funeral, I tried to sum her up, which is impossible but these were some things that stood out in my mind..I’ll miss her, but she left an AMAZING legacy!

What can I say about Jan? I loved her as if she was an aunt. One of the things that stand out in my mind is when we took her classes at SHARE. From spending hours with her in the stuffy "rainbow" room to dissecting cow eyes she always had a smile on her face. I remember the lunch times we had at McDonalds on Tuesdays, when my mom, Sue Stuut and Jan would scold us teens about our unhealthy food. While Jan sat there, never without her Dr. Pepper. During classes she would often tell jokes and pause for our response with a smirk on her face. As we all stared back wide eyed in confusion, she would erupt into laughter but always make sure to assure us that she was laughing WITH us and not AT us.
She was an amazing teacher and she loved it so much. She said she wanted to prepare us for college homework, with the homework load she laid on us I think we’d be ready for going to Mars! Even with the amazing teacher she was its not the thing I loved most about her. Besides the fact that her being in my life brought Aliscia, one of my best friends to me, I admire her most for her love of Jesus.
Not only did she say she loved Jesus she lived it. It was impossible to come in contact with her and walk away doubting if she was sincere. She was constantly bringing up the hope in a seemingly hopeless situation. She would speak into my life often. Most times she would do so until I was annoyed. I was annoyed only because I knew that the point she was making was true and that I was in fault on my position in a situation. I can see her sitting in the rocking chair in my living room during one of the lady’s prayer times, she would get so excited when they talked about God and what he was doing. Her face would light up and she would begin to speak louder and louder as the other ladies joined in all talking at once.
When I look back Jan didn’t only leave a legacy of being a good school teacher. For me she left a dual part legacy. First and foremost she was a genuine example of living sacrificially and unashamedly for the love of her life- Jesus. Secondly she showed me things about God and His love in ways I hadn’t seen before. Ultimately I feel God called her to be a teacher, at least in my life. She was always praising God and praying for others, thinking about other people rather than herself. The last time I saw her, just last week she was praising God and praying for Dwight’s aching back. To see her praying for others while we were all lifting HER up in prayer was a humbling sight.
I would have to say that the last thing she taught me was to see that God is always good and deserves all our praise not just when we are on the mountains, but in the valleys as well.