teenagers

This is so interesting:

I had God TV on while at work today and this guy (John Bevere) was teaching.  Among many other things, here is one interesting point he made:

God never talks about teenagers in the Bible... He talks about babies, children, and adults.  People start puberty at 12/13ish; Jewish children have bar/bat mitzvahs at 12/13.  The point is that 'teenagers' are really adults and we should treat them so.  The prophet Jeremiah got his calling from God at age 16; same with King David.  Also, 11 out of the 12 disciples were under 20 when they got started with JC (Jesus Christ).  The reason so many teenagers are rebellious is that they are ready to be an adult, but haven't had the proper training or treatment from adults!  He suggested the wisdom of running a church/ministry using many young people, while the adults are guiding them with their wisdom.   Young people have the energy; older people have the experience.  They can work so well together. 

I'm really glad I heard that before I start having kids!  I had no idea. 

 

 

fire

I have never seen God move as powerfully as he has been over the past week.  He is sending down fire from heaven- it's the kind of thing you always dream of experiencing!  With my logical mind, I can't accept anything but the real thing.  I can't fake stuff.  I can't fake religion either... God is so real, and heaven is SO close that it is hard to see!  It's too close for our eyes to see it.  We have the joy of walking in faith, which you can't do once you die and you can see heaven.  In heaven, you don't get to choose God despite all the odds- because it's all in front of you.  

The 'spirit realm' sounds like a far away place in a science fiction novel.  Even after studying about Jesus and the way he lived his life, I can believe, technically, that we can see God and follow what he says to do, but living inside a human body with a human mind, it's hard to really believe that the kingdom is inside of us; that we're already seated in heavenly places; that Jesus is IN us and we are IN Him...umm... isn't that a weird concept???  How are we in him...how the heck is he in us?

Anyway.

This fire is unstoppable.  Heaven is infinite.  Let's just see what happens over the next few weeks across the nation. 

Fruit

Allergies just made their vicious return to my sinuses a few hours ago after many wonderful months of relief.  It hit like a train.  Tomorrow I am going to EarthFare to look for a bunch of herbs I just read about online that I hope will help. 

On a more positive note:  

Today, I got to see a lot of fruit in the Junaluska neighborhood while giving out food!   We have been going there every Wednesday since around November, and there are always some ackward times- just because it can feel uncomfortable helping someone, because it insinuates you're in a better place than them and from there the devil tells you all kinds of lies about why you should just leave them alone, you arrogant, ignorant, over-privileged city kids!!  At least that's the crap I constantly ignore in my head.  

The truth is, it is an extreme honor to serve Jesus in these people; to fulfill a dream I have had since childhood; to learn from the people we talk to and to be blessed by them.  It is humbling because I see so clearly that I can offer nothing apart from God.  I feel like a crumpled up piece of paper walking around because I have to just empty out everything from my mind and rely on the Lord to move through me.  

It really is more blessed to give than to receive.  After giving out food, I always feel great because it has taken my focus off of myself, and also I have served Jesus, which is an exhilarating feeling!  

Even though this ministry has presented many challenges and opportunities for me to have to 'die' to my self (which is painful), God has moved through it!  Somehow, we have been catching so many people at 'just the right time'- usually after they lost a job and had no money.  One of our friends today always initiates prayer when we come to her house.  I think maybe one week Stuart asked if he could pray for her after she told us the incredible amount of pain she was in, and that's how it got started.   Today she had a bunch of friends over and suggested we pray for one of the guys whose wife was in the hospital after a bad car accident.  She started praying "God, I really don't know how to pray and I'm not any good at it..." and went on to say that she hadn't prayed in many years until we started praying with her, but now she prays.  We prayed for her too, and all the pain in her arms from stress went away.  We were able to tell her some really simple truths:  You don't have to be under this burden- you can just let it go!  That truth alone is so profound.  

It is incredible that we carry around the kingdom of heaven inside of us.  It is incredible what it does when you take it into a dark place.  People want it so bad because it IS peace...love...joy...hope... and all those things that are the deepest longings of the human soul.  

And it is incredible that we are able to release it all over the earth!

piles and smiles

I have always been fairly tidy, but have had a habit of making little piles of stuff around my space.  Piles of things that I would "deal with later".  Usually the piles could stay for months, or even years... And I am very proud to announce that I am no longer a 'piler'.  I will allow myself to make a pile for a few days, but it won't stay longer than a week.  So there.

Also, I love flowers!!!  When it was pretty on Friday, I went around my yard and picked 2 kinds of purple flowers and some mint springs, arranged them in a tiny white vase, and it's incredible the amount of joy that my little homemade bouquet gives me!  I move it around my room if I'm home, keeping it in the best location for each hour.  It smells like a dream too.

obligatory posting

Here's a post for the sake of a post.

I just haven't been very inspired to write lately!  I'm sure I'll come back around.  

Hooray!

Counseling was just great.

It was... great.

Maybe some quick points I can share:  Each couple creates something new; everyone loves in a different way so you can't use other people as a standard; only Jesus.  We create something new; that's why marriage is an adventure.

That's only a small part.  Brad taught us a ton of great stuff that I will be studying over and over forever. 

 So, the wedding is still on.  Whew!

Marriage Counseling!!

I might be naive for being so excited about our first marriage counseling session tonight!  We have NOOO idea what to expect.  It could be excruciating- touching on the most painful subjects of our lives and love; or it could be really fun as we learn of the joys of marriage and how to love each other better.  There's no telling. 

Well, our prayer all along has been for God to root the junk out of us before we say our vows.  Stuart has prayed that over and over and... it happens!  Issues just pop up.  It can be messy, but it is good.  The theory is that it is better to deal with this personal stuff now than add it onto all the other challenges of marital life.  

This past week has been very intense for me in my head.  By yesterday I felt like I was going CRAZY- everything was messed up- my finances, my body (unexplained wrist pains?), I was hating my job, and I just couldn't get along with my fiance for days!  That's just to name a few.  I even told Stuart that I didn't like him, which has never happened before!  (We often discuss the 'like vs. love' thing.  We'll always love each other, but sometimes it's harder to like the other.  That's when a principle we invented called 'Love in Faith' must be employed.  You actively love, even when you don't feel like it...and it's not easy)

It's OK though- that stuff is just all the 'junk'.  Or some of it.

Stuart had many opportunities to be kind of mad at me for the way I was acting (going crazy), but he kept just looking at me and telling me how fun I was to be around!  Or how sweet I am, and that he's so excited we get to be together forever!  It was actually hilarious to me, because the things he would say did not match up with the way I was at the time but he was being serious!  It was very weird- he wasn't trying to strategically prophesy to me (I don't think), or trick me into being nice again. 

He, somehow, was bigger than the problems and was able to see the Truth instead of the chaos.

So today is perfect timing for our first counseling session.  It's so obvious how God is playing out this 'story', and brings his characters to the point of despair right before the help comes.  It makes for a very good story.  I feel very small and cartoon-like in His hands. 

I'll keep you posted on how it goes!