Josh Garrels – BELIEVE

This is really power-FULL.

The Void will Pass

How the dread of night surrounds me, where hope might slip in a stone-blind twilight. Oh my soul! Remember night always grows darkest before dawn. Though I face this void alone, it will pass as a fleeting moment. For even now, the horizon prepares to bloom and earth hurtles on into another day, rising in silver hue, then red, then golden dawn. The light reminds my heart of promise and my sight returns, and Jesus – my Bright and Morning Star – commands His calm across every continental worry and stormy sea. I rise, a dread champion in daybreak, to celebrate my King in coming day. Hallelujah!

- Stephen De Silva (reference Proverbs 4:18-19)

Back to Eden ****AMAZING FILM!!!!!****

Monday night I went to The Inventors’ Group at my church. As a result I was introduced to the following film. This is one of the most inspiring films I have ever seen. It is about much more than innovative ways of gardening. It’s about a revolution. It’s about thinking outside the box in all areas of life. It’s about co-laboring with God, hearing His ideas, learning from Who He is. It’s about rest, not striving. The whole journey is a brilliant metaphor for life with God: the pruning, the innate water (the Holy Spirit), the choice to follow His design instead of creating  a false sense of control, the reality of quality, and the beauty of a healthy harvest.

Please watch this film and invite the Holy Spirit to speak to you through it. You will be changed.

Watch the film free HERE.

Enjoy an original song from the film HERE.

The Waiter, a Word of Knowledge, and Iraq

Today I was editing my forthcoming book and I came across something I’d forgotten: the waiter that Andrea and I met in July 2008 in Lakeland, Florida was committed to going to IRAQ with the military before we met him! IRAQ! That’s certainly ironic.

Basically, what happened that fateful day was: Andrea and I had lunch at Chili’s and I got a word of knowledge for the waiter. I asked him if he experienced a certain thing in his life, shocked, he said, “Yes. How did you know?” Soon we were chatting about his destiny and God’s pursuit of him. We invited him to the revival gathering that night. He couldn’t come because he was working a double shift, but agreed to come with us to Starbucks across the street between shifts. We went to Starbucks together and ran into some women we’d met the day before. One woman prophesied over our new friend. He was stunned and gladdened. We prayed God would make a way for him to come with us that night. Then we dropped him back off at Chili’s. A few minutes after dropping him off he called us. “‘Hey! Can you guys come back and get me? Right when I walked in to clock in, one of the girls I work with walked up to me and said, “Hey, can I have your shift tonight?” So, I gave it to her and I want to come to the meeting with you.’”

We turned around and he came to the service with us. That night he re-dedicated his life to God. The next night he brought his kids. In the weeks that followed his whole life got straightened out and he was confidently walking toward his dreams for the first time in many years.

All that from a word of knowledge at Chili’s! AND in his re-directing he cancelled his plans to go to Iraq. I’m glad he didn’t go into the midst of war. Of course, I didn’t know at the time that Iraq was actually the next Middle Eastern nation I would focus on.

There is so much power regarding timing and divine appointments as we truly follow Jesus. Wow.

In July 2008 I didn’t know how Iraq related to my life. Now, I do. I long to be back in Iraq; and I wait for that sort of “suddenly” the waiter experienced in which his whole life changed in a day. I wait for that in many areas of my life.

The right thing is great, but the right thing at the RIGHT time is GLORIOUS.

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One of the things I am waiting on is finances. I’m working part-time, but it is not covering my expenses. I’ve applied for over thirty jobs, but nothing else has come together. Technically, I am working a lot, but it is not paid: writing my book, writing articles for websites, speaking to various groups, and other Middle East related projects. If you’d like to help me cover my expenses my urgent need is for $555 this week.

Checks mailed to me are great and tax deductible giving is here:

http://upsidedownbethlehem.wordpress.com/how-to-give-toward-my-life/

Thanks for being part of the journey.

 

The Father’s Riches are Ours

This is from my friend Kate’s amazing blog, “The Sexy Celibate.”

I really appreciate her thoughts herein.

I’ve been thinking a lot about how much our anxiety, frustration, and sadness comes simply from neglecting deep communion with God.

He really is the One who restores our souls.

http://thesexycelibate.com/2012/02/16/the-framed-picture-i-have-on-my-wall/#comment-360

A “Dare” of a Song: “I’ll Stand” by Hillsong

Last night I went to the Prophetic Team Dinner at my church, Bethel Church. There I saw lots of people I had not seen since returning from Iraq December 22. They merrily asked about my trip. They checkered their wonder with sweet encouragement, “Did you feel like you were walking in your destiny?” “Did it confirm that is where your heart is?” “I’m so excited for you!” and I shared snippets of stories and smiles and breakthrough. It was hard. It was hard because I don’t know when I will be back in Iraq. There are a number of things in a state of “wait and see.” Moreover, as one might imagine, a semi-move to a war zone is not straightforward. So, I wait. I look for purpose in this time. And there is purpose. There is always purpose.

Yet, it’s been a really rough month since returning. The wait to return to Iraq has not been the worst of it actually, the worst of it has been the financial drought. I have felt disillusioned, frustrated, discouraged, and sad.  With these responses I have the opportunity to step back and realize emotions like this are not truth and they usually come from lies I am believing. (For example, “God doesn’t care about me enough to put this in order” or “I’ve spent 16 years praying and dreaming and ‘for what?’” or “God is not being faithful to me right now.”) I have to keep coming back to the truth of Who I know God to be, despite the way things “look.” I have to worship Him when I don’t feel like it. I have to dare to find purpose and vision in this season of my life despite the flickers of bitterness in my soul.

Mind you, there is a lot happening: I published two ebooks, I wrote an article for restorationliving.com, I’m writing three more articles for websites, I’m nearly done with writing my first print book, and I’m chatting with a publisher about that. I’ve also had opportunities to speak to people about my trip and to ignite hope for their own dreams to be fulfilled. On top of that, there are some other things brewing right now which are absolutely on my list of “Life Dreams” and I will do internal cartwheels when those things happen. My flatmates and friends are great at helping me see the GOOD things being accomplished. They remind me. Over and over again friends remind me. I’m so thankful. I’ve historically been fiercely independent, but what I have learned about healthy interdependence and the power of unity in the Body of Christ over the past few months has transformed my core.

All to say, when my friend James led worship last night and sang, “I’ll  Stand” it felt like a rebellion against apathy and self-pity, and it made me resolve, yet again, to stay close to my Beloved Jesus no matter what – including when I don’t understand His ways and I am fighting resentment. As I sang, the tears in my eyes were from the pain of choosing intimacy despite my want to “protect” myself from getting “hurt.” I know God doesn’t mean to hurt me, but it’s easier to accuse Him than to really transform my mind (at least it appears easier). So, there’s the truth: I am the one responsible for transforming my mind – thinking renewed thoughts. (Romans 12:2) God wants to help me with this, but I need to want it to happen. I need to get over my deadly blend of fear and control; and let love rule.

As my pastor Bill Johnson says, “If you want peace that passes understanding, you have to give up your right to understand.”

On that note,

“I’ll stand with arms high and heart abandoned, in awe of the One who gave it all”

“I’ll stand my soul, Lord, to you surrendered. All I am is Yours!”

Will you?

 

 

“I Love Terrorists” : my article on restorationliving.com

Hello Everyone!

I recently wrote an article called, “I Love Terrorists” for restorationliving.com

Check it out! Pass it along to friends. Add some comments in the comments section on restorationliving.com

Thanks!

READ THE ARTICLE HERE

When God Calls You By Name (PART 2): An excerpt from my book

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Approximately a year later I was at church one evening when two prophetic ministers were visiting: a married couple. The service was coming to its end as I was standing near the back of the room. And there was my name again. “Would Dawn please come up here?” one of them said. Yikes! I had never met these people. God certainly has a way with words – especially when that word is your name. In a state of arrested attention, I walked up. They placed their hands on me. They waited; and the power of God began to loosen the bolts of madness inside me. Then one of them said, “The oppression and depression is over. It has been a long night, but the oppression and depression is over. It has been a long night, but a new dawn has come.”

I collapsed to the floor. The Holy Spirit stepped up to the plate and hit me out of the park. Home Run. I was out for around thirty minutes and by the time I arose, nearly everyone had exited the building.

When I got up I was

Free.

The Holy Spirit’s

home run ball

slung into the window

of my sad house

splintering depression

into trillions of pieces.

His winds

Blew those pieces

East from west

Away from me.

Forever.

 

Truly, a “new dawn” had come. And I was her.

 

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When God Calls You By Name (PART 1): an excerpt from my book

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God always has a pot of milk and honey tea on somewhere in a back room. The fragrance wafted toward me when I was seventeen. I was at a winter camp with my youth group. Late one night, everyone was in groups praying and crying after the message. I didn’t feel like joining a group. Instead I grabbed the Bible underneath the chair next to me (which happened to be a different version than my own) and headed for the stairway. There on those uncarpeted wooden slats I opened unintentionally to Isaiah chapter nine. Verses one and two grabbed me.

“But there will be no gloom for HER that was in anguish. In the former time he brought into contempt the land of Zeb’ulun and the land of Naph’tali, but in the latter time he will make glorious the way of the sea, the land beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the nations.” (Revised Standard Version)

I knew I had come to God’s exact words for me at that moment. And I heard Him say, more loudly than ever, “I am bringing this depression to an end.” In my emotional rawness I was equally assured and equally indignant, “Oh yeah!? You have been telling me that for ten years! WHEN? When are you going to bring it to an end!?” With the weight of a large bag of rice dropped from a shopping cart TEN STORIES UP, He said, “SOON.”

Later I read verse two in my own Bible, which was the New International Version, it beautifully says, “The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has DAWNED.”

God called me by name.

It wouldn’t be the last time.

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part two coming tomorrow . . .

Welcome the army of Elastic Warriors.

This bit of writing leaves me undone. It’s a shout and beating heart.

Here’s a sample,

“As rubber bands in His hand. They are catapulted into His promises. Flexible and voluntarily unable to hinder or quench the beauty of His Glory. The elastic warriors can be flung in any direction. The more they are stretched, the farther they reach, so fast and unnoticed that the enemy doesn’t even see them coming.”

hop HERE for the full meal.