This is the amazazing Trace!
Tuesday, December 26, 2006
Saturday, December 16, 2006
Long Time Coming
Hi friends! Sorry it's been so long since an update. I've been busy and then I haven't been feeling like writing, but a lot has been happening. I'm not entirely sure where I left off, but I'll keep this as short and sweet as I can. I went to a leadership immersion November 11th which was really cool. I went not know what to expect, and I was surely not disappointed. there were ten of us I think, about twenty total. What was really crazy is that we were evenly divided between guys and girls, so we split up into groups of four with two men and two women on each team and our goal was to go and share the gospel with as many people as possible. This was all practice, the people we were "saving" were actually Campus Crusade staff, which didn't really connect with the first guy my group met. It was really akward at first, but as the day progressed we got the idea and it went really smoothly. We had a lot of fun hiking around in the mountains around La Veta. By the end of the day I think we were all pretty tired. I got to work with some people from the Springs that I didn't know and there was a really neat dynamic that happened. We were able to really bounce off each other so there wasn't much silence when talking to people. Over all I think we did pretty well, and one of my friends came out of her shell a bit. I'm really proud of her. She's a pretty quiet and reserved person like me, and like me if very social when she gets to know someone, and she's just grown fathoms in the past semester. It's been really amazing to see.
After that we finished up our Bible Survey class which was really interesting. We were studying the Bible itself, not really the Word in it. We were trying to get more familiar with the general movement of the Bible and where things are so that we can use it more effectively in our own lives and in sharing the gospels. I really got a lot out of it. We looked at geography and the movement of Israel through out their history and where they went to and why they were stuck there. We talked about the different "era's" in the Bible. Where the divisions really were and what was happening. I mean, you have all these books and some of them seem to go together and some of them don't and it can be hard to tell if God is doing something in this part that he wasn't doing in another part. So our leader divided the Bible into twelve era's (if you're curious about any of this let me know and I'll explain the whole thing to you, it's really fascinating), and told us which books fell into each era and what happened in the era that seperated it from the others. By the end of the class (it was three weeks, three days a week at 8:00 am before actual classes started), I felt much more confident with the Bible and finding things than I had been before.
The next big thing was the manuscript immersion. We did an "iductive study" on Amos and our leader was showing us how to break down books of the Bible to better study and understand the Word itself. He printed off the etire book of Amos and fixed the margins so that there was room to write things down and everything. Then he gave us some colored pencils and we had several diffent colors and we designated what each color was. For instance there was a color for people, people actions, location, God, God actions, God commands, explainations, and keywords... there might have been one more but I don't remember. So we would go through and mark up our manuscript, circle the people in their color and God in his color, locations in their color, underline people actions, God actions, and box explainations and key words. When we were finished with that we would break it down by a few verses and write a summary on what was happening in that section and after each chapter we would decide what we could take from that chapter and apply to our own lives. It was really neat, and a lot of fun. We had a good time marking our paper's up and talking about what God was trying to say to His people at that time and how we could learn from it. What's really neat is that is was so easy to do and you could get a lot out of it, however it does take some time (which is actually a good thing when studying the Bible lol).
Aside from that I've been going to prayer meetings and to JiB on Thursdays as often as possible and it's been just really good. I feel like I've been so busy in all the best ways. It's been a truly rewarding semester. My boyfriend and I will be going to the Denver Christmas Conference in January. Again, I'm not really sure what to expect, but I know that it's going to be just really awesome and that it's going to stretch me out of my comfort zone which I love so much but is like poison to my soul. It's a week long deal at the Adam's Mark Hotel and there is going to be worship and out reach time and some speakers. If you like you can check it out at www.dcc2007.com . I'm really excited about it. I am a little sad though because the semester is over and all my friends are going home and I won't see them until for at three weeks (for those that are going to DCC, four for those who aren't coming back until the spring semester starts).
I am thinking about doing a missions trip this summer. I have no idea how I will afford it, but money is no object when God sends you somewhere. My school's group is going to Serbia for seven weeks, six weeks I think in Serbia and then the seventh is in South Korea for a huge conference, which would be really awesome. I would really like to go but I have my reasons to hesitate. It's not the money, it's only $4,500 to go, which really I don't think is much for seven weeks out of the country. I've never been on a trip like that before and seven weeks is a long time when you've never gone to do anything like that at all. And, as silly as this probably sounds, I don't think I want to leave my dog for that long either. My parents would be taking care of him, and he's my dog, so I don't want him to bond to my parents over seven weeks. I would be so sad. I wish I could take him with me, but that's rather improbable. Then there is the being away from my family and my boyfriend for that logn too. That would be really tough. However! If I went I wouldn't be alone. I already know of a few friends from Crusade who are going, and I know that it would just be an awesome experience. I think it would be really hard, but really fun and really, really rewarding. I'm sure that I would come back a different person. So, I'm praying about it and I'll probably start filling out an application just in case. There are some other options that I might go with, but we'll just have to see. I am planning on going to Mississippi with a group to do hurrican Katrina clean up there. We've been going every break to help clean up, and I've decided that it would be a good thing to do. I've heard some amazing things about it.
As for life outside of Crusade... Business continues to be bad. We're taking out a loan to try and cover costs so that we can stay afloat a little longer, but at this rate we won't last much longer in Pueblo as a business. It makes me made to think about it. Being a rather stubborn person in a job I love I rather refuse to give up on our business. I know that God is in control though, and although I still have my doubts and anxieties from time to time he is ever faithful and good. I know that even if the business fails that my family will not fail. That God will provide something even better for us here. However, with the recent lack of money I'll pretty much be taking a semester off again. I'll only be taking one class this semester think. I just can't afford school and I didn't get an application for a loan in time. Fall semester though, I hope to take a full load, as dreadful as that will be, I really don't want to spend the rest of my life in school. I'm rather jealous of my friends who are also 20 years old and Juniors in College getter ready to graduate next year. And here I am, barely a sophmore and struggling to stay in school long enough to graduate... especially since I don't really care about getting a degree! Ugh... employers are aggrevating. Well, we continue to pray unceasingly and depend on the strength of our fellow brother's and sister's in Christ to keep us hopeful about the future.
And that is what is happening at the Lighthouse.
I hope you all have a very blessed and Merry Christmas and that 2007 is a year that bares much fruit in your lives and that peace and love and joy and laughter follow where ever you go!
After that we finished up our Bible Survey class which was really interesting. We were studying the Bible itself, not really the Word in it. We were trying to get more familiar with the general movement of the Bible and where things are so that we can use it more effectively in our own lives and in sharing the gospels. I really got a lot out of it. We looked at geography and the movement of Israel through out their history and where they went to and why they were stuck there. We talked about the different "era's" in the Bible. Where the divisions really were and what was happening. I mean, you have all these books and some of them seem to go together and some of them don't and it can be hard to tell if God is doing something in this part that he wasn't doing in another part. So our leader divided the Bible into twelve era's (if you're curious about any of this let me know and I'll explain the whole thing to you, it's really fascinating), and told us which books fell into each era and what happened in the era that seperated it from the others. By the end of the class (it was three weeks, three days a week at 8:00 am before actual classes started), I felt much more confident with the Bible and finding things than I had been before.
The next big thing was the manuscript immersion. We did an "iductive study" on Amos and our leader was showing us how to break down books of the Bible to better study and understand the Word itself. He printed off the etire book of Amos and fixed the margins so that there was room to write things down and everything. Then he gave us some colored pencils and we had several diffent colors and we designated what each color was. For instance there was a color for people, people actions, location, God, God actions, God commands, explainations, and keywords... there might have been one more but I don't remember. So we would go through and mark up our manuscript, circle the people in their color and God in his color, locations in their color, underline people actions, God actions, and box explainations and key words. When we were finished with that we would break it down by a few verses and write a summary on what was happening in that section and after each chapter we would decide what we could take from that chapter and apply to our own lives. It was really neat, and a lot of fun. We had a good time marking our paper's up and talking about what God was trying to say to His people at that time and how we could learn from it. What's really neat is that is was so easy to do and you could get a lot out of it, however it does take some time (which is actually a good thing when studying the Bible lol).
Aside from that I've been going to prayer meetings and to JiB on Thursdays as often as possible and it's been just really good. I feel like I've been so busy in all the best ways. It's been a truly rewarding semester. My boyfriend and I will be going to the Denver Christmas Conference in January. Again, I'm not really sure what to expect, but I know that it's going to be just really awesome and that it's going to stretch me out of my comfort zone which I love so much but is like poison to my soul. It's a week long deal at the Adam's Mark Hotel and there is going to be worship and out reach time and some speakers. If you like you can check it out at www.dcc2007.com . I'm really excited about it. I am a little sad though because the semester is over and all my friends are going home and I won't see them until for at three weeks (for those that are going to DCC, four for those who aren't coming back until the spring semester starts).
I am thinking about doing a missions trip this summer. I have no idea how I will afford it, but money is no object when God sends you somewhere. My school's group is going to Serbia for seven weeks, six weeks I think in Serbia and then the seventh is in South Korea for a huge conference, which would be really awesome. I would really like to go but I have my reasons to hesitate. It's not the money, it's only $4,500 to go, which really I don't think is much for seven weeks out of the country. I've never been on a trip like that before and seven weeks is a long time when you've never gone to do anything like that at all. And, as silly as this probably sounds, I don't think I want to leave my dog for that long either. My parents would be taking care of him, and he's my dog, so I don't want him to bond to my parents over seven weeks. I would be so sad. I wish I could take him with me, but that's rather improbable. Then there is the being away from my family and my boyfriend for that logn too. That would be really tough. However! If I went I wouldn't be alone. I already know of a few friends from Crusade who are going, and I know that it would just be an awesome experience. I think it would be really hard, but really fun and really, really rewarding. I'm sure that I would come back a different person. So, I'm praying about it and I'll probably start filling out an application just in case. There are some other options that I might go with, but we'll just have to see. I am planning on going to Mississippi with a group to do hurrican Katrina clean up there. We've been going every break to help clean up, and I've decided that it would be a good thing to do. I've heard some amazing things about it.
As for life outside of Crusade... Business continues to be bad. We're taking out a loan to try and cover costs so that we can stay afloat a little longer, but at this rate we won't last much longer in Pueblo as a business. It makes me made to think about it. Being a rather stubborn person in a job I love I rather refuse to give up on our business. I know that God is in control though, and although I still have my doubts and anxieties from time to time he is ever faithful and good. I know that even if the business fails that my family will not fail. That God will provide something even better for us here. However, with the recent lack of money I'll pretty much be taking a semester off again. I'll only be taking one class this semester think. I just can't afford school and I didn't get an application for a loan in time. Fall semester though, I hope to take a full load, as dreadful as that will be, I really don't want to spend the rest of my life in school. I'm rather jealous of my friends who are also 20 years old and Juniors in College getter ready to graduate next year. And here I am, barely a sophmore and struggling to stay in school long enough to graduate... especially since I don't really care about getting a degree! Ugh... employers are aggrevating. Well, we continue to pray unceasingly and depend on the strength of our fellow brother's and sister's in Christ to keep us hopeful about the future.
And that is what is happening at the Lighthouse.
I hope you all have a very blessed and Merry Christmas and that 2007 is a year that bares much fruit in your lives and that peace and love and joy and laughter follow where ever you go!
Sunday, November 05, 2006
A Little Different
When a person gets hurt, a friend or family member, they break an arm or leg or maybe something worse, we rush to comfort them. We sign their casts or visit them in the hospitol. When they're sick, or have had surgery we send them flowers and stuffed bears with colorful cards filled with hope. Sometimes we do these things even for our enemies. People we don't particularly like or love, but still, even they deserve some love and comfort when they're stuck in a death trap.
There has been a significant tragedy in the Body of Christ this past week/end. A good man has done a bad thing, a bad thing he tried to keep secret, even denied and lied about it. That thing was found out and now he is in a true death trap in desperate need of rescueing. As is his family and his church. Most of you have probably heard the news about Ted Haggard. If you haven't, just type in his name on Google and I'm certain you will be flooded with information about his "tryst".
Already people are rejoicing at his misfortune. I looked at a discussion page on MSN about what's happening and wasn't really surprised by what I read, but still disappointed in the people of our country. Regardless of who you are, you have no right to rejoice over the misfortunes of another. And I know that there are people within our own Body of the Church that will stab him in the back and say "I knew it all along!" If that is you, I am especially disappointed. Surely you must remember that we are a BODY of Christ, when one part struggles the whole body struggles. That includes you, so don't turn your back on Ted now. If you are not a Christian, if you are gay or a satanist or whatever else you can name, please do not rejoice over this. If you have any respect for anyone or anything, do not be glad that a man so high up in the Christian community has fallen. I would certainly not be glad at your misfortune.
And in fact, if you are not a Christian and have this impression that we are all hypocrites and really only care for our own people, and not always them... I am very sorry that you have been given that impression and hope that you have the great blessing of meeting one of us who can show you how much we do genuinely love you. Sure, we're hypocritical, so are you. We all do things we say we won't, or shouldn't, blah, blah, blah. We are people, we are not perfect, even Christians. Any Christian who tells you that they are perfect is telling one really big lie, you can't get further from the truth. We still sin, Ted is an example. We try not to. But we are human still, and we are no better than anyone else. The only difference is that we have accepted the forgiveness of a God who is LOVE. I'm sorry you have not been shown that, and that the things we have said or done did not come out the way we meant for them to. We do not hate gay people, or people who have abortions, or people who practice witchcraft and devil worship. No, we don't hate you. We love you, in a way that we do not understand, because from a very human standpoint we have no reason to. But we do love you, it's a love that comes from God. It's the only explaination. We desire for you to know love and peace, to be filled with mercy and joy and life. Sometimes we get over zealous and lose focus on those things, but that desire is always there. I am sorry that we have sinned against you, and I hope that one day soon you will see the love that is deep inside us trying desperately to reach you.
To the Body of Christ... be brave in this time of sadness. What Ted did was very wrong, but we cannot turn our backs on him. Christ said that we must forgive a man seventy times seven times! We cannot turn on our own Body! And we cannot forget those who do not know God at this time. We must continue to love Ted and forgive him and bring him back. And as we do that we must reach out to the non-Christian community and show them love, even as they rejoice at our misfortune. They will have questions that will be difficult to answer, about how God could allow such a thing to happen, or allow a sinful man to lead his church, or how a Christian could do such a thing that he has preached against all his life? I don't have the answers to these questions myself, but I know that if we inquire of King at this time He will make things clear to us as He sees fit. We cannot turn our backs now. We much rise to the occassion and fight the enemy, and trust God above all else. Nothing is out of His control, the arm of the Lord is not to short to heal this wound. Be encouraged people of God, this is only a bump in the road and we have victory! It's cloudy now, but the Son is about to break through. All will be well in the Lord's timing. Pray for this man and for the unbelieving, that God would be glorified in all things. God is faithful to His people and faithful to answer their prayers as well.
There has been a significant tragedy in the Body of Christ this past week/end. A good man has done a bad thing, a bad thing he tried to keep secret, even denied and lied about it. That thing was found out and now he is in a true death trap in desperate need of rescueing. As is his family and his church. Most of you have probably heard the news about Ted Haggard. If you haven't, just type in his name on Google and I'm certain you will be flooded with information about his "tryst".
Already people are rejoicing at his misfortune. I looked at a discussion page on MSN about what's happening and wasn't really surprised by what I read, but still disappointed in the people of our country. Regardless of who you are, you have no right to rejoice over the misfortunes of another. And I know that there are people within our own Body of the Church that will stab him in the back and say "I knew it all along!" If that is you, I am especially disappointed. Surely you must remember that we are a BODY of Christ, when one part struggles the whole body struggles. That includes you, so don't turn your back on Ted now. If you are not a Christian, if you are gay or a satanist or whatever else you can name, please do not rejoice over this. If you have any respect for anyone or anything, do not be glad that a man so high up in the Christian community has fallen. I would certainly not be glad at your misfortune.
And in fact, if you are not a Christian and have this impression that we are all hypocrites and really only care for our own people, and not always them... I am very sorry that you have been given that impression and hope that you have the great blessing of meeting one of us who can show you how much we do genuinely love you. Sure, we're hypocritical, so are you. We all do things we say we won't, or shouldn't, blah, blah, blah. We are people, we are not perfect, even Christians. Any Christian who tells you that they are perfect is telling one really big lie, you can't get further from the truth. We still sin, Ted is an example. We try not to. But we are human still, and we are no better than anyone else. The only difference is that we have accepted the forgiveness of a God who is LOVE. I'm sorry you have not been shown that, and that the things we have said or done did not come out the way we meant for them to. We do not hate gay people, or people who have abortions, or people who practice witchcraft and devil worship. No, we don't hate you. We love you, in a way that we do not understand, because from a very human standpoint we have no reason to. But we do love you, it's a love that comes from God. It's the only explaination. We desire for you to know love and peace, to be filled with mercy and joy and life. Sometimes we get over zealous and lose focus on those things, but that desire is always there. I am sorry that we have sinned against you, and I hope that one day soon you will see the love that is deep inside us trying desperately to reach you.
To the Body of Christ... be brave in this time of sadness. What Ted did was very wrong, but we cannot turn our backs on him. Christ said that we must forgive a man seventy times seven times! We cannot turn on our own Body! And we cannot forget those who do not know God at this time. We must continue to love Ted and forgive him and bring him back. And as we do that we must reach out to the non-Christian community and show them love, even as they rejoice at our misfortune. They will have questions that will be difficult to answer, about how God could allow such a thing to happen, or allow a sinful man to lead his church, or how a Christian could do such a thing that he has preached against all his life? I don't have the answers to these questions myself, but I know that if we inquire of King at this time He will make things clear to us as He sees fit. We cannot turn our backs now. We much rise to the occassion and fight the enemy, and trust God above all else. Nothing is out of His control, the arm of the Lord is not to short to heal this wound. Be encouraged people of God, this is only a bump in the road and we have victory! It's cloudy now, but the Son is about to break through. All will be well in the Lord's timing. Pray for this man and for the unbelieving, that God would be glorified in all things. God is faithful to His people and faithful to answer their prayers as well.
Monday, October 23, 2006
I should have waited!
I just got home from a really awesome prayer meeting. I don't know why more people don't go to these things, they're just incredible. The prayer was really good, and then when we were done we talked about what God has been doing in our lives lately. This past week one of the guys, Aaron, has really been on my heart and I've just been praying for him and everything because I could just tell that there was something he needed. Well tonight he just poured out this awesome story about how he picked up this hitch hiker and God just spoke through him. He was saying he saw this guy, at like midnight, with his thumb out and felt the Spirit tell him to pick the guy up. He said that before it really even registered with him what he was about to do he was stopped and the guy was in his car. So the Lord just totally took control of his words and he laid it out and said something like "You're in my car. Do you know Jesus?" and this guy was just like "Can Jesus really love me?" and then spilled out this story and all the things that he'd done. By the end of it this man that he had picked up started praying. It was just an awesome time where Aaron was attentive to the Spirit and God moved in a profound way.
When he finished I knew that there was a reason I had been praying for him, praying protection over him, and this was it. I am soooo proud of him! So proud that he heard the voice of God and was obedient, and because of that God was able to do great things and break down some walls in this stranger's life. And then I could really just see it, the greatness in Aaron. Not like Alexander the Great kind of greatness, that fleshly prideful kind of greatness, but the greatness of the Kingdom of Heaven. The greatness that comes from being intimate with the Spirit of God. I could see that he is destined for so much more than he ever imagined. In my excitement at this revelation I actually blurted out what I have just written, and I think it might have freaked him out a little. (Sorry Aaron, couldn't help it, it just bounced right out of me). Seriously though, I just couldn't contain it. It's been so long since I've had anything like that come over me, I couldn't just keep it in.
What God is doing is so... ... ... WOW... ... ...that's the best I can come up with. The human tongue cannot speak the things that I want to say, and the human mind is far to small to think of the words the tongue should say. I wish you could all be here to see it and experience it. I hope and pray that you see God move this way where you live, or that you see God move in an even more awesome way. May peace be with you, and the Spirit of the Living God be upon you, dear reader. There is no greater blessing I can give you than that, it is the best, because it is Love in it's deepest most extravagant form. Yes, Jesus can and does love you, no matter where you are at, what you believe. He has, he always will. The only time it is too late to change your life is when you are dead and burried. But, I encourage you not to wait until then. When you realize that you want to spend the rest of your life with someone, you want the rest of your life to start right now. So, should you realize that you want to spend the rest of your life with the Lord of Hosts, the Christ, don't put it off. Start the rest of your life right now, in this very moment, and live everyday like it's your last.
When he finished I knew that there was a reason I had been praying for him, praying protection over him, and this was it. I am soooo proud of him! So proud that he heard the voice of God and was obedient, and because of that God was able to do great things and break down some walls in this stranger's life. And then I could really just see it, the greatness in Aaron. Not like Alexander the Great kind of greatness, that fleshly prideful kind of greatness, but the greatness of the Kingdom of Heaven. The greatness that comes from being intimate with the Spirit of God. I could see that he is destined for so much more than he ever imagined. In my excitement at this revelation I actually blurted out what I have just written, and I think it might have freaked him out a little. (Sorry Aaron, couldn't help it, it just bounced right out of me). Seriously though, I just couldn't contain it. It's been so long since I've had anything like that come over me, I couldn't just keep it in.
What God is doing is so... ... ... WOW... ... ...that's the best I can come up with. The human tongue cannot speak the things that I want to say, and the human mind is far to small to think of the words the tongue should say. I wish you could all be here to see it and experience it. I hope and pray that you see God move this way where you live, or that you see God move in an even more awesome way. May peace be with you, and the Spirit of the Living God be upon you, dear reader. There is no greater blessing I can give you than that, it is the best, because it is Love in it's deepest most extravagant form. Yes, Jesus can and does love you, no matter where you are at, what you believe. He has, he always will. The only time it is too late to change your life is when you are dead and burried. But, I encourage you not to wait until then. When you realize that you want to spend the rest of your life with someone, you want the rest of your life to start right now. So, should you realize that you want to spend the rest of your life with the Lord of Hosts, the Christ, don't put it off. Start the rest of your life right now, in this very moment, and live everyday like it's your last.
So Now...
We finished praying over the campus on Saturday night. I wasn't able to go Saturday. Those who were there walked around the entire campus. Friday night we finished the last section of campus, the Music/Art/Communication building and the Library. Eight of us showed up on Friday, and I got to pray with someone I hadn't prayed with before. A most delightful young woman. She's only been a Christian for year, and she knows more scripture, and has more faith than most people I know that have been Christians all their lives. Her strength is astounding! Just another one of the awesome people I've had the privilege to know.
She and I stopped at every section of the building, the graphic arts center, the drawing center, the painting center, the ceramics center, and the campus radio station, as well as the music hall and auditorium. We called down false gods, and brought peace, hope and love to the area, and it was tangible afterward. I know because I had to go back in when I thought I had lost my wallet. It's amazing the kind of physical change you can feel in a spiritual situation. How you can feel a weight, or your knees buckle, or your chest feels heavy and it's hard to breathe. And then when the oppression is gone from an area all that disappears.
There is one thing I'm a little afraid of, and that is that now the prayer team will become complacent about it. An "ok, we've done our job, now we can sit back and relax" kind of thing. Oh, what a dreadful mistake that would be. I'm not really sure how old the campus is, but I am sure that it's old enough to have enough spiritual grossness that one week of prayer walking won't be enough. I don't say this because I don't think God will not take the campus by storm now. No, I know that He will. However, I also know that the enemy we fight against is very stubborn, and they know how important the campus is to the city. The oppression may have lessened, but we are far from victory over the spirit of darkness there. Old sins are hard to kill. So, my hope and prayer is that these people continue go and walk the campus (myself included in "these people") to make it a safe haven for all to enter it. There has been a change on campus, but there will be more. The campus will light up like one giant light bulb by the time God is finished with it. We cannot stop at one week of service. Our lives are made to serve. It's a joy and even an honor to serve these people, especially those that don't even know what we have done. Those are the ones that need it the most.
It's a joy to do these things in secret. To quietly go about our business making a huge spiritual change that most people don't know about, and then to watch and see what God does. To see lives being changed, the lives of people who have no idea that we have been praying for them, and blessing them. What a wonderful thing that is, to know that what I've done this past week, the little it was, is completely rearranging the future of the campus and the lives of the people there. How awesome is that? How great, deep and wide is the love of God? That He would consider so seemingly insignificant a place as this. God is Love, and Peace, and He is coming swiftly to rescue the Bride of CSUP, and I'm excited!
She and I stopped at every section of the building, the graphic arts center, the drawing center, the painting center, the ceramics center, and the campus radio station, as well as the music hall and auditorium. We called down false gods, and brought peace, hope and love to the area, and it was tangible afterward. I know because I had to go back in when I thought I had lost my wallet. It's amazing the kind of physical change you can feel in a spiritual situation. How you can feel a weight, or your knees buckle, or your chest feels heavy and it's hard to breathe. And then when the oppression is gone from an area all that disappears.
There is one thing I'm a little afraid of, and that is that now the prayer team will become complacent about it. An "ok, we've done our job, now we can sit back and relax" kind of thing. Oh, what a dreadful mistake that would be. I'm not really sure how old the campus is, but I am sure that it's old enough to have enough spiritual grossness that one week of prayer walking won't be enough. I don't say this because I don't think God will not take the campus by storm now. No, I know that He will. However, I also know that the enemy we fight against is very stubborn, and they know how important the campus is to the city. The oppression may have lessened, but we are far from victory over the spirit of darkness there. Old sins are hard to kill. So, my hope and prayer is that these people continue go and walk the campus (myself included in "these people") to make it a safe haven for all to enter it. There has been a change on campus, but there will be more. The campus will light up like one giant light bulb by the time God is finished with it. We cannot stop at one week of service. Our lives are made to serve. It's a joy and even an honor to serve these people, especially those that don't even know what we have done. Those are the ones that need it the most.
It's a joy to do these things in secret. To quietly go about our business making a huge spiritual change that most people don't know about, and then to watch and see what God does. To see lives being changed, the lives of people who have no idea that we have been praying for them, and blessing them. What a wonderful thing that is, to know that what I've done this past week, the little it was, is completely rearranging the future of the campus and the lives of the people there. How awesome is that? How great, deep and wide is the love of God? That He would consider so seemingly insignificant a place as this. God is Love, and Peace, and He is coming swiftly to rescue the Bride of CSUP, and I'm excited!
Wednesday, October 18, 2006
And then...
yesterday we had what was the third day of the prayer walking agenda. I wasn't able to make it Monday to pray at CSUP. Mostly because I just wasn't being very smart. My Dad is really sick, and I have dog that goes to work with me. How are those two things related? Well, I work for my Dad and Asa, my dog, goes with me, but if I stay in Pueblo late he goes home with my Dad. So Dad went home early, and not thinking clearly, I let him walk out with out my beloved puppy. So I thought I might try to get there anyway, but Asa wanted to go home really bad, so we went home. I'm sorry I missed it too. The group prayed over the Occhiato Center, the Admin Building... and somewhere else but I don't remember where.
Last night, it rained, and snowed. I called my friend that's leading it and asked her if I should go buy an umbrella or go home. However, she, being the wise woman she is, said no! We're going to do this tonight! So I went to Walmart and got two umbrellas in case someone else needed one too. When I got there she was sitting in her car and called me in, and then we drove around the parking lot. It was really, really cold I was wearing two long sleeved shirts, a hoody and a heavy coat and was still cold lol We ended up having six people show up, myself included. We didn't need the umbrella because it stopped raining in exchange for a light mist. We were praying over the entire athletic area, the ropes course, the softball and base ball fields, the soccar field, everything. It was a really large area, so we split up and half of us when one way and the other half another direction to get it done faster since it was so cold. I had some trouble with that. I'm not an athlete by any stretch of the imagination, quite anti-athlete (no offense to any sports buffs, it's just not for me. I lack the stamina I suppose). So I really had no idea what to pray, and opted for the usual prayers of coverage, peace, hope, salvation, restoration of God's land. Which was fine, but to me didn't feel like it really touched the heart of what was happening there, and honestly I was quite distracted by the cold of the wind.
When my group had finished we met up with the other group at the ropes course. A fabulous group of powerful, Spirit filled young women, and we prayed with them. That was awesome! I really enjoyed it, and as I prayed with them I felt like my prayers gained a large measure of strength. When we had prayed before, we weren't able to pray together so much because we couldn't hear each other over the wind. In our little group of six, I think we were able to make a big difference in the status of that area. Afterward I was quite joyful, as I often am after walking and talking with the Lord for a few minutes. I hadn't had a particularly good day, but after praying with these marvelous people I felt a lift in my Spirit as though I had been on cloud 9 all day. It was a great time despite the weather, and maybe it was even better because of the weather.
Now it has snowed, and I wasn't in town at all today, so I won't be praying with them tonight, but tomorrow night is another story. I'm very much looking foreward to it! I can't help but be further amazed by the college students I have met at CSUP. They are so Spirit filled, so strong! They are true warriors of the Kingdom of Heaven, and they love God so much that it is simply awe inspiring and quite contagious. I have not met a single one that I didn't like. Many times you meet a person and you can tell in just a few minutes whether or not you'll want to be friends with them or just keep your distance. These people have drawn me in, and I look so foreward to being close friends with each of them, as the body of Christ should be. There is much Love on that campus, and even more now that we have been praying. Pueblo is going to feel the winds of change coming down it very soon I think. The efforts of God's people on campus are going to bear much fruit, and spread like dandilions! That's what I've been praying. That God's word would be like a dandilion, pretty, contagious, and pretty impossible to get rid of =)
Last night, it rained, and snowed. I called my friend that's leading it and asked her if I should go buy an umbrella or go home. However, she, being the wise woman she is, said no! We're going to do this tonight! So I went to Walmart and got two umbrellas in case someone else needed one too. When I got there she was sitting in her car and called me in, and then we drove around the parking lot. It was really, really cold I was wearing two long sleeved shirts, a hoody and a heavy coat and was still cold lol We ended up having six people show up, myself included. We didn't need the umbrella because it stopped raining in exchange for a light mist. We were praying over the entire athletic area, the ropes course, the softball and base ball fields, the soccar field, everything. It was a really large area, so we split up and half of us when one way and the other half another direction to get it done faster since it was so cold. I had some trouble with that. I'm not an athlete by any stretch of the imagination, quite anti-athlete (no offense to any sports buffs, it's just not for me. I lack the stamina I suppose). So I really had no idea what to pray, and opted for the usual prayers of coverage, peace, hope, salvation, restoration of God's land. Which was fine, but to me didn't feel like it really touched the heart of what was happening there, and honestly I was quite distracted by the cold of the wind.
When my group had finished we met up with the other group at the ropes course. A fabulous group of powerful, Spirit filled young women, and we prayed with them. That was awesome! I really enjoyed it, and as I prayed with them I felt like my prayers gained a large measure of strength. When we had prayed before, we weren't able to pray together so much because we couldn't hear each other over the wind. In our little group of six, I think we were able to make a big difference in the status of that area. Afterward I was quite joyful, as I often am after walking and talking with the Lord for a few minutes. I hadn't had a particularly good day, but after praying with these marvelous people I felt a lift in my Spirit as though I had been on cloud 9 all day. It was a great time despite the weather, and maybe it was even better because of the weather.
Now it has snowed, and I wasn't in town at all today, so I won't be praying with them tonight, but tomorrow night is another story. I'm very much looking foreward to it! I can't help but be further amazed by the college students I have met at CSUP. They are so Spirit filled, so strong! They are true warriors of the Kingdom of Heaven, and they love God so much that it is simply awe inspiring and quite contagious. I have not met a single one that I didn't like. Many times you meet a person and you can tell in just a few minutes whether or not you'll want to be friends with them or just keep your distance. These people have drawn me in, and I look so foreward to being close friends with each of them, as the body of Christ should be. There is much Love on that campus, and even more now that we have been praying. Pueblo is going to feel the winds of change coming down it very soon I think. The efforts of God's people on campus are going to bear much fruit, and spread like dandilions! That's what I've been praying. That God's word would be like a dandilion, pretty, contagious, and pretty impossible to get rid of =)
Monday, October 16, 2006
Hello Avid Readers
Hi All!
I have a myspace, but this seemed interesting. I'll start with the definition of a lighthouse (see you're already bored just at the mention, but there is a purpose if you'll be patient). A lighthouse is: a strategically placed coastal building, often a tall round tower, with a powerful flashing light, designed to guide sailors or warn them of dangers such as rocks (I got that off of Word Processing in the Encarta Dictionary btw). I am starting this because Idon't see much use for it on myspace. I live near Pueblo, CO and although I'm not currently going to CSU-Pueblo, I have started to go to their Campus Crusade for Christ meetings. I have found that the Lord (the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the Christian God for those of you who may not know), has opened my eyes to the spiritual oppression of the city, and revealed a desire to see it restored. It's something that is impressed on me more and more everyday. AND the more I visit Campus Crusade the more I see that it is a strategic place for God to start moving on the city. It's on a hill for one thing, you can see it from anywhere in Pueblo even at night. It's filled with young people, the next really strong generation of believers whose time is NOW for impacting the world with the gospel of Christ. The more people I meet there, the more I am amazed at what God is doing. So, I would like to tell you about it. Yeah, this is more or less and evangelistic blog, but not in a traditional sense. I may use it in a more traditional sense from time to time, but right now I would just like to convey God's love for this tiny little city, because if he loves this little speck on the map enough to save it he must certainly love you too.
I'll start with the city. Please allow me to make this clear so that you may understand how the King has effected my response to Pueblo. I really, really, really, REALLY do not like this city. No, it's not really that bad, but it's boring and lifeless. The people here rarely do what they say they will do, and they are completely against any kind of change whether or not it will benefit the city and the people as a whole. However, over the past several weeks the Lord has revealed to me the desperate state of this little town. It's an oppression a person can physically feel because it is so strong, and oppression that sucks the life out of everyone that comes here. There is a lot of gang activity, more than you would expect in a city this small, and even some of the churches don't really seem quite with it. There are also a lot of drugs, which kind of relates to the gang activity. Despite all this, God has whispered to me of his love for this place, and his deep desire to rescue it from the clutches of death, and that he wants me to be a part of that restoration. So, although I hate this city, I can't help but love it because of the overwhelming love the Creator has for it. Then again, I've run from that. After all I am still human, and my desires often override everything else much to my shame. So I ran away from the CSU-Pueblo Lighthouse. I did go there for a semester and then opted for Pueblo Community College... what a mistake that's been! So I'm going to go back next semester and hopefully I'll be able to afford it. Anyway, now I'm going to do with He asked me to do, to saccrifice my dreams to follow after the heart of God. It will be worth it in the end, but getting there is sure to be difficult.
Now for the campus. CSU-Pueblo (hereafter refferred to just as CSU, but not to be confused with the Fort Collins University) is a wonderful place. The classes are fairly small and for the most part the teachers are easy to deal with. The students and pretty friendly, and there is a great view of the city and the mountains from the compus as well. At Campus Crusade people are amazing. You would not believe the kind of leaders and spiritual warriors that are there. We meet on Thursday evenings at an event called JiB (Jesus in Bound) and worship, listen to a teaching, and hang out together. I have met so many believers that have so much faith and strength and passion for the campus, for the people around them that don't follow Christ. They really love these people that don't follow Christ and want to show that love of God to them. There is a really strong movement hitting the University. The leaders at JiB really have a passion that God has given them to see CSU saved and redeemed and then to see that spread to Pueblo. It's a God given thing, that they are acting on. I know it's God given because I've see the exact, word for word kind of exact, messages preached at the church that I have started to go to in the town where i am living.
This week the JiB ministry is prayer-walking over the entire campus in sections, one section every night. Last night we focused on the appartments, dorms and the child care center. I could feel the oppression around us, and we had split into groups, and as we walked around the gym by the dorms I felt a sudden lift. I thought to myself I bet someone has already been around here. And sure enough there were a couple other girls actually inside the gym praying! God had already begun to answer our prayers for that portion of the campus! It was really amazing, because everywhere we were walking I could feel a weight in my spirit, no one else had been there yet and then we pass that little section and it lifted off me like it had never been.
Now, if you don't know the nature of spiritual warfare, do ask! I'd love to talk about it! It's one of the best, and most difficult things, I think, a Christian encounters. It is both wonderful and terrible. I don't think I've been particularly clear on all this anyway, but I'll try again later. There is so much to tell and it seems like there is hardly enough time to tell it. If you have questions, please ask, I don't mind in the least =D
I have a myspace, but this seemed interesting. I'll start with the definition of a lighthouse (see you're already bored just at the mention, but there is a purpose if you'll be patient). A lighthouse is: a strategically placed coastal building, often a tall round tower, with a powerful flashing light, designed to guide sailors or warn them of dangers such as rocks (I got that off of Word Processing in the Encarta Dictionary btw). I am starting this because Idon't see much use for it on myspace. I live near Pueblo, CO and although I'm not currently going to CSU-Pueblo, I have started to go to their Campus Crusade for Christ meetings. I have found that the Lord (the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the Christian God for those of you who may not know), has opened my eyes to the spiritual oppression of the city, and revealed a desire to see it restored. It's something that is impressed on me more and more everyday. AND the more I visit Campus Crusade the more I see that it is a strategic place for God to start moving on the city. It's on a hill for one thing, you can see it from anywhere in Pueblo even at night. It's filled with young people, the next really strong generation of believers whose time is NOW for impacting the world with the gospel of Christ. The more people I meet there, the more I am amazed at what God is doing. So, I would like to tell you about it. Yeah, this is more or less and evangelistic blog, but not in a traditional sense. I may use it in a more traditional sense from time to time, but right now I would just like to convey God's love for this tiny little city, because if he loves this little speck on the map enough to save it he must certainly love you too.
I'll start with the city. Please allow me to make this clear so that you may understand how the King has effected my response to Pueblo. I really, really, really, REALLY do not like this city. No, it's not really that bad, but it's boring and lifeless. The people here rarely do what they say they will do, and they are completely against any kind of change whether or not it will benefit the city and the people as a whole. However, over the past several weeks the Lord has revealed to me the desperate state of this little town. It's an oppression a person can physically feel because it is so strong, and oppression that sucks the life out of everyone that comes here. There is a lot of gang activity, more than you would expect in a city this small, and even some of the churches don't really seem quite with it. There are also a lot of drugs, which kind of relates to the gang activity. Despite all this, God has whispered to me of his love for this place, and his deep desire to rescue it from the clutches of death, and that he wants me to be a part of that restoration. So, although I hate this city, I can't help but love it because of the overwhelming love the Creator has for it. Then again, I've run from that. After all I am still human, and my desires often override everything else much to my shame. So I ran away from the CSU-Pueblo Lighthouse. I did go there for a semester and then opted for Pueblo Community College... what a mistake that's been! So I'm going to go back next semester and hopefully I'll be able to afford it. Anyway, now I'm going to do with He asked me to do, to saccrifice my dreams to follow after the heart of God. It will be worth it in the end, but getting there is sure to be difficult.
Now for the campus. CSU-Pueblo (hereafter refferred to just as CSU, but not to be confused with the Fort Collins University) is a wonderful place. The classes are fairly small and for the most part the teachers are easy to deal with. The students and pretty friendly, and there is a great view of the city and the mountains from the compus as well. At Campus Crusade people are amazing. You would not believe the kind of leaders and spiritual warriors that are there. We meet on Thursday evenings at an event called JiB (Jesus in Bound) and worship, listen to a teaching, and hang out together. I have met so many believers that have so much faith and strength and passion for the campus, for the people around them that don't follow Christ. They really love these people that don't follow Christ and want to show that love of God to them. There is a really strong movement hitting the University. The leaders at JiB really have a passion that God has given them to see CSU saved and redeemed and then to see that spread to Pueblo. It's a God given thing, that they are acting on. I know it's God given because I've see the exact, word for word kind of exact, messages preached at the church that I have started to go to in the town where i am living.
This week the JiB ministry is prayer-walking over the entire campus in sections, one section every night. Last night we focused on the appartments, dorms and the child care center. I could feel the oppression around us, and we had split into groups, and as we walked around the gym by the dorms I felt a sudden lift. I thought to myself I bet someone has already been around here. And sure enough there were a couple other girls actually inside the gym praying! God had already begun to answer our prayers for that portion of the campus! It was really amazing, because everywhere we were walking I could feel a weight in my spirit, no one else had been there yet and then we pass that little section and it lifted off me like it had never been.
Now, if you don't know the nature of spiritual warfare, do ask! I'd love to talk about it! It's one of the best, and most difficult things, I think, a Christian encounters. It is both wonderful and terrible. I don't think I've been particularly clear on all this anyway, but I'll try again later. There is so much to tell and it seems like there is hardly enough time to tell it. If you have questions, please ask, I don't mind in the least =D
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