I'm back in Kansas City after a wonderful time at home. I love New Zealand, I think it's a marvelous place to be able to call home. I enjoyed spending time with my friends and family, especially my niece Caitlin, 13 months is a really fun (and loud) age.
Now I'm back in Kansas City I am looking at this year and asking myself and the Lord what is the best way for me to spend this last year at IHOP? I try to live in state of heart that is always thankful wherever I am and making the most of the season the Lord has me in and well as the opportunities that arise. Hopefully this year will be the same.
I'm excited about what the Lord has planned for me post KC but am determined to not let that rob me of the joy of living in the present now.
Saturday, February 28, 2009
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Why the night watch?
I was talking with my friend and flatmate last night about the night watch. We were basically talking about how amazing it is to live in a community of young adults who have all switched their body clocks and their lives in order to pray in the night
Personally I think this is an unusual phenomenon. Many people stay up late, many people pray at night, many people have the graveyard shift but not many people order their entire lives around keeping a prayer room going from 12-6am and do it in the midst of a community.
I've always said, and this will remain true that I love the night watch because I love telling Jesus I love him and I love his leadership in the midnight hours when the rest of the country are sleeping or doing things you don't want to know about, but the Lord knows.
I also love this community of believers, I think the night watch are some of the weakest people here. We do the night watch because it hedges us in even more to pray and fast. But when I look around the room as I prayer lead sometimes my heart overflows with love for these people I see almost every day. Even those we don't know intimately, we know each others journey, we see one another continue in the place of prayer through difficult seasons and through times of promotion.
I joined the night watch because I wanted to love Jesus in the night, and I can truly say I also love his people in the night.
Personally I think this is an unusual phenomenon. Many people stay up late, many people pray at night, many people have the graveyard shift but not many people order their entire lives around keeping a prayer room going from 12-6am and do it in the midst of a community.
I've always said, and this will remain true that I love the night watch because I love telling Jesus I love him and I love his leadership in the midnight hours when the rest of the country are sleeping or doing things you don't want to know about, but the Lord knows.
I also love this community of believers, I think the night watch are some of the weakest people here. We do the night watch because it hedges us in even more to pray and fast. But when I look around the room as I prayer lead sometimes my heart overflows with love for these people I see almost every day. Even those we don't know intimately, we know each others journey, we see one another continue in the place of prayer through difficult seasons and through times of promotion.
I joined the night watch because I wanted to love Jesus in the night, and I can truly say I also love his people in the night.
Sunday, January 11, 2009
I don't believe in New Years resolutions but...
Maybe this will be the year I will get better at blogging regularly.
So I will give a brief update and recap of my life in bullet points because they are my favourite.
1) My Fall interns left just before Christmas. My new ones arrived 4 days ago, though this time they are track 2 (our internship has two three month tracks) and I'm leading with a wonderful women Eileen.
2) Christmas and New Years were spent with good friends and very enjoyable, though I intended to take photos, I forgot and so I don't really have any evidence of any fun that was had!
3) The onething conference, which is the young adult conference IHOP run at the end of the year was amazing, and I have enjoyed listening to the archives that have been made available for free! Since I was sick for the conference I probably saw more than I would otherwise because I watched it at home instead of working for it
4) I'm going to be with my family in New Zealand for 4 weeks in 2 1/2 weeks and I am pretty excited. I've borrowed dresses for the two weddings I'm attending and can't wait to play with Daniel and Caitlin.
5) I am also looking forward to my sister Jo, her husband Devan and their little boy Jame visiting me in July, the last time I actually saw my whole family in the same year was 2006.
6) I really do want to write more on my blog, probably on topics relating to holiness and the pursuit of the Holy One, so we'll see how we go with that.
7) I think that's a good recap of my life, and maybe I'll actually write more this year. You never know.
So I will give a brief update and recap of my life in bullet points because they are my favourite.
1) My Fall interns left just before Christmas. My new ones arrived 4 days ago, though this time they are track 2 (our internship has two three month tracks) and I'm leading with a wonderful women Eileen.
2) Christmas and New Years were spent with good friends and very enjoyable, though I intended to take photos, I forgot and so I don't really have any evidence of any fun that was had!
3) The onething conference, which is the young adult conference IHOP run at the end of the year was amazing, and I have enjoyed listening to the archives that have been made available for free! Since I was sick for the conference I probably saw more than I would otherwise because I watched it at home instead of working for it
4) I'm going to be with my family in New Zealand for 4 weeks in 2 1/2 weeks and I am pretty excited. I've borrowed dresses for the two weddings I'm attending and can't wait to play with Daniel and Caitlin.
5) I am also looking forward to my sister Jo, her husband Devan and their little boy Jame visiting me in July, the last time I actually saw my whole family in the same year was 2006.
6) I really do want to write more on my blog, probably on topics relating to holiness and the pursuit of the Holy One, so we'll see how we go with that.
7) I think that's a good recap of my life, and maybe I'll actually write more this year. You never know.
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
Winter coming fast - Summer here I come!
It's becoming very cold here in KC, it's already been below 0 a couple of times, the leaves have fallen and even some snow!
It warms my little heart to know that I will be in NZ summer during the coldest month of the KC year.
In other news, the Lord totally provided for my ticket home - from a person I don't even know! My mum meet someone at her retreat who wanted to give me money after hearing about what I do here. The Lord is my Provider!
Events of recent weeks has caused my to be sober once again in the times that we are living in and I want to give myself to the knowledge of God, not just to know information but to know his heart.
My interns are wonderful, and just thinking about them makes me smile, I don't think I've ever had to answer so many questions but they all have such hungry hearts for truth.
that's me
It warms my little heart to know that I will be in NZ summer during the coldest month of the KC year.
In other news, the Lord totally provided for my ticket home - from a person I don't even know! My mum meet someone at her retreat who wanted to give me money after hearing about what I do here. The Lord is my Provider!
Events of recent weeks has caused my to be sober once again in the times that we are living in and I want to give myself to the knowledge of God, not just to know information but to know his heart.
My interns are wonderful, and just thinking about them makes me smile, I don't think I've ever had to answer so many questions but they all have such hungry hearts for truth.
that's me
Sunday, October 5, 2008
Another attempt at consistancy
I would like to think for the most part that I am consistent. With this blog I am consistent in not writing very much, so I guess that's better than nothing.
Fire in the night started it's Fall track 10 days ago, 80 interns, 5 young women who I am responsible for for the next three months. One thing I like about working with people is it means the same job is never the same. I find that I led so differently track to track depending on the women in my apartment and where think people are at. You don't led an 18 year old and a 30 year old the same way.
Fall is here, and I do like fall, but when I think about it I actually like all the seasons for different reasons.
My sister Jo had her first baby, James and I am so excited, I think it's amazing that in a moment a women becomes a mother, I think it's so cool.
Speaking of cool, I'm going home for a visit in late January. I'm looking forward to it and it makes living in another country easier when you know you get to go home sometimes.
That's all
Fire in the night started it's Fall track 10 days ago, 80 interns, 5 young women who I am responsible for for the next three months. One thing I like about working with people is it means the same job is never the same. I find that I led so differently track to track depending on the women in my apartment and where think people are at. You don't led an 18 year old and a 30 year old the same way.
Fall is here, and I do like fall, but when I think about it I actually like all the seasons for different reasons.
My sister Jo had her first baby, James and I am so excited, I think it's amazing that in a moment a women becomes a mother, I think it's so cool.
Speaking of cool, I'm going home for a visit in late January. I'm looking forward to it and it makes living in another country easier when you know you get to go home sometimes.
That's all
Friday, August 1, 2008
Sustained by the Word
one of my favourite passages to prayer lead is "Kiss me with the kisses of your Word". I like it because it's simple, I'm asking God to speak to me, and because he's given the Word it's as simple as asking for his Word become alive to me.
I truly believe that we are sustained in our spiritual walk with the Word of God, the written Word and that which the Lord speaks to our hearts. I believe it because it says in Hebrews 1 that he sustains all things by the power of his Word and I'm pretty sure that I am included in the all things.
Tonight I experienced what I know to be true. I went into a 2am worship with the Word set very tired, it's been a long week for me with spending 23 hours with an intern who was sick in hospital, and then have a relational wholeness seminar with fire in the night; that makes for a long week, add in the fasting element I have felt my weakness and human frailty the last few days.
Then we started to sing, about delighting in his Word, about him drawing us to himself by giving us a revelation of his love (which for me personally means giving me a revelation of the cross). I left the platform at 4am feeling renewed, feeling like I wanted to live righteously, feeling like I really could fast another 8 days. And why? The simplicity of singing and speaking the Word back to God. Truly the Word is living and active, it truly is our daily bread. I am so thankful that I get to prayer lead worship with the Word sets because it means I get to meditate with a bunch of other people on the Word and get my heart cleansed and my mind renewed. Plus I get to bring joy to the Lord because he loves my voice, plus I get to stand in the gap for a generation that do not know him.
All that to say, I like my job and I love the Word.
I truly believe that we are sustained in our spiritual walk with the Word of God, the written Word and that which the Lord speaks to our hearts. I believe it because it says in Hebrews 1 that he sustains all things by the power of his Word and I'm pretty sure that I am included in the all things.
Tonight I experienced what I know to be true. I went into a 2am worship with the Word set very tired, it's been a long week for me with spending 23 hours with an intern who was sick in hospital, and then have a relational wholeness seminar with fire in the night; that makes for a long week, add in the fasting element I have felt my weakness and human frailty the last few days.
Then we started to sing, about delighting in his Word, about him drawing us to himself by giving us a revelation of his love (which for me personally means giving me a revelation of the cross). I left the platform at 4am feeling renewed, feeling like I wanted to live righteously, feeling like I really could fast another 8 days. And why? The simplicity of singing and speaking the Word back to God. Truly the Word is living and active, it truly is our daily bread. I am so thankful that I get to prayer lead worship with the Word sets because it means I get to meditate with a bunch of other people on the Word and get my heart cleansed and my mind renewed. Plus I get to bring joy to the Lord because he loves my voice, plus I get to stand in the gap for a generation that do not know him.
All that to say, I like my job and I love the Word.
Sunday, July 27, 2008
Where do the months go?
Yes that's right it's been another month since I last wrote. While I have two room mates who are very faithful in their blogging I am not, and I'm only writing now because I'm waiting for my sister to be on skype.
Speaking of Skype, it really is a gift to all people who live overseas from their families and friends. It's so great to be able to chat, call and see one another over the web, I think everyone should get it!
I've been thinking about holiness recently. I was reading Galations when it talks about how if we walk in the spirit then we wont fulfill the lusts of our flesh. Holiness is simple, we simply fellowship with the Holy Spirit. When we know what we are saying yes to then it's easier to say no. For example when we have a vision for holiness and gazing upon the throne of God then it's easier for us to say no to the inappropriate movie or the course joking. I think so much of the time we can focus on what we "can't" do anymore instead of the fruit that is produced by walking in the spirit - love, joy, peace and patience. Are you kidding me? That's amazing!!!
Some of our problem is that we don't really believe that God is more pleasurable, but holiness is more enjoyable because in God's presence there is fullness of joy. I want to be holy as he is holy and I want to be one who is pure in heart that I would see him.
That's my thought, probably till next month!
Speaking of Skype, it really is a gift to all people who live overseas from their families and friends. It's so great to be able to chat, call and see one another over the web, I think everyone should get it!
I've been thinking about holiness recently. I was reading Galations when it talks about how if we walk in the spirit then we wont fulfill the lusts of our flesh. Holiness is simple, we simply fellowship with the Holy Spirit. When we know what we are saying yes to then it's easier to say no. For example when we have a vision for holiness and gazing upon the throne of God then it's easier for us to say no to the inappropriate movie or the course joking. I think so much of the time we can focus on what we "can't" do anymore instead of the fruit that is produced by walking in the spirit - love, joy, peace and patience. Are you kidding me? That's amazing!!!
Some of our problem is that we don't really believe that God is more pleasurable, but holiness is more enjoyable because in God's presence there is fullness of joy. I want to be holy as he is holy and I want to be one who is pure in heart that I would see him.
That's my thought, probably till next month!
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