Camp and Thoughts on Prayer

Today was a good day.. We got into Big Sandy at 3am, and I got a few hours sleep before the Breakfast Hour...all important when you know the chance for protein consumption won't be available again until 1200. :) Thus, don't laugh when you read that I took a couple hours' nap after breakfast before heading to help with Registration.. :)

It was good...seeing old friends, and even making some new ones.. It is so fun...re-living the fond memories (and maybe crazy adventures) with them.

ALERT campus is huge, and I think I walked a minimum of 5 miles today..maybe more. The weather is nice...in the 80's and kinda humid.. Some people hate it..I have adjusted pretty well...and the stars! Oh..I love it!

The session tonight was very convicting... I love communing with my Jesus, and do so often throughout the day...however, one area God has been convicting me on is making a consolidated Prayer List & making a habit of carrying it with me and using it. Sure, I have prayer lists, but they're scattered, and often, I don't have them available for perusal.

Mr. Gibbs shared 4 Keys for Prayer Success:
1) You gotta pray - create a prayer list and ask specifically.
2) Pray earnestly and fervently.
3) You've gotta be clean (righteous, not just 'cleaner')
4) You gotta persist.

Quotes to Ponder:
"Every failure in a Christian's life is a prayer failure." -John R. Rice
"The most powerful thing in the universe, by invitation of God, is prayer."
"Fervency is the spirit of prayer."

James 5:16: "Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much. Elias was a man subject to like passions as we are, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain: and it rained not on the earth by the space of three years and six months. And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth brought forth her fruit."

Something else I was encouraged in today was through our Leaders' Meeting...
Not all those we serve through leadership are potential 'rocks' like Peter. Some are Andrews (who led Peter to Jesus), and their job is just as important! I want to be an Andrew.

God's goal for me is just to be His Channel...with my eyes, ears, mouth, heart, hands, and hugs. Praise God!

Daniel 12:3: "And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever."__

Looking Forward: I have very limited internet access, so all canyon and cavern pictures will be posted after we leave Camp...
We have the next 3 days of conference, and though I will be leading a group of around 9 girls? (ages 12-15), I am really looking forward to learning and engrafting more of God's principles into my life personally...

We (Rachel and I) do covet your prayers as we lead these young women (and men for David and Samuel)!

Cultivating a Heart of Prayer

What is your first thought in the morning? What about your last thought at night? Take a moment and ask yourself...
Is it reviewing the day's happenings, or planning for tomorrow, or going over next week? Is it daydreaming or making up stories? Or is it spending time with your Saviour?

Psalms 55:17 says:

"Evening, and morning, and at noon, will I pray, and cry aloud: and He shall hear my voice."

One of our favorite books on prayer is: Lord, Teach Us To Pray, by Tom Harmon. I would encourage all of you to read it. It doesn't cost much, and is completely worth it.

This last year, God has really convicted me about how much time I spend communing with Him in prayer. While in the Philippines, serving abroad, or doing/going through hard things here, prayer and communication with God comes easily, however, here at home so often I become a perfect Martha, and get so caught up with the work at hand, that I don't spend nearly enough time with the One who gave His life for me.

Often, He has had to gently say: "Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things: but one thing is needful: but that thou wouldst choose Mary's good part--listening at My feet. (Luke 10:42-43/paraphrase)

In the past months and especially the past weeks, my El Shaddai has impressed upon my heart all the more how much I am missing by not glorying in His presence as my first and last thought of the day. One of my personal favorite books is: Secrets of Meditation, by Dr. Bill Gothard. It is another book, costing hardly anything, and truly is a gem of truths... In fact, it is probably one of my top 5.

Dr. Gothard talks about the importance of making our bed an altar unto the Lord in his book Enjoying God's Presence. Though I have done this often in the past, when I get caught up in life, I have found this golden practice fades as well, and it is only in recent weeks that I have took up this practice again, truly trying to meditate on Scripture and prayer when I lie down and rise up. It is truly changing my life. Not only does it  give me so much more peace and rest, but if I wake up in the night, I am finding Psalms 119:62 in actuality:

"At midnight I will rise to give thanks unto Thee because of Thy righteous judgments."

1 Thessalonians 5:17 says: "Pray without ceasing."
When you do this, it takes your relationship with Christ to a new level, however, it truly starts with meditating in God's word, which is not just reading and memorizing God's Word, but also meditating--engrafting and personalizing Scripture and applying it to your life.

I would encourage you to join me in our journey to the foot of the Cross -- to know the heart of God. Start today!! Habits die hard, but ask God--He is faithful forever. I find it interesting that in almost all the cases that 'temptation' is mentioned in Scripture, the answer is prayer. I am learning that 1 Corinthians 10:13 is really true:

"There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able;  but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to heart it."

Looking back, almost all the times that I have made mistakes or truly sinned--which for me is MANY, but now mostly what I say (or don't say), time usage, attitudes, etc.--, I usually heard the prompting of the Spirit, and that is where the choice lies--do I walk in the Spirit (which often is hard in the moment), or take the easy way out and walk in the flesh??

"Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak."

~Matthew 26:41 ~

What an immense burden is lifted to know that we are not alone, when we give our lives to Christ!! And especially to know that He is with us--despite our failings--to bring us back onto the course of Truth and Righteousness. We of ourselves are dirty rags, but He chose to put His righteousness on us!!!

But now, O LORD, Thou art our Father; we are the clay, and Thou our potter; and we all are the work of Thy Hand.

~ Isaiah 64:8 ~

For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end. Then shall ye call upon Me, and ye shall go and pray unto Me, and I will hearken unto you. And ye shall seek Me, and find Me, when ye shall search for Me with all your heart. 

And I will be found of you, saith the LORD: and I will turn away your captivity, and I will gather you from all the nations, and from all the places whither I have driven you, saith the LORD; and I will bring you again into the place whence I caused you to be carried away captive.

~ Jeremiah 29:11-14 ~

This is my prayer and my earnest desire for each one of us, including me (especially me):

For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understand.

~ Colossians 1:9 ~

Spring Travels & Future Plans

I thought I might as well take a few minutes to post a few thoughts and photos on our 3 weeks of traveling this last month... What a delightful family trip we had!! The first 'real' vacation we've had as an entire family in a couple years!!! I sure hope it isn't the last!!

At the Gaylord Hotel in Tennessee

We started on May 27th, at 4am for Nashville, Tennessee for the ATI Conference, where we went to our various sessions (specifically created for building each age group up in the challenges they may be facing. Rachel and I were the only odd ones out, as we led 2 Pre-Embassy groups of 6 girls each, ages 8-11.

Mama and my 2 "COMMIT" sisters

Student Sessions Choir (Esther is near the right middle, 3 lines up)

Rachel was blessed with an assistant, and I was blessed with a pretty precious group of mostly 8-year olds!! What a special time we had!! Pre-Embassy this year focused in on the lies we believe as women, and the fears we face, and how to overcome them through Jesus Christ. We also created identity statements for each girl.

5 of my 6 Pre-Embassy girls, playing with their newly made pets. :)

Out of the 80+ girls we leaders had (of which most were saved), 3 chose to put their trust in Jesus Christ...what a thrill!!  It was a little shocking and saddening to see how many lies and fears these girls have at such a young age, and gave us such a desperate passion to help these girls in the 3 days we had them (from 8am-5pm), to find the Truth to repel such lies.

One of my precious girls

It was our deepest cry and prayer that these girls would find freedom in Jesus Christ now before they get to our ages.... Imagine if they were able to walk in the freedom of the Truth NOW...what an impact they could have even earlier on, knowing Who they belong to, and how to recognize and renounce the lies of the enemy!!

Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world. Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God...Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is He that is in you, than he that is in the world.

~ 1 John 4:1-2, 4 ~

For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.

~ 2 Timothy 1:7 ~

Saturday morning, we flew from TN to Guadalajara, Mexico to spend 2 weeks with the Phariss family. Mr. Reese (writer of the Reese Chronological Bible) happened to be there with his wife and daughter, which was quite delightful! It was an honor to meet him, especially so, as we have very much enjoyed his Chronological Bible (the first one ever put out)... I love especially how it starts out with John 1:1 ("In the beginning, was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God."). I would highly recommend going through it sometime during the years, as it will give a new perspective on the timeline, and how the Prophetical books went together with the Kings in the OT... (likewise for the NT).

With Mr. and Mrs. Reese, and their daughter Becky

As I briefly mentioned in my last post, it was a time of rejuvenation, relaxation, healing, and for me, a renewed vision for the future... Originally, I was very hesitant to take time away from my work here at home to go to Mexico, but I am so glad I did, as God did so much in my life there!!

One way to climb a tree...

Didn't know I had 3 monkeys for brothers! ;)

And a very creative descent...oh Tarzan..

Since my Single Service Commitment expired in March, as did my 4-year vision, I have been asking God what He wants me to be doing in this new phase of life. During my time at the IBLP Headquarters, God prompted me to ask Him to give me the impossible number of 10,000 disciples.  After my return home, in my focus of trying to get the ranch reorganized, etc. I kind of shoved all that to the side...however, in Mexico, God brought that back to me, and showed me that that was what He wanted my purpose/passion/vision/aim/goal to be.

Ministering at a boys' orphanage

Seeing their facilities/building expansion projects

With that in mind, that made things of lesser value (as in the things of this world) seem to fade away...to dwell in light of eternity!! Wow! It was as if, the Heavens opened up to me, and I saw another glimpse of my King.

A crane on Lake Chapala 

You might ask, 10,000 disciples? How can that be? God wants us to ask Him for the impossible!

For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, of Whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might by His Spirit in the inner man; that Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; and to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God.

Now unto Him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, unto Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.

~ Ephesians 3:14-21 ~

But Jesus...said unto them, With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible.

~ Matthew 19:26 ~

Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth.

~ Mark 9:23 ~

Did you know that behind every great person, is another great person, and behind that great person, is another great person?? Each of us have everything we are or accomplished to someone else. The same goes for discipling. Thought I might not personally disciple 10,000 people, if I were to disciple 10 people, and they were to disciple 10 people, and they were to do the same, and so on...see how it goes??

The underside of that gecko...isn't God's handiwork incredible?!
(Thanks to my little siblings for catching these the whole time, and to David who took most of those pictures.. ;P)

We serve a powerful God!! However, I know that when God gives a vision, Satan is quick to attack, and do everything in His power to thwart the vision. If you think of it, please pray that I would keep my eyes on Christ, and not get distracted by the things of this world, as it is so easy to do (usually starting with our quiet time). I know this is only possible with my Saviour by my side, and the first place to start is on my knees, and at the feet of my Jesus.

The precious Phariss family and us

I am excited to see what opportunities God has in store for me in the next few years, and my biggest prayer is: "Father, increase my faith!!!"

And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.

~ Matthew 17:20 ~