Update

Alright so I'm not sure what to update you all on, so I guess I'll update you on our classes, because we haven't done a ton out of the classroom this week.
Last week we had the amazing speaker Jeff Pratt, speaking on the "Father Heart of God"and non-the-less it was a very emotional week, and freeing week. We addressed all the blocks in our hearts that build up walls between us and God, and then we sat and reflected why those were there, what lies we were being spoken, and what names that had been claimed over us that weren't of God. Then the next day we all came together for a time of confession and healing prayer, and that began the journey to a week of freedom, worship, and rejoicing in who God has called us to be. God really showed me that he not only longs to be my friend, my father, my mother, but also my lover and husband. I have always known that, but never truly knew it deep inside of me until last week when I had this picture of a bride and a groom at their reception. The bride was sitting down on a chair wearing a dirty, grubby, ripped up dress, and the groom (aka Jesus) was standing in a pure white tux in front of me with arms stretched out to me. Then I heard the words, "I choose you, even in your grubbiness I choose you!" And as I grabbed his hand the chains around my ankles fell off as we danced away and my dress turned pure white as well. I was reminded of this during worship on Monday and I felt like God said are you just going to stand at our reception dance, or are you going to jump in and dance (worship) with me?
Then today we had a time of reflection in the afternoon and the topic that came up was what excesses are you using to not follow 100% after God? I felt like mine were lies from the enemy saying "How could you be set free of those chains?"  And then our leaders felt like we needed to do something to take a stand to show physically that we were done with that junk with those excesses in our lives, so we did a trust fall. (This is when you get up on a chair on our stage, and then people stand in front of the stage and you fall backward into their arms, trusting they will catch you.) So we all got up and out loud declared what we were laying down and what we were picking up instead, and I don't know if I've ever heard such a sound of freedom and joy flood a room at once! Walls were destroyed these past weeks, burdens were lifted, and our yokes have become easy in Christ.

Kingdom Outreach (downtown Denver)

1/12/2011 Kingdom Outreach

Beth, Casey, Branden, Kate, Kylie

As we got off the bus to do street ministry the Lord led Branden over to a homeless man walking across the street. This man was pretty short, scruffy beard, smoking a cigarette, and everything he said was brought back to music. So as the guys were talking to him I felt like the Lord told me to sing him a song worthy of God, but I just kinda pushed it off. So we went and bought this guy, Bob, a meal at mcdonalds and got him a warm cup of coffee. He was so nice and welcoming till we got him food, then he was angry at Christian people and thought we were judging him and that he knows the “games” we play. We told him we weren’t playing games, and that we just wanted to bless him in what ever way he would let us. Back up a little bit, as we were walking into Mcdonalds a man was standing outside opening the door for us to try and earn tips to get a meal. This guy on the other hand was well rounded and such a light of God in his eyes. So we invited him in as well to get a meal. His name was Ricky, then as we sat down a lady named Michelle came running over to our table and asked if we were here to pray so she sat down and joined us and we prayed for her. When we got done praying one of the guys in our group had an image of a bird flying, and another girl had a picture of a rainbow and i believe a bird also with the verse about running and not growing weary and flying on eagles wings in Isaiah. Later that night I was laying in bed and then Lord reminded me of my quite time a few days earlier and how I felt led to pray on behalf of a lady named Michelle for renewal and that God would send someone to pick up his wounded soldier. DANG RIGHT?!?  

Okay so back to Mcdonalds the man named Ricky was a sold man of God, and of amazing character. One day a lady dropped a few $20 bills on the ground and instead of not telling her and getting them for himself he stopped her and picked up her money and gave it back, as he was telling us that story a still small voice told me to go get him that $20 so I got up but the ATM was broken, so I sat back down. We started praying for healing in his stomach, because he had been having some serious problems with it, and was in and out of the hospital, so half of our team kept praying for him and I started talking to the first guy Bob again with one of the other girls on our team. He was still so bitter towards Christians, so we just kept trying to press in and love him. And the whole time I kept feeling like I needed to sing, so... I told my friend girl we are supposed to sing, she looked at me like NO YOU CAN SING THATS CRAZY! So we started singing a song we have been singing a lot here on base that goes, “I called you answered you came to my rescue and I want to be where you are... My life, be lifted high, and our world, be lifted high, and our love, be lifted high” and that was all I sang and I felt like the moment I allowed God to sing through me a wall was broken down, he started to open up. 

About that time I look over to Ricky (christian homeless man) and he pulls out this yellow ticket for begging for change on the corner. At that moment I asked him Ricky how much is that for? He said I think its $30 but he couldn’t find the price, so I told him that when I just left I went to go get you money. So I gave my friend my debit card and told them to go get the money for that ticket. As we were walking back to the buses that night my friend stopped me and said dude I felt like I was supposed to give him $10 so his $10 and my $20 paid for his $30 ticket!!! The Lord will provide!

So back to Bob, after everyone else left we just kept trying to find away into his heart to pray for him and finally as we were about ready to leave we asked him one more time, Bod can we pray for you? This time he said I suppose, and so we began to pray for him and healing over his legs and mind, and as we did this old bitter hateful man, began to cry, and reached over to put his hand on top of the girls hand that was praying, and he began shifting in his seat like something inside of him was changing. After we got done praying he looked up and this man was TOTALLY different, he now wanted a hug and love from us, not just a meal and cigarettes. THE LORD IS AT WORK IN LIVES! He just wants to love people, and He wants us to be apart of that love. Thank you Jesus!

Here I am

So I've arrived, and my first week is done it was a very long week of getting to know everyone and getting through our bonding sessions. Tomorrow classes start officially and our subject this week is the fear of the Lord. I'm so ready to get the teaching coming and to begin being wrecked to pieces and restored. A few nights ago a group of us girls went out for the night and then decided we all had a passion to go do some ministry, so we drove around praying till we felt like we should stop. When we stopped we got out and played hacky sack with 3 high school guys. None of them were Christians, so we were well God how do we share with them your truths we were at a stand still. So as we are just talking about life our hacky sack gets stuck in the rafters, and the guys didn't want to get it out, so we decided this could be our chance to help and then share. So we lifted each other up, and got the hacky down. Then we were able to just open up and share about the real love of Jesus and how he loves and provides for us no matter what. After we got done sharing we prayed for them and their families. Before we prayed they were so against us, and after you could tell a door in them had opened, a seed had been planted, a light had been turned on. The oldest kid was really curious about what Christianity is all about, and we found out they live us around the corner from us. God is good!

Colorado Here I am!

Alright Friends, quick update, So I'm here I'm in Colorado with my parents till Monday and then they will jump on a train and come home, and I'll begin my training in Denver. The last few days have been very refreshing, and reminding of who God really is. We are up in the mountains (I kinda feel like a monk right now, or I guess a nun, being away from the city on a mountain top) just relaxing and skiing in the beauty of God's creation. As we pulled in Wednesday night I was reminded of how BIG GOD IS! and how small we are! As we drove in I looked up at the stars, and the huge mountain standing beside me, and my breath was taken back a bit. DANG! If I feel this small against this mountain, then GOD IS HUGE! Considering he holds the world in the palm of his hand and its just like a drop in a bucket. Wow reality check huh? And looking at the mountain all I could think of was, its huge AND how BEAUTIFUL it was. If God spent that much time to make the mountains, the sun set, the (whatever you find beautiful) how much more time did he spend on us, living humans made in HIS IMAGE! DUDE GUYS WAKE UP THIS JESUS IS IN LOVE WITH YOU, AND IS WAITING WITH OPEN ARMS FOR YOU TO RUN TO HIM! Its so simple just ask him to live in you, and to be in charge of your life, and to take way all the crap from your past. Then the adventure begins, is the adventure easy... haha... NO!
BUT is it worth it YES!!!!!


I pray that this will hit home to those of you who need to hear it, and that you will share it with those people in your life who need a reminder of how BIG GOD TRULY IS, and how much he LOVES us NO MATTER WHAT! Don't fill up that desire inside of you with CRAP from this world that are instant ANYMORE! Guys go to the one who says drink from me and you will NEVER thirst AGAIN!

Love you all!