A Glimpse of True Love

I recently finished taking a SOZO class offered at Bethel.  SOZO stands for saved, healed, and delivered. It’s a gentle inner healing/deliverance ministry where the focus is to get to the root cause of those things hindering our personal connection with the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Not only did I take the beginners training course, I also had my own SOZO appointment at the Bethel Transformational Center.

My SOZO appointment indeed proved to be transformational in my own life. Did you know we gain a lot of freedom when we forgive? J It’s true. Forgiveness is actually the key to freedom. A large portion of this ministry is helping others forgive as well as identifying lies and exchanging them with truth. I took the class because I’m very interested in helping people receive inner healing. Little did I know how much inner healing I would receive as a result of being equipped to bring healing to others...so thankful.

During one of the classes I watched a picture of true love unfold before my very own eyes. There was a ministry time at the end of each class. So during one of the classes, they invited anyone who was feeling hopeless regarding dreams they had to come forward to receive prayer and encouragement. I wasn't feeling hopeless so I didn't go forward for prayer. Instead I stayed in my seat and asked God if indeed I did need to go forward (just to check). When I still didn’t feel the need to go forward for prayer I lifted my head and observed the ministry at the front of the church. There was a long line of people waiting to receive prayer. As I watched the scene unfold, there was a middle-aged lady that caught my eye. She was one of the prayer servants ministering to those waiting in line. The next person to receive prayer was a young man who looked to be in his 20s. She looked at him with such a pure love with joy on her face (yes – she was smiling!) and grabbed his hand and pulled him close as a mother would embrace a son to pray for him. To me it was a picture of God saying through her actions, come here my child - I'm in a good mood, and I love you. In fact I like you. I accept you - there's no judgment or condemnation here. Let's just take care of this thing that's weighing you down and free you to know my love for you and to live out my plans for you. And then let's party!

Watching that one act of this woman loving a younger brother in Christ through her invitation to prayer with no trace of judgment or condemnation gave me a whole new glimpse of what it really means to love each other - what it really means to love as God loves us. It was a glimpse of true love. She approached him with care, with grace, with joy, with hope, with honor, and with true love. How was she able to do this? I think it’s because she’s had a revelation of the Father’s love for her previously….much like God gave me a revelation of His love for me (for anyone really) through her actions. And out of that revelation of God’s love for her, she spread the Father’s love she had received.

There's so much love, honor, and grace lived out here at Bethel that I'm just blown away. They are the real deal. I’ve been here for almost three months now, and I can testify that this is the kind of love that is demonstrated daily. And it makes all the difference. It has brought me a lot of inner healing to just be in this environment where religion (striving to perform and being legalistic about rules/laws) has been exchanged for a true love relationship with Papa God. It’s a relationship where grace really trumps condemnation and unconditional love truly embraces you exactly where you’re at and draws you to a new place where you become a better you. Why?  Because when you allow yourself to be loved by your Creator, you can’t help but become a better you and you can’t help but love others in the same way. The love He gives us is so full and abundant that it can’t help but be spilled out on other people. Just like this woman demonstrated love. Because of the true love she has received from Papa God, the love she experienced overflowed into this young man’s life. And then it impacted me – a mere observer – or so I thought. I love how God whispers to us and encounters us even when it appears that we’re simply observing. So even though you may not be here with me experiencing all of the things I am first hand, I believe you can still receive so much from the Lord as you “observe” what He’s doing here at Bethel. With that said, I pray God encounters you right where you’re at in such a way that you know His true love for you at a greater level – with new revelation that reveals the Father’s heart for you. And as you receive that love, watch out, it can’t help but spill out on those around you! That’s good news, my friend. Don’t you think?

Favorite Holiday Recipes

Happy Thanksgiving! Since I'm in the holiday spirit I thought I'd share a few of my favorite holiday recipes with you. While your Thanksgiving dinner will most likely be long over by the time you read this, there's always Christmas dinner to look forward to and plan for! So here are some more of my tried and true, delicious holiday recipes! We'll start with dessert first. :)

Cranberry Upside Down Cake

Serves 8

8 tbsp unsalted butter, room temperature

1 cup sugar

½ tsp ground cinnamon

¼ tsp allspice

1 ¾ cups cranberries

1 large egg

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour

1 ½ tsp baking powder

¼ tsp salt

½ cup milk

1. Preheat oven to 350, with rack in center. Rub the bottom and sides of an 8-inch round cake pan with 2 tbsp butter. In a small bowl, whisk together ½ cup sugar with the cinnamon and allspice. Sprinkle mixture evenly over bottom of pan; arrange cranberries in a single layer on top.

2. With an electric mixer, cream remaining 6 tablespoons butter and ½ cup sugar until light and fluffy. Add egg and vanilla; beat until well combined. In another bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. With mixer on low speed, add flour mixture to butter mixture in three batches, alternating with the milk, until well combined.

3. Spoon batter over cranberries in pan, and smooth top. Place pan on a baking sheet; bake cake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 30 to 35 minutes. Let cool on a wire rack for 20 minutes. Run a knife around edge of cake; invert onto a rimmed platter.

Aunt Joanie's Crescent Rolls

1/2 cup warm water
2 TBS yeast
Mix the yeast and warm water until yeast dissolves
Scald 1 1/2 cups milk and cool to lukewarm
1/2 cup sugar
2 tsp salt
2 eggs
1/2 cup soft butter (tip - melt butter in milk while the milk is cooling)
7-7 1/2 cups flour

Mix the above ingredients together and let the dough raise until it's double in size. Then roll it out in a circle, brush melted butter on top of the dough, and cut into crescent rolls (easily done with a pizza cutter). Bake rolls at 375 degrees for 10 minutes.

Make-Ahead Mashed Potatoes

8-10 medium-size russet baking potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks
6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 cup sour cream
One 8-ounce package cream cheese, softened
1/3 cup chopped fresh chives (optional)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

1. Boil the potatoes in salted water to cover, until tender, and drain.
2. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Rub a 13x9-inch baking dish with 2 tablespoons of the butter. Sprinkle 1/4 cup of the Parmesan into the dish and tip the dish so the cheese is evenly distributed and adheres to the butter.
3. Place the hot cooked potatoes in a large bowl and add the sour cream, cream cheese, 2 tablespoons of the remaining butter, 1/4 cup of the Parmesan, ad the chives, if using. Using an electric mixer, beat the potatoes until smooth. Taste for seasoning and add with salt and pepper as desired.
4. Transfer to the prepared dish, dot with the remaining 2 tablespoons butter, and sprinkle with the remaining 1/4 cup Parmesan.
Diva Do-Ahead Tip: At this point, you can cover and refrigerate for 2-3 days or freeze for up to 1 month. bring to room temperature before continuing. Bake the potatoes until golden, about 25 minutes. Serve hot.

(This recipe was taken from Happy Holidays by Diane Phillips)

A Snapshot of Life in Cali

I’m feeling blessed beyond measure these days and am grateful for it all! I’m in awe continually at God’s provision and orchestration of this move to California and would like to give you a quick snapshot of life as I know it now.

I love my new home and my three new roommates! One of my roommates is also the owner of the house, Sharon. Her warm welcome and hospitality has favorably contributed to my smooth transition. Not to mention that it’s as if she was in my head when she decorated my room! I instantly felt at home when I first saw it. In addition, we both share a love for flowers. In fact, fresh cut flowers from one of the many blossoming plants in the yard are a constant companion in our home. That for me, my friends, is like God placing an extravagant garnish on my dinner plate for life. I’m learning a lot about God’s extravagant love for me – and this is just one tangible expression of that.

My other two roommates are also incredible women of God. Most of you know the amazing story of how I got connected with Sarah. But if not, it’s worth taking your time to check it out this previous blog post. She has proved to be an invaluable gold mine of wisdom and knowledge. I’ve made her my “go to girl” with any questions I have regarding things I’m learning at school since she’s now a second year student and has great experience in things I’m only now being introduced to. We come from very similar backgrounds, so I’ve found she can often relate easily to my questions. She’s quite gracious in answering them as well. And my other roommate, Beena, has instantly become my school buddy since we’re both wading through the first year of BSSM together! She also has amazing insight and wisdom of which I’ve already gleaned from as we’ve processed our classes, assignments and life in general together. We’ve realized that all three of our personalities are very similar. In fact, our habits are so similar that we all have pretty much the same sleep schedule. This is a huge gift and creates an ideal study environment. So thankful!

BSSM is not a traditional school so I’d love to explain it as best I can here. There are about 900 students enrolled in the first year program at BSSM. We have classes in the afternoon, Monday – Thursday. It’s kind of like a yearlong conference because all 900 of us gather in the church sanctuary for class each day. We’re so blessed to have the senior church leaders (Bill Johnson and Kris Vallotton) speak to us on a weekly basis. We also have two Bible teachers and a couple other Bethel leaders that teach us regularly. And from time to time we have guest speakers from around the world.

In addition, we have the privilege of receiving instruction in a more intimate setting via our Advanced Ministry Training (AMTs) classes. These are six week classes that focus on a certain topic. I’ve just finished my first AMT: Healing – Kingdom Foundations taught by Kevin Dedmon. It was amazing! God healed several people during every single class! Thank you, Jesus! The longer I’m here, the more I realize what a rich spiritual inheritance is all around me. I’m soaking it all in, believe me!

As you can imagine, one could easily get lost among 900 classmates. So they’ve done a superb job of not allowing that to happen by placing us in Revival Groups of about 70 students. Each Revival Group has a pastor as well as a team of Interns (3rd year BSSM students) that we meet with throughout the year. I’ll meet with my Revival Pastor one on one at least once this year. And I’ll meet with my assigned intern one-on-one between 4-6 times this year. I meet with my entire Revival Group once a week as well as my small group of 4 amazing women who are also in my Revival Group. So I’m spending time with my Revival Group family at least two days a week during a portion of the school day.

In addition to receiving great teaching and fostering community within our Revival Groups and other BSSM students, we’re each assigned to an outreach for the year. One of the things I really appreciate about Bethel is that they go beyond teaching in the traditional sense (with the main focus being head knowledge) and actually create a way to implement what we’re learning. Our outreach ministry is one of the major ways we get to be activated i.e. we move from book knowledge to applying what we’re learning to real life. They’ve created a safe environment in which we get to take risks – meaning we get to practice taking steps of faith with honor and love. We get to do all of this under the love and guidance of people who are a little further in the journey than we are and who have great experience. I’m really excited about my outreach for the year! It’s called Sidewalk Sunday School! It’s basically what the name says – we take Sunday School to the sidewalks of the city and tell children about the Good News through a variety of means including drama. We’ll be in interacting with and loving children along with their family members. We just began participating in Sidewalk Sunday School a couple weeks ago and it’s off to a great start! I’m looking forward to sharing more with you about that in the near future.

All of the activities I’ve described to you take place during school hours. Beyond that, I attend two church services a week – one of which is a service where we simply sing/pray/worship God and follow the Holy Spirit’s leading in how He’s ministering during the service. Because our first ministry is to God, we worship with extravagant joy and gratitude almost every day at school and during every weekend service. It’s pretty amazing. We also have a hefty load of reading we’ll be doing outside of classroom time. By the end of the year I will have read 3,167 pages from assigned books – all of which I’m excited to read! This doesn’t include our Bible reading which entails about two chapters a day – also super excited about this Book. :) As you can see, between homework, school, church, site seeing, the occasional extra things that come up and hanging out with my new friends, I keep a pretty full schedule. 

While I’ve learned a lot already in my short time here, the thing that has most impacted me thus far is the culture of love and honor that Bethel has fostered and truly lives out on a day to day basis. I’ve witnessed it from the senior leadership to the prayer servants who minister at the end of each service. God’s grace and love in this place is so thick that transformation is bound to happen to anyone who spends time here. My heart swells with gratitude for what I’ve been given in this season and for what is yet to come. Stay tuned – more exciting updates are sure to follow!