2012 A Year to be Remembered!

Another year has gone by and I find myself reflecting on one of the most amazing years I've experienced thus far in my life. The beginning of 2012 found me in beautiful Northern California starting the second semester of school at Bethel. I gleaned much wisdom, teaching, insight from the mothers and fathers of that beautiful house of faith. Bethel is one church I can say walks their talk. I'm so thankful to be a part of a church that lives and breaths true love.

During the last five months of wrapping up my schooling at Bethel, I had the joy of travelling and experiencing so much! The first and biggest trip was to the Philippines. It was the most amazing, most memorable, and most life changing missions trip I've ever been a part of as evidenced by my previous blog postings about my experiences there. I actually haven't finished blogging about all that I experienced during that trip...but to tell you the truth, no amount of writing could capture everything I encountered there.

My dear friends Rachael Masten and LeeAnn Reynolds visited me in the spring and while we were together, we enjoyed the magnificence of Burney Falls located only about an hour away from where I was living in California.

My best friend since I was six year old, Claire, and her husband, John Roth came to visit me as well. During their visit we were able to take trip to the west coast to enjoy views of the Pacific Ocean and the grand Redwood Forest. We enjoyed a seven mile walk in the forest and stood in awe of God's creation.

Before my year in Cali was over, I made sure to visit some of the "must see" local tourist spots including San Francisco, Yosemite, and Napa Valley with one of my best friends I met at Bethel, Honey Storlie.

In fact, Honey and two other amazing young women, Beena Benny, and Sarah Wind, are solidified in my heart as life long friends and ministry partners. These women are a huge gift from God from this past year. I would not have known them had I not taken my exciting adventure out west. We stay connected to this day supporting each other in prayer and with wisdom for any given situation that arises. I like to call us the Fantastic Four!

My nine months in Cali wrapped up with my graduation and knighting at Bethel. What special moments those last days held. I have journals full of notes from the school year in which I'm sure to glean from in years to come. I have friends around the globe and experiences that can never be traded or taken away from me. In fact, I gained a rich inheritance from many mothers and fathers of the faith at Bethel. It was truly a John 10:10 year - living the abundant life!

The last week I was in Redding, I had a farewell dinner with a few of my friends while watching the sun set at a local vineyard. The food was delicious, the company was delightful, and the setting was beyond beautiful! The lovely lady in the photo with me is Sharon - she's the owner of the house I lived in last year.

After driving across the U.S. back home to Indiana, I was welcomed by beautiful friends and family and a place to live during my job search (thank you, Brad and Gail for opening up your lovely home!). The move back to Indiana and to Bloomington specifically, was a dream come true in of itself. Claire and I have dreamed of living in the same city as adults ever since we were little girls. Aside from that, I'm now only two hours away from my parents - I haven't been that close to them since I left home to go to college! While I certainly miss my friends in Fort Wayne as well as California, I'm so happy to be living the dream here.

When I took the risk to leave my job in Fort Wayne in 2011, I felt strongly that God had promised He had a specific place for me to work in Bloomington after my adventure in California. However, I had no idea I would have five months of waiting before that promise would be fulfilled. I find it funny that the number five is associated with grace and it was exactly five months that God gave me grace to wait for my new job. During those five months I played (as indicated in the photo above - floating in Lake Monroe with the Pontius and Roth families), I reflected, I rested, I exercised my faith muscle, I reconnected with friends and family (as indicated by the photo booth picture taken at my cousins wedding below), I learned to receive from others at a whole new level, I continued to cultivate my creativity through writing and painting, and I looked for a job, of course.

I was finally offered a job with Cook Medical and even on the first day of work, I knew I was right where I was supposed to be. That day was marked with a handful of blessings and confirmations - things that were out of the ordinary for me and a sign that God fulfills His promises and is faithful!

While the learning curve is very large, the job is a great fit for me, and my co-workers are amazing! They've been so patient and helpful during my season of learning the ropes. There's room to grow at Cook, many opportunities to continue to learn as well as opportunities to contribute to not only the community here in Bloomington but to people worldwide! I'm so thankful. Cook's mission statement is also one I support whole-heartedly:

"Cook is dedicated to bold leadership in pioneering medical solutions to enhance patient care worldwide."

I'm also honored to work at a company that instills and lives out these values:

Patients: Maintain a deep concern for patient safety and well-being.

Quality: Provide the highest quality medical products.

Customers: Treat customers with respect and serve them to the best  of our ability.

Knowledge: Solve diverse medical problems while maintaining a willingness to listen, learn, innovate and educate.

Integrity: Respect our company by giving our best effort, loyalty, honesty and accountability.

Employee Involvement: Acknowledge the contribution of our fellow employees.

Corporate Citizenship: Serve as a corporate role model for the betterment of society by being a sensitive employer and contributor to the communities where we reside, and an example of the highest integrity in business dealings.

Environment: Minimize our corporate impact on the environment and act intentionally to preserve and improve our surroundings for future generations.

From what I've observed so far, Cook lives up to these values and vision. I'm beyond thankful to be a part of this outstanding team!

So there it is - a snapshot of 2012 - a year I will always remember and treasure in my heart. Here's to a New Year filled with joy, peace, love, unending hope, fulfilled promises, and fun surprises - welcome, 2013!

Sometimes Beans Are Cruel

It’s common knowledge, laughter is good medicine. Everyone can use a good laugh, right? That’s why I’m sharing this lovely piece of literature – written by yours truly in a writing group a few weeks ago. We were learning how to write well by mirroring excellent authors. The author we were studying for this piece of work happened to be entertaining a very sad topic. I chose to take a Weird Al Yankovic approach instead. Are you ready for this? Here we go!

Sometimes beans are cruel.

This is ultimately the fundamental lesson here; as doctors hail their nutritional value, children and people of all ages suffer the social side effects.

Sometimes it’s lima beans. Sometimes its kidney beans. Sometimes it’s great northern beans. Sometimes it’s black beans. Sometimes it’s refried beans. Sometimes it’s red beans. Sometimes it’s green beans. Sometimes it’s pinto beans. Sometimes it’s cannellini beans. The results are in: beans of every variety generate flatulence. This is the price of being human.

So dig out your air freshener. Blast your music as loud as you can. And delight in all the nutrition your body is receiving, despite all the cruelty of beans.

Are We There Yet?

Oh that infamous question on long journeys, “Are we there yet?” How many times have you asked this very question? I know I’ve asked it countless times. I can’t remember a season in my life when I personally haven’t been waiting for something. When I was a little girl I waited to see if I got the latest Barbie for Christmas. I waited for school to start…and then I waited for school to end. Then I waited to get my driver’s license. After that I waited see if I was accepted to the college of my choice. Right now I’m waiting for several things in my life: for a job, for my future husband, for a place to call my own, for people I’ve been praying for to know Papa God’s extravagant love, for my friends to see the promises of God fulfilled in their lives…the list goes on. It’s the nature of life.  We’re always waiting for the next thing. So what does contentment look like if we’re always waiting? How do we wait well…not only for our own desires but to see the desires of our dearest friends come true? How do we live life to the full and embrace the present moment while living in the tension of longing for those desires to be fulfilled? I’ve been thinking about these questions a lot lately and have a few thoughts on the matter.

Scripture is very clear that patience is one of the fruits of the Spirit. Galatians 5:22-23 says,
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.” So in order to have any of these things…I must be filled with the Spirit of God. Without the Holy Spirit, these character qualities are impossible to muster up in my own strength. Could it be that waiting helps us realize our dependence upon God? I think so. I’ve learned being dependent upon God is so much better than relying on my own strength. I tend to mess things up when I do them on my own. But when I involve God…things turn out so much better. You see, He’s a mastermind of our hearts, our minds, and our entire lives. He sees the tapestry that He’s intricately weaving. He knows what thread needs to be placed where and when all the time aware of the beauty the tapestry holds not only in the end product but also in the process. The weaving (waiting) may seem mysterious to us because we can only see the tapestry in part, but perhaps that mystery is God’s way of inviting us into communion with Him. 

Proverbs 25:2 says, “It is the glory of God to conceal a matter; to search out a matter is the glory of kings.” Why would it be the glory of God to conceal a matter and the glory of kings to search out a matter? Some mothers and fathers of the faith have helped shed a little light on this question for me in the last year. I tend to agree with them in that the glory happens because the concealing is God inviting us into communion with Him. He’s not hiding things FROM us but rather He’s hiding them FOR us. The treasures He has for us our intended to be revealed. He gives us the treasure maps (a combination of God’s Word, prayer, and His people) and then invites us on this grand adventure with Him. And on the journey to find the treasure (our hearts desire) …we get to embrace the biggest treasure of all – knowing and receiving the extravagant love of the King of Kings. After all, He’s our guide and we get to spend a lot of time together while seeking out this treasure we’ve been anticipating and looking forward to.

So what does this adventure in seeking out and waiting for the treasure to be revealed look like? How are we supposed to search out the matter? I have a few ideas mostly stemming from Psalm 37.

Take delight in the Lord! Psalm 37:4-5 says, “Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you your hearts desires. Commit everything you do to the Lord. Trust him, and He will help you." God loves to have fun with us. Go ahead, tell Him a joke. Ask Him to tell you a joke. Laugh together. And delight in His goodness. Are you having a brain fog and can’t remember who He is? Do a study on the Names of God and what they mean to jog your memory. If that doesn’t surface delight in your heart for the Lord, then ask Him to enroll you in the school of experience regarding the names of God. For example, when you experience Yaweh Rapha, the Lord heals, I can assure you delighting in Him will come easily! In fact, being enrolled in the school of experience regarding who God is, is always a good idea even when you’re easily able to delight in Him.

Commit all I do to the Lord. For me this looks like handing the control of my life over to God. That means partnering with God to do what He asks of me and then leaving the timing and directions for my next steps in His mighty and fully capable hands. Whenever I take the reins into my own hands, it seems that I always end up out of synch with God’s timing and plan. But He’s always faithful to gently ask me if I’d like Him to take the reins back and then aligns everything back to His order for my good and for His glory.

Trust God. This means saying no to fear whenever it pops up. It means remembering and believing God is who He says He is and He does what He says He will do. I love how scripture says God will help us when we trust Him.

Be still before God. Psalm 37:7 says, “Be still in the presence of the Lord, and wait patiently for Him to act.” I personally think this is where our romance with the King of Kings begins. As we gaze into His eyes, see who He is and experience Him while we are still in His presence, how can we not fall in love with Him? He’s too good and perfect not to! I also think that this is where rest happens. Isaiah 30:15 says, “In repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength.” In rest is your salvation. It’s in this place of being still before God that we gain strength. If we’re always working and moving, we’ll have no energy to enjoy the treasure once it’s revealed. Besides, aren’t journeys more fun when you rest along the way?

Wait patiently for God to act. There’s that word again – patience. Looks like God intended waiting to be an intricate part of our lives, so it’s time to embrace it and depend upon Him to help us be patient. Give yourself permission to wait. Just because our culture encourages immediate gratification, doesn’t mean we need to buy into it. God’s Kingdom is upside down according the wisdom of this world. But in the end, God has victory over darkness…over the wisdom of this world. I think I’ll choose to be on God’s team and wait patiently for Him to act.

Fill my heart with Scripture so I won’t waver again. Psalm 37:31 says, “They fill their hearts with God’s law, so they will never slip from his path.” Wow – so filling my heart with scripture has a direct correlation with staying on the path God has for me. It turns out the Word of God is an intricate part of the treasure map. I think I’ll pay attention to it, meditate on it, and fill my heart with it.

Keep being patient and travel steadily along God’s path. Psalm 37:34 says, “Don’t be impatient for the Lord to act! Travel steadily along his path. He will honor you, giving you the land. You will see the wicked destroyed.” Such great rewards are ahead of us when we travel steadily along God’s path and wait for Him to act.

I've only selected a few scriptures from Psalm 37, but the whole chapter is full of insights, wisdom and guidance for waiting well. I realize this is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to learning how to wait well. There’s so much more – always is. But I pray this is an encouragement to you and for God’s grace and love to cover you in on your journey toward whatever you’re waiting for. May you find contentment in the journey. There are Divine appointments to attend in the waiting…nothing is wasted. And be encouraged because as Bill Johnson says, “A delayed answer to prayer is gaining interest!” All the better of a celebration to be had! And I dearly love to celebrate!

11 Secrets to Success for the Single Life

One of my dear friends, Claire Roth, recently introduced me as an expert in waiting on God for a husband. I must say the introduction took me by surprise a bit as I’d never really thought of myself in that light. But after meeting with the young lady I was introduced to in this manner and sharing revelations, insights, and secrets for living the single life with contentment, I realized God has taught me a lot on this topic - especially in the last decade.  And it’s time to share the good news with other fellow singles. We need each other to stay encouraged…and I hope that by me sharing the insights I’ve gained on my path toward contentment gives many others the freedom to enjoy life to the full more quickly.

God has been speaking to me a lot in the last year through John 10:10. It says this, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” I find it such an encouragement that Jesus came to give us abundant life. That means a life full of joy, freedom, love, peace, contentment, etc. The list goes on and on. At age 30 I’m finally grasping the abundant life daily. There is always more of God’s goodness to experience…and I say, “sign me up for that!” There’s also the undeniable fact that Satan – the ultimate thief – is constantly at work to steal our joy and deceive us. So how can we have victory in living the single life and experience the fullness of life Jesus paid for on the cross? Good question. I have a few secrets that have proven true in my own life that I’d love to share with you.

1. Forgive anyone from the opposite gender who has hurt you, and get rid of any bitterness you've been holding onto. Unforgiveness invites discontentment into our lives. And once bitterness takes root, we become miserable and make everyone else around us miserable. Bitterness strangles life. Resentment keeps you locked up. A big lie the enemy tries to feed us is that by not forgiving we’re punishing the person that has hurt us. The truth is we’re actually punishing ourselves. It’s as if we’ve locked ourselves in a prison and thrown away the key. Save yourself the misery by obeying God’s Word and forgiving others quickly. There’s so much freedom to experience in forgiveness! What if you don’t feel like forgiving? My experience is that once I obey God – the feelings follow.
2. If you’re idolizing your desire to have a mate – put an end to it! How do you know if you’re idolizing being with someone? Ask yourself what consumes your thoughts. If you think about being with someone more than you think about Jesus – you’re probably guilty of making a potential mate your idol. A great scripture verse I pray all the time to keep my heart pure and free from idolatry is Psalm 139:22-23. It says, “Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.”  That’s a great verse to pray all the time to make sure our hearts are aligned with God’s regarding any pitfall we have tendencies toward. Start getting out of the pit of idolatry by first repenting and then asking God to captivate your heart. There’s no greater or sweeter romance than with Jesus.  He even comes for us on a white horse! (See Revelation 19: 11-21)
3. Release control of your love story and invite God to write it. Dr. Mitch Kruse, a man I highly respect and one who is filled with great wisdom once said to me, “For every no, God has a better yes.” It’s so true. I've seen it played out in my life in many different situations. I encourage you to trust God beyond the small picture you currently see. And when it’s difficult to do so, recount how He’s been faithful and remind yourself that Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever (Hebrews 13:8). That means He will continue to be faithful! And if you can’t remember His faithfulness, ask a friend to help you recall how God has been faithful in your life. Sometimes we need a friend to help us remember.
4. Keep the hope alive – don’t bury your dreams – but don’t settle for less either. It’s ok to desire someone to share your life with. If you've passed that magical age you thought you’d be married by, don’t give up hope. Often times our idea of timing is different than God’s. But I guarantee His timing is always better than ours because He can see the big picture while we only have a limited perspective. Go ahead, pour out your heart’s desires to God (He’s the one that placed Him there in the first place) and embrace all the emotions that come with that. Then ask God for grace to hold those desires loosely so that He can orchestrate your life and bring your desires about. Don’t give up and settle for less than God’s best for you. Remember, Jesus came to give us life to the FULL!
5. Know what season you’re in. This has been one of the most freeing keys to being content in my singleness and one I wished I would have known about a lot sooner. Ask God what season you’re in. Is this a season to be romanced only by God? To meet lots of different people of the opposite gender but not enter into a serious relationship? (If so, be sure to communicate this up front rather than leading anyone on to believe otherwise.) To enter into a serious relationship? To prepare for marriage? (This can happen while single or dating.) To fast from dating? Hopefully you get the picture. The seasons of single life are obviously not limited to the list above. My point is simply that there are many different seasons in the single life. And if you know what season you’re in, then you can focus solely on that and not waste your energy and time elsewhere. So if it’s a season to be romanced only by God, I don’t allow my thoughts to be consumed with if I’ll have a date this Friday night. One word of caution – seasons can change suddenly. So it’s always important to be in constant communication with God to make sure you’re on the same page. He’s trustworthy and will notify you if you keep your gaze on Him. I don’t know about you, but I have a tendency to want formulas. God, however, often times doesn't operate with formulas. So one of the biggest lessons I had to learn in the process of knowing what season I’m in is that it’s OK to not have a time limit on any specific season. I once was in a season of fasting from dating. Figuratively speaking, I was hoping God would say to me that I would be entering that season on April 1 and exiting it on March 31. That didn't happen. Instead, I received instructions to check with Him should I be approached by a man for a date. God was teaching me to depend on Him, listen to Him, and be ready to change course when He said go. Often times, we want to contain God’s ways in a box. I’m here to tell you that it’s impossible to do so and things go a lot more smoothly when you keep the conversation going with God. Check with the Lord, align your heart with God’s heart, and go with what the Holy Spirit is breathing on. This is a sure way to have peace no matter what season you’re in.
6. Whatever season you’re in, use this time of singleness to let God define you – find out who you are in Him. I can’t think of many other gifts that are better than offering the gift of knowing yourself and what you have to offer others. What a meaningful and beautiful gift to give your spouse – a gift that keeps on giving! God made you uniquely you. No one else can fill your shoes. Discover what you like, what you don’t like, who you are, who you’re not, what gifts you have, what gifts you don’t have, etc. Ask God, “Who do you say I am?” There’s only one rule that I've adopted from Crystal Styles, a teacher I had at Bethel, and that is this: what you hear from God needs to surprise you with its goodness. Why? Because God is simply that good! We live in a world that constantly criticizes and soon we become our own worst critic. It’s time for that to change and for us to start believing we are who God says we are and then live it out!
7. Celebrate other’s love stories!  We’re all on unique journeys specifically tailored for each of us. Jealously sparks division, while celebration not only promotes unity, but invites breakthrough in our own lives. If you just aren't feeling like celebrating – that’s a good indicator that your breakthrough is just around the corner. Ask God to help you celebrate with your friends, choose to do so, and watch how God works to revive the hope and joy in your own life. Whatever you do, avoid the “if only” game. I’m talking about, “if I only I were Jane, I’d be married with three kids and having the time of my life.” “If only I dated Harry, I wouldn't be sitting at home along on a Friday night.” You get the picture. The pasture is always greener on the other side of the fence game just doesn't ring true. The truth is you’re always sifting through matters of the heart – whether you’re single, dating, or married. The truth is we all have God ordained appointments – and sometimes those are appointments are with Him alone. The truth is God brings beauty from ashes – in fact He specializes in that! So celebrate your friend’s love stories – your turn is coming and you’re going to want to have friends around to celebrate with you, right?
8. Capitalize on life as a single. Do now what you won’t be able to do as easily when you’re married. What brings you joy? Find out, make a list, and do it! Usually when we gain something, we give something up. I've watched many of my friends get married and go through a grieving process. That’s right, they grieved their single years. So don’t wish away your single years only to find that you never really lived them once you get married. That would require overtime in grieving. Not worth it. So go live up your dreams as a single!
9. Learn from your mistakes and choose differently next time. So a relationship didn't work out that you hoped would. That’s not rejection (remember you’re awesome!  - see Psalm 139 if you don’t believe me) – it’s just there’s a better yes for you. Instead of festering in self pity, thank God for that person and make a list of all that you learned about yourself and about dating through that relationship. Use these experiences to help you know more of what you’re looking for in a mate. Make notes, learn from those mistakes, and ask God for grace to choose differently next time. Joaquin Evans, another one of my teachers at Bethel, made a spectacular statement in his teaching one day. He said, what you focus on grows. It’s true when you think about it. Feed your flowers and the next thing you know, you have beautiful blossoms. Feed your weeds and the next thing you know they are strangling the beautiful flowers. But who feeds weeds? That’s just silly, right? Well, that’s what we’re doing when we entertain our worries and negative thoughts. How can we feed the flowers in our lives and gain beautiful blooms? Through thanksgiving. Focus on all that you’re thankful for including what you've gained from each relationship you’ve been in. It will transform your life – I promise! Go ahead, pull the weeds and watch the gorgeous flowers bloom!
10. Stay in community! Whatever you do – stay in community! Don’t isolate yourself because isolation only makes the enemy’s voice louder and makes you more susceptible to His stealthy attacks. We NEED God’s strength and the people He’s placed in our lives to stay encouraged and to be kept accountable so we don’t fall into the same pits we’ve been in previously.
11. Declare God’s promises over your life. I think it’s so fitting that I have 11 secrets to the successful single life and that I’m ending with this one. I honestly didn't know how many secrets I would have when I began this blog post. And I certainly didn't know I would end with this one. But check out Hebrews 11:11 “By faith Abraham, even though he was past age - and Sarah herself was barren - was enabled to become a father because he considered him faithful who had made the promise.” Abraham kept the faith and believed God to be faithful to come through on His promise. I have prayed for my future husband whenever I see the clock strike 11:11 for years. And I've prayed for my friends future spouses as well at that same time. It’s just been a beautiful reminder to lift up these desires and believe God for the promises He has made regarding these desires. One of the many ways I stay encouraged is by reviewing the promises God has made over my life and considering Him faithful who has made those promises. Scripture is filled with promises – so if you don’t have any specific promises coming to mind for you right now, just ask the Holy Spirit to hi-light His promise to you through his Word…then stand on it, declare it, and watch God work! Go ahead, be bold, and ask Him for a promise related to your desire to be married. We serve a personal God who loves to speak to us. Listen to His heart for you my friend, and be surprised by His goodness! I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and his incomparably great power for us who believe. (See Ephesians 1:18-19)

Take Me to Los Baños!

Next Stop: Los Baños - and I’m not talking about the washroom! Although I can’t deny that our missions trip destination did happen to be known for its relaxing hot springs! A delightful perk we made sure to take advantage of during one afternoon of rest.

We were warmly welcomed by the pastors and staff of the local church we partnered with in Los Baños on our first day of ministry there. It was special to get to know them a bit and to hear what God had been doing in their church over the past year before launching into our scheduled events.

Our first night of ministry was at Destiny Church Center where we were given the privilege and honor of hosting the church service and then taking those in attendance to the town square to reach out to their neighbors. I was given the opportunity to paint on stage with a few others of my teammates during the worship service. I wasn’t quite sure what I was going to paint – although I had a little bit of an idea when I began. I was so thankful that as I waited on the Lord for each next brush stroke, He helped me pull it together easily. After asking God who the painting was for, He hi-lighted a girl in the audience. When I gave it to her I found out that she had been hoping the painting would be given to her all along because she really liked it. I love how God loves to give us the desires of our hearts!

I encouraged her that I felt like the painting signified that there’s grace for her to go to a new level of freedom and blessed her to go to deeper levels of joy (for the yellow) revelation (for the blue) and abundant life (for the green).

After the worship service and giving away our paintings, Theresa Dedmon led a mini workshop on how to prophesy through various means as well as how to heal through art. As a part of that teaching, our team demonstrated. I sensed there was someone in the crowd who had pain in their foot. So I drew a picture of a foot and asked if anyone had pain in their foot. Two men came forward to be prayed for and they both were healed by having the art placed on their foot and praying a simple prayer. Praise God! One of the men said that he couldn’t dance during worship because of the pain. But after we were done praying, he was stomping his foot without pain!

Soon after our time of teaching, we divided the church up into teams and activated them in what they just learned. That is one thing I really appreciate about Bethel – they are keen on application – not just head knowledge. So the team I went with prayed for a young man with kidney problems and back pain caused by his kidney issues. He only experienced pain in the mornings so he said he would test it out the next morning to see if there was any improvement. We prayed for several others including a woman with heart/chest pain. She said her pain went away! God is so good! And another man’s back pain went from a level 10 of pain to a level 4 (10 being a lot of pain – 1 being very little pain). How many of you know that healing took place in that man’s back? It’s a HIP – a healing in progress. J So we celebrated what God was doing in His back and thanked Him for the healing that took place. A lot of times giving praise to God for even the littlest of improvements opens the door for even more or complete healing.

I wish I had the details to this next story I’m going to tell you. But unfortunately I don’t as I wasn’t directly involved with it. But it’s too good of a testimony to not share! Another team member of mine received a word of knowledge regarding ankle pain and a woman came forward for prayer. They placed the picture of the ankle on her ankle, prayed a short prayer, and her ankle was healed! But the story doesn’t stop there. This same woman who was freshly healed from her ankle pain, excitedly went out to the plaza, presented the Gospel to six different people while sharing the testimony of her healing and all six people came to know the Lord as their personal Savior! Oh but wait, she didn’t stop there. No, she didn’t. She was on a roll to say the least. Not only did she present the Gospel, but she prayed for the healing of a young woman’s ears she met in the plaza. The 16 year old girl she prayed for had been deaf since birth – and at the prayer of this newly healed woman, the young woman’s ears were opened and she was healed as well! Oh the power of a testimony and our mighty God! He is so awesome!

Love Wins in the Smokey Mountains

The next place we ministered in the Philippines rocked my world beyond anything I was expecting. We split our teams into three different groups. One group went to Davao where they ministered for the next week, another team went to minister to some local government officials in Manila, and I went with a group to minister to the Filipino Metro Ministries Team in Manila and then to some people that actually live in the trash dumps.

Metro Ministries founded the kid’s outreach, Sidewalk Sunday School, that I was involved in all last year. They basically take the Good News to kids on the streets and lavish love on them. We decided to go love on the Filipino Metro Ministries team and bring them encouragement. After all, these are people who give of themselves daily in really difficult situations such as seeing children and their parents live in a local trash dump called Smokey Mountains.  During our ministry time to the Metro team, we worshiped together, we prophesied and prayed over the staff there, and then we served them by washing their feet. It was a special time for all of us.

When we finished our time at Metro Ministries, a couple of their staff members took us to the trash dumps to minister. I had no idea what to expect. My initial thoughts were simply that people gathered at the trash dumps daily to salvage anything they could. However, I was soon to learn that people didn’t just come daily - they actually lived there. Upon our arrival I saw piles of dirt and trash covered with a swirl of flies. The people had actually built their “homes” out of the trash from plywood and various other materials. Many of the people that live there don’t know any different as they’ve never left the trash dumps.

Soon after we arrived we had the opportunity to pray for a man who worked at the trash dumps. He was having trouble seeing clearly and after we prayed for him, his blurry vision was completely cleared up! Praise God for His healing touch!

As we walked deeper into the dump, we went through a smoky area where they burn the trash.  I realized that in the direct line of this polluted smoke were homes where people lived. We were informed that many of them develop lung issues because of the smoke. So that’s why they call this particular dumpster, Smokey Mountains. It is nothing like the beautiful Smoky Mountains of Tennessee where mountains of earth are covered by the beauty of mist and fog. No, this place is actually covered with mountains of burning garbage…and the people who live there are impacted by it daily. It makes my heart so sad to think of these devastating living circumstances.

After walking a little while, we came to an 83 year old woman’s home that was made out of plywood and hoisted on stilts. Her name was Emily and she was immobile because the muscles in her legs were so weak. She had also broken either her arm, wrist or hand. The exact area that was broken was lost in translation. She cried as she shared that she was asking God to either take her or to heal her if He had a purpose for her to live. We prayed for her to be healed and she felt improvement in her arm. The pain lessened – praise God! After we prayed for her she said that tomorrow she would walk and the next day she would go to church! She had so much spunk and resilience even in a very difficult spot. As I sat there and listened to her, I realized she had an incredible heart of gratitude and faith. She shared with us that she would go to the Dr. for her wrist on Monday but she didn’t have the money to pay the Dr. or even to purchase food. We prayed for her financial needs as well. She shared of how every time she has prayed for food, someone came along with provision. Even with her disabilities she cared for a little baby whose mom was only a teenager. I was struck by how her daily life is full of dependence on God’ provision for her needs at a level that is beyond anything I’ve ever known. I feel like I can learn a lot from this woman who is full of resilience and the ability to strengthen herself in the Lord.

When we finished praying and talking with Emily, we walked a little further to a body of water where kids were swimming. The Metro Staff person explained that this water served as the kids play area as well as the public bathroom. I stood there watching them play in this filthy water and smelled the stench of human waste wafting off the very water they were enjoying so much. It was then that the tears started to flow. But I quickly composed myself because we had kids to go love on. At this point, I became aware of the fact that I was in shock. My heart for justice rose up. But I was also aware that at the end of the day, love wins. Love always wins. I may not have been able to take each of those kids home with me, but I could love them in that moment…that one moment I was given with them.

So our team did just that. The guys on our team quickly became human jungle gyms as the kids climbed on their backs and were swung around in circles. We all held their hands and hugged them. We prayed for their infected eyes and smoke filled lungs. We made balloon art for them and shared smiles with them. Even in the midst of their circumstances, I found the children to be quick to smile and many of them had life in their eyes. It was another reminder to me of how much one can be poor in the natural but so rich in spirit. We did a drama for the children and several of the kids accepted Jesus as their Savior! I’m sure all of heaven was rejoicing!

It was difficult to love them and then leave them. I definitely let the tears flow once we had left. The kids were so hungry for love.  And love is what we gave them…the best gift of all. Why? Because love never fails. As Heidi Baker says, “love looks like something”. On this day it looked like playing with kids covered in dirt, hugging them, and sharing the Good News with them. On another day it may look like something else entirely different. But love always looks like something…and love always wins. And so I will forever choose love.

All photos are compliments of one of my fellow teammates:
Heidi Fehr.

Fun in the Philippines: Part Two

Our first Sunday in the Philippines was one of the biggest hi-lights of the whole trip for me and one I will not soon forget. Our team of 42 was split up into 9 teams that dispersed to different churches all over the city of Manila. I was placed with our fearless leader and activator extraordinaire, Lindsay Coil. She is actually Filipino and is married to Matt Coil whom she met while he was serving as a missionary in the Philippines. They currently reside in Redding and Lindsay serves as Eric Johnson’s administrative assistant. Eric is Bill Johnson’s son and one of the senior leaders here at Bethel. Lindsay is a girl after my own heart when it comes to administration and being organized! I applaud her, and really all of our team leaders, for doing such a fabulous job of keeping our team informed regarding our schedule and various other details. Lindsay even created a binder with our team member’s information, team meeting notes, packing list, and schedule for our time in the Philippines. Call me crazy – but this binder made me very happy! If I ever had a question, my answer was often found in this delightful notebook.

Lindsay and Matt had been building a relationship with Hosea Praise Church over the last couple of years so it was a privilege and honor to be invited to minister to them again. The name of the church reflects them well! As our team of 5 (Lindsay, Mark, Sam, Christina, and I) were praying before church and asking God what He was wanting to do in the service, we all sensed we were about to enter a very big praise party – quite appropriate for Palm Sunday. And boy did we ever! If there’s one thing that encompasses the Church in the Philippines, it’s that they are true worshippers. I think God is so pleased with them because of their hearts of pure worship. In fact, Hosea Praise Church has had angel feathers and gemstones from heaven fall during their worship services. Honestly, I had been hoping to see these gemstones fall from heaven while I was there – who wouldn’t? We didn’t see that this time but I’m still hoping to experience that someday here on earth. Perhaps such a thing sounds crazy and unthinkable to you. I know – I’ve come to realize some things God does are a mystery though. As the father of Bethel Church, Bill Johnson, says, “it’s a sign that makes you wonder.” The first time I had seen anything like this was when I watched the documentary, Finger of God. The director of the film, Darren Wilson, travelled around the world capturing what God is miraculously doing – including gemstones falling from heaven, gold dust appearing during services (which has happened several times over the past year here at Bethel – we like to call it a glory cloud), and other amazing healing testimonies. He actually didn’t intend to make the film. He had no budget for it, didn’t have any connections, and had never made a feature film before. The documentary itself is a miracle considering all of this! God certainly paved the way for him to produce the film and capture phenomenal miracles on video thus revealing the heart of God for all of us. I highly recommend viewing this documentary if you haven’t seen it yet.

We met some very friendly members of the church upon our arrival at Hosea Praise Church whom we enjoyed chatting with for a bit before the service started. It didn’t take them long to nickname a couple of my team members. Sam was deemed to be Justin Bieber, and once they heard Christina sing and play the piano, they called her Kim Walker. I think Sam and Christina liked their new nicknames. J Soon after we arrived I asked God to hi-light a church member to me to help me doing a prophetic painting during the worship. Let me pause here lest you are wondering what prophesy means. Prophesy is a gift of the Holy Spirit and very simply put, it means I ask God what’s on his heart to say and then I release that through whatever means He’s leading me to release it whether it be through art, acts, dance, or words, etc. If you want to do a more in depth study on prophesy, a good place to start is with Kris Vallotton’s book, Basic Training for the Prophetic Ministry.  He leads you through several scripture verses that help unpack this wonderful gift of the Spirit. I have done prophetic paintings before – but never in front of a congregation and never in partnership with someone.  A young lady named Michelle stood out to me so I asked her if she would like to paint together. She was absolutely delighted to do so. Later she informed me she had never painted before but one would never know from her excited yes to my request.  Her willingness and excitement to do something new encompassed such childlike faith – absent of all fear – which allowed her to have so much fun as we painted together. Oh that I may respond in the same way whenever I receive an invitation to do something new for the Lord! I had actually dreamed about a painting a couple nights prior and in it, there was a field of purple flowers. So we painted that together and the main message I felt God was saying through it was simply that it’s a season of multiplication for Hosea Praise Church. The interesting thing is that they are in the process of getting a new and larger church building. It will be exciting to see how God multiplies their church and their kingdom work! Christina also did a prophetic art piece and found out after she was finished that someone in the congregation had actually had a dream with her painting in it! It’s interesting that both of our paintings were tied into dreams. I love how God speaks in so many different ways!

Lindsay shared an encouraging word and called all the teachers to the front so that we could pray and prophesy over them since they are the ones leading the leaders of the next generation. She felt strongly that we should pour into them – so we blessed them and watched God love them through our prayers. Sam shared some prophetic art with one of the pastors and you could tell the pastor was really moved by it. In fact he was so touched by it; he ended up on up kneeling on the ground. Mark released and encouraging word about thankfulness and then sang a song over the congregation. It was evident that what Mark was sharing what was on God’s heart for the morning. Christina played the keys and sang a powerful prophetic song over the church. I’ve found that when Christina sings, the Presence of God falls in the room. It certainly did during this service! God has given her a huge destiny with her voice, and I’m so excited to see where He takes her! She also sang Let It Rain for me while I prophetically danced for a young woman in the congregation. That was a first for me! I had danced before the Lord in the privacy of my own home – but definitely not in front of a church congregation. Thankfully, the Lord honored my willingness to step out in this new area of ministry for me and really blessed this young lady. Praise God! I shared Isaiah 35 with her as I felt that was the Scripture God was giving her and simply hi-lighted a few things in the chapter that were for her. It was a truly beautiful moment.

We also had an opportunity to share words of knowledge about what God was healing. The beautiful thing about Hosea Praise Church is that they have taken what Lindsay and Matt have taught them about healing in the last few years and have run with it! So much so that the church didn’t have that many sick people. Why? Because they’ve taught their congregation how to pray for each other when they’re ill! They see God heal them on a regular basis because of that. There were a few words of knowledge we received though, and I received the clearest word of knowledge I’ve ever had before. I was scanning the image of a body in my mind’s eye and as I did, I saw a bright light – almost like and explosion of light on the left shoulder. So I asked if there was anyone there with pain in their left shoulder. And sure enough – the pastor’s Mom came forward for prayer! She was only able to raise her arm half way before we prayed. Then after we prayed she was able to raise her arm all the way up above her head! God is so good! After that I prayed for an older lady who was suffering from leukemia. While I was praying for her she fell back under the power of God (don’t worry someone caught her and helped her into a chair). I asked her what was going on and with tears streaming down her face she said that she couldn’t explain it but that her knees felt week and she couldn’t stand any longer. I told her it was OK because she was just being touched by God because He loves her so much.

And then the worship team started playing again and we concluded the entire morning praising God for all He had done. I thought that we had an amazing time of worship earlier in the morning, but the worship at the end of the service went to an entirely new level – it was indeed the praise party we had anticipated and the perfect way to end our time there.

Stay tuned…more to come in the days ahead! J

Fun in the Philippines: Part One

My heart is overflowing with the events of the last several weeks. I recently returned from a mission’s trip with around 40 other radical revivalists to the Philippines. I fell in love with both the Filipino people and the ministry team I had the honor and privilege of traveling and ministering with. One of the first things I noticed about the Filipino people is that they are full of warmth and love. In fact, they are so generous with their hospitality that I found myself feeling like I was being treated like royalty! The Filipino’s captured the heart of honor and love in their hospitality and for that I’m so grateful.

I must also tell you how wonderful the ministry team I served with is! They are all filled with so much joy that the entire trip felt like a big party – even when we were so tired be it from jet lag or long ministry days.  It didn’t matter what was going on, our days were filled with laughter. In fact, whenever something went completely different than we planned, we chose to laugh at it. That’s what happens when you get a group of people together who are crazy in love with Jesus and filled with His presence. And since God is in a good mood and He resides in us, it seems fitting that laughter be our first instinct don’t you think? The unity among our team was extraordinary and such a blessing!

I watched each team member daily love extravagantly whether it be loving fellow team members or loving the Filipino people. I realized this pure love that was flowing out of them wasn’t from a place of strife. Rather it is the essence of who they are because God resides in each of them. It came easily and from hearts filled with purity and overflowing with love. One of my biggest takeaways from this trip is simply this: love never fails. My own heart actually received inner healing as I received love from my team members.  And as a result of their love, God’s grace, and perfect timing, I believe I blossomed and the full fragrance within me was able to be released as I ministered.  When the atmosphere is charged with honor, love, respect, freedom, kindness, and patience, one can’t help but have the best drawn out of them. It’s an atmosphere I want to carry with me wherever I go. I am forever marked by the love I experienced from my team members whom I now call dear friends. I believe it’s safe to say so were the Filipino’s we had the privilege of ministering to.

There are so many testimonies I can share with you from this trip it’s hard to know where to begin! Or yestimonies as we call them in my weekly outreach Sidewalk Sunday School.  A yestimony is something good God does that we say yes to so He can do it again! So as I share these stories with you, know that they can all be repeated in your own life if you’re in need of a similar miracle. Nothing is impossible with God!

One of the first opportunities we had to minister was at a Church So Blessed Conference. Our team leaders had asked us to ask God for some words of knowledge about what He wanted to heal during the service and then to draw a picture of the body part that we received a word of knowledge about. I hadn’t really received many words of knowledge before this trip as it was a rather new gift of the Spirit for me.  But it’s really simple. You just ask God about what He’s healing and He shows you. Sometimes you see a picture of it, other times it’s an impression, and some people actually sense pain or even heat in their body that wasn’t there before so they know it’s a word of knowledge for someone else. Another way is to simply scan the body in your mind’s eye and see what God hi-lights as you scan.

So I saw a picture of a jaw in my mind and drew that. After we drew our pictures, we announced them to the congregation and had anyone who needed healing for that particular problem come forward. But we didn’t pray for them the way you would typically think of praying. That is something I love about prayer language – it just doesn’t fit into a little box! Believe it or not, English isn’t God’s first language. :) So instead of praying in English, we placed our artwork on the body part that needed healing (if appropriate) and then laughed over it for about thirty seconds or so.  And we saw many people be healed from various ailments! There were too many to count. I had a line of people come up for prayer for their jaws and I saw God heal several of them simply by putting the artwork on their jaw and laughing!

One of my favorite memories of this day was when I had the impression that someone had a problem with their chin. I however discredited this word of knowledge and quickly thought I was simply making it up. In my mind it sounded ridiculous so I talked myself out of it. Boy was I wrong! God was setting me up for a lesson though. I was shocked when I heard my teammate Anna call out that her word of knowledge -  that someone had something wrong with their chin. No one responded right away. Kevin Dedmon who was leading the service received more words of knowledge about this person. He began to say that the chin injury was accident related. It took a while for the young woman to come forward. It turns out she had a scar on her chin and when she was a little girl she had been abused and thrown around. Often times her hair would be pulled so hard that her head was very sensitive and she was unable to pull her hair back in any way. After she received prayer, God healed the sensitivity in her head and she was able to pull her hair back into a pony tail! It didn’t stop there though. She also had physical repercussions on the top of her head from being thrown around. I’m not sure if it was an indentation or if it was a bump on the top of her head, but after prayer, her head shape was back to normal! She then said she wanted to be taller. It’s common for us at Bethel to pray for someone who has one leg longer than the other one and we’ll see their back come into alignment and their one leg grow to the length of the other. This young woman didn’t have any problem with one leg being longer than the other…she just wanted to be taller. So a few people on our team prayed for her and a few days later one of our team members received a text saying that she had grown two inches since we had prayed for her! I love how God cares for the desires of our hearts! This whole situation taught me that I do hear clearly from God, and to not second guess things – even when it sounds crazy in my own mind. To think – God did all of these things for this young woman and it all began with a simple word of knowledge about a chin!

Later in the day, during this same conference, we all had an opportunity to teach a workshop on our chosen topic. I helped teach the SOZO workshop. SOZO means saved, healed, and delivered and the purpose of SOZO is to connect you with God the Father, God the Son and the Holy Spirit. There are several tools to help this process along and that was what we were teaching. Often times forgiveness is one of the key tools used during SOZO. While the focus on SOZO is inner healing, it’s not uncommon to see physical healings take place simply because of forgiveness and emotional healing taking place. After the session was over, I was approached by a young woman who wanted me to pray for her. After talking with her for a bit, I learned that she felt like her relationship with God was disconnected because she had given herself to her boyfriend, and she was feeling ashamed and guilty. So I led her through a prayer to receive forgiveness from God and also a prayer of forgiving herself. As we prayed, shame and guilt could stay no longer because Jesus paid for that on the cross! In fact, she mentioned that when we were praying she saw a picture in her mind of the cross and then she saw God come and embrace her. Their connection had been restored! Praise God! That’s what SOZO is all about. I also remembered that God loves to restore his children’s virginity so we asked God to do that so that when the day comes for her to celebrate unity with her husband; all will be redeemed and restored. There have been many testimonies of how God has done that for others – I’m trusting He’ll do the same for this precious young woman.

Another hi-light from this day was getting to hang out with the kids and paint their faces! They were precious and it was wonderful to get to love on them and tell them so! One little girl stole my heart. She sat down for me to paint a flower on her face and before I knew it she was speaking encouraging words over me! I thought – wait a minute – I’m the one who’s here to speak encouraging words over you! But that’s how the body of Christ works, right? We get to encourage one another – it’s a two way street of giving and receiving. What a beautiful gift! We talked for quite a while and exchanged drawings with each other.  I told her I would treasure her drawing always and she responded that her heart would be broken if she ever lost my drawing. What a precious girl!

There are more stories to come! But for now, I’ll let you ponder these. God did so much it’s hard to capture it all. But I’m going to do my best to share as many hi-lights as I can. To be continued…

My Year of Reading in Redding

3,167 – That’s the number of pages I’ve been assigned to read over the course of this school year! And that doesn’t include what I’ve been reading on my own. I find it quite funny that as a child I didn’t really enjoy reading. But thankfully, my Mom gave me mandatory reading time during one of my summer breaks. Out of that (and being introduced to some Grace Livingston Hill novels) my love for reading grew. I think it’s at an all time high this year, and I’m quite thankful to have the time to soak in such amazing information. Yes – this picture is a good representation of how I’m spending my time these days!

So, I thought I’d share with you a glimpse of what’s on my bookshelves in case you’re looking for a good read or are particularly curious about a specific topic I’m studying at school. I’ve listed books below that I’ve been reading for school, books I’m currently reading or soon will be reading for school, and books I’ve read for fun. I’ll give you some brief info about each book as well since the title of a book isn’t always enough to capture the contents.

Books I’ve Read for School

When Heaven Invades Earth by Bill Johnson – This book captures the heartbeat of Bethel Church and is written by the Senior Leader of both the church and school. In short, Bill presents a foundation of why it’s in our spiritual DNA to have an appetite for God to show up in the impossibilities that surround us and how we can stand in our God–given authority to release the power we’ve been given from on high into the circumstances of life. 

The World Aflame by Rick Joyner - This was a fascinating read about the Welsh Revival in the early 1900s. It contains great examples to follow in future revivals and also great lessons to learn from for the future. It’s an important reminder of and a call to being prepared for revival and building our foundation on Jesus Christ alone.

30 Days to Understanding Your Bible by Max Anders – This is a great interactive book that gives you a wonderful overview of the Bible including key Bible characters, places, and events in chronological order. It only takes about 15 minutes of your time each day to read a chapter and participate in the fill-in-the-blank activities that are designed to help you retain the information you’re learning. The author has a great sense of humor which is always a bonus.

A Practical Guide to Evangelism – Supernaturally by Chris Overstreet – I really enjoyed reading this book. The author serves as the outreach pastor at Bethel and joins us once a week during school to empower, motivate, and teach us prior to our weekly outreach events.  If you’re looking for an easy, fast, and practical read on supernatural evangelism – this book is for you!

Supernatural Ways of Royalty by Kris Vallotton – One of the key takeaways from this year at Bethel is stepping into my true identity as a child of the King of Kings – a royal heir to the eternal Kingdom of God – and living out of that. This book helps reveal your royal identity and inheritance as a child of the King. I recommend everyone reads this, ponders the contents, and embraces their God given royalty. The end of the book includes a Prince and Pauper test so you can see better how you view yourself. We took the test at the beginning of the year and will take it again at the end to see how much has changed. Kris also has the test available on his website: www.kvministries.com

Basic Training for the Supernatural Ways of Royalty Workbook by Kris Vallotton – It’s well worth the investment to purchase this companion workbook should you choose to read Supernatural Ways of Royalty. It allows you to take your processing a step further with thought provoking questions that will lead you into deeper revelations of the truth.

Basic Training for the Prophetic Ministry by Kris Vallotton – I must say it is a complete joy, honor and privilege to have the authors of these books teach us the contents in person! Kris and his wife Kathy are the senior associate leaders at Bethel. Kris teaches us once a week as long as he’s not out of town (he travels a lot speaking around the world). I loved this workbook because it helped demystify the prophetic ministry for me. Between this book and Kris’s teaching, I have a much better understanding of the prophetic ministry that is for the comfort and encouragement and exhortation of the body. If you’ve had burning questions about prophecy, this is a good place to start learning more.

Experiencing the Father’s Embrace by Jack Frost - Jack’s heart in this book was to partner with God in His plan for restoration of the family. He shares how God’s desire is to see the hearts of fathers and mothers to turn back to their children and for love and intimacy to flourish between husbands and wives. A key part to this coming to fruition is through each of us personally experiencing a more intimate relationship with Father God. So Jack does a good job of revealing the love of God for each of us and pinpoints areas that may be hindering us from experiencing the Father’s loving and comforting embrace. If you’re still struggling from any kind of father wound or family wound for that matter, this is a great book to help you process through that pain and receive healing and reconciliation.

Happy Intercessor by Beni Johnson – I think this book might be my favorite of all of the books we’ve been assigned to read. Perhaps that’s because I have a heart for Intercession and it’s also a very friendly read. I found the contents to bring about freedom for me with the discovery at a new heart level that joy and intercession go hand in hand. This book has been helpful in so many ways – but one particular thing that stands out to me is that when I finish praying for someone, I can release the burden of that concern to Jesus because He already carried it to the cross. So good! Beni Johnson is Bill Johnson’s wife. She is an amazing spiritual mother of this house (Bethel Church), and I always enjoy sitting under her teaching.

Moral Revolution: The Naked Truth About Sexual Purity by Kris Vallotton and Jason Vallotton – One of the amazing qualities of Kris Vallotton is his ability to directly address hard topics as a father who cares deeply enough to tell you the truth – even when it’s difficult to do so. In this book, Kris and Jason manage to give everyone the freedom to celebrate virginity as well as restore covenant love. It’s a much needed message in our sex driven culture. Whatever your relational status (married, single, divorced, etc.)  – it’s worth your time in reading because chances are you can utilize the contents of the book to positively impact the lives around you if nothing else. In fact, one of my fellow students stood up during class this week and thanked Kris for writing it because this student actually lead someone to Christ simply by sharing the contents of this book over Christmas break!

Books I’m Currently Reading or will be Reading Soon for School

The Hayford Bible Handbook by Jack Hayford – This book is massive! We are using it as a resource and companion to our daily Bible reading so I won’t completely read it by the end of this year – but it will certainly serve as a great resource for years to come.

Grasping God’s Word by J. Scott Duvall and J. Daniel Hays – This book is actually our text book for our Bible class (in addition to the Bible of course).  It’s a great resource for understanding how the Bible was compiled, how to make observations and ask questions while studying the Bible and how to utilize all that information to bring about interpretation and application for our lives.

Culture of Honor by Danny Silk – One of the main things that marks Bethel as a Kingdom culture is it’s culture of honor. For that very reason, it’s a place many people receive healing from past leadership wounds. And it’s also a place that attracts God’s Presence and His supernatural power because of the culture of honor that is stewarded there. So far, this book has helped me understand the fivefold ministry (pastor, teacher, evangelist, prophet, and apostle) and how they are meant to operate together. Danny Silk has a background in counseling and currently serves as a Family Life and Leadership Pastor. The principles he shares in this book regarding restoring relationships are phenomenal!

God’s Generals by Roberts Liardon – I just received this book and look forward to reading about the history of revivalist who have paved the way for revival today.

Church History Made Easy by Timothy Jones – I’ve not received this title yet – but according to Amazon, it’s a fantastic book that summarizes the most important events in Christian history from the time of Jesus to today in 12 easy chapters. J

Strengthen Yourself in the Lord by Bill Johnson – This book was actually the first book I read by Bill Johnson. I remember having amazing content on how to encourage yourself when things are looking down through thanksgiving. There’s also great wisdom for how to stay connected to your God given destiny. I’m looking forward to reading it again after having sat under Bill’s teaching for a year.

Books I Read for Fun Recently

Hinds’ Feet on High Places by Hannah Hurnard - What a great book that captures Romans 5:3-5 so beautifully - "but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us." I could easily relate to this allegory and the lessons Hannah Hurnard presented so well throughout her book. It's a story that speaks hope and life into anyone battling with fear.

His Advent Still His Greatest Gift by Rebekah Freelan - This book was written by my dear friend, Bekah . I've had the joy of reading her daily blog postings so when Advent began this year I was so excited to read her delightful book. It captures the essence of Advent - focusing on and delighting in God's Presence - the greatest gift of all time! I love how she got into Biblical character's minds and imagined what they might be thinking as they encountered Jesus. It's a thought provoking devotional that can be read any time of the year and one that easily makes the Bible come alive!

Blessed Child and A Man Called Blessed by Ted Dekker and Bill Bright - This was the second time reading these two novels and the books were better than I remembered! They are well written, have an important message about the Kingdom of God and His power woven into a beautiful story that includes love, adventure, and God's goodness. I believe these novels are my favorite novels to date.

The Ultimate Treasure Hunt by Kevin Dedmon – This is a great tool for believers who are hungry to witness to others about the goodness and power of God through supernatural means and demonstration, through supernatural encounters. The book gives you an outline on how to create your own treasure map and then how to present the good message and the goodness of God to those your encounter – the treasure. It’s about sharing the Good News of the Kingdom to every kind of person – people who are just waiting to be discovered. Those who desperately need a real encounter with God in order to meet the overwhelming needs of their lives.  Kevin Dedmon is one of the leaders on my Philippines missions trip so I’m sure this is one of the many ways we’ll be ministering.

Strengths Finder 2.0 by Tom Rath – I first learned about StrengthsFinder through my housemate, Sarah Wind. All second year Bethel students are required to read it and take the online test (an access code to take the test is included in the book) to determine what you’re top five strengths are. The idea is to capitalize and invest in your strengths – to focus on what’s right with yourself rather than what’s wrong. It’s more of a resource book that will be used many times over your lifetime providing insights on what to act on given your strengths and how to work with others given their unique strength make up. I just took the test and these are my top five: responsibility, learner, discipline, empathy, and relator. What a great thing to know since I’ll be heading into a job searching season probably within the next six months or so.

So there you have it – a glimpse of what I’ve been reading, am reading currently, and will be reading soon! How about you? Do you have any recommendations of books based on what you’ve been reading lately?