We are rejoicing in a new season here in our family house of prayer. School is out and we have returned from our June v-k to Colorado (with a wonderful stop a IHOP_KC).
Our summer house of prayer was given a great boost by Chosen Stones family conference last weekend. We are now 4 for 4 in having regular full family worship times each morning this week.
This morning as our oldest daughter played the piano and the rest of us closed our eyes for "picture time" - waiting on the Lord for words and pictures -- three of us all had the same kind of picture: dancing together. In my husband's picture, our girls were grown, but still very close to each other. In my picture Jesus called out one girl from our family at a time and danced with her, spinning her into a pose. In M's picture Jesus came down in a cloud into the middle (on top) and little figures of us dancing all around - it was a cake that He had brought for the celebration. When she described the cake, we realized it was a wedding cake! Then the angels came and gave gifts to everyone. Wow!
Monday's prayer and worship included three guests - friends of my older daughter. As one girl shared her heart to lay down her own plans and pick up Jesus' plans for her life, her eyes filled with tears. The presence of the Lord was so strong! Others shared their prayer burdens for North Korean Christians, for one, and orphans around the world, for another.
Tuesday's prayer and worship concluded with the opportunity to bless my brother and sister-in-law in a shower of prayer. It was very encouraging for them, and my brother is feeling much better physically , now, PTL !
We are looking forward to more of what God is going to do in our family house of prayer!!!
Keeping it real: Not everyone is engaged every morning at our house! That's okay; we accept them where they are and try to gently pull them closer. Physical presence is required, and we pray the heart will be touched and filled.
Things that work: for me, having a prayer time earlier in the morning, before family prayer, prepares my heart for what God has for us and I usually have a scripture to share with the family (very briefly). Today is was "Today is the day of salvation." For the family the following help: (1) worship songs: having someone play the djembe, someone play piano, and Tom play guitar (and we use songs everyone knows); (2) Keeping it to a set time for now - 8:30 - 9 am to keep restlessness at bay; (3) letting each person have a time to share.
Things that haven't worked yet - spontaneous songs using simple words shared by family members. But we love the idea!
Things we want to grow in: more intercession & more sharing scripture together.
Thursday, July 1, 2010
Saturday, May 29, 2010
Amazing Experience … a Princess Retreat !
Nine young ladies, ages 7 through 10, came together for something so special and wonderful this past week. Through worship, prayer, and Bible study combined with creative expression through crafts and other interactive, hands-on experiences, they were transformed into Princesses of the Most High King. Of these nine princesses, five are adopted children, four from China, and one other princess has a little sister adopted from China. Unique in their individual beauty and personalities, bringing in a wide variety of experiences and idiosyncrasies, they found unity in friendship and compassion for each other, learning that being a princess is about caring for others, showing honor, and sharing. Primarily, though, they learned that the King of Kings is totally in love with each one of them and that they have a beautiful and wondrous destiny in His Kingdom.
Watching the radiance of God’s presence on these princesses as they danced, created, and explored filled our hearts with joy. On a sunny morning we trekked down a cool, sparkling creek, wading and discovering brilliant gems hidden amongst the rocks. At the end of our trek, nestled in rocks, sat a crown filled with more colorful gems and jewels - pink, green, red, blue, yellow, gold, and clear – sparkling in the sunlight. The girls let the jewels flow through their fingers and learned more about being beautiful, like a jewel in the crown of their king. Much later, after dark, we celebrated, telling stories around a campfire and roasting marshmallows.
After two days of preparation and learning, the girls celebrated with a crowning ceremony. With white dresses flowing, carrying their own bouquets of fresh flowers, and wearing crowns they created, the princesses descended the stairs and lined up for an amazing worship dance. The princesses then took communion with their families and danced with their daddies. A special ceremony of dedicating their lives to Jesus sealed the evening in awe-inspiring beauty and joy. Topping it all off with special cake and ice cream, the radiant princesses began asking, “When can we have another Princess Retreat?”
PHOTOS TO COME! Come back soon.
Many Thanks to: Jesus, our King of Kings!
Barb Grimshaw, of Incense Aroma Ministries, for leading the children and orchestrating all the amazing activities throughout.
Monica Blackburn, for initiating and organizing the retreat, and for preparing such a wonderful celebration.
Kayla Amlung, assistant children’s leader, for her love and hard work throughout the retreat.
And last but not least, Quiet Waters for hosting us in the perfect setting with such comfortable accommodations and Sonya Strom for providing delicious meals.
Watching the radiance of God’s presence on these princesses as they danced, created, and explored filled our hearts with joy. On a sunny morning we trekked down a cool, sparkling creek, wading and discovering brilliant gems hidden amongst the rocks. At the end of our trek, nestled in rocks, sat a crown filled with more colorful gems and jewels - pink, green, red, blue, yellow, gold, and clear – sparkling in the sunlight. The girls let the jewels flow through their fingers and learned more about being beautiful, like a jewel in the crown of their king. Much later, after dark, we celebrated, telling stories around a campfire and roasting marshmallows.
After two days of preparation and learning, the girls celebrated with a crowning ceremony. With white dresses flowing, carrying their own bouquets of fresh flowers, and wearing crowns they created, the princesses descended the stairs and lined up for an amazing worship dance. The princesses then took communion with their families and danced with their daddies. A special ceremony of dedicating their lives to Jesus sealed the evening in awe-inspiring beauty and joy. Topping it all off with special cake and ice cream, the radiant princesses began asking, “When can we have another Princess Retreat?”
PHOTOS TO COME! Come back soon.
Many Thanks to: Jesus, our King of Kings!
Barb Grimshaw, of Incense Aroma Ministries, for leading the children and orchestrating all the amazing activities throughout.
Monica Blackburn, for initiating and organizing the retreat, and for preparing such a wonderful celebration.
Kayla Amlung, assistant children’s leader, for her love and hard work throughout the retreat.
And last but not least, Quiet Waters for hosting us in the perfect setting with such comfortable accommodations and Sonya Strom for providing delicious meals.
Monday, May 3, 2010
Unexpected Grace
Friday evening I entered the C-HOP House of Prayer with less enthusiasm than normal. I wasn't feeling well, and one of my daughters was feeling worse than I was. We would be leaving early. On top of that, only few people showed up -- those fifth Fridays throw everyone off. Nevertheless, I sat down to worship and focused my heart on intercession. Nearly immediately, these words of prayer came; "Lord turn the intentions of my heart into the flow of your mercy, love, and grace. Let me flow with your currents, my heart breaking with your passions, my soul longing for communion, my spirit embracing your intercession. " It was his gift to me -- a prayer to open the heavenlies.
Like a true embrace, I could feel myself held by the Lord and at the same time reaching out to hold those for whom I was praying. My heart burned and tears began to flow. Through tears I prayed nearly silently (for in the natural my throat still hurt, and I was a little worried that crying out would cause more throat pain.) So, I penned my prayers through the tears. "I grab hold of your intentions for ... " and then I let the names flow onto the page. A whole page of names flowed, and yet for each one I felt the fire of embracing that person in intercession. Power poured forth.
I cried out in intercession, and yet there was more, so much more. The Lord wanted me to cry out for Him -- for communion with Him in the Spirit. He pulled me into a place of longing and desire in which I felt my heart would explode with the hunger for being near Him. I knew that I was indeed sprinkled with His blood and accepted into His embrace of passion. I could feel my spirit within me leaping and longing for freedom. Jesus hands drew me up into a dance of love that I had not experienced in a long while.
Throughout this experience I was only vaguely aware of my surroundings. I knew that one of my children was digging mints out of my purse, and I only felt an internal giggle. I sensed that not everyone in the room was entering in, and I interceded, longing for them that they would feel what I felt. But mostly I was just lost in His Presence, the glory, the mercy, the grace, the passion! The intensity rose to a 10.
The Lord brought me to the point of travail for a few people as I prayed and worshipped, and yet the whole experience was more a passionate encounter with God than anything else.
I penned one last prayer with tears streaming down: "Lord, I embrace what you desire, because there is nothing like it in the universe. Help me, Lord! I feel as if I might explode if I hold on to you, and yet I can't let go .
All my children were with me that evening, yet clearly the Lord designed that encounter strictly for me, keeping them (for the most part) from distracting me. I wish they could have been caught up with me. Perhaps another day....
I am so thankful for this encounter Friday evening! The following two and half days have been filled with physical pain and little energy to direct into prayer - battling an illness. But I look forward to the victory that is mine on the other side of this sickness. I long for a sweet reunion.
Advice: Keep showing up -- keep opening your heart to Him -- you never know when he will sweep you off your feet.
Like a true embrace, I could feel myself held by the Lord and at the same time reaching out to hold those for whom I was praying. My heart burned and tears began to flow. Through tears I prayed nearly silently (for in the natural my throat still hurt, and I was a little worried that crying out would cause more throat pain.) So, I penned my prayers through the tears. "I grab hold of your intentions for ... " and then I let the names flow onto the page. A whole page of names flowed, and yet for each one I felt the fire of embracing that person in intercession. Power poured forth.
I cried out in intercession, and yet there was more, so much more. The Lord wanted me to cry out for Him -- for communion with Him in the Spirit. He pulled me into a place of longing and desire in which I felt my heart would explode with the hunger for being near Him. I knew that I was indeed sprinkled with His blood and accepted into His embrace of passion. I could feel my spirit within me leaping and longing for freedom. Jesus hands drew me up into a dance of love that I had not experienced in a long while.
Throughout this experience I was only vaguely aware of my surroundings. I knew that one of my children was digging mints out of my purse, and I only felt an internal giggle. I sensed that not everyone in the room was entering in, and I interceded, longing for them that they would feel what I felt. But mostly I was just lost in His Presence, the glory, the mercy, the grace, the passion! The intensity rose to a 10.
The Lord brought me to the point of travail for a few people as I prayed and worshipped, and yet the whole experience was more a passionate encounter with God than anything else.
I penned one last prayer with tears streaming down: "Lord, I embrace what you desire, because there is nothing like it in the universe. Help me, Lord! I feel as if I might explode if I hold on to you, and yet I can't let go .
All my children were with me that evening, yet clearly the Lord designed that encounter strictly for me, keeping them (for the most part) from distracting me. I wish they could have been caught up with me. Perhaps another day....
I am so thankful for this encounter Friday evening! The following two and half days have been filled with physical pain and little energy to direct into prayer - battling an illness. But I look forward to the victory that is mine on the other side of this sickness. I long for a sweet reunion.
Advice: Keep showing up -- keep opening your heart to Him -- you never know when he will sweep you off your feet.
Monday, April 26, 2010
Finding Time
A Time to Pray, a Time to Write ...
The lack of updates do not reflect a lack of material. To the contrary, there is so much to convey and so much the Lord is doing. Yet it is difficult to find the time to put it into words on this page.
Snippets: The Lord is revealing more about a place of holiness and the cleansing power of his blood. Today Lia was excited to share her picture in which she and Jesus walked down an aisle with a red carpet, hemmed in gold, which led to a beautiful gold couch, beyond which was a waterfall in which she and Jesus and the Father enjoyed a beautiful fine, soft, silky, warm shower.
Yes, these kids, ages 7 - 10, really do receive beautiful pictures from the Lord on a regular basis (about 4 times each week). Yes, they do sometimes involve birthday cakes and teddy bears ... sometimes ... and yet even these hold significance. (Yes, the birthday cake was delicious, but it was sprinkled with red sprinkles, and Jesus was there.)
I am in awe. The Lord keeps reminding me to simply bring them into his presence and give them time to experience the reality of his kingdom. They - children - seem to grasp it more easily than we adults.
The Lord is using a couple books to enhance my time with him and my relationships with my kids ......
Recommended reading (for adults): Bob Sorge's book on the Power of the Blood.
Recommended reading for parents: Wendy A. Pidkaminy, Parenting Challenging Children With Power, Love and Sound Mind.
Be blessed my friends!
The lack of updates do not reflect a lack of material. To the contrary, there is so much to convey and so much the Lord is doing. Yet it is difficult to find the time to put it into words on this page.
Snippets: The Lord is revealing more about a place of holiness and the cleansing power of his blood. Today Lia was excited to share her picture in which she and Jesus walked down an aisle with a red carpet, hemmed in gold, which led to a beautiful gold couch, beyond which was a waterfall in which she and Jesus and the Father enjoyed a beautiful fine, soft, silky, warm shower.
Yes, these kids, ages 7 - 10, really do receive beautiful pictures from the Lord on a regular basis (about 4 times each week). Yes, they do sometimes involve birthday cakes and teddy bears ... sometimes ... and yet even these hold significance. (Yes, the birthday cake was delicious, but it was sprinkled with red sprinkles, and Jesus was there.)
I am in awe. The Lord keeps reminding me to simply bring them into his presence and give them time to experience the reality of his kingdom. They - children - seem to grasp it more easily than we adults.
The Lord is using a couple books to enhance my time with him and my relationships with my kids ......
Recommended reading (for adults): Bob Sorge's book on the Power of the Blood.
Recommended reading for parents: Wendy A. Pidkaminy, Parenting Challenging Children With Power, Love and Sound Mind.
Be blessed my friends!
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
From Where I Sit
Yesterday during morning prayer time Mayana shared the following picture: "I was with Jesus in heaven and we were praying for people down on earth, people who were sick, and when we prayed the people got better. And there were lots of other people around us."
I asked, "Were you and Jesus standing or sitting?"
She replied, "We were sitting. The other people were standing." Then she added, "When the people got well, after we prayed, everyone was shouting, "Wow! Awesome!"
After my other children shared their pictures, too, I took Mayana to Ephesians and showed her the verses about being seated with Christ in heavenly places. (She can't really read it, as she is still learning to read. But it was great to help her see it was actually there.) I got to explain more about how Jesus is always praying for us here on earth and that we get to join him in his prayers. And Jesus thought it was important enough to show her, personally, what this looks like.
Where do we sit? From where do we pray?
Eph 2:6And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus,
By whom are we surrounded there? What is our response?
Heb 12:1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.
I had to remind myself of this mightily last night at 3:33 am. How hard it is to leave a warm bed when one is dog-tired. I wanted to be alert and fully engaged as the Lord might "Show me great and awesome things." - Jer 33:3. I was able to stay up for about 45 minutes of prayer before returning to bed. I didn't see angels or visions. But today I'm realizing how grateful I am that lately He has been showing me so many great and awesome things that I did not know ... for over a month now.
Praise to be God!
I asked, "Were you and Jesus standing or sitting?"
She replied, "We were sitting. The other people were standing." Then she added, "When the people got well, after we prayed, everyone was shouting, "Wow! Awesome!"
After my other children shared their pictures, too, I took Mayana to Ephesians and showed her the verses about being seated with Christ in heavenly places. (She can't really read it, as she is still learning to read. But it was great to help her see it was actually there.) I got to explain more about how Jesus is always praying for us here on earth and that we get to join him in his prayers. And Jesus thought it was important enough to show her, personally, what this looks like.
Where do we sit? From where do we pray?
Eph 2:6And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus,
By whom are we surrounded there? What is our response?
Heb 12:1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.
I had to remind myself of this mightily last night at 3:33 am. How hard it is to leave a warm bed when one is dog-tired. I wanted to be alert and fully engaged as the Lord might "Show me great and awesome things." - Jer 33:3. I was able to stay up for about 45 minutes of prayer before returning to bed. I didn't see angels or visions. But today I'm realizing how grateful I am that lately He has been showing me so many great and awesome things that I did not know ... for over a month now.
Praise to be God!
Thursday, April 1, 2010
For the joy set before Him...
As we celebrate the end of Holy Week, and especially Good Friday, it is a great time to recall why Jesus went to the cross. Why did he endure the pain, humiliation, and the excruciating separation from his Father? For the joy set before Him. Heb 12:2. And what is that joy? It is us in relationship with Him. Wow! We were the joy set before Him, the motivation when the pain was too much to bear.
Jesus, we thank you from the bottom of our hearts for dying for us, so that we might know you and love you forever!
Jesus, we thank you from the bottom of our hearts for dying for us, so that we might know you and love you forever!
Sunday, March 28, 2010
His joy gives me strength...
How do you find the strength and motivation to pray?
Having grown up in the church, I learned to sing the verse, "The joy-y of the Lor-or-or-d is my strength," early on. I accepted the joy-strength connection as one of the many mysteries of the faith - something amazing that I cannot comprehend. But last night the Lord gave me fresh insight, taking the verse from mystery to understanding.
3:20 am. My bed warm, my body tired. I could roll over and take the night off. Or, I could rise as usual for my prayer time in the night. Why would I rise? I sensed that it was not a matter of obedience this time. So, why not roll over and get more sleep? A strong temptation, indeed. Then, it occurred to me that I would honestly feel sad, like I had missed out on something special, if I did not rise. So I determined that I would get up for one reason only -- the potential for joy in spending one hour with my Lord. As I pulled back the covers and stuck my feet in slippers, I sensed strength coming already. By looking toward the joy of this hour, I gained the strength of will to rise. In rising, even in its first steps, I gained a tangible strength that I did not have before.
This led me to ponder, how do we do the hard things? Where do we get the strength to move into new territory and to persevere when things get hard?
Perhaps the question of HOW we do hard things has more to do with "Why do we do hard things?" than it does with anything else. The WHY is what produces the strength to follow through. Recall stories of super-human strength. How does the woman lift the car off her toddler? The LOVE produces the power. How do missionaries stay in hard places for years? The JOY set before them is too great to ignore. How did Jesus find the will to face the cross? It was for the joy set before him -- the joy of redeeming us.
How do we find strength to persevere -- in prayer, in parenting well, in teaching our children, in loving others? Perhaps it is the focus on the joy and the love. LOVE casts out the fear, and JOY lights a fire in our hearts giving us the strength to persevere.
Ponder ... What is the joy set before YOU that will give you the strength to move into your calling? What joys will strengthen YOU to persevere?
We are ALL created to enjoy God - to delight in Him. Being with Him, being in the center of His will, is the place of delight. He delights in us and He wants us to delight in Him.
There are great joys available for us now, but sometimes that seem hard to feel in the midst of other pain. However, we don't live for today alone. We live for eternal rewards and eternal communion with Christ. We have a joy set before us that transcends all emotions and circumstances of today.
Lord, may YOUR JOY fill our hearts and set us aflame to bring glory to your name!
After I typed this, I saved it as a draft and went to C-HOP. There a guest speaker, Nathan Panke, gave a message on guess what: The Joy of the Lord is My Strength!
God is awesome!
Having grown up in the church, I learned to sing the verse, "The joy-y of the Lor-or-or-d is my strength," early on. I accepted the joy-strength connection as one of the many mysteries of the faith - something amazing that I cannot comprehend. But last night the Lord gave me fresh insight, taking the verse from mystery to understanding.
3:20 am. My bed warm, my body tired. I could roll over and take the night off. Or, I could rise as usual for my prayer time in the night. Why would I rise? I sensed that it was not a matter of obedience this time. So, why not roll over and get more sleep? A strong temptation, indeed. Then, it occurred to me that I would honestly feel sad, like I had missed out on something special, if I did not rise. So I determined that I would get up for one reason only -- the potential for joy in spending one hour with my Lord. As I pulled back the covers and stuck my feet in slippers, I sensed strength coming already. By looking toward the joy of this hour, I gained the strength of will to rise. In rising, even in its first steps, I gained a tangible strength that I did not have before.
This led me to ponder, how do we do the hard things? Where do we get the strength to move into new territory and to persevere when things get hard?
Perhaps the question of HOW we do hard things has more to do with "Why do we do hard things?" than it does with anything else. The WHY is what produces the strength to follow through. Recall stories of super-human strength. How does the woman lift the car off her toddler? The LOVE produces the power. How do missionaries stay in hard places for years? The JOY set before them is too great to ignore. How did Jesus find the will to face the cross? It was for the joy set before him -- the joy of redeeming us.
How do we find strength to persevere -- in prayer, in parenting well, in teaching our children, in loving others? Perhaps it is the focus on the joy and the love. LOVE casts out the fear, and JOY lights a fire in our hearts giving us the strength to persevere.
Ponder ... What is the joy set before YOU that will give you the strength to move into your calling? What joys will strengthen YOU to persevere?
We are ALL created to enjoy God - to delight in Him. Being with Him, being in the center of His will, is the place of delight. He delights in us and He wants us to delight in Him.
There are great joys available for us now, but sometimes that seem hard to feel in the midst of other pain. However, we don't live for today alone. We live for eternal rewards and eternal communion with Christ. We have a joy set before us that transcends all emotions and circumstances of today.
Lord, may YOUR JOY fill our hearts and set us aflame to bring glory to your name!
After I typed this, I saved it as a draft and went to C-HOP. There a guest speaker, Nathan Panke, gave a message on guess what: The Joy of the Lord is My Strength!
God is awesome!
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