News from the Island!

Thanks for all the prayers my friends. God hears & answers!

So the weekly prayer/Biblestudy has gotten rollen and going quite well. Sometimes we are only a few of college students from church, but everyone is eager to grow and thats what counts. Ive been talking about what it means to pray God's word, and to interact with God in listening prayer through journaling, and learning to hear His voice. I think this weekend Im talking about consecration. We meet on sunday nites and once a month we're having a meal to have some testimonies and fellowship time. I am asking for MORE of Him, and may it begin in me, as I lead.

Ive been learning about priorities. Ive been working alot because right now I know Im the best employee my manager has, as all our original crew left to go back to school and we've got a bunch of newbies to train in. Ive felt pretty drained to be honest, working long hours sometimes seven days a week, church and people in the evenings.. and its been a struggle to get into the Word like I need to, to be growing and not just surviving. But only after a bit of this level of busyness has pushed me to stop and reconsider the direction Im going in. Being in the workworld so much and surrounded by people all the time Im feeling worn down.

But im desperatly hungry for God, and I keep realizing I CANT get away from Him, I cant. He keeps me. I cannot get away from the One that I live in, move, in, and have my being in. Only a little bit o time with blurry focus, and Im so out of sorts that I run headlong back into His presence - asking Him to give me grace to keep running into the scriptures and to wholeheartedly obey His voice. After labor day I decided I will be mainly working for a Christian business man from church who hired me to work at his trendy clothing place on Maine st, and staying part time at the restraunt. I cant work 7 days a week at the restraunt and keep my life with God, so it was the job or God, and I picked God. The nice part about the job shift is that Ive moved into better housing. Thank goodness no more gym style bathrooms, coin laundry machines that dont work, and drunken parties on the other side of my bedroom walls! Time was ripe to get out of that living situation, sometimes it felt like sin was seeping through the walls there. But somehow God sustained me and I fell in love with all the girls in there as my dear sisters, and my heart for them overcame all the annoying parts. Ill miss them alot, and since I know so many of the employees on the island I hope I can keep up all the friendships. My new housing is also going to work out to have my sister Grace move in - the whole reason I came out here this summer - so Gods heard and answered that prayer. : ) Im thankful.

This morning I was meditating on John 17 - Jesus isnt of this world- and only when I ABIDE in Him, am I in the world as He is. If I do not remain in Him, I wither and die and grow cold and dull like everyone else. The sparkle in my eye starts to fade. So I am deeply, wholeheartedly running into His presence to REMAIN, so I can be in the world but not of it.

Being so surrounded by people 24/7 I feel like Gods pushing me to be more outward focused then ever before, learning to fall in love with people, and pour myself out for them. Funny thing is when I do that God fills my cup and Im overflowing. Like the other night I was tired and having a small margin for quiettime and desperatly wanting to have it, but God asked me to clean out the refridgerators in my communal housing. (No one else had done it all summer and there was milk in there from June) Jesus told me I was serving Him by doing this for everyone else. Funny but after I did that, everyone in my housing kept saying thanks and it was an opportunity to show the love of Jesus.

Im learning to be a witness. Scripture says that the Holy Spirit will witness within us of who Jesus is. So, if I witness, it is evidence of a witness to Jesus within me. Out of the heart the mouth speaks. Gods opened doors for me to openly share the gospel with nearly everyone I work with. : ) And because Im able to be around as a friend and worker and someone to laugh with, they have not been offended because they know its coming from someone who cares.

Some folks today say Christians ought to just "live" Jesus and not talk about Him, but I dont buy that because if Jesus is in my heart - He's bound to come out! I think when believers dont talk about Jesus, they somehow forget there is real sin and real judgement and real love and real redemption. Unless we believe the darkness is real, than we do not talk about the Light. Unless we see clearly in the light we cannot feel compelled to call people out of the dark. People are not ok just as they are, we live in a world that is dying without the King of Kings.

Well please continue to keep me and my sister Grace in your prayers. Pray for our little prayer meetings and our relationships in this place. thanks!

From Mackinaw..

So, writing from Mackinaw Island on my friends laptop - its a sunny evening and a cold breeze is blowing by the boat docks.

God is truly AMAZING.  I asked Him for likeminded friends out here and He's answered my prayers.  Me and my sister found an amazing tiny church of people who are hungry for Him.  There's alot of college kids our age on the island working and we've made some good Christian friends.  The other nite I was amazed seeing God connect me to His friends- I met this kid named Tom and we started talking and it ended as a long prayer session under the moon at a picnic table.  We asked God to send fire on the island - the fire of revival.  Im not talking about thrill seeking, but asking for His presence!  This is true intercession, we didnt come here to "kick out the devil" (with the fiery nite life and bar scene on Maine street where I live, the enemys presence is being entertained regularly)  But we've come to invite the presence of the Living GOd - the light that casts out the darkness! Worship is true intercession because when we praise Him, He will inhabit the praises of His people!

Me and Tom were talking about being set apart, ironically he also took Nazarite vows before and knew what I meant by saying I was striving for a consecrated life.  Its tough here with everyone around us drinking and running headlong into the world, but thats empty, and I want to be set apart.  

Gods really teaching me to be a witness- Im surrounded by the secular 8+ hours a day, serving people, and making friends with my coworkers.  Suprisingly Gods given me an open door.  I dont understand it but I have favor with my coworkers and customers like crazy, Im realizing its from God and Im to be a steward of it for the kingdom and not waste it.  Im learning to be BOLD.  Im learning that my life must be matched by authentic and bold speaking of the truth and the name of JEsus.  And a life of prayer as the foundation in it, is a must.  Im going for it.

I feel like this blog is a stream-of-thought and the grammers probably not the best, but I dont have much time for this entry and alots on my heart.  All I know is I keep being reminded daily that HE'S COMING SOON and I dont have time to waste.  And running this race half heartedly is a waste of my time.  The other day I was on my face crying out that God would expose and destroy all half heartedness and just skin me like a rabbit, clean, that theres nothing left in my heart but purusing Him until the end. I want JEsus! I want an authentic life! I want to be set apart and giving it all for a kingdom thats sure and unshakable is WORTH IT ALL.

Im realizing why im getting into the prayer movement soon is for preparation. I dont want to be driven just by the vows I took as a Nazarite and Forerunner, or by sensationalism, I want to be so grounded in God and the knowledge of Him and His coming that even when Im left alone and its hard, Im still preaching His name and loving Him in the secret place, on a daily basis.  I need, next few decades to get grounded in Gods word - memorization, study, coupled by fasting for revelation - so its in my heart and not my head. I want it. im going for it. These days are just as serious preparation as the days next year when I will stand in the House of PRayer.

Ive been reading DAniel and looking for wisdom how he stood in Babylon.  One of the keys that stood out to me was his wise friendships and a lifestyle of prayer.  Also his steadiness, he didnt change no matter what political or fashionable shifts took place in his day. Steady... its time to pace myself. set a rythm. get trained for the last days, strip off everything... and RUN FOR IT.

Gods awesome! please pray that me and my friends are able to kick start a once a week prayer meeting for worship and intercession. Were asking for more of Gods presence in our lives and on this island, we want to see our coworkers saved and the atmosphere here SHIFT in preparation for His coming!

Amen!