When Hope Seems Hopeless

/0 Comments/in , /by

It’s always a blessing to return home and embrace the love and comfort of friends and family. Yet today my heart is turned toward those we recently visited in Turkey and on the Syrian border; those who have lost their homes, their spouses, their sons, their daughters and all that they know. Shattered by the chaos of war and blinded by the pain and fear that encircles them, their hearts and minds are full of unanswered questions as they cry out in desperation to God.
 Sometimes in the midst of so much pain and suffering , it may seem difficult to know just where to begin or how to pray. And yet we soon recognize a deep ache in our hearts that cries out for God’s mercy, and a longing to see him heal His people and to gather the nations of the earth to himself. God is faithful no matter how we feel or how much confusion and chaos swirls around us in many of the nations today. 
May we stand together and pray for God to heal the nations, and strengthen His people. May we pray for all those in authority. May we pray for blind eyes to be opened, for many to see the power of our Lord as never before. IMG_0026

IMG_9165

For times when it is difficult to know what to pray, we can trust these words as a place to begin, “The Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray as we should, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.” (Romans 8:26
) We are never left alone fending for ourselves, wrestling in worry, consumed with fear, or tempted towards hate. He continually reminds us that He is always with us. He reminds us that He will help us. He reminds us that He has not lost control, but has a plan, and that His purposes will prevail.
He hears our prayers and knows our needs. There’s great power in uniting together, turning our hearts towards our Lord, and praying on behalf of one another.IMG_0801

IMG_0795

Remembering today this powerful truth that God is where our real hope is found, not in our leaders, not in our economy, not in the condition of the nations today, or any other day. “…my hope comes from Him.” Psalm 62:5

IMG_3332

IMG_1584

May that same hope fill the hearts of the people of Turkey and Syria.

May that same hope fill the hearts of all people, of all nations, of all the earth.

(Revelation 5:13) Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all that is in them, saying: “To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be praise and honor and glory and power, forever and ever!”IMG_0978

I Am Who He Is

/0 Comments/in , /by

Lots of fear, worry, anxiety and other issues in this life…When life seems to press in on all sides, frequently the black mold of our heart surfaces. What do I mean by black mold ?
Things like insecurity, fear, anxiety, worry, to name a few.
At times like these we can become moody, withdraw, complain and become critical. Or maybe we just keep our mouths shut and stuff it like the good little Christians we sometimes mask ourselves to be. When things get too much for us we cry out to God and blubber questions like, “Where are you God? Do you love me? Am I enough? Will You get me out of this mess? Do I have worth and value? Do I matter?” After we’ve laid it all out before Him, whenever we take time to listen, in His mercy, God’s still small voice begins speaking to us about our identity and who we are in Him. Identity is an incredibly complex mix of culture, generation, career, country, religion, and more. As Christians, our identity overrides this complexity because it is firmly and permanently rooted in Christ. We simply stand on His promises and believe what they tell us about ourselves.

• I am loved by God.
• I am chosen and adopted by God.
• I am perfectly and wonderfully made by God.
• I am a child of God.

As we begin to declare those promises, a wave of truth slams us, and quickly silences our moldy thoughts.

When God told Moses at the burning bush, “I Am who I Am” (Exodus 3:14).

Think about what that means. It means…

“God is the only One whose identity is not rooted in any other.”

Imagine that! He is His own root. And thankfully, our identity is rooted in Him! We are His image bearers. Our roots are in Him.

He is love. He is peace. He is truth. He is our rock – our firm, unshakable foundation in which we place our identity. Jesus, fully man and fully God, lived his 33 years on earth with perfect knowledge and understanding of his identity and an unwavering purpose of why he was here. He faced betrayal from his closest friends, hatred from the religious leaders, and shame from the public to rescue his people and to declare His glory to the world.
Therefore… we turn our gaze to the One from whom our identity stems.
We rest in the conviction that we are loved because the One who loves us “is” Love and He “Cannot” lie and He “Is” unchanging.
He is …

“I Am who I Am”

The Good News….

Rooted in Him so are WE!

                                                                    …praying for you all my friends

 (Was doing some reading today and decided to do a rewrite of my readings with a few excerpts)

Acts Of Ethiopia

/0 Comments/in /by

Recently on our trip to Ethiopia I was invited to speak at a huge church (1000 members) and to share the vision of Indestructible Daughters that God has laid on my heart. It is a message of unity for men and women using their gifts together in the fullness of God for His ultimate glory. It is His message that is touching the hearts of women and men to not shrink back from hindrances dictated by systems,and to work in power together to complete the work God has given us to do…Isaiah 52:2 “Free the chains from your neck oh captive daughter.” Walk in the fullness of God!

I have been speaking this message only to women but lately God continues to position me with more opportunity to share His vision with men and women alike. Seeing their faces and watching men bless their wives with freedom to be all they can be through Christ is overwhelming.

IMG_3360

IMG_3362

After sharing and teaching at a church planters training in a very sensitive area in another city of Ethiopia near the Somalian border, several men shared how convicted they were and how they plan to empower and encourage their wives, sisters, mothers, and daughters to use the gifting God has planted in them to the fullest. Bruce introduced me and shared about gifting through God and the differences in our gifts and how we minister together. Even more amazing is that this was a room of men sharing in a very sensitive area of Ethiopia. The fact that they would receive such a teaching and then declare it publicly could only be God! He is the author of vision. He is the author of unity. May we all work together as His children, in full authority for the glory of God!

IMG_3369

Please pray for these men and women. May their power together multiply to fulfill the work of the kingdom! Blessings on Ethiopia, blessings on the nations of God!

Please keep us in your prayers as we have you in our prayers also.

IMG_4943

Miraculous Movements

/0 Comments/in , /by

How do the people most resistant to the transformative power of the gospel come to be its most devoted followers? Miraculous Movement recounts an amazing change taking place within Muslim communities where the truth of Jesus Christ is turning around the lives of many thousands of Muslims from more than twenty people groups. Discover through the sometimes humorous, often sobering, but always enlightening and encouraging true stories how imams, sheikhs, and entire mosques are forsaking Islam and embracing Christ.