this newness of life :)

dear friends,

this year has been the best year ever so far & i believe with all of my heart, it will continue to be! my dear Father is a great Redeemer. the downs, lows, disappointments, growing pains & dark night of last season has passed! i can say that i am genuinely happy. His joy is becoming my strength once more! the fog of negativity & cloud of doubt has lifted! Hallelujah :)

friends, the Holy Spirit has reminded me that living in love with God is living. so. it's back to the simple. taking all the love i can get from my Papa! standing in the waterfall of affection from my true Beloved, Christ Jesus. i CAN'T be anywhere else. His love has taken me too far..by grace, i won't walk away from Him ever! He's all i want & need. my everyday is for Him & for people. not saying i do it perfectly, but this is the vision & even this, because He has chosen me. :) His love enables me to so walk. His love opens my heart to receive help to get back up. His love opens up my eyes to see the pieces of my heart in His hands, made into something beautiful. everything i do & say must point back to my King. i'm learning of the beauty of faith; because faith is the way by which Christ dwells in my heart. without faith, it is impossible to please Him.

My 22nd Birthday was January 30th & it's the best I've had yet! I celebrated twice, once with family in Richmond & once in Fredericksburg with friends. I asked the Lord for a great birthday, so He gave me two!! In RVA, I went to the dentist my birthday weekend & while I was sitting in the chair. I heard the Lord tell me that my dentist had back pain. I couldn't speak with all the utensils in my mouth, so I waited until my check-up was done. :) Afterwards, I asked Dr. W if he had back pain. He paused for a moment & said that just yesterday he hurt his back raking leaves. He didn't turn down my request to pray for him. I prayed & he felt heat on his back. I told him it was the Holy Spirit! Hehe! There is still more! Leaving the dentist office, I felt like the Lord wanted me to go to Old Navy for some reason. I brushed it aside at first & drove past the turn. I then heard Holy Spirit say, "Why are you disobeying Me?" I felt like I needed to listen to Him! So I turned around & went into Old Navy. I didn't feel much at first, but slightly drawn to one of the employees working there. So...I hung around her without trying to be too creepy. I think it was definitely funny that I was pretending to look through racks of clothes & praying for a word inside Old Navy! I felt like God told me, "She is in pain too but a different kind. It's her heart. She broke up with her boyfriend." So when she was away from the other employees, I asked about this "heart pain." Sally [name changed] told me that she was carrying pain for someone else. She said yesterday, her ex-fiance went to rehab. And she was in pain for him. Wow! what an open door the Lord opened!!!! I got to pray with her and be a witness of Jesus!

Back in Fred, I had a birthday party with friends :) Halfway through, we sat down to play CatchPhrase but it ended up being a prayer meeting for various things....and then..a Holy Spirit joy party...then prayer ministry for people at the party...lastly, when about 8 of us were left-brothers & sisters in Christ. We prayed for each other & it ended up in tears and freedom in God. Lies being broken over our identity. Hallelujah!!!!!!!!!!! Finally we went home at 3am hahaha!

Passages for this season::

Isaiah 43:1-2, 18-19 ...Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are Mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; & through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, & the flame shall not consume you...Remember not the former things, nor consider the things of old. Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness & rivers in the desert.

Song of Songs 2:10-12 My Beloved speaks & says to me: "Arise, My love, My beautiful one, & come away, for behold, the winter is past; the rain is over & gone. the flowers appear on the earth, the time of singing has come...

Autumn's Arrival. Lift Up Your Voice For Justice.

Autumn's breeze has come so suddenly. Already we're turning off the a.c. in our cars and rolling down our windows to feel & take in the sweet breath of creation. Summer is no longer my favorite season. I love all the change that comes with Autumn. The air. The leaves. Marked Conference was a teen gathering we had mid-August. The vision was to reveal Jesus to the youth of this region. And that they'd be so impacted that they'd live lifestyles of radical obedience to God. Between 100 - 200 came from Fredericksburg, Richmond, Colonial Beach, Harrisonburg and other various cities in Virginia. Many experienced God in ways they never had before! Praise the Lord!!

At the end of August, about 30 new Burn Interns arrived at the Prayer Furnace. They are currently taking David Bradshaw's Priesthood class to learn about ministry to God. I like them a lot. :) They are boldly engaging in prayer and seeking the Lord in His Word. I know many of them have been touched already though it is only the beginning of four months in the internship. I'll keep you all updated on their encounters and transformations! I know you all want a testimony, but I can't think of one at the moment!!

Earthquake:

Even though I have taken a class on the End Times and hear often about preparing our hearts, I feel I have grown dull to the reality that I must have and KEEP understanding concerning the End Times. Even if the Lord does not return in this generation, we must clearly teach our children about what is to come. Matthew 25 is an important passage concerning the time of the Lord's return.

Prayer Room - Intercession:

>Genesis 12:3 says, "I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse him who curses you..." concerning Israel. Therefore pray that the US government would be one to bless Israel and do what's best for that country. There has been talk about dividing Israel. If it happens, it won't be good for America.

>California

Personal:

Since Aug, God has been reminding me that He is my Father again. It's so simple, but knowing that He's my Father changes everything. Ever.ry.thing. I know that NO insecurity can stand when I start to understand more and more of His delight over me. Just receiving His love gives me confidence and drives out fear! Coming out of a season where I wanted to mostly isolate myself, I am re-learning that two realities are needed concerning worship/devotion. One, I need to spend time alone with God. Just like a husband and wife need to spend quality time together alone, so do I have to spend that time with Him in the secret place. Two, I need to spend time in worship with other believers too. Having both keeps my heart in a good place. Alone, I get to hear what He wants to speak only to me t

o move my heart in love for Him and in a body, I get to receive revelation that He is giving to others as well as having a context where I can share revelation He's giving me!!

Isaiah 43

India

The Lord has really been breaking my heart for the youth in India. Some time ago, I had a graphic dream with young men and mostly young women committing suicide. Without much se

arching, I found that suicide in India among youth is one of the highest in the world. Since then, the Lord has been giving me a burden to pray for them. I also found women are sometimes burned to death by their husbands if they have baby girls, not boys. I do not know how widespread this is, but I am praying that God would raise up spiritual fathers in India that would know Him!! Please pray with me! Ask God to give you His burden for nation[s], and He'll be faithful to give if you are open to receive it.

Nefarious: Merchant of Souls

This was a documentary that I watched about two months ago at the Byrd Theatre in Richmond, Va. It is about human sex trafficking in different countries, all the way in Thailand to Amsterdam to right here, under our noses-in the United States. It is hard to watch, but I'd recommend it to anyone who is not too young. There is no nudity, but there are shots of the red light district in Amsterdam for example that might be too much for someone too young. This was produced by Christians (ExodusCry) who want to see captives get set free. Go to: nefariousdocumentary.com for more information.

CSS classes: Joshua & Song of Solomon

Prayer Requests: discipline, walk worthy of my calling, return to first love

he's like an apple tree in the woods

Like an apple tree among the trees of the woods,

So is my beloved among the sons.

I sat down in his shade with great delight,

And his fruit was sweet to my taste.

Thoughts & Thanks

I just finished reading a little ditty this morning by Norman Grubb on Romans 6-8, how we in Christ have died to ourselves and have new life in Christ. It's so freeing to know that since our life is now hidden in Christ-it is no longer I who lives but Christ in me, the hope of glory. A beautiful thing is that every time there is truth that is revealed to me, I feel like I am still on that shore of God's endless ocean. Still learning and growing and discovering new treasures. I love the fact that I can know the Lord deeper, but also always be at the beginning of Him because He is eternal~
There is one point Norman made in his compilation about the lie of Satan that we are independent selves. But the reality is we belong to the one who owns us-our Bridegroom Christ Jesus or the Enemy. We are vessels. It's incredible to think I used to not belong to God!

King Eternal. King Immortal. King Invisible. {1 Tim. 1:17}

Hi everyone!!! Goodness! I have not done an update in AGES. So try to stay up with me as I fly through a couple months worth of stuff…

Weddings galore: Since the month of May, I've been to four weddings. One of my best friends, Fiorella {See picture :)}, got married and my other friend Carlie and I had the privilege of helping her with her guestbook together. I also got to help serve on the worship team and design her wedding invitations. I’m so happy for her!! Her father-in-law, Mr. Barnes had a hurt back or ankle I think while we were doing wedding prep. I got the chance to pray for him and God healed him. No pain!!! Praise the Lord!!

Worship: Music. The Arts. I have learned a lot from the worship class I took this past semester. I love that the invisible brings out the invisible. Isn’t it amazing that songs bring up things in the heart, feelings and desires you didn’t even know were there!?
One prayer request that I have is that the stage be an altar for me. I’ve been really encountering the Lord while I’m singing, even on stage. My favorite is just feeling the kiss of God on my heart and just crying, knowing He loves me.

21 Days of Fasting: There was a word about an attack on the women in our community in their callings. And that there was grace to break through any dullness of heart.
I felt like it applied to me and that night, I felt like a heavy burden I was carrying lifted off.

>Stand in the counsel of the Lord: Randy gave an analogy on how we are so into watching movies. For example, we go to the bathroom beforehand because we don’t want to go during it. And we use all our energy to hear everything and see everything going on. But when it comes to spending time with the Lord, we get so distracted. We don’t fight as hard to be with Him as we do watching a movie. This word really struck me. I believe God will help me to keep me from being so distracted!

I’m going through this season of returning to the Secret Place with the Lord. I’m only expecting the best things to come out of it. I desire everything in this season to be refreshed between the Lord and I. Please pray that I redeem the time use it wisely for His glory!

Faith is required for intimacy with God- Eph. 3:16-19
v. 17 that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith...
Faith is intimacy. Intimacy with the Lord is believing every word that comes from His mouth. {Selah} ☺

MAY
Awaken The Dawn Conference (What God was emphasizing to me personally) {See photos}:
“He delights in me still in my brokenness”
Love of the Father
He notices me & wants others to see His love through me.

Awaken the Dawn 2011

-conference to encounter Jesus-

June

Redemption is so much better than perfection!
Genesis 1 and Ps 139: The Lord has been showing me the connection between these two passages. God created the earth without form, void, and with darkness on the face of the deep. Then, His Spirit hovered over the darkness. In Hebrew, the word “hovering” means dancing(at least one of the meanings)! ☺ And sooo, in the same way, (Ps 139:7-10) God loves to redeem us from our darkness and bring Himself greater glory!! There’s a lot more I can say about it, but I don’t wanna write too much, but ask me if you wanna know.

Testimonies
I met a woman I will call Jane at Otani Steak House on Father’s Day evening. She was talking to my friend Laurie and I because we sat at the same hibachi table. She told us twice that her dad had passed away a little while ago. So I think she was trying to drown the pain with alcohol. We were mostly listening to her when we got to the topic of movies, more specifically-Bruce Almighty. She quickly mentioned her praying to God and so I asked her if she did have a faith. Jane said she did but she still had many questions. I asked if I could pray for her right then and she agreed. Somewhere in the middle when I was praying, Jane started crying. I really felt impressed by the Lord that He wanted to show Jane His invitation of love as her Father, especially since she was missing her father so much. Afterwards, she was super thankful. She was thanking me and so was her friend who was with her, which we found out a second after praying that her name was also Laurie. Yes, spelled the exact same way as my friend Laurie who was with me!! I invite you all to pray for her to experience the love of the Father and not be afraid to ask all her questions to the Lord. God answers prayer!!

One day this summer, a group of friends and I went to the river. Jason, Daniel, Emily, and I got to talk to this guy near jumping rock about the Lord. It all started with two words of knowledge for him [let’s call him Joe]. Joe had just reconnected with two female figures in his life: his mom and his sister. And Daniel had received that information from God before Joe told us anything about that. Daniel and Jason shared their testimonies with Joe and Joe seemed very curious especially after the words of knowledge. Daniel also felt that Joe had trouble sleeping at night. We asked Joe about it and it was true. After all this talking, which ended up being around two hours!! The guys gathered around Joe and we prayed over him. Joe said he experienced a sense of peace and he felt his chest shaking even though the water was not cold. Hallelujah!
I got to share the Gospel with Joe, but he did not receive Jesus that day. We are still praying for him to come through and become one of God’s sons and our new brother. Please contend for him!! I feel like he will receive God, Jesus as his Savior!!

Mysteries Revealed | Prophetic Worship Thesis Paper

I have many passions with which to love and serve the Lord, but the one that moves my heart the most is prophetic worship. When I prepare for my set, I feel very excited because I know the Lord will encounter me and encounter the ones in the prayer room. I even believe that He shifts the heavenly atmosphere in the region when I sing to Him. Two things always happen after I do a prophetic worship set. I always feel drained because of the emotional energy I pour out for two hours. But right after that, often times I feel filled with the Spirit and invigorated after my encounter by remembering His goodness toward His people and I. One interesting thing that I am always left wondering is, “What did I just sing?” I am left to process what I sang. Sometimes, on the stage I know what I’m singing is straight from the Holy Spirit and not from me at all. In prophetic worship, the Holy Spirit reveals hidden words of God inside the heart to move it in love for Him.

The third person of the Trinity speaks through worship because the Father is musical. Zephaniah 3:17 says, “…He will rejoice over you with gladness, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing.” So to understand why the Lord moves through song, one must know what is happening in heaven right now. Revelation 4:8 says, “…And they [the four living creatures] do not rest day or night, saying, ‘Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come!’” In the verses to follow, the twenty-four elders also begin to worship God, a domino effect of divine adoration. The living creatures and the elders around the throne are in constant worship. Therefore, the One being worshipped must have a song flowing out from His being! He is the very source of worship. He is the Song of all songs. He is the Everlasting Song of the Ages. The Ancient Song and the New Song. His very Presence is a song. Psalm 32:7 says, “…You shall surround me with songs of deliverance,” and Exodus 15:2 says, “The LORD is my strength and song…” His Word is full of songs. Every blessing that God spoke over Israel, the Gentile Church etc., was quite possibly sung instead of spoken. Actually, the word “blessing” is from the Latin word, “benedicere,” which means, “to praise,” “to worship.” Proverbs 25:20 is an example that shows the power of song, “Like one who takes away a garment in cold weather, and like vinegar on soda, is one who sings songs to a heavy heart.” I believe this verse can speak of the instantaneous impact that songs have on the human heart. In both examples, there is a quick reaction or response. It can be uncomfortable, but 2 Corinthians 2:16 says it best. “To the one we are the aroma of death leading to death, and to the other the aroma of life leading to life…”

The Holy Spirit calls out to God. Psalm 42:7 says, “Deep calls unto deep at the noise of Your waterfalls.” The word, “deep” is “tehowm” in Hebrew, which means (in one definition) deep places. But the root word of “tehowm” is “huwn,” which means to make a (great) noise, to roar, to murmur, to ring again, or to be moved. God and the Holy Spirit are in constant dialogue with one another. Speaking to one another in a language that seems so mysterious yet at the same time, the Spirit reveals all things to us who are in Christ. 1 Corinthians 2:9-11 says, “But as it is written: ‘Eye has not seen, not ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him.’ But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God. For what man knows the things of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God.” The wonder is that they desire to communicate through willing vessels like us! Even the Bible was written by God’s prophets and apostles, inspired by the Holy Spirit. (1 Cor. 10:11, 1 Peter 1:10-11) Truly, our tongues are pens for the Lord if we do offer it up to Him as so.

Thankfully, their relationship with one another is not exclusive. For 1 Corinthians 1:9 says, “God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.” We have been grafted into the fellowship of the triune God! Therefore, if God’s name is also the Song of All Songs and He speaks to us, how much more then will He sing through us to deliver a message to us, to others, and to principalities and powers? Ephesians 1:7-10 declares that “according to the riches of His grace,” He made known to us the “mystery of His will, according to the good pleasure which He purposed in Himself, that in the dispensation of the fullness of the times He might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven and which are on earth—in Him.” The Lord does not only speak or sing to us, but the way He feels about doing so is very important. It is his good pleasure that He reveals the mystery of His will! He is a mystery, but the way by which we get to Him is not mysterious. God is gracious. Therefore He loves to share His heart and His thoughts with His people.

Psalm 22:3 says, “But You are holy, enthroned in the praises of Israel.” The Lord is the only one deserving of worship and unceasing adoration because He is the only one who is holy by nature. Because He is holy and paid the price of sin for us, we can become holy under Jesus’ blood. God receives glory when we receive and release what He is speaking and singing through us. His presence comes when we worship Him. Healing comes, demons flee, and unbelievers are suddenly converted under the presence of the Lord.

Like the anointing of the Holy Spirit causes one to receive that which they barely understand; by the same power, the Spirit reveals hidden things in the heart through song. It brings spiritual understanding to what was hidden before through prophetic worship. The Holy Spirit is the spirit of prophecy! Therefore, the Holy Spirit inside speaks and prophesies through which He abides. The Holy Spirit searches the deep things of God, whether it is for one person or many or for a nation. God is love, so His motivation is always love and is meant to enlarge the heart in a way that His commands may be followed.

ABORTION CLINICS ARE CLOSING IN VIRGINIA!!!!!!!!!!

As many as 17 of the 21 women's abortion clinics will be closing down due to a bill signed by Gov. Bob McDonnell.
Praise God He answers prayer!!!!!