July 24, 2009

Lazy Saturday

So today, most people went to the zoo and some people went to play soccer. I on the other hand decided to spend some time alone for once and get things done.

Weekly journal - done.
Read most of Mark - done.
Look up chords to some of my favorite worship songs - gettin that done now.
Book report - definitely not done... procrastination at its finest right there.
Update blog - attempting that right now.

Sorry it takes me so long to update. I seriously write so much during the week taking notes during lectures and then we have to write in this journal that they assess here. So all of that together just ends up being a ton of writing and reflecting and by the time I get to a computer I just don't want to think anymore.

It's the weekend right now and this week has been pretty incredible. Danny Taylor came from the Perth base to speak at ours this week about hearing Gods voice. I want to change the title of that topic because when someone says voice it makes me think of only the audible voice of God. He really helped us see that God speaks in so many ways and I hear God in my own specific way... not someone else's way. He started out by talking about the character of God and sometimes we get the wrong impression of God through past experiences that made us angry or hurt by what we thought was God. Then when we dug into the word we researched what it said God was and if we needed to pray that God corrects our past pre-judgments of Him.

Anyways... it wasn't just someone tellings us what to believe. They want us to look into the word for ourselves to get the truth. Not just listen to someone tell us what they think and then automatically believe that. So anyways... on Weds night I lead worship with a few other people and afterwards we had an open community prayer. Just praying for each other and if people just needed to confess something they had a safe place to do that. Or if you were feeling completely discouraged about not hearing God speak in the times that we set apart for that then we would pray for that. Well pretty much all of us at some point had prayer.

I just asked the group to pray that this wouldn't just be a season of my life. I want everything that I've been learning to be something that I use daily and when I go home it sticks with me and I do get a passion for something and not be apathetic anymore. Well people started praying for me and this woman Patty spoke out and told me she felt like God was saying to her that I am going to take these next few months and really dig into the word and its going to be burried in my heart so when I go back home I wont be able to forget it and God will totally pull it out when the time comes. Well then after that one of the other leaders Justin came up to me and told me he also got Psalm 119 for me. It was pretty awesome how God re-affirmed that in my life through two people and I really got encouragment through that as well.

I feel like I've had multiple conversations that I feel have helped me exercise talking about what I've been learning and it's like this is Gods way of creating a boldness in me!

Ok... I'm super distracted cause there are always people around this house. Plus there is a puppy here that is super cute.

I'll try to update more often. There is so much that I'm learning in such little time and the weeks are really starting to fly by. God is so incredible and I am falling more and more in love with Him each day.

OH p.s.
We are going to Thailand and Indonesia on our 2 month outreach!!! Crazy!! That's going to be so world shattering... I think it's going to be impossible to not be drastically changed.

July 21, 2009

All I can say...

I took a walk with God today and I felt Him singing this to me through a Phillip LaRue song:


Don’t tell me you're not beautiful
Don’t lie to yourself like that
Look in my eyes all I see is lovely

So let me climb over the walls of your heart
The ones you built up aren’t tall enough to stop
Nothing’s gonna stop me now

There’s no place to move no place to run
No place to hide away from love
You’re all I want now

So stop running against the wind
Stop fighting a fight you won’t win
And let me in
I’m gonna make you feel beautiful

Cause I don’t care about the scares on your soul
I don’t care about your past so let it go
Look in my eyes it’s time

There’s no place to move no place to run
No place to hide away from love
You’re all I want now
So don’t let this go and pass you by
It’s time to let your heart decide
You know you’re all I want now

I am reaching for you will you reach back to me
I am longing for you are you longing for me


God is so good to me.

July 14, 2009

Week 2: Knowing God

Father's Heart

So in our lectures this week we are talking about God as our Father and what all that means to us personally.

A few things that I wrote down were simply talking about how God corrects us and transforms us through discipline NOT punishment. A lot of people think that God puts us through things in order to teach us a lesson but that's not it at all. Sure, God may allow some things to happen because He can use the time that we are "broken" or at our worst to speak to us. Who really wants to listen to God when you think you have it all together? At that point you don't think you even need Him.

God doesn't need a scare tactic to change us. We have free will and when we want to do our own thing we put our own selves in danger... He didn't make us do anything. But here is the cool part about God... when we come crawling back because the world can't fully satisfy... He loves us just the same and is excited we want to be with Him again. He embraces us with open arms and no judgement because He is just glad is child is back again.

We did this little exercize which I thought was pretty cool. The speaker gave us each a bible verse that was picked at random and told us to go somewhere around the building and just ask God what this verse means to us specifically. We don't often just sit and listen to God and try to hear what He has to say. I got the verse Isaiah 12:2 and I just layed in the sun and asked God what does this mean to me personally. I get what the verse says and what it says upfront... but what does God want me to hear when I read this? In the verse it says that God is my salvation and he is my defender and strength. I started to feel like maybe God was telling me that He isn't just a strength to get through tough situations... He is also constantly fighting off satan from my thoughts that are harmful to myself. Thoughts of being prideful or thoughts that aren't pure... basically any thought that doesn't bring glory to Him. And I realized that it's hard enough for me to constantly be thinking about things that are only good... but I don't have to worry because God is helping me fight them off. And when I feel like I am not strong enough to keep going and want to give into my ugly thoughts... God is also my strength.

So sitting in the grass God gave me the revelation of that... which was pretty cool :). We all came back and other people had lots of cool stories on how God spoke to them through their verse as well. One thing that one of the girls said really hit me and I needed to write it down because I think God tries to tell me this all the time as well.

She talked about how she was thinking about nature and how beautiful it was. You have the mountains and all the beautiful beaches all over the world... things people just marvel at. And God spoke to her and said, "Yeah, those are beautiful but you are far greater than those." And it's just so cool to think about... God delights in us FAR more than the mountains. He loves me and cherishes me... nothing else makes Him happier than to see His baby girl (me!) smile and sit in His presence.

Anyways... thats only a glimpse of what we have been learning haha. PLUS it's only been two days! I have 5 months of all this good stuff.

OH and I got to surf today... it really hurts and is exhausting but I don't want to stop now! I am going to try to do it as much as I can and really try to get decent at it.

Anyways, God is good and I am so happy I get to experience this. Especially at this YWAM base because it really was perfect for me specifically. Totally clicks with my lifestyle and the way I need to be taught.

There has been so much more that has happened and I wish I could write it all down but that would just be pages and pages.

I can't really upload pictures, but when I find a way to do that... it'll happen.

Love and miss everyoneeeee

July 10, 2009

Australia!

Ok, so I am here! Sorry it's taken me so long to update. I wrote a whole long blog at the airport but my interenet doesn't work on my computer at the house. So I couldn't upload any blog and honestly... I don't feel like copying it word for word onto this computer. Cause we have three computers at our house for our own use plus if someone brought a laptop.

Anyways... I don't even know if that made sense. My mind is all over the place haha.

I seriously don't know how to sum up these past few days. It's been ridiculously insane full of every emotion possible. I miss everyone back at home so much but I am so glad I am here. Everone has such open and giving hearts... these next few months are fully and completely dedicated to God and God alone.

One of the leaders just brought over a surfboard I'm renting and I can't wait to get out on the water and try surfing for the first time. I LOVE this base so much... everyone is so relaxed and down for anything.

God is going to do some craaazy stuff and tonight is outreach in the city and I'm super excited :)

Ok, I have to skype Nick now and there isn't much time!! Thank the Lord for skype.

July 3, 2009

Airports.

I leave for Australia in less than an hour... here I come 21 hour plane ride. Please pray that I pass out for most of it and get over my fear of being lost in an airport.

I can't believe I was just eating Chipotle with friends for lunch and in a few hours I'll be across the whole entire world. Life is crazy.


Ok... no time to talk.
I'll update soon!