still alive...

Summer Teen Intensive (STI) tracks 1 & 2 are finished. Track 3 is beginning. I'm still alive and still loving it! I love the girls that have been in my groups. I love the priveledge of speaking into their lives. Pray for me - that I will have grace and wisdom to speak truth, destiny, identity and love over them.

Laying down my life

“So you, son of man: I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel; therefore you shall hear a word from My mouth and warn them for Me. When I say to the wicked, ‘O wicked man, you shall surely die!’ and you do not speak to warn the wicked from his way, that wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood I will require at your hand” (Ezekiel 33:7-8).

“When the shepherd sees the coming terror and does not say anything, the blood is on his hands. I am raising up shepherds who are after My heart. Will you be a voice? Will you be a forerunner? Will you lay down your life? The hour is urgent!! The earth is asleep. Will you sound the alarm? I AM COMING! WAKE UP!! The hour is urgent. Will you eat the scroll? Will you be a friend of the bridegroom? Will you be a friend of the judge?”
~Misty Edwards (Ezekiel, Isaiah)

This terrifies me in a good way. I feel the fear of the Lord because of the lives that have been entrusted to me. I am leading these girls and will be judged on how I lead them. If God tells me to speak into their lives and I refuse, their blood is on my hands. I know that is really heavy, but it’s true. I want to shepherd them well. I want to guard them with my life. I want to lay down my life for the next generation. I want to give my life to seeing them encounter the Lord. I want to love them well. I want to go deep into the knowledge of God so that I can pass it on to others as well. Then I want them to surpass me. “I want my ceiling to be their floor” is what we leaders have been saying about the teens in STI. I want to be a voice. I want to wake up. I do believe the hour is urgent. “When the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?” (Luke 18:8). I want to be His friend. I want Him to find faith in me and faith in those He has entrusted to me.
Oh Lord! I am utterly unable to accomplish anything you have called me to. Help me to lean whole-heartedly into You! Empower me with Your grace to lay down my life for others. “Strengthen me with might through Your Spirit in my inner man” (Eph 3:16). Help me. Wake me up. Open my eyes. Open my ears. Help me.

Proclaimer of what?

I have been convicted while I have been in AR of what I talk about. During this last track of STI, one of the speakers asked us what we advertised or evangelised. It is so easy to spread the popularity of my favorite movie or TV show. It's easy to spread the good news of the best restaurants or new recipes. But how often do I spread the good news of my fav books of the bible or new ways I have found to study the Word or pray? I want to advertise "Christ crucified, to the Jews a stumbling block and to the Greeks foolishness, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men" (1 Cor. 2:23-25) Even if it seems like it could be a stumbling block or if the message of Christ occasionally seems like foolishness, that is what a want to speak of. Because in reality, it is the wisdom and strength of God. Jesus embraced weakness here on earth and was crucified. But He overcame death and now lives. This allows me in my weakness to lean on His mighty power. Praise the Lord!

advertising...

This post is basically to encourage you to visit some other blogs.

I have a new niece!!! Her name's Lucy Ann. To see pics go to the link on the side of this page that says Nathan or Amy.

To see an outline of what happened at the Call, go to my dad's site....Jerry.

I'm in Arkansas to celebrate the birth of Lucy, because of course 'I love Lucy.' I will be headed back to KC on Tuesday. I'm ready to get back and be with my STI girls.

one day

It's actually, officially 12:18am on 7.6.07. I am still awake and I am leaving KC by 6am to go to the Call. I'm finished with track 1 of STI, but have agreed to stay on for the second and third tracks as well. I guess that means I liked it:-)
I'm exhausted. I will be driving all day Friday. Saturday is the Call. I drive back early Sunday and arrive in time to help with registration and the next wave of teens entering my world. wow.
good night.

9 days until the Call!!

Wow! These past couple of weeks have flown by. This experience of leading these teens has challenged and grown me. It seems there are little crises around every corner when dealing with a large group of teenagers:-) I also got to bring my group of girls over to my house. They took a personality test and ate pizza and we talked about the uniqueness of our personalities. I am blessed by my group.

One of the main themes has been fatherlessness and identity. It is awesome to be able to speak destiny and identity over these girls. They are being softened by the message of love and yet challenged by the call to leave all other loves behind and truly seek after one thing. I've seen healings, deliverance, growth and change. Many have confessed and repented of their secret sins. It's awesome to get to see the freedom that comes in confession. Their hearts are changing; God is moving.

Today starts a Onething Youth conference here. Our teens are going to be involved in the whole conference. I'm looking forward to it.

I leave for the Call one week from tomorrow...YEAH!

16 days until The Call

Basically I am really, really busy! They keep these teens in seminars and in the Prayer Room quite a bit. Tonight is our night off and we get to sleep in tomorrow which is a much needed break! We're (the leaders and teens) still learning about each other and getting to know each other, but it's going really well. The kids are not afraid to really press in to the Lord. They are quick to pray for each other and encourage one another. They provoke me further in my walk with the Lord.

Misty Edwards spoke last night and gave the same message I have heard her give several times and yet it was exactly what I needed to hear. I want to live for the sole purpose of moving God and impacting His heart. Even more than I want to impact the earth for His purposes, I want to impact Him. I want to find my identity in being a lover and one loved by God because God will never change. If I find my identity in being a student then where will my identity be found once I am out of school? If I find my identity in being a teacher and then lose my job, how will that effect my identity? If I find my identity in being a speaker or a singer and lose my voice, what happens then? Or a sister or mother or wife...all these identities can change in a moment. So I want my identity to be found in the One who never changes, in the One who is faithful. This same One is moved in His heart by one glance of my eye and I want to learn to rest in His love. I want to rest assured that I am one who is loved and I am one who loves and moves the heart of the King of Kings and Creator of the universe. That is who I am. "I'm in love with God and God's in love with me, this is who I am and this is who I'll be and that settles it. Completely." (Misty Edwards)

18 days until The Call

STI is going great overall. I'm falling in love with these girls. I am excited about getting to know them more. All the basic things that would typically go wrong on the first day, did. But they were really only minor glitches and we made it through just fine.

It's great to kind-of get back to basics. The seminars and speaker topics have been the basic "God loves you and you are His special treasure" and you can't really hear that enough. It's fun to watch the kids start to really enter into prayer, for each other and for their cities, friends and families. Today we heard an awesome testimony from one of our STI leaders and she gave a strong call to turn from sin and embrace righteousness. The kids were extremely attentive. She testified of the many ways that her bad choices...her sin...had led to death. It was a powerful testimony of the mercy and grace of God to change her heart and call her His own.

May God pour out His Spirit on these teens and on our nation, that we would pray and prophesy to change things in the spirit in Kansas City and in America.