I realize I haven't written in a while...
BUT that doesn't mean I haven't been thinking about it. As someone who used to write daily (sometimes twice a day) in her journal, I've definitely still been thinking about writing. However, life as of recently has been...hmm what's the word to describe it? oh...a whirlwind.
I'm slightly in shock. I'm immensely in awe.
The Lord has been moving in ways I would never had expected...
OneThing Conference. This Christmas break, I got a chance to travel with College Station House of Prayer to Kansas City, MO to attend this conference hosted by the International House of Prayer. I wish I could explain ever detail of what the Lord did at this conference, but here's the gist.
During one of the morning worship sessions, I felt like the Lord gave me this picture. I could see several different representations of things that have been filling my thoughts with anxiety. These would mostly be concerning my present and future. Suddenly all of those things were wrapped up with some kind of clear covering, so that they were suddenly contained. I saw the Lord's hand then reach down and wrap around the covering, so I could no longer see the things underneath. His hand became the focus in an instant. As I was thinking about this later that day, I feel like the Lord reminded me of Psalm 107.
BUT that doesn't mean I haven't been thinking about it. As someone who used to write daily (sometimes twice a day) in her journal, I've definitely still been thinking about writing. However, life as of recently has been...hmm what's the word to describe it? oh...a whirlwind.
I'm slightly in shock. I'm immensely in awe.
The Lord has been moving in ways I would never had expected...
OneThing Conference. This Christmas break, I got a chance to travel with College Station House of Prayer to Kansas City, MO to attend this conference hosted by the International House of Prayer. I wish I could explain ever detail of what the Lord did at this conference, but here's the gist.
During one of the morning worship sessions, I felt like the Lord gave me this picture. I could see several different representations of things that have been filling my thoughts with anxiety. These would mostly be concerning my present and future. Suddenly all of those things were wrapped up with some kind of clear covering, so that they were suddenly contained. I saw the Lord's hand then reach down and wrap around the covering, so I could no longer see the things underneath. His hand became the focus in an instant. As I was thinking about this later that day, I feel like the Lord reminded me of Psalm 107.
Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever! Let the redeemed of the Lord say so, whom he has redeemed from trouble and gathered in from the lands, from the east and from the west, from the north and from the south.
(Psalm 107: 1-3)
Later into the conference I felt like I got a another picture. In this one, I saw two hearts. At first the image was slightly blurred (similar to being at the optometrist when they ask you to align the two letters). The two hearts came into focus as they moved towards each other. Finally, the hearts aligned and the one heart could be seen very crisply. I was asking the Lord what this meant, and I felt like he was showing me something to the extent of "I'm aligning your heart with mine. I'm bringing you in from the corners of yourself." The Lord is bringing me back to his heart!! Go back and read verse 3 of Psalm 107. He's gathering me in from the east, and from the west, and from the north and from the south so that he can unveil the aligning of my heart with his.
Me, Rose, and Julie.
The huge group from College Station.
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Women's Retreat. Over this past weekend my church, as well as the campus churches from UNT and Texas State, gathered at Messiah's Ranch for a great weekend of fellowship and encounter with the Lord.
I came to the Saturday morning worship session somewhat checked out and pretty distracted. I knew that we would be having time to spend with the Lord after the session, and I was more eager to find a perfect "spot" than to listen to the morning session (if I'm being honest). However, the Lord very unexpectedly softened and open my heart up to him in that time. The last worship song we sang was "Never Once." While I've sang this song probably dozens of time, it has never moved my heart like it did that morning. The lyrics say "never once did we ever walk alone. Never once did you leave us on our own. You are faithful, God, You are faithful. You are faithful, God, You are faithful." And that's exactly what awakened my heart--the Lord's faithfulness.
I went out to find my "perfect spot" for quiet time, but I was definitely caught up in the movement of my heart rather than my feet. I opened my journal and just started thanking the Lord for his faithfulness. The time felt like reminiscing with an old friend over all the sweet times in our friendship...
- how You rescued me from a time of depression and feeling like I can't fight the devil's lies
- how when I asked You for my dad's heart to be changed towards missions and our family, you decided that his salvation was really what he needed
- how You gently humbled me and showed me a glimpse of poverty of spirit when I was consumed with looking down on myself and others
- how You rebuilt my relationship with my brother
- how You took away an obsession with winning and competition and replaced it with a new obsession with Your heart
- how You accepted me into a community I didn't know existed, when I just thought I was being accepted to my "dream" university
- how You always think that I'm enough even when sometimes I don't
- how You replaced contentment with joy that makes me dance and sing without shame
- how You remind me of Your ultimate sacrifice as your biggest act of faithfulness, and Your plan of redemption and restoration for all of the earth
The Lord has been extremely faithful. He remains faithful, and He will always be faithful.
Know therefore that the Lord your God is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, to a thousand generations. (Deuteronomy 7:9)
Pure joy.
The Ladies of Odyssey and Shibboleth.
*Pictures taken by Barclay Bell and Rachel Mayes.