Is all you are and all you have truly mine?

This is probably one of the hardest posts I've had to write, not because it exposes lots of vulnerability but because I want it to be about my process with Papa and not what I have done. It is about the process of holding things lightly, of being willing to lay it all down for Jesus, of being willing to be love whatever the cost. It is an ongoing process but I want to share how God has brought me this far. I pray you are blessed, encouraged and challenged as you read.

So, when I arrived in America I brought with me enough money to do 2 years at BSSM if I was wise with my money. This was my security and I had planned to give away about 10% of my monthly budget on top of my tithe. Generous, I thought but Papa had other ideas! In the 4 months I have been here I have spent almost 2 months budget on blessing others as Papa has asked, about 5 times as much as I had budgeted for. As you can probably imagine this has brought up some great challenges for me! 

On top of asking me to give of my finances Papa has been asking me to give away some of my belongings too and so as directed I have given away my camera, a prophetic painting and my raincoat. Each of these has had a different pull on me; the camera my husband bought me, the picture was expensive and it was raining when I gave away the coat!

Whenever Papa challenges me I know he is asking me the following questions:

Is all you are and have truly mine?

What would be too much cost/sacrifice to follow me?

What is the one in front of you that I am asking you to love worth?

Is your security in your money or me?

These questions are truly challenging me and changing the way I view myself, my possessions and all the people I meet every day. My current answers to these questions are:

More of me is truly God's today than it was yesterday but there is still more of me I can give. My desire is to reach that point of complete surrender and therefore, I will keep listening, keep obeying because I know Papa knows what needs to change in me for that to happen.

I know that there is no cost or sacrifice too great for me to give to follow Jesus but I also know that I will still struggle with some of them as I walk out obedience.

The one before me he asks me to love is priceless and therefore, worth everything I am or have to show them their value. Myself and my possessions are meaningless, especially in the light of someone's eternal destiny. I am learning to walk in this knowledge daily.

I realised that my security, at least financially, was in my cash in the bank and that Papa needed to change that. I know he can provide for all my needs and will so am learning to just give as he directs and not worry or wonder about future provision.

So why did I tell you all this? I told you because I believe Papa is awakening me to the realities of walking wholly with him, the realities of seeing lives impacted by what I do and the reality of saying all I am is yours to him, the reality of counting the cost and that this message is for everyone. Does it mean giving away everything you own? Maybe, but most likely not. It just means placing our security in him and not in our jobs, our finances, our possessions or anything else of this world and holding all things lightly and being willing to let go as he directs.

Papa's love looks like something and sometimes that something it looks like costs us more than just our time or a little inconvenience. Here are a couple of stories that show this from my recent experiences:

I gave the prophetic picture away to a girl in my revival group and seeing the transformation it has helped to bring to her in regards to her beauty is amazing. Papa's love looked like a picture to remind her she is in his heart and only beautiful things can be found there.

I gave my raincoat to a homeless lady who was very wet and took her other coats to wash and dry. Papa's love looked like practically helping her get dry and to stay that way.

I bought a sleeping bag, rucksack and clothes for a young 19 year old homeless girl who had nothing. Papa's love looked like a warm night's sleep and some new clothes and a young girl having the smallest thought that she might be worth something.

Papa's love looks like my housemate, Amy, stepping out of her comfort zone to buy a homeless couple food and a tent so that they can be dry on their travels and not me hungry.

Papa's love looks like my housemate, Lizzie, paying the bill for the car behind us in the drive through so that they feel blessed in their day.

Papa's love looks like something, it can look like a smile, a friendly greeting, a prayer, a prophetic word, food, a coffee or a bed for the night, a holiday or anything else that he asks us to do. It truly is whatever he is asking us to do to love the one in front of us. I have chosen to take up the challenge and live sacrificially the best I can, will you?

I pray that everyone of you will have a wonderful, joy filled Christmas and that 2015 will bring the abundant blessings of God into your life. You are amazing!

San Francisco!

I so love the guys I get to do city service with in San Francisco. They are a mixture of first, second and third years with a couple of volunteers too. They are awesome and it is such a privilege to love on the people of this city with them. Every one of them is unique and they all have things that I can learn from and I am eager to learn as much as I can. This last weekend we were in San Francisco for the second time as a group and it was wonderful.

We went at first to Union Square and with my friend Rebeccah (a third year) we talked to a street magician and bought chocolate for his girlfriend, we chatted and encouraged a man who has been carrying a banner saying Jesus loves you around Union Square 6 days a week for 10 years. I wonder what would happen if every Christian was as committed as he was to the destiny they believe God has called them too? We also got to bless, encourage and prophesy over several homeless people. It was wonderful, I love calling out the gold in people and seeing the impact that has on them as they see something greater in themselves than they thought possible. We also blessed them practically too as Jesus fed the hungry and didn't just preach at them!

In the evening we went to Castro to love on the guys there. It is the homosexual district of San Francisco and is very vibrant on a Friday night. Three of us went to speak to a homeless guy as Cindy (a third year) felt God said we should talk with him. He was hungry so we bought him a burrito and listened as he shared with us. His first reaction was that we were the answer to his prayer as he had been speaking with his higher power about bringing someone to help him. He told us about his recent relationship breakdown, his suicidal tendencies and his feelings of complete inadequacy as he couldn't even kill himself. Cindy led him in a prayer of salvation and he truly met Jesus that night as he was healed of back and shoulder pain. As we went to leave he asked could we keep in touch and we have been encouraging him since. Please pray that he gets to his mother's house in Southern California this week as that would be a great move for him and bring some stability. The rest of the team were giving free hugs and spiritual readings and we had some amazing conversations through this, people are so open when you approach them in love as people and not as a project!

On the Saturday we went to Pier 39 and got to see a homeless man healed of shoulder pain and to bless a couple who had been on the street for 30 years. I also got to eat clam chowder, see the seals and eat ice-cream outside in December, all new experiences for me and thoroughly enjoyed.

It was a great trip and I am blown away by the faithfulness of God when we are willing to step out in love and join in with what he is doing. I am starting to head out one night a week in Redding too and beginning to build relationship with some of the guys and girls here. I love it, they are so open to being encouraged, prayed for and hearing about God. I stepped out recently while shopping with a word of knowledge about knee pain for the cashier and though it was not right, she did ask me to pray for her back! Learning just to be bold and go for it, I don't want to not step out and deny someone a touch from God. So looking forward to bringing this back with me to the UK over Christmas.

I hope you have been encouraged as you have read this. There will be another post very soon about the stuff God has been speaking to me about the price I am willing to pay to follow him. I pray you are blessed in this Christmas season. Thanks for reading.

My smile melts Papa's heart

I want to tell you that I am beautiful and that my smile melts my Papa's heart. Wow! A couple of weeks ago I would not of been able to tell you that. I would have been able to tell you I was beautiful, at least in Papa's eyes but seeing or thinking of my smile as beautiful was not in my thinking. 

As I arrived in America I was very aware of everyone's beautiful teeth and this made me more and more aware of my far from perfect protruding teeth. I had been aware of this in the UK but it became much more apparent here. Since arriving I had become even more self conscious in photos (and yes, to those of you who know me, that is possible!) never doing more than a closed mouth half smile not wanting my teeth to show. I had also started, pretty subconsciously, to cover my mouth with my hands much, much more than I ever had before. This was how I was up until last week and then Papa stepped in and as he does he turned my thinking on its head.

It all started as with one of my friends sharing a testimony in our revival group of how God had shown her she was beautiful through a class she had taken. Her testimony was really powerful. That night I was reading Captivating and as I reached the end of the chapter tears were falling as I asked Papa the question, am I beautiful? I didn't wait for an answer but went to sleep. The next morning as we were spending time together Papa said I needed to know that I was not just beautiful to him (he had shown me a few ago earlier that I am his most beautiful creation) but that I am beautiful to everyone who sees me and my smile plays a big part in my beauty. Wow! I knew this was true instantly but how did I renew my mind to believe it?

Papa had me refute the lie that my teeth stopped me being beautiful and had me declare (and add to my daily declarations) that I am beautiful. He also said that he wanted me to not cover my mouth when I talk and to smile whenever I felt conscious of my teeth. Having learnt that obedience is the best way, I said yes! After this I was face timing a friend in the UK and she asked me where my smile had gone. How awesome is God's timing! During worship at school Papa told me that my smile melts his heart. Wow! After this I saw the girl who had shared her testimony in revival group the day before and shared with her how Papa had used her testimony in me. I wanted to bless and encourage her but she prayed for me and blessed me mightily when she prayed that my smile melts Papa's heart. I love how Papa does that. I was blown away.

When I got home from school I had a photo taken of me smiling and posted it on my revival group facebook page with the words, 'this is my testimony today, I am beautiful and my smile melts Papa's heart'. I knew Papa had said I should do this and it was confirmed to be right as it was a hard thing to do and I cried as I wrote the words. As always my amazing revival group made lots of loving and encouraging comments on my post. They are truly an awesome bunch of people and I love doing life with them this year.

After this I asked my housemates and another friend to keep me accountable, especially about covering my mouth with my hand. It had become such a habit that I was not aware of doing it but knew that it needed to stop. I also knew that I had to post a smiling picture on my main profile but did not want to just post one for no reason. Thankfully, on the Saturday it was the Holiday Feast at Bethel, an opportunity to bless around 400 disadvantaged people with a great meal and lots of love, and as my housemates and I were serving we had our picture taken together. I smiled and it was posted on facebook. 

Strange as it may sound, these few things and declaring each day that I am beautiful and that my smile melts Papa's heart heart have had a dramatic effect. The proof of this is that on Sunday a friend came round and said she had to take pictures of beauty and wanted to take pictures of me, without batting an eyelid I said yes and we went outside and took them. Wow! She wanted pictures of beauty and I knew I fit the bill with my wonderful smile. So blessed! 

I love how when we tell Papa that all we are belongs to him and give him permission to bring healing and make us more like Jesus, that's exactly what he does. He is so faithful, so loving, so kind and wants to see us made whole more than we want to be made whole. 

So, is that the end of the story? Definitely not, each day I continue to declare that I am beautiful and my smile melts Papa's heart. Sometimes it is pointed out to me that my hand is covering my mouth and I have to choose to move it away. The good news is though that day by day I step more and more into the freedom that knowing I am beautiful brings and soon I will not need reminding at all.

I hope you have been encouraged wherever you are on your journey by this. Just remember, we are all made in the image of God and Jesus was the model for us all. Jesus is beautiful and therefore, being made in his image we are beautiful too. Believing anything less is saying the Creator did a bad job! I bless you to know that you too are beautiful and that your smile melts Papa's heart.

I am fearless!

It's been a few weeks since my last post and things have been pretty busy here in Redding. Not only is school full on with lots to process and lots of homework and city service in San Francisco once a month but I am also doing Friday Night Strikes (a Bethel outreach) and 2 courses as well! It's very hectic but I love it and still find plenty of time to build my secret place. I also had the pleasure of meeting with Ian and Marj recently while they were here for Leaders Advance, it was so nice having a hug from home! 

So, to this post, I want to share about my first trip to San Fran with my city service, some more healing Papa has brought me and about how he taught me that I am fearless. Wow! 

San Fran was amazing. It was great to get to go down there with the 50 or so other students from all 3 years. They are a diverse bunch and reflect some of the many facets of God and after spending 2 very intense and wonderful days with them I am expectant for the rest of our trips. The highlight of my trip was leading a young girl to Jesus, such a privilege! The next highlight was having a joy tunnel in Castro (the homosexual district) on Friday night. It was awesome! When the idea was first suggested I was very unsure, never having done anything like that before but it worked really well, to my surprise, if I am honest! We set up two lines and as people went through we just celebrated them and told them they were amazing. People were a little nervous to begin with but then we had several people go through who wanted to go through again. You could literally see the change in their faces! Who knows when someone last told them they were special or amazing. My last highlight was talking to two 21 year old lads in Berkeley who were keeping each other company while travelling round. They had nothing but were full of fun. We got to pray with them and see the pain one had in his hand (he had punched someone) leave. It was a real privilege to prophesy over them and call out the gold within them. They encountered Jesus and are one step closer to knowing him for themselves. Wow! What a start, there were lots of other encounters too, so excited for my next trip in the beginning of December. It will be great!

So to healing, we had purity week in school last week and it was very good with teaching from Kris and Jason Valloten and Havilah Cunnington. On the Wednesday night we had a ladies night for first year students and one of the school staff shared her testimony. Part of her testimony was about having been sexually abused as a small child and the healing she received. Part way through her testimony I felt stuff stirring in my stomach and felt a little overwhelmed, having had a lot of healing I did not know what it was all about but then the tears started. It was obvious Papa was up to something! After the testimony a call was made for anyone who had been abused to go up for ministry. I did not need asking twice! As I stood at the front asking Holy Spirit what the tears were for I felt him tell me that I had never been healed in relation to being molested by one of my step father's friends when I was 11 or 12 because I had taken on responsibility for this. He said that I took this as being my fault because it was not the first time it had happened, therefore it must be my fault! Wow! As I repented for believing a lie and asked for Papa's forgiveness one of the staff began hugging me and just kept declaring over me, 'you are beautiful, you are pure, you are beautiful, you are pure'. The lie was gone and I was able to declare the truth, I am pure! Though there was more to this, these are the essentials and I just made sure to tell my housemate Lizzie all about it so that the enemy could not bring me into condemnation. There is no shame because it is in the light and known! That is so freeing!

I now want to tell you about being fearless! Back in September when we went on retreat I was given a prophetic word that I was doing a skydive and God was going to meet me in it. I had always wanted to do a skydive so this seemed like a good opportunity to go for it. I booked one and then had 4 ladies in my revival group decide to come with me. So last Saturday (15th) we drove down to Sacramento, I was so excited, I kept expecting to get nervous during the journey but I was just excited. When we were all kitted out and ready to get on the plane and I had bounced a lot, I was still just excited. Wow! I was going to skydive! I was jumping first so got on the plane last and got to watch through the plastic door as we took off and the ground got further and further away. At some points as the plane turned it was like I was in a glass bottomed plane. Amazing views! It took 20 minutes to get to 13,000 feet where we would jump and I had no nerves, just excitement. So the time came and we jumped. Wow! It was breathtaking, from free falling at 120 miles an hour to landing it was an awesome experience and I loved every second of it. The views were glorious, the sensations were amazing, it was just over too quick! The next morning I was chatting with Papa and asking him about how I met him in the experience. All I knew was I had had no fear at all but I was not certain that I had met him, other than being blown away by seeing the beauty of the earth from that height. I felt Papa ask me if I didn't get it. Get what, I asked. He said, there is no fear in obedience. Wow! I jumped out of a plane because of a word I believed he had given me so he could show me that I am fearless when I am obedient! Wow! He showed me that I can walk fearlessly into any situation, any circumstances when I know I am being obedient. What an amazing way to learn a lesson. I truly have the best Papa ever and I look forward to more lessons like that one! I also have great confidence to walk where he calls me and say what he gives me without fear because of this incredible lesson. So blown away by how he not only wants to teach us but wants to bless us and give us the delights of our hearts too.

Just before I close I just want to say thank you to those of you who have given towards my mission trip or offered to pray for me. My deposit is now paid! I truly appreciate everyone who has contributed and trust that you will reap back ten fold what you sowed. If you would still like to give all the details are in my last post. 

I hope you have been encouraged as you read. Bless you all.

Guatamala here I come!

Though it has not been long since my last post I have had a busy few days. At the weekend I had the privilege of going with a team to San Francisco to do outreach and the whole weekend just cemented my desire and belief that San Francisco is my training ground. I loved it!

It was strange being out in a place where I was unfamiliar and by unfamiliar I mean completely! I did not know anything, the areas we were in, who hangs out where or even how to practically help. This last thing was especially hard for me. Having worked in the UK for the last 16 years for a wide variety of organisations I know about benefits, housing and other such useful stuff in the UK, sadly it is of no use in the US and I have no idea how things work here. However, we gave out food and treats to the people we met who were sat around on the streets, gave out roses to prostitutes (many of whom were transgender) and we got to spend time in a few of the projects just hanging out with some kids and their families. It was amazing.

Thankfully I will get to go to San Francisco one or two times every month that I am here, starting on the 7^th November. I look forward to telling you more as time progresses. The last thing that I will say about this trip is that I had asked Holy Spirit what I should take and he said 'red gloves', so I bought red gloves. He also gave me two very simple pictures to draw and take with me. Wow! I do not draw but nevertheless, I was obedient and did it. The whole weekend I was excited to see how God would use these things but came home with all but a picture of a broken heart made whole. Holy Spirit had me give the picture to a lady who had just lost her mum saying that he was going to make her heart whole again. She was touched and we got to pray over her and speak words of life into her situation. The gloves and the other picture are in my bag so every time I am out I am looking for the encounter that God has for me where these will be important. Watch this space for more!

Now for the main reason for this post so quickly after the other, I am off on mission to Guatamala in March 2015. I am so excited because it was my first choice for mission trip (we got to choose 5) and here's why:

Come join us on the streets of Guatemala! The focus of our trip is going to be taking Jesus outside the 4 walls of the church. You will get to bring the Kingdom to people who have never before experienced God's love. Serving in the largest slum in Central America with between 60,000-100,000 people, we will also be ministering to prostitutes, the homeless, street orphans, drug dealers, and every day people on the streets and in markets. We will also be going to schools, a hospital, and a church. We are looking for people who are willing to step out and take risk, people who can be flexible and who are not afraid to go into dark and often avoided places. Growth will be inevitable as you step outside your comfort zone. This trip will make permanent and lasting changes in many lives as we continue to partner with what God is doing in Guatemala.

Woohoo! This trip was made for me! It is the perfect training ground for me alongside San Francisco, dark places, avoided places, prostitues, homeless, drug dealers. All of my passions rolled into one and a little more beside!

Now for the hard part, I believe God is calling me to ask people to partner with me in this adventure. Now if he was just asking me to ask people for prayer, well that would be easy, I know the importance of prayer and that I need people faithfully lifting me up before the throne as I walk into dark places. However, he has asked me to ask for financial help. Aaaaggghhhh! This is way out of my comfort zone but I have to be obedient.

I know why he has asked me, it is about independence and my always wanting to rely on me because that is what I have always done. This is one of the big lessons he is teaching me this year, that I need other people in more ways that I think! I have no car which means I have to rely on others for lifts, he had me share with my revival group about how hard the week before the anniversary of my husband's death was, he has had me share in my small group and make myself accountable to being interdependent and not independent and this is the next step. Again, aaaaggghhhh!

In obedience though I am going to write and ask people to donate money to my mission fund. The total I need is $1800 or £1150 and it is due in instalments between now and February 2014. God has said that I am not to pay anything until each of the deadline payment dates and then only the amount that must be paid and no more. This too is hard as by my own choice I would pay it all now and then work out my budget to deal with the money I had spent! I know this is a vital lesson for me to learn and I am grateful that God keeps leading me on in the next steps of my growth. I truly am created for greatness and to do mighty things in his name!

If you have read this far, well done! I would like to ask you to partner with me and pray for both my monthly trips to San Francisco and for my Guatamala trip in March. If this is something you would like to do then please email me at michellearthur68@gmail.com and I will add you to a monthly email list where I will send out specific prayer requests. Also, I would like to ask (well, like to is probably not completely true but I know I have to!) if you would prayerfully consider donating something towards my mission trip costs. If you would like to then please visit:

https://trips.ibethel.org/

When you are on the site put my name under traveler (Michelle Arthur) and follow the directions.

I want to thank you now for your support, both for prayer and finance and declare that God in his faithfulness will give you back much more that you give. We can never outgive him and the resources of heaven are his to bestow on who he pleases.

I hope you have been blessed as you have read this. I will let you know how my fundraising goes. Thanks for reading. I truly love you all.

The line in the sand.

Wow! What an amazing, roller coaster few weeks I have had but through it all Papa has been so good. The song that is constantly on my lips at the moment is 'Amazed', so simple but just hits right where I am at the moment.

"You dance over me though I am unaware. You sing over me though I never hear a sound. I'm amazed by you. I'm amazed by you. I'm amazed by you. Oh, how You love me."

I hope as you read this post you are encouraged wherever you are at and can declare this song's simple truth with all your heart.

The night before my birthday we had lots and lots of rain in California. Halelujah! Not just because of the drought but because I love rain. It truly felt like a gift just for me from Papa. I was a little nervous about my birthday, it being the first one since my husband died and the fact that I was off on retreat with 300 other students and I knew there would not be much alone time. I need not have been concerned as Papa woke me up at 11.55pm and we spent the first two hours of my birthday together? Awesome! I sang to Him and He sang to me and just poured out His love all over me. What an amazing way to start to my 46th year!

Retreat was great. The setting of JH ranch was breathtaking, even with the cold and rain! I got some brilliant, confirming prophetic words and pictures. We had wonderful worship and teaching and I loved getting to know the guys in my revival group better. It was fun!

When I got home from retreat one of my lovely friends in the UK had sent me a message. She said she had been thinking about me and the rain and felt God say that the rain before my birthday was a prophetic sign and He was going to draw a line in the sand. She did not know what it meant and neither did I but all will become clear!

Fast forward to last week, Friday 10th October was the first anniversary of my husband's death and I truly did not know how I would feel. I was pleased it was a Friday and that I was not in school though I did volunteer at the Open Heavens conference at Bethel and I was unsure if this was a good thing or not! However, I am getting ahead of myself and I need to go back to Tuesday of that week.

After I got home from school on the Tuesday I went up to get the mail and was surprised to see a small package addressed to me from England. Being a big kid I rushed home eager and excited to see what it contained. Inside there was a wonderful card from my sister-in-law with a beautiful silver hummingbird necklace. What blew me away though were the amazing and encouraging words that she wrote in the card. Wow! The tears came!

The next morning (Wednesday) the tears were still falling and there seemed to be no stopping them. They were not violent tears but a constant weeping. I did not know how I would get through school. I just laid before Papa, as I did not really have any words to say and felt him say to me that I should let my revival group know how I felt by posting on our facebook page. NO WAY was my immediate thought, However, I was obedient and posted this:

This is kinda hard for me to do (am always the strong one!) but believe God is asking me to be real and vulnerable in the moment and not just declare testimony when it's all over. Friday is the one year anniversary from when my husband died and I am feeling very emotional and a little overwhelmed. Really missing my friends and family back home who knew and loved him too and who would just know how I may be feeling without me saying a word. Papa says your my family now so just wanted to let you know that a hug or a smile would be so amazing right now and if I cry, don't worry, Papa's working me through the process. I still have joy in my spirit even when the tears are falling. Love you guys xx

Wow! It was done now and there was no going back! Within a short while I had several lovely comments from my revival group saying they were there for me. Still crying I headed off to school. It was amazing, the tears did not stop but person after person from my revival group came and hugged me and I felt Papa's love through each and every one. I was loved, I was accepted and I was with family!

Thursday morning came and there were still tears though thankfully much more intermittent. before we went to school Lizzie, one of my amazing roomies, came and said God had shown her that there was a bright new dawn for me. it felt like a good word but it seemed like a while away! At school love continued to be poured out on me by my revival group through hugs, words and even a couple of pictures drawn for me. The tears continued to fall off and on. By the end of school I was exhausted and wondered what Friday had in store.

Friday morning arrived and the time it was in the UK when I got up was the time I was arriving home shortly before my husband died one year earlier. Amazingly there were no tears! I read a few messages from people saying they were thinking and praying for me and still no tears. I had got up early enough to spend some time with Papa before I went off to volunteer and so I did. As I was laying before him (there was not much talking on my part) I felt him remind me of the word my friend had given me about the rain. I felt him say the rain before my birthday were the tears before this anniversary and he had now drawn a line in the sand. I just knew that this was my bright new dawn, the old season had passed away and the new season was beginning. It did not mean I would never be sad or miss my hubby, it just meant I had passed from my grief season and the tears were done. Amazing! 

Volunteering at the conference that day was fantastic and I had a great day with lots of fun. I also got lots of opportunity to remember my husband and I remembered him with joy and thankfulness for the great times we had spent together. No tears fell and I knew a deep peace knowing I was able and ready to move on. Wow! God is so good all the time. He planned this to make it work so beautifully. As I let the tears flow earlier in the week, he brought healing so that the line could be drawn and that chapter completed.

To finish this post I just want to give a quick testimony of how awesome Papa truly is and how amazing it is to partner with him. In the morning at the conference there was a lady who said she was from LA but I only saw her briefly. Later in the evening she was leaving with her friend and because I knew she had a long way to travel I asked if I could pray for her journey. She said yes and I prayed. As I was praying I felt Papa say tell her she is going to mentor and encourage young black women, she will teach them to be proud of being black and to know that they have amazing destinies ahead of them and that they can fulfil their dreams. As I told her this tears started streaming down her face and she explained that she had recently got out of prison from a 14 year sentence and the day before her probation officer had asked if she would speak to young women at risk of offending. She now knew that this was something that God wanted her to do and he would help her. Wow! I was blown away by how Papa used me to show this beautiful lady how much he loves her the gold he placed inside of her.

Tomorrow I head to San Francisco to do 2 days of street outreach and I hope to be able to love hell's trash like heaven's treasure and show people that they are loved by God and he has placed amazing things inside of them. I look forward to telling you more. Be blessed and know that wherever you are at you are loved by God and his plan for you is amazing!

Evangelist?

Well, I'm now finished my second week at BSSM and it continues to be amazing but I will tell you more of that in a moment. First I just need to say that God has shown me that my heart surgery last week grafted my heart into Jesus' heart, not on to it. Wow! How awesome is that, my heart truly beats as one with Jesus. Awesome!

So back to the first couple of weeks of school. The words I would use to describe them are (not in any particular order):

Blessed

Challenging

Tiring

Busy

Mind blowing

Worship filled

Fun

Community

Fellowship

Joyous

In the first week we were blessed with great teaching from Bill Johnson and Kris Valloten every day. It truly is a blessing to be able to sit under their teaching and all the other wonderful teachers we are going to have the privilege to hear this year. The scriptural truths about identity and purpose came thick and fast and often left us feeling overloaded. Thankfully, we will hear them all a lot more before we are done!

We also got to meet our Revival Group Pastors and the 3rd year interns that are supporting them. Revival groups are smaller groups (about 65 students in each) that make it much easier to build community and family. As you can imagine that would be quite hard with 1200 other students all at once! My group are lovely and we had a great party on Monday to begin to get to know each other. We went to a place called Whiskey Town Lake which was beautiful and I spent the afternoon (in the shade) laughing and getting to know a few of the ladies in our group. Next week we are not in school but going away for 3 days on retreat with our groups. Have very little idea what it will be like but am pretty certain it will be good fun and full of worship and good teaching.

So, for those of you who are interested, here are some of the nuggets that I have been touched by so far:

If all we do is feast we just get tired and lazy, we need to give what we get away (this is very pertinent to being here as it feels like an amazing feast).

Authority comes from identity but anointing comes from encounter.

You are not the temptations you resist but the virtues you embrace.

Testimony brings glory to God, if we don't minister to the sick we don't give God opportunity to heal so that we can have testimony to bring Him glory.

We become what we see in the watering hole of our imagination, that is, what we think the most important person in our own personal world thinks of us.

The church is the gateway between heaven and earth.

Both God and Satan want us in the wilderness sometimes they just have different intentions, the devil wants to defeat us but God has given us all we need to win.

If we want the peace that passes all understanding then we need to give up our right to understand and be obedient when we speaks not when we gain understanding.

Delayed obedience is disobedience.

These are just a few that stick out to me and we have only been in school 2 weeks! Truth is though that we will not have Bill and Kris every week as our full timetable kicks in as we will have Advanced Ministry Training (AMT) and City Service to do as well. I have signed up for AMTs (have to pick 3 but get one) that are all focused on going deeper with God, building your secret place and your intimacy with Him. This was key to me as I feel it is the sure foundation that everything else will be built upon. For City Service we had to select 5, my number one choice is outreach in San Francisco as I had this on my heart before I ever came but I have also selected outreach in Reno, bar ministry, women's drug rehab and homeless breakfast. Will tell you more about AMT and City Service when I know what options I have got. So excited though and in just know that I will get the ones Papa wants me to have.

Personally, the 4 weeks I have been here have been amazing but at the same time very hard. My last post spoke a little about this, I have had to deal with several lies that I thought were long ago dealt with and they were all around my identity. Thankfully, Papa knows His timing and I got a great word from my roommate Lizzie this week that reminded me that the enemy wanted to take me out because he was scared of my destiny because I am an overcomer! Wow! Immediately, my perspective began to change and my confidence grow. This was helped too by knowing I had an amazing group of ladies praying for me in the UK as my initial reaction to the word was, help! Papa finished the week by giving me a new gift, the gift of evangelism and declaring over me that I am an evangelist. Now I know many people have told me this over the years but I have never believed it. Now, however, I have received it and believe it. I am an evangelist, called to love the hell out of people and see them encounter God!

Looking forward to this week as we go on retreat as a revival group for 3 days and I am excited to see what God wants to do. There is lots of reading for school but I am reading (as an extra) Bob Johnson's Love Stains, he and his wife reach out to the world's trash in San Francisco to treat them as heaven's treasure. I thoroughly recommend it to you all. It is amazing and has only confirmed that I am an evangelist and that I want to reach out to the least and the lost in San Francisco.

Thanks for reading.

Wow! Blown away and amazed!

I have now been in Redding for just over 2 weeks and in truth it feels like home, or at least a home away from home. There have been challenges though, one of which is the heat. I am not complaining about the weather but it does take a little getting used to when it averages between 35 to 40 degrees and you are used to the much cooler climate of the UK. Thankfully, we are heading into autumn and the temperatures will start to fall.

This week has had other challenges too but I am so pleased that Papa is loving and faithful and cares about the little details in our lives. He wants us to know that we know that we know that we are his and that we are in the right place. This is most definitely my testimony over this past week as he has amazed me with his love for me!

During last week I was worshipping when I felt Holy Spirit say that I needed to refute the lie that I was a fraud and that I was not saved. This surprised me as I thought this lie had long been dealt with but having learnt to trust Holy Spirit I went ahead and did it. As I was declaring the truth afterwards I found myself laughing and saying to the enemy that I laughed at his attempt to derail me with his lie. I have never done this before and wondered why now? Then Holy Spirit reminded me that I have been declaring certain truths over myself daily for the last week, one of which was that I laugh at the lies of the enemy! Wow! After this I knew that I was in the right place for the right time but Papa was not finished with me yet! But more of that in a moment.

For those who want to know a little about what I'm getting up to, here's a quick summary. My roommates and I have spent time getting to know one another more and exploring the beautiful scenery that is all around us. We have been to Shasta Dam (the water in the reservoir is really low, please pray for rain), Mount Shasta (awesome, even without much snow), Burney Falls (truly spectacular) and we hiked Flannagan's Trail (sadly, I think, we did not see a mountain lion!). We have also had a couple of nights when new friends came round to visit and enjoy our veranda view. Still blown away by how awesome that view is! Then, on Friday we registered for school followed in the evening by a social for all BSSM over 40s. Exciting!

Back to Papa and his plans for me! Last night I went to our allocated weekend service, 6pm at Twin View and it was amazing. Over the last few days I have been talking to God about living for an audience of one (Him) all the time and during the worship at Twin View this continued. At some point someone prayed for me (I have no idea who or what they prayed) and God met with me powerfully as my Healer. He gave me heart surgery! That is, he grafted my heart to that of Jesus and then put them both in me. Wow! I am truly united with Jesus because our hearts beat together as one! My identity is eternally secure!

That, in itself would be enough to say it was an amazing night but God still was not finished with me yet! As it was the Sunday night before school started and the service is mostly students there was lots of ministry time. One of the calls was for people who had experienced some loss before coming to school. Wow! Instantly I knew God wanted me to go for prayer and the tears started coming. To begin with I had no idea why I was crying, was it just part of the grief, was I missing my hubby? Then it hit me as Holy Spirit brought revelation, I felt guilty for being in Redding because my husband was dead. I felt guilty because I was enjoying being here and was expectant and excited for school. I felt guilty because I should not be here and would not be here if he was alive. This was not what I had expected!

Thankfully, it was no surprise to Papa and he had set me up to deal with it. When I had arrived at church I had spoken to my Revival Group Pastor (my spiritual oversight here) to let her know that the day we go on retreat (later this month) would be my first birthday without my hubby and I did not know how I would be. As a result of this conversation she knew a little of my situation and came to pray with me. She stood with me as I refuted the lies that I am guilty and declared the truth that there is no condemnation in Christ Jesus and that I am here because God purposed for me to be here. Yes, my life would have looked very different and been very happy if my hubby were still here but he is not and it is okay for me to enjoy my life here and be expectant for what God wants to do. How amazing is that!

This journey that I have been on, that I am on, is a journey of discovering more of who God is. A journey of discovering more of who I am because of all that God is. A journey of discovering how who God is and who I am come together so that I can fulfil the purpose and destiny he created me for. It is not always easy but I am never on my own, I am never left to flounder because Holy Spirit is with me and as I learn to trust Him more He leads me into more revelation, more freedom and greater relationship and encounter. I do not fully know what this year holds for me but I am eager to find out and hold to the words He has spoken to me that it is bigger than I think. Wow! I have big vision but His is bigger!

I hope this has encouraged you on your journey. Today is my first day in school and as I head off I am full of joy and expectation to discover all he has for me today, just today. I pray as you read this you are full of joy and expectation for what he has for you to discover today too. Be blessed, I am!

Unclipped wings or The eagle has landed, if only to learn how to fly higher and take off again!

Wow! What can I say? Here I am sat in Redding, California preparing to start one of the most exciting seasons of my life. However, just at the moment it is pretty mundane and normal. I am kidding, how can can it be mundane and normal. Even trying to get the shopping and household items I need is an adventure. It is all so different here.  

So, I just want to tell you about my last few days in the UK, my journey and my first few days in the US. It has been fun, tiring and a n interesting adventure!

My last few days in the UK (after having said goodbye to all my family and friends) was spent in Kent with Lizzie, my roomie. It was a strange feeling for me to begin with as I felt like I was in limbo, like I had left one place and now was just waiting to reach the new one, it felt like I was between two worlds. Papa soon put me straight though by pointing out that, though I may be between seasons I was not between two worlds as I am always in his Kingdom wherever I am. Wow! This also means that every moment matters wherever I am, even in a place of waiting I can bring the Kingdom because that is my place of residence.

Our journey to Redding was good and Papa definitely blessed us as it was smooth and we got through Homeland Security with ease. The best part of the journey was when we came down the escalator in Sacramento airport to see Amy waiting for us. At last the three roomies were together in person and it felt great. The trip back to Redding was slightly longer than expected as we headed the wrong way down the I5 for about an hour so 3 hours became 5. We were all blessed though by the fact that we did not have to drive to Portland because that would be another 450 miles. Thank God for his blessings! After 26 hours of being awake Lizzie and I were just so pleased to see our ready made beds. Thank you Amy!

Now to my first couple of days in Redding. Wow! It has been amazing and I love this new adventure. I love my roomies and how fun it has been to start doing life together. I know there will be ups and downs but I am determined to seek out the gold in each of them, to be their greatest supporter and encourager and I know that this is true for them of me. Papa truly knew what he was doing when he put us together. Surprise, surprise!

I have done lots of ordinary stuff that is made extraordinary just because I am in a different vulture. Who knew you could open 2 bank accounts and walk out with cheques and a bank card within 30 minutes? Well you can, because I did it! I've also negotiated my first weekly shop for food and survived, even though the Walmart was almost the size of Leicester. Okay, that may be a little exaggeration but it was big!

I have felt at peace the whole time I have been here, probably not too hard as this is only day 3! However, when we went to Friday night worship I began to feel inadequate and was questioning why I was here. Papa is amazing though and just gave me confirmation after confirmation that I was in the right place at the right time. Firstly, a lady from Tulsa gave me a beautiful bracelet she had made and as she did Papa told me it was my 'belonging bracelet' because for now I am home. Wow! Then as we were worshiping he showed me how over recent months he had strengthened me to enable me to stand and not just to stand anywhere but to stand in Redding. He then reminded me that my Bethel interviewer had declared over me that where I was in September was the right place and Papa told me to stand on that truth. He then said that part of his discipline for me this year (because I am his beloved daughter) is to learn even more to refute the lies and declare the truth, capturing all thoughts to Jesus so that I stand on the firm foundation that is mine. I am the daughter of the King, loved and cherished and priceless in my Father's eyes. Wow! Identity is key and he wants to take me deeper and deeper still. Then the preach was all about knowing that because of Jesus, because he is our Good Shepherd who never leaves us and because of who we are in him we do not need to feel inadequate. How awesome was that!

So now on day 3 of my time in Redding I am still in awe of all that God has done to get me here and all that he plans to do but I know that I know that I know that I am where I am supposed to be. I know that a Papa is unclipping my wings so that he can teach me to fly and to fly high, soaring with Holy Spirit in ways I have never dreamt of. I know too that it is bigger than I think and he is going to surprise me lots, stretch me lots and challenge me lots but I will never be alone for he is with me every step of the way. I can do nothing but stand amazed and say have your way in me, I want to be all you created me to be and fulfil the purpose and destiny you have ordained for me, which for now is Bethel.

I am exceedingly brave and courageous!

In the 10 months since my husband died God has been working tirelessly in me and for me to bring about his purposes. That is, to see me walk into the destiny he has ordained for me, healed and whole. Jesus has already done it all, I am just learning to walk in more and more of it, day by day. Wow! I am the daughter of the King, cherished and loved and my future is assured. There may be sadness as well as laughter but I will always have joy available to me, even in the darkest days. Wow! This truly has been my testimony over the last 10 months since my husband died.

Since January, when God first spoke to me about going to Bethel School of Supernatural Ministry (BSSM) in Redding, he has been so faithful in preparing the way for me. In fact, his provision has been abundant and definitely more than enough. This provision has included (although I have only just recognised this) how I have viewed what I am doing by going to BSSM, because until last week it was no big thing. It was nothing major, nothing brave, I was just being obedient and that was that. This was definitely God's blessing while I was dealing with all the other things that needed doing (like selling a house!). Wow! However, now the other stuff is all done God has changed that perspective and given me a little reality check!

Things started to change last week as I began to say my last goodbyes to some very dear people. As I began to consider that I would not see these people until next summer it slowly began to dawn on me that being away for 10 months was quite a big thing! This set me down the path to think about what was big about it and as I did I felt Holy Spirit reminded me that in Papa's eyes I am exceedingly brave and courageous. This immediately got the response from me that I am not and Holy Spirit and I then spent some time where he corrected my thinking. He is good at that and the upshot is I am exceedingly brave and courageous!

The reason I am brave and courageous is I am moving to live in America for 10 months (likely to go back for a second 10 months too) and that is a giant step for me! The list Holy Spirit showed me surprised me, I knew it all but had not really considered it. Here it is:

I have sold my house leaving me homeless in the UK. I am not roofless though, I have many generous and wonderful offers of places to stay on my return but I no longer have a home here.

I am leaving behind my precious family, including my son and my amazing grandson. This one is very big as we have only been rebuilding relationship for 10 months.

I am leaving behind my wonderful church home. I will be back but having missed them all dearly after just missing 2 weeks, 10 months is going to be hard. Bethel Church will be wonderful I know but they are not my immediate family, they're like the cousins you see sometimes!

I am leaving behind many wonderful friends who I will miss dearly, including all my Godchildren and their families. I realised too that with all the children, including my grandson, 10 months is a mighty long time and they will change so much in that time. Skype will help but it us not the same as being there. I will so miss all the hugs and running round being silly with them all.

I am going to a country and a culture that is strange to me and was not top of my list to visit. I am leaving the security of knowing how things work and what is acceptable in most situations. I am going to be out of my depth and unsure, something I do not like much.

I am going to spend a proportion of my house sale money on living in America for 2 years, that is spending and not earning.

All in all, this move is a big thing and I truly can agree with Holy Spirit on it now, I am exceedingly brave and courageous. However, I would also add that I am brave and courageous because I am loved by the Creator of the universe, because I know that he has a plan for my future to prosper me and give me hope, because I know that he is always faithful in everything he does and will not let me fall, because I know with him I am more than a conqueror and can do all the things he calls me too.

Yes, going to America is a big thing but my Papa is bigger still so I will recognise the enormity of what I am doing and run at this challenge as fast as I can with excitement, expectation, joy and thanksgiving because I am never alone in it, Almighty God, Creator of all things is with me every step of the way! Halelujah!

Whatever you face today just remember that God is so much bigger and loves you unconditionally, lean on him and let him guide you. It may not always be easy but it will always be amazing and your faith, hope and joy will abound. Be blessed.

Trust without borders!

Woohoo!! Completion on my house completed last Friday and God was faithful even though at times it looked impossible! So here is the journey Papa has taken me on to get my house sold, the good stuff and the not so good. I have written some of this previously but felt Papa say that I should tell the complete story.

After Christmas I started to seriously sort out my house to sell it. There was a lot to do, including putting in a new floor, ceiling and cabinets in the kitchen. Thankfully I had some good friends who gave me their expertise and their time. Eventually, with a lot of person hours and 4 skips later the house was ready to go on the market in April.

I felt that Papa said at that time that I should expect an asking price offer within 2 weeks and contracts in 6 weeks. Sure enough I got an asking price offer within the 2 weeks (or at least I would have done had the estate agents done their job properly) but sadly it fell through. The couple who had made the offer were my neighbours friends and I felt Papa say that I should offer to rent it to them. This made sense to me as it would mean contracts in 6 weeks, granted different contracts to those I imagined but contracts nonetheless!

I got the phone number for the lady who had made the offer, I knew she was very upset at not being able to buy it as she had set her heart on it and the house was beside her best friend. I rang her and offered to rent her the house for a couple of years until they would be in a position to buy it. She was lost for words and did not know what to say. We agreed that she would ring me the next day with a decision. I was so blessed just to have the conversation with her knowing that the offer had blown her away. I was also quite certain that they would rent it.

The next day she rang me back. First she told me that she could not believe someone would do what I had done. She said it was truly the nicest thing anyone had ever done for her. However, she chose not to rent it as she was concerned they may not be able to buy it in a few years and she wanted security. I understood completely and was amazed that what I thought was such a simple offer had had such an impact! This impact was confirmed when my neighbour (her best friend) told me that my offer had lifted her friend out of depression that was setting in. Wow! The offer was simply for the offer so that this lady could be blessed. Love how Papa works. 

Had to accept at this point that I had probably heard wrong about contracts in 6 weeks (unless it meant 6 weeks from accepting an offer) but that was fine, I know I don't always hear right and sometimes my desires get in the way. I wanted contracts in 6 weeks. I wanted everything sorted quickly so that I knew it was done and I could sort out all the other stuff I needed to do with ease. Papa knew my wants but he also knew what would be best for me and that was his plan!

Of course, this now meant that I still had a house I needed to sell and thankfully I had another asking price offer within about a week of the first one falling through. Wow! Would contracts be done in 6 weeks? My solicitor said they could be but it was not to be, 9 weeks later I was still waiting and all sorts of hurdles had been raised in the process. 

Finally, in the 10th week I finally had a phone call saying that the buyers mortgage had been approved and we could go ahead. The following Monday I got a message from my solicitor saying the mortgage had come in the wrong name but as soon as that was sorted we would be ready to go. I spoke to the estate agents who had arranged the mortgage and gave them a deadline, a week on Friday to complete or I would withdraw from the sale. Two days later we had a letter from the buyers solicitor asking for new information that could take 4-6 weeks to obtain. Aaarggh!

At this point I was a little frustrated as it seemed like everything that could possibly delay this sale had and there was only about 6 weeks until I left the country and I had lots to do once the house was completed. However, I felt Holy Spirit say I should trust for my contracts to complete the next Friday, at the point he said this it looked impossible from a human perspective but I decided to declare and believe truth. Not easy! It was made harder as I believe that Holy Spirit said that God loves the 11th hour, that is the last moment to do anything, as that builds our faith.

The estate agents had told me that completion generally needs to be arranged 5 working days in advance so that funds can be organised, so to me, the next day was the 11th hour (the Friday before the Friday I wanted to complete). Just before close of business on the Friday my solicitor rang, my 11th hour. The issue with the mortgage name had been resolved but not the additional information question, though there was a fairly good chance this could be done on the Monday. We left it that she would ring me Monday and confirm whether we could still complete on Friday, thankfully the mortgage provider of the buyer did not need 5 days to arrange funds. It was looking looking more positive!

Late on Monday evening, bless my solicitor for working late, I received an email saying that the paperwork issue had been resolved and the buyer was keen to complete on Friday. Woohoo!! However, the buyer still needed to return the signed mortgage deed and pay their deposit before contracts could be exchanged and completion arranged. She would keep me informed, it may or may not be Friday.

By the Thursday morning I had heard nothing but as I was driving to Huntingdon I was singing Oceans or more specifically the lines:

"Spirit lead me where my trust is without borders, let me walk upon the waters wherever you would call me, take me deeper than my feet could ever wander where my faith is made much stronger in the presence of my Saviour"

As I was singing I felt Holy Spirit say to think about what I was singing and then say that I should expect my faith to be stretched when I asked for it. I have been singing these words over and over recently and he showed me that the ups and downs I was seeing with the house was my answer. Wow! For a brief moment I thought I might not sing it any more but it did not last very long, I was soon singing it again!

I still had no idea whether we would complete the next day but I was determined to believe what Holy Spirit had spoken to me, it would happen. Woohoo!! God is so good. About lunchtime on that Thursday I had an email saying we had exchanged contracts and we would complete the next day. Wow! Though I had to wait until the 11th hour to find out, God was faithful and we did complete last Friday.

I am so thankful that Papa is always faithful but I am also grateful that he knows what I need to grow in each and every situation I face. There were times when I wondered if I had got it all wrong, especially when I did not get contracts in 6 weeks but the truth is Holy Spirit leads us in ways that maximise our growth, even when we do not quite hear it all clearly and let our own desires get in the way. Wow! Love how God works! Love how he knows how each situation will challenge and grow me and has patience with me in it!

Thanks for reading, hope it was encouraging!

I am significant and not a fraud!

Firstly and nothing to do with my blog title I just want to say, woohoo and aaargh!!! After my post last week, a friend and I are now going to Alton Towers in the next few weeks so that I can go on Oblivion. Not so sure now that I really, really, really want to go on it now but it just has to be done!

So to this week's subject, this is a bit of a hard one again but seeing as Papa has once again brought release and freedom I want to give glory to him with my testimony.

One of my gifts is that I am an encourager, I love to get words from Holy Spirit to build up those around me, especially women. I also love when Papa uses me to challenge people into stepping out and doing new things. The last couple of weeks have included both.

Firstly, I was given a word for a friend that I gave and it encouraged her into stepping out in faith to do something and the result was awesome. Wow! I love being on Papa's team.

Next is something that has not happened for about 9 months. Before my husband died I used to send a lot of encouraging texts to the people I knew, some specific words for people and some just wonderful truths that edify and build up. I had not done this since my husband died but felt Holy Spirit leading me to send a few texts last week. All the texts were specific for particular people and I was really encouraged myself as people texted me to say how they were encouraged. Wonderful!

As a result of the texts I ended up meeting with two ladies individually and seeing God work in both their lives. Unexpected but awesome. Again, I so love being on Papa's team and seeing him at work.

I then got the words 'push off' that I really felt were for another friend but it sounds kind of rude so it took me a while to text it. I should know by now just to go for it, as the person texted back saying it was absolutely right. Wow!

Now you would think after a week like that I would be super encouraged and be walking in the full knowledge of my identity in Jesus. Me too, but on Saturday night I had a big wobble. I was at Women of Presence, an awesome women's event run by my church. We had amazing worship and Holy Spirit came and presenced himself with us and this was followed by an awesome preach. Holy Spirit gave me a word to give to the woman who had spoken and then I went to the back and got on my knees. As soon as I did I started crying and as I started crying I was just overwhelmed with a sense of being a fraud and not belonging in that room full of wonderful ladies and how dare I think I heard from God for others. This was not what I was expecting!

At that point I had two choices, believe or refute the lie. Thankfully I recognised it as a lie and was able to deal with it there and then. The minute I had done this I got a word for one of the leaders of our church that was linked to something I had seen and felt earlier. Wow! This was a real test as to whether I had dealt with the lie or not, would I give the word or just go home. I did start to gather the ladies I was taking home to go but then said I would be back in a moment and went and gave the word. Know that step of obedience was a key to my freedom in this!

The next morning at church during the worship I knew Papa wanted me face down on the floor. That was fine, however I felt him say that I had to do it in the centre of church where everyone can see me. Aargh! I was obedient, though I did not like it because I felt on show, and spent the rest of the meeting like that. It was not that I could not get up, I just knew Papa was saying I should stay there. Well, I did know Papa wanted me there and then I started doubting. Am I lying here to make myself look good? Am I trying to convince myself that I really am not a fraud? Then, at the end of the preach they spoke about lives laid down and as clear as day Papa said, 'do you think it's a coincidence you are on your face now?'. I would like to say at this point I leapt up rejoicing and praising God but that would be a lie. What I did was get to my knees and say to Papa that if I had heard him right I wanted someone to come to me with a word. Wow! Papa is so loving and faithful as one of the beautiful ladies at church came and told me she had been praying for me that morning and had been told to tell me I was loved with an everlasting love. Thankfully, Then I got up and rejoiced and praised God. He truly is awesome, even when we test him to the nth degree!

So the truth is I am significant, the Creator of heaven and earth loves me with an everlasting love and calls me his priceless daughter. I am not a fraud, that is a lie. Wow!

Lastly, before it finish this post I just want to bring you up to date on the house sale and what I am believing God for. I believed that we would complete next week and then at the beginning of this week a spanner was put in the works. The spanner means that there are two possibilities, the first is we still complete next week and the second is we may be able to complete in 4 or 5 weeks. I am believing that because my God is faithful we will complete next week (the other option brings far too much complication really!), however I have had no further news for 2 days. This seems a little scary but Papa is always teaching us and training us, preparing us in the now for what lies ahead. Yesterday he showed me in a variety of ways that he wanted me to believe and he reminded me that he is the God of the 11th hour and likes to step in at the last possible moment because this builds faith. So my declaration of faith today is that before close of business tomorrow I will know we will complete next Friday. Thankfully because my Papa is so faithful I do not stand in this alone but have many awesome women of God standing with me. Wow! Blessed! Excited! Will let you know how Papa works in this to his glory.

I hope you have been encouraged as you have read this. We all struggle at times but Papa is so faithful to meet us where we are at, dust down our hurts and encourage us to move forward again. He just asks that we trust him and believe the truth he says about us. We are priceless, you are priceless because he paid the highest price to rescue you, his Son.