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.

Wow! Oblivion!



So why have I started this blog with a picture of the Oblivion ride at Alton Towers? Well, I realised on Sunday that it was only 7 weeks until my last time with my wonderful church family and it's roller coaster scary and exciting. You know what I mean, that feeling of nervousness and anticipation as you reach the top before the long drop, you know it is going to be amazing but a little scary too! I shared that with a dear friend and they shared a picture that had been given at a recent meeting that Papa brought to mind. The picture was of Oblivion and the vertical drop in the ride literally takes your breath away. Wow! Papa was saying that this next step, this scary but exciting step, is going to take my breath away. How awesome is that! 

The next 8 weeks, I fly on 20th August, are full of a combination of sorting bits and pieces out and a lot of goodbyes. It is a strange feeling trying to stay focussed on the present and all that Papa wants to do today while saying lots of goodbyes and being so excited about my next season but the journey has already started. Each and every day is part of it and if I look for it Papa has opportunities for me to grow and step out in faith and boldness. I truly am blessed in this season as well as the one to come.

Just want to share a quick story of me trying and in part succeeding, to step out in faith and boldness. Last Sunday I went for lunch with a friend and we went to Frankie and Benny's, my first ever meal in one, how sad is that! Anyway, we had a great waiter and I said to my friend I was asking Papa for a word for him. When we came to pay for the meal I decided it was now or never, I either was bold and gave him the word or I would chicken out and never know what could have been. So, I told him what I thought Papa had said and, though he did not see it as directly relating to him, he then told us of how his son had died 3 years ago and about his life since then. Wow! That was not quite what I was expecting. However, we then got to declare peace over his life and we left. Did Jesus touch him through us, I think so, I'm sure he does not tell all his customers about the loss of his son. What difference did our input have? I don't know but I would hope he now knows that God cares about his situation if nothing else. It was important for me though, I have learnt that I would rather step out and look foolish than stay quiet and miss out on seeing what God can and will do through me.

That's it for now. Hope you enjoyed this and are encouraged for your own journey, wherever you are on it. Be blessed!