In The Presence of the Almighty

Get Ready

2009-07-06T22:50:00.002-04:00

On April 25, 2009 the Lord gave me a vision that the Lord said is a 'NOW PROPHETIC WORD' for the Body of Christ to get ready for what is about to come. In obedience, I am now releasing this word.

Vision and Word:

I saw an insect with transparent wings ready to go on a superflight, like a race car at a start line revving up its engines to take off at great speed. This insect was the same. It was like it was getting ready to be released at supernatural lightning speed.

I then saw the insects being released upon the earth. Tons of insects. When the insects were let go, I saw 'supernatural hands' in the air that released them, as if they were in an east to west or west to east direction. They were not released vertically but meant to encompass the earth.

I then heard the words that the insects were being released upon the earth like an affliction.

I then saw those that love and serve the Lord being set apart and saved from these afflictions. The Lord was showing great mercy and grace.

The unsaved were curious as to why these Christians weren't afflicted. God is giving an opportunity to introduce the unsaved to Jesus.

The Lord wants the Body of Christ to get ready to share Jesus to the afflicted and unsaved.

Meets Grandpa and Uncle for the First time!

2008-02-20T14:41:00.002-05:00

On this day Daniel got to meet my Dad and Brother for the first time at 6 weeks old. They were unable to come visit right after he was born. Daniel found his Grandpa to be such a delight and was full of smiles when Dad spoke to him. Today Daniel held a bottle inbetween his hands while Dad was feeding him. This was a first for Daniel.

One Month Old

2008-02-18T22:26:00.004-05:00

October 8, 2007

This day I dressed up Daniel in an 'outfit' for the first time other than sleepers and onesies. It was a nice warm day and we went over to Grandma and Grandpa's for Thanksgiving dinner.

Daniel had a nice nap with Grandma outside on the patio.

First Trip to the Park

2008-02-18T22:19:00.003-05:00

September 20, 2007

Daniel here was one day shy of three weeks old. We decided to pack up the stroller and take him to the park for the first time. Here we are sitting at the top if the hill just before the beach on the waterfront. The breeze off the lake was cool, but the sun was warm.

What an awesome time sitting there with my husband enjoying our precious gift from the Lord, our sweet Daniel.

Daniel

2008-02-15T18:29:00.000-05:00

Wow! It has been a very long time since I have posted! For those of you that may pop by this site, this picture is for you!

Daniel, my first child, was born on September 7, 2007. He is only one week old in this picture with my husband Jeff and I.

Today he is over 5 months and one week old. I will post more pictures, stories and updates as I find the time.

I praise the Lord for the wonderful blessings in my life! My husband Jeff and my son Daniel are awesome.

Daniel

2007-04-01T13:42:00.000-04:00

I have not written on this blog for some time, and the times before that have been sporadic. There have been so many wonderful, pleasant changes in my life in less than a year.

My husband and I found out earlier this year through a positive pregnancy test that we would be having a baby. This is a picture of our little Daniel on this ultrasound taken March 6th.

This baby was foretold just prior to us being married. The Lord said we would be having a baby as a gift of our union. 10 weeks later we conceived, maybe sooner. Praise the Lord! The later ultrasounds will confirm more of his size.

We are thrilled and truly blessed by this pregnancy. He is an active little guy, always moving in the womb.

Daniel will be a mighty warrior for the Lord and a mighty man of God!

Lord we give Him completely to you. Jeff and I desire to be the Godly parents you want us to be. We pray you guide us through all things. We thank you for the angel you sent to watch over us and the baby.

PRAISE BE TO THE LORD!

Footwashing Ceremony

2006-12-23T17:57:00.000-05:00

John 13:1-17

Now before the Feast of the Passover, Jesus knowing that His hour had come that He would depart out of this world to the Father, having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to the end.
During supper, the devil having already put into the heart of Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon, to betray Him,
Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into His hands, and that He had come forth from God and was going back to God,
*got up from supper, and *laid aside His garments; and taking a towel, He girded Himself.
Then He *poured water into the basin, and began to wash the disciples' feet and to wipe them with the towel with which He was girded.
So He *came to Simon Peter. He *said to Him, "Lord, do You wash my feet?"
Jesus answered and said to him, "What I do you do not realize now, but you will understand hereafter."
Peter *said to Him, "Never shall You wash my feet!" Jesus answered him, "If I do not wash you, you have no part with Me."
Simon Peter *said to Him, "Lord, then wash not only my feet, but also my hands and my head."
Jesus *said to him, "He who has bathed needs only to wash his feet, but is completely clean; and you are clean, but not all of you."
For He knew the one who was betraying Him; for this reason He said, "Not all of you are clean."
So when He had washed their feet, and taken His garments and reclined at the table again, He said to them, "Do you know what I have done to you?
"You call Me Teacher and Lord; and you are right, for so I am.
"If I then, the Lord and the Teacher, washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet.
"For I gave you an example that you also should do as I did to you.
"Truly, truly, I say to you, a slave is not greater than his master, nor is one who is sent greater than the one who sent him.
"If you know these things, you are blessed if you do them.

Jeffery and I, through the leading of the Holy Spirit, decided to have a footwashing ceremony. We chose to use this as a symbol for the servant mentality as husband and wife as Jesus demonstrated through this teaching. We will serve him together and will serve one another unto the obedience of Christ through the course of our marriage and ministry as we pursue the purposes of the Kingdom.

Wedding Picture

2006-12-21T08:08:00.000-05:00

For those of you that may wonder what happened to me and why I stopped blogging for awhile...

I married Jeffery on September 22, 2006.

Life has been very busy, full of constant change. I am now fully concentrating on my studies. My goal is to finish this degree as quickly as possible. Last year I was only able to work on two credits due to a cross-country move, getting married, etc. I am finishing up the second course right now, just about to start my final essay.

On that note, I will blog later giving a testimony to Jeffery and I. I hope to publish part of this story in a book later on.

I will try to post a couple more pictures.

Life is about to Change Part 2

2006-09-18T08:19:00.000-04:00

This will be a post today of minimal detail. I last wrote a post on May 7th. I had a series of dreams and prophetic words/events that have dramatically changed the course of my life.

The last post ended with thoughts of a husband. Well, truthfully, 3 days before that God revealed whom that husband would be. I thought I would keep that information to myself until it was God' s timing.

Anyway, the timing is now. I moved to another province, in obedience to the Lord. Now, in four days I am getting married. The man I am marrying I have known for over six years. It was a surprise when the Lord revealed to me marrying this friend. This friend also received revelation from the Lord that I was to be his wife.

The Lord is good all of the time! I praise Him for His choice in a husband, that He knows me better than I know myself. I will post soon, after the wedding. Right now things are very busy.
Thanks for reading and sharing in with this glorious event!

Life is about to Change

2006-05-07T13:51:00.000-04:00

On the morning of May 2 2006, I came to my computer to read my email. This was after having a rather unusual, but positive dream. Below are the email and the dream I have received:

Here is the prophetic word, come through an email:

This word submitted by Lonnie Mackley:

They Will Look To You My dear one, you have spent many years being prepared by Me so I had much of your outer life shut down along with many of the normal relationships that could have possibly distracted you while I was changing you. I allowed only what was necessary and useful in your time of growth and healing to remain in your life, but now that most of your time of transformation is now complete I will be opening up many new and old doors to relationships where people will come to you to receive from Me and to serve. Get ready to get busy locally as well as globally my dear one for I will place you upon peoples hearts and some will even dream of you because I am sending them to you for ministry and to also minister with you. So even though you have just survived in a cave for so very long now I will be changing things and causing your dwelling to be expanded and improved to accommodate all those who will be sent to you. Be willing to be open to the many new things that will come because they are right at your door. Even old friends and family that have left your life long ago will suddenly be drawn to you again and new opportunities to help your community will be opening up very soon so be willing to be joined to others within your area that have finished their wilderness time like you have. I will build large families on large pieces of land so though you have dwelt like a hermit you will now be part of a very large and loving family. They are coming my love and they will look to you so open your heart wide and let them in.

My Dream ( I just finished dreaming this dream immediately before going on the computer to read the prophetic word):

I was stuck in a cave with a bear. Somehow I was trapped inside with this bear where I could not gain access to the outside. I managed to trust God and befriend this bear. I was able to get out of this cave unharmed. I was with this bear for a whole week. While the bear fell asleep I managed to climb out early in the morning under a deck. I walked though portions of this cave in dirt. This opening under the deck was extremely narrow and required thought, courage, and trusting God to get out. I would be in serious harm if someone were to walk on the deck, possibly collapsing my chest as I had to squeeze and push myself out. As I came out into the bright morning sun, there was music playing on a ghetto blaster, clothes on the table…a lot were mine, but alot of the clothes were a man's clothes, and there were balloons for a man and myself. The man came out onto the deck as I was examining the clothes. I told him when he came out that I was not stealing his clothes. He knew I had been with the bear and came out to greet me…he said…”Just in time for your birthday. Yes, in a few days I replied. I said it is your birthday now isn’t it? He said yes. I knew I had to go and re-acquaint myself with some friends who may have questions about the bear, plus I needed to get cleaned up. I saw some friends all in a van and was happy to see them. They were not shocked by my experience. I almost was sad that they weren’t more worried, but were happy to see me, but not over-joyous. But then what shocked me more was the attitude that gee…my primary goal in coming back is to not have them looking at me that way, having to need that attention. I was more concerned with the fact that I had begun to stink a little while I was in the cave and really needed to wash. I felt peace.

It was like the friends weren’t in shock or in alarm because they knew I had to go through that experience. Very interesting. Also, the need to wash fits in with a santification process the Lord has led me into starting mid-April. My focus is to press into the Lord allowing Him to strengthen and build my character, while washing away the impurities that prevent me from walking closer to Him.
What is even more fascinating is that every time I have had a dream about bears, it has been in fear. They have been out to hurt or harm me. For years I have been having nightmares about bears...until now. Interesting. After I thought I should go visit the bear if I was able to befriend him…then it occurred tome…no, the bear may be different if I were to voluntarily go back in. This time with the bear was for a season.
After reading the prophetic word about coming out of the cave, it was an amazing moment with the Lord. He had been communicating to me through several sources.

The Lord has been speaking to me about a husband for awhile now. I know that I am ready and God has a man ready for me. Coming out of the cave and seeing the clothes, the man, the balloons, etc. really made me wonder. Hmmm...am I about to meet the man whom will one day be my husband? Or...God will reveal that man to me? It is interesting that we were both in the 'birthday' moment. My earthly birthday is just 6 weeks away. In this dream our birthdays were close together. I do not know why or exactly what it represents.

I am not sure what all of this means nor will I try to figure it out. I know the Lord will reveal more in His timing.

Healing on March 8, 2006

2006-04-08T02:00:00.000-04:00

This is long overdue to be giving God glory through this medium for the healing that happened on March 8th, but better late than never. I have been giving God glory, praise and honour everywhere and anytime I can.

One week before March 8th, as I was having dinner with the ladies in my prayer group, I had mentioned to the ladies that I wanted prayer to be set free from worrying about what others think, second guessing myself, etc. I mentioned that I had suffered from low self esteem in the past due to the many traumatic experiences I had suffered. I said to the ladies that I wanted to be set free from this as God is planning to take me forward in ministry and use me in a way that will bring glory to Him. The Lord gave me a vision to show me that all I have been doing is mowing my lawn. There was a root that I kept mowing over, but only trimming it, not removing it. The grass was very green and well manicured, etc. The Holy Spirit impressed upon me that I was doing alot of work to improve my self esteem, confidence, etc...but the root remained. I told the ladies about the vision and we agreed to pray all week and then the following Wednesday we would pray for a full, complete deliverance from the bondage of the enemy and have the root removed.

I cannot begin to tell you how excited I was that the Lord was finally going to heal me in this area of my life. I did not know what to expect but had great anticipation of the power of the Holy Spirit. The Lord has been using us ladies in an amazing way. We are seeing the Lord do awesome work!

The first part of the ministry was that the Lord revealed that curses had been spoken over me as an infant. Some of the surrounding components confirmed that this was indeed, true and from the Lord. We broke off the negative words (such as the term 'spawn of satan'), asked the Lord to bless, prayed prayers of forgiveness and took back the ground the enemy had stolen from me. I am not a child of the enemy, but a CHILD OF GOD! Hallelujah! We spoke these words in the power of the Holy Spirit and praised God! As this was prayed I felt something release from me, like a roar... something demonic. Satan no longer had a foothold and the enemy could no longer have camp in my life in that area. Satan had no choice but to flee as the Lord healed me.

At this point we realized there was more work that needed to be done and that this root was still present. Us ladies went into more serious prayer and intercesion. What happened next was incredible, almost beyond comprehension. The Lord used as as pieces of a puzzle, bringing piece by piece together. The Lord decided he wanted to do spiritual surgery with me and wanted me to lay down and receive. Sooo...as a group we all praised God and prayed. We sang and worshipped, allowing the Lord to do His work.

As I was laying down, the Lord started to speak to me through vision and the subtle voice of the Holy Spirit. I could not do anything but wait, listen, watch and recieve. I was powerless in my own strength. The Lord showed me the root and what it looked like. TheLord, the Master gardener, started to remove the dirt around this root ever so gently, being careful not to break fragments off. The Lord was smiling at me and looked like this job was effortless to Him, the entire time filled with joy and peace. I wanted to help the Lord remove the ground, but I could not move toward Him. All I could do was watch. As the Lord removed most of the dirt, I could see wha5t the root looked like. It was deep, and had many different root fragments. The inside of the root looked like a spine. When I looked into the hole I could see a little whitish worm. The Lord said "Don't worry child" and flicked the worm out of the hole away from the root.

At this very exact time, one of the ladies, whom was praying over me and holding my hand mentioned that the Lord was removing something away. I confirmed she was right. That was the only communication I had during this time of spiritual surgery, of God removing the root, that anyone spoke to me.

After the Lord removed the worm I looked and saw that the end of the root looked like a spine with nerve root endings coming out of it. As the Lord removed the final remnants of the soil, I could see the end of it and it was some kind of worm, white in nature, with a yellowish head. Like the other worm, it was alive! Wow! The worm was in the shape of a human spine with many root fragments coming out going through the soil. I aksed the Lord to mkae sure there were no roots left in the soil. I told Him I no longer wanted this root to fester my soil.

The Lord laughed and smiled, like an inside joke...no job is too great for Him! He then placed a fire, like a ball or poof that burned up the remaining remanants and completely destroyed the root. This hole had been left with ashes, providing a firm foundation for fresh growth to take place, nurturing the soil.

The Lord then asked me to hold out my hands. As I did so, he completely filled up my palms, cupped together, with seeds. Each individual seed had my name intricately written on them. The Lord then took some rich, fertile soil and I planted the seeds with Him in this area where the hole had been. The Lord then watered this area and the most beautiful, unique, interesting flowers started to grow. Karen flowers! Completely unique, with a fragrnce that is subtle yet captivating. I could smell the fragrance emanating from these flowers. They were beautifuly pink and white, with a violet/pink whisp coming out of the centre, releasing this fragrance. The Lord then showed me an open vision before my eyes (in the vision I was presently having) and revealed fields and fields of these flowers stretching for miles amidst beautiful green and lush fields...gentle rolling hills of Karen flowers. Such beauty!

The Lord then mentioned it was time to complete the healing. He said that he would remove this from my spine and I would feel a pain later but that I was helaed. The Lord removed this from my spine...the root that I saw in the ground.

At this point he ladies started to gather and pray around me, asking me questions about seeing myself through God's eyes. They asked me to look at God. Why can't you look at Him Karen? I said, "I cannot see Him, I only see a radiating light shining from above on my face as I look up at Him." However I could see myself looking at the Lord and I was radiating and glowing in His light. I looked beautiful. The Lord then spoke to me four words, that I am His Creation, Beauty, Peace and Joy.

I opened up my eyes. I saw myself through his eyes, truly for the first time in my entire life.

The ladies then started to share what they received in the spirit as I was laying on the ground. At this point, I had not told them anything that had happened in vision while I was laying down. They shared that they saw the Lord doing surgery, that there was a tumour in my spine that the Lord had removed and they saw me being stitched up. Wow! They all confirmed that the root was indeed, gone! Hallelujah!

I got up and went to the bathroom, which was a battle when I looked in the mirror. The enemy started to speak lies and I had to take those thoughts and lies captive (2 Cor.10:5). When I came out of the bathroom, the one lady knew I was in battle and so the group prayed again. We prayed for the Lord to seal this healing and to protect me from any spiritual attacks. At the end of this prayer, the lady mentioned that she saw me as a great warrior for the Lord. She saw a huge sword in my hand and said that the Lord was going to use me mightily and powerfully in ministry. Praise God!

After our group, when I went into the car and sat down on the seat, I received a huge sharp pain in my tailbone where I felt the Lord removed the root. I then remebered the words the Lord spoke about feeling pain. I praised the Lord for the healing the entire way home and am continuing to do so.

I have been walking in complete healing, freedom, and liberty since the Lord healed me. I am not caring about what others think, I see myself as a beautiful woman, am more decisive, etc. I notice there are changes in my dealings with others around me, especialy with family relations. I am second-guessing decisons less and less. It has been truly transformational!

Praise you Lord! Praise you Holy Spirit that you have given us the power to pull down strongholds and to set the captives free! Amen!

Off the Rollercoaster

2006-03-20T00:07:00.000-05:00

A friend of mine reminded me that I should be treating this blog like a journal. There are many wonderful and challenging things I have been meaning to write about, but have not made the time.

This weekend was a time of happiness, sadness, reflection and direction. The Lord has been teaching me so much in a little time. I have decided to take a step back from the business of my life and pour myself into the Lord. This is another period to humble myself before Him. I also feel to enter into a period of intercession for the 'Street Church' ministry.

NASB:
Pro 22:24 Do not associate with a man given to anger; Or go with a hot-tempered man,
Pro 22:25 Or you will learn his ways And find a snare for yourself.

There are many areas in scripture that talk about anger. I could not find the scripture or version that says a man with a spirit of anger will defile you. This verse was the closest I could find. The word learn here can also mean to utter. Therefore the teaching is pretty clear: when associating with someone of such a disposition, you will and can be affected. I noticed lately that I have been more prone to bouts of anger and irritation. Not only that, but so have some brothers and sisters around me. This is not the fruit of the Spirit. Friends of mine suggested there was a root of anger that had infiltrated itself in amongst our ministry.

After much prayer, I realize where this root is coming from. There is an individual amongst our group that needs serious deliverance ministry. I am praying for the Lord's intervention as soon as possible. If you are reading this, I would ask for your prayers.

I do not know how many will read this post or respond as I am not writing regularly now. If you have dealt with such a situation in your ministry, I would like to hear your stories and how the Lord helped you.

Time for His Power and Blessing

2006-02-18T17:08:00.000-05:00

Below is a word that came though the email today from a prophetic group I belong to. This word spoke to me (see my response following the word). Perhaps this word is for you too?

This word submitted by Lonnie Mackley

Time for My Power and Blessing

You have labored hard over these long years of preparation and purification, and although you did fight and hesitate at times, you always surrendered to Me in the end and you did not withhold even your most precious things from my hand.
You have let go of that which offended and hindered, and now you walk in purity and holiness because you cooperated with My daily training.
You have let go of the past now, and you have forgiven those who wronged you. You have eagerly obeyed me, when you knew clearly that it was I that was speaking to you. Slowly but
surely we made progress together day by day and the good changes that came were lasting ones.
Now it is finally time to begin to walk forward. It is time to believe for new things, and it is time for My power and blessing to flow through your life. Though you were held back in the past, and you seemed to have many false starts that just ended in more time of preparation, now you are ready to obey my voice and conquer the new land I am sending you to.
Trust me just as much now, as you have in the past; Obey me just as much now, even though it would seem, that you have more freedom to make choices.
I would call you to feed upon, and listen to me even more-so now, as we enter this new time of increased power, blessing, and service. I delight in restoring all that was sacrificed, and I delight in blessing you in front of those who judged you as a failure.
You bore my reproach in order to be obedient to my calling, and in order that My heart might be formed in you so that you could serve in My power and love.
Now I have a strong, reliable foundation of holiness, obedience, and love in you that I can build very high upon. Before, the cracks of pain and sin in your old foundation would have caused it to fail under pressure.
Now I will build a great house of blessing upon that foundation, for it is built upon Me, your Rock, and this new place will be a haven and storehouse for all I send to you. Be of good cheer my child for my time of power and blessing has finally come for you.

Last night as I was doing homework, as usual the Lord started to fill me up. Last night I wept, mourned and humbled myself before the Lord. I want to go further with the Lord. It feels as if sometimes I am having false starts like the word above said, but really it is my time of preparation. The last five months have been periods of brokenness, followed with great joy in the Lord. I have achieved forgiveness in areas that were difficult to forgive no matter how many times I said 'I forgive'. One area has been a struggle now since the end of November 2004, even going back to July 2004. Finally about one month ago, the footholds were broken and forgiveness in my heart is complete. Praise the Lord!

I have been obedient in areas that did not make sense to myself or to others around me. Some of these periods have come with great tribulation, yet always finished in a greater strength in knowing who I am in Christ Jesus.

This word is a fulfillment of a prophecy I received in 2004 with regard to the Lord working on those weak areas of my foundation. The foundation would be sealed in those weak areas as the Lord continues to work on me and I continue to pursue Him. I am looking forward to the blessings that the Lord will build on that foundation as I pursue serving in the Kingdom.

Thank you Lord to giving me direction to the questions I sought last night as I cried and wept before you. Thank you for your abundant grace and love.

Extreme for satan to Extreme for Jesus

2006-02-18T00:39:00.000-05:00

Below is an account of a ministry experience from Monday February 13th. I wanted to share this email to others in order to glorify God.

Luke 10:17”And the seventy returned with joy, saying, “ Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your name”
Luke 10:20”Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are recorded in heaven”

I met Ryan 3 weeks ago after Street Church, Ryan is in his mid twenties and came up to me and said,” that he was a follower of satan and heavily into witchcraft, he also claimed that he cast spells, and curses and had power in the spiritual realm”. Ryan said he prayed to his god all the time and his god was satan. I could tell in the Spirit that Ryan was telling the truth. I explained to him that satan is a liar and a deceiver and that he only comes to steal, kill, and destroy, and if he continued following satan he would ultimately end up in total destruction in hell. He started to argue and I just looked him in the eyes and asked him why he was so empty and lonely, and I told him to look at his life and see where satan had taken him. Then I started sharing scripture with him, and I asked if I could pray for him, he said I cant let you touch me, it hurts me whenever a Christian touches me, he said he had entered a church one time and felt like he was going to burn. He then he walked away from me.
Last night after the message, outside the Salvation Army, I was handing out the last slices of pizza and I gave a piece to Ryan, not recognizing him, he came up to me and said to me,”I need help, following Satan is superficial”, Ryan started to confess some of his sins and share about his life. He has a child who he is not allowed to see, because of his lifestyle, he stated he was a drug dealer, and heavily into witchcraft, and darkness, I asked John Naud to come over, because I felt in the Spirit that it would be a battle for Ryan’s soul, since Ryan had opened himself up completely to the enemy. We talked about repentance, and he said he would repent, then we asked him if he believed Jesus died on the cross for his sins, he said I believe he died on the cross for sins, but not mine, I have done to much. We started quoting scripture to him and he started to shake and the demons started to manifest physically, we were sitting down on a bench, and Ryan started to shake, cough, facial contortions, grunt, growl, and spit. We had Ryan say the sinner’s prayer and then prayed over him for the filling of the Holy Spirit. Ryan was set free last night and is a new creation in Christ; he has gone from a child of darkness to a child of light! Ryan is respected on the streets as a tough guy, pretty boy, drug dealer, and his friends came around and were asking him if he was OK, they did not understand what was going on. As we were leaving, one of Ryan’s friends said this to Ryan,” you didn’t repent did you,” and he pointed to the Bible in Ryan’s pocket, Ryan said,” yes I did, I am not yours anymore as he held his Bible!” I believe Ryan will now live extreme for Jesus Christ.

Rob is going to disciple Ryan; Rob lives a few doors down from Ryan at the Salvation Army. Lets pray mightily for Ryan this week that
he would feed on the word of God and grow in Christ, and that he would never go back to darkness.

We had much fruit at all locations last night; we praise God for His work in and through us, what a privilege it is to be part of His redeeming work.
I cant imagine ever leaving the front lines of the battle for souls, this is where you truly see and experience the power of God, and it opens
your eyes to the unseen battle that goes on for peoples souls. Thank Jesus that greater is He that is in us then he that is in the world.

A man that works at the Drop In Centre has been against our ministry for a year now, and has done everything in his power to shut us down, even
locking the doors so people can’t come over to the park to get pizza, calling police, physical threats, etc. When we started preaching outside
the Drop In Centre a year ago, this man said, “ how can you preach when there are Muslims who stay here”, Art replied, “Muslims need Jesus, and so
do you”. A miracle took place this past Sunday before Street Church, this man came over to Art and apologized and hugged Art. Last night he came
over again and apologized to David, Arts brother and said he went to Centre Street Church on Sunday morning and responded to Jesus and he has a changed heart.

A reminder to never give up on anyone for salvation!!

Live life in light of eternity, and get into the action if you’re not already!

Lawrence

February Already!

2006-02-07T00:46:00.000-05:00

Wow...it feels like a long time since I have written on this blog. Life has been so busy praising Jesus and building His Kingdom, it is hard to find spare time. Most of my free time is spent in the word, worship and prayer. Hallelujah!

My trip home to Ontario over Christmas was wonderful. It was great to see family, friends and acquaintances. I had an opportunity to talk much about Street Church. I hope the DVD encouraged them. We now have a DVD that has been produced and is now available. We also have a web site up and running: www.streetchurch.ca

Ministry has been wonderful, with many people every week coming to accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour! We are seeing people regularly healed, released from demonic bondage and literally seeing lives changed! Some are off drugs, alcohol, walked away from prostitution, are no longer on the streets, some are preaching, evangelizing, etc.! Glory be to God!

I will try to write when I can, but school, work and ministry fulfill much of my time. The Lord has me working on a special project, in obedience to Him. I want Him to be glorified through all I do!

I pray for the women we prayed for this evening for healing. I pray they will confidently walk in faith and seek Jesus with a deep thirst. I pray for all the workers to be well rested after a long two days of ministry. I pray for all those who heard the messages tonight, that the Holy Spirit is continuing to work on their hearts. I thank you Lord! Amen!

Like a Child

2005-12-12T00:30:00.000-05:00

Last night I spent time with a girlfriend before I fly away for the Holidays. It was a nice break to have inbetween all this last minute studying as the semester comes to a close.

We went to see a movie, overindulged in fatty foods, then absolutley had to go for a walk to burn off calories. This was the first time since my neck healed that I have done some serious cardiovascular activity. It was late in the evening and a balmy 5 or 7 Celsius outside. We are having a lovely Chinook here in Calgary. We crossed the bridge over the Bow River and came upon a well-lit park. We were the only ones there!

We excitedly saw the swings and my friend, who has a playful heart said, "Let's go on the swings." I wish I could have responded with reckless abandon, but my first thought was, "Gee, I hope I don't get a wet bum!" That thought quickly dissipated once I managed to squeeze into the seat of the swing. I immedately started to fly through the air. I could not help but laugh and smile!!! What a joyful feeling! I laughed and thanked the Lord in my Spirit, praising Him for His goodness! As I was swinging, I looked at the slide, teeter-totters, monkey bars, etcetera. What wonderful memories! What a wonderful moment in time, there with my friend and the Lord!

Not too soon, after swinging, my full belly was a little queasy and my hips started to pinch on the swing! Yikes! Guess that happens as you age. Not being a size 5 anymore also may be a factor! LOL LOL LOL The whole point here is how it made my Spirit sing! When Jesus taught his disciples in Mark 10:15, "Truly I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child will not enter it at all." Wow, pretty powerful, but so true!

Children jump head long with reckless abandon to experience what is at the end of the tunnel, not knowing what is at the bottom, they run excitedly toward things. This is how Jesus wants us to be. Just rush in, jump without looking, wildlessly accept the Love of the Father, accept His Son into our hearts with the joy of a Child. We do not know what is on the other side of accepting Jeus into our lives, but we will never know unless we jump! One thing is for sure, he will catch you, with his neverending, all-encompassing LOVE!!!

Street Church Update

2005-12-06T11:15:00.000-05:00

Below is an account of Street Church and Monday Night Evangelism this week. Monday night was very cold, hovering between minus 19 and minus 21 Celsius, with a wind chill much colder.

God is so faithful, even when it is minus 25 with wind chill, God will bring out souls to hear
the Gospel. We had 30 people out to Street Church on Sunday, with one man receiving Christ.
Last night we had 3 men respond to Jesus at the Salvation Army, and the Bible study was full.
I have not received any word from the other locations, but I was encouraged to see all the warriors out
last night regardless of the weather, God is truly building His army of faithful ambassadors of Christ.

“No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise
against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the
Lord, and their righteousness is of me, saith the Lord.” Isaiah 54:17

I am truly excited to be in God’s army!!!!

Kevin responded to Jesus last night, but had a lot of questions. Kevin owned a limousine company in Canmore, the
company hit hard times after 9/11, and finally went under. He has been staying at the Salvation Army for months, with
severe depression. We talked for over an hour about the whys? I prayed over Kevin at the end and he started weeping, God
truly touched Kevin last night. Let’s pray that the seed planted in Kevin’s heart would grow, and be fruitful for Jesus.

PLEASE CONTINUE TO PRAY AND TELL PEOPLE ABOUT OUR BIG CHRISTMAS CELEBRATION DECEMBER 18 @ 2:00pm
(Across from the Drop In Centre. Bring a friend, clothes, and baked goods if you can) We want to celebrate Jesus downtown Calgary, and
show the love of Christ to the homeless!!!

Live life in light of eternity

Lawrence

If anyone reading this blog will be in Calgary on December 18th, please join the ministry team at 2 pm in Triangle Park across from the Calgary drop in centre. You may need to park and ride the C-train or take the bus as they are expecting a large turnout. Gospel Elvis will be performing, there will be food and hot drinks and great testimonies. Daniel is expected back from Africa, so it should be a tremendous time for all.

God Bless Everyone this Holiday Season. I will start writing again after Chrstmas holidays, as I am leaving the province and will be back in January.

With much love in Christ to you and your families,
Karen

November Update

2005-11-27T00:51:00.000-05:00

It has been over a month since I wrote anything on this blog. I thought it best to give an update.
I am very busy in school. By far, this semester is the busiest. Working many hours plus doing studies takes up a good portion of my time.

I have taken a step back from ministry to spend some time with the Lord and allow Him to do some deep healing in my life. I will be going back full swing in January. The Street ministry is doing absolutely fantastic as the Lord is blessing and moving through this city of Calgary.

I am trying hard to focus on my studies and my goal is to finish all my assignments in less than three weeks, which is approximately six to do. I am presently working on 5 out of 6 of those assignments as I write.

After that I fly to my home town to visit with my family and friends for two weeks over Christmas. This will be a lovely time. It has been a long time since I had a vacation, as I was working two jobs in the summer.

Please join me in prayer for the time spent with my family over the holidays. It will be our first since my Stepfather passed away earlier this year. He was in our lives for over 24 years. Pray especially for my mother who is still grieving his passing. Also, join me in prayer for my brother's salvation. More and more he asks me about Jesus. I look forward to telling him more, and also look forward to praying with him. I know he will become born again. The Holy Spirit is drawing him to Himself.

As for other news, Street Church will be having Church for the Homeless on Sunday December 18th at 2pm in Triangle Park, across from the drop-in-centre downtown Calgary. We will be having Gospel Elvis, clown, balloons, food, andmost importantly, there will be testimonies and the GOSPEL preached. If you are in Calgary, please come down and join everyone. You will be blessed!

Hope to write soon.

I pray for God's Love to encompass your hearts this holiday season.

The Refining Fire

2005-10-20T00:35:00.000-04:00

Lord Have Mercy

Today has been a day of healing, revelation, blessing, pain and anguish. I am a bible college student and today I felt like my brain was about to blow up. All of a sudden I felt anxiety and an incredible deep inner groaning within me. Today was not the first day I felt this. Over the last few weeks as I have been seeking the Lord, this has been happening almost daily. Today it culminated with the realization that many things I thought I had known, I was no longer sure about. The Lord is revealing many deep inner truths to me about His word, but through the process the intellect feels as if it has been raped by a thousand foreign comprehensions.

Am I relaying my feelings here?

It is so hard to describe. The last few weeks my prayers have been, "Lord please help me to become less like me and more like you." I want to change and do great things in your name. Equip, refine and use me Lord. I have learned that in order to grow in the Lord we have to allow the Lord to take us through the refining fire. It hurts. I am thankful.

Any growth process takes stages and times can vary. The process is stretching, mending, molding, feeding and ultimately different than its inital stage. Like a seed to a flower, or a child into an adult, there are stages, transformations and incredible growth.

I just thought of this verse from Romans:

Rom 5:1 Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,
Rom 5:2 through whom also we have obtained our introduction by faith into this grace in which we stand; and we exult in hope of the glory of God.
Rom 5:3 And not only this, but we also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance;
Rom 5:4 and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope;
Rom 5:5 and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.

What a powerful portion of scripture. It fits in with what I am feeling and knowing that I have hope, joy and am working on my character in Christ Jesus.

The Lord called me to go to Bible College. I had many friends and siblings in Christ tell me that I did not need this education. "Karen, you are called by the Lord, you are producing fruit, just Go and get involved in full time ministry!" Well, I did Go! I just went in a different direction...the only one...led by the Lord to the Bible college I felt Him lead me to. When the Lord said it was time, I moved across the counrty to come here to Alberta. I knew I needed a solid biblical foundation in order to minister the word of God the way my Father wanted me to do it in His name. So...here I am.

I am so thankful I am pursuing an education. My foundation is solid in Jesus Christ, but needs the strength of the word of God, the mortar of the Holy Spirit, and the hands of my Father to keep it from crumbling.

Another portion of scripture that has been ringing through the recesses of my mind the last few weeks is from James:

Jam 4:6 But He gives a greater grace. Therefore it says, "GOD IS OPPOSED TO THE PROUD, BUT GIVES GRACE TO THE HUMBLE."
Jam 4:7 Submit therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.
Jam 4:8 Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded.
Jam 4:9 Be miserable and mourn and weep; let your laughter be turned into mourning and your joy to gloom.
Jam 4:10 Humble yourselves in the presence of the Lord, and He will exalt you.

The last few weeks as the Lord has been working through me I have been groaning deep cries and sighs as I have been seeking deep intimacy with Him. I know it is the Holy Spirit working through me and not some crazy attack of depression. As I go through this fire, I will often wake up the next morning and hear the Lord's voice ever so clearly, whispering words of love, wisdom, inspiration and revelation.

To those reading this blog I encourage you to humble yourselves before the Lord. Mourn, weep, cry, groan and seek him with all of your heart. When you go through a trial, seek Him first. Don't assume that all the hard stuff you go through in this Christian life is an attack from the devil. The devil is not behind every door knob lurking to give you a hard time. Often, it is our Lord trying to get your attention because he loves you. He desires you to experience the richness, joy and maturity that results from resting in His love.

When the hard times come, say " Lord, here I am, your child. You have my attention Father. I love you and need you to help me through this time. I want to change. I want to become more and more like you Lord."

He will be there to wipe your tears, to wrap his loving arms around you and to give you the strength, guidance and direction you need. Do not be afraid of the refining process. Perfect love from the Father drives out all fear.

Can you hear Him?

He is calling you, to come and be with Him.

A New Creation

2005-10-07T02:58:00.000-04:00

Karen's Baptism

I decided to post a picture of the day I was baptized: August 17, 2003. I looked for this picture after the verse came to mind,

2Co 5:17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!

I am a new creation in Christ! Hallelujah! The water baptism symbolizes us dying to ourselves, being crucified with Christ. I am sooo thankful that I am a daughter of the King and have been given an opportunity to live eternally.

I talked to a girlfriend earlier this evening, of which I have been friends with for 17+ years, although we have known one another for about 19 now. We had alot of laughs and were able to talk so openly with one another. She commented about how she loved my honesty, how I am so funny and even though I am a Christian now my values deep within myself are much the same in many respects but that I am so much more relaxed. She even commented that I am more humourous. I am still the same Karen, but better, different, in a good way. She loves it!

All theses changes are because of Jesus! I do laugh even more than before. I still joke alot, although much cleaner and more tasteful. Those deep values and desires are much the same, except that Jesus is my first priority and my greatest love. He is my heart's desire. Doing ministry, seeing people healed, set free from demonic bondage and most importantly, coming to know Jesus as their Saviour gives me an incredible, almost uncontainable yet unexpressible JOY!

My girlfriend is not a Christian. She was raised with Christian values, in her meaning of what those values are within her own understanding. She was and is not born again. I have told her about Jesus and occassionally we continue to have conversations. I have prayed many times for her salvation.

Tonight I just enjoyed her. Yes, we talked about Jesus. She enjoyed me. She enjoyed Jesus through me. I was a transparent witness for my Lord.

I am so thankful for the transforming power of the Holy Spirit, all the time. The last couple of weeks have been tough times of spiritual warfare. After hearing my friend tonight tell me of the wondferful positive changes within me was much like God whispering to my heart.

Thank you Lord for your tests, for your trials, for your Love.

God is so Good!

2005-09-12T02:38:00.000-04:00

Street Church August 28, 2005

I now have internet again, praise the Lord! I wanted to post at least one picture of us at Street Church. This day we had 8 people come to the Lord and 8 were baptized in the Bow River. It was an awesome time. Many people were crying and being touched by the power of the Holy Spirit. Our entire service lasted over 3.5 hours!

I thank the Lord for answering all of our prayers. We had alot of opposition for preaching in the park. We were on the radio, in the paper and on the local news on television. Most importantly we prayed for God's will to be done. The day before this service we were granted permission from the City to preach here, with no fee attached. We were prepared to be arrested on the account of the gospel of Jesus Christ if necessary.

God worked all things out for His purposes so that this ministry could keep building the Kingdom of God! Hallelujah!

Update

2005-09-02T20:46:00.000-04:00

Hi Everyone!

Just to let everyone know due to a strike here, I am without a phone or internet.

The Lord is continuing to do a mighty work through the Street Church and Monday Night Evangelism. Hallelujah!

School starts shortly. I am very excited!

I hope to have communications up and running soon.

God Bless!

To be His Vessel

2005-08-11T01:37:00.000-04:00

Psalm 24 Days continue in ourMonday Night Ministry, Street Church and now in another location. We are experiencing revival here in Calgary! Glory be to God!!!!

Isa 57:15 For so says the high and lofty One who inhabits eternity; whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place, even with the contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones. (NKJV)

I thought it fitting to use the above scripture as we are seeing the lives of many individuals being changed and turning their lives to Christ. Street Church is growing, now 8 weeks since our first service and every week we baptize in the Bow River. People are becoming born again, renewing their lives to Christ, being healed and set free from demonic bondage. I found out a few days ago that we are on the front cover of an Ontario Christian publication called 'Christian Week'. Hallelujah and praise be to God! May He receive all the glory!!!

I am sooo blessed to be used by the Lord during this time, His timing for my life. I am trying to keep record of when and how the Holy Spirit uses me to further His Kingdom. I have had an opportunity to preach three weeks in a row, hallelujah!

On Monday July 25th, I entitled the sermon, 'The Search for Spiritual Significance'. I preached from the truck using a microphone in a location of Calgary I had not been to before. The Lord gave me the words to speak that were specific to the crowd. It was a good night and many seeds were planted in people's hearts.

The following Monday the Lord had me speak on His crucifixion, Simon of Cyrene who carried the cross and the theives on the cross on either side of Jesus. Once again, it was appropriate for the crowd, already pre-planned by the Holy Spirit. This night we served pizza first, then preached the gospel. Another brother gave his testimony first, and worshipped the Lord through song and playing his guitar. A woman came forward and gave her life to Christ, and asked for prayer to be delivered from demonic bondage. It was a beautiful experience, one that shed tears and mended hearts.

On Sunday August 7th, I was asked to preach at Street Church. I will say I was nervous and excited all at the same time. Me Lord? Preaching a Sunday Service? So I prayed every day all week, seeking the right topic and scripture verses. The Lord led me through a dance in the bible, in which I came up with five different sermon topics, but did not feel it was what the Lord wanted me to speak upon. As I asked the Holy Spirit what to preach on, He said, "Tell them of my love." I thought, okay Lord, that is a broad topic and can be made into a sermon series. Soooo, I pressed into Him more as the week went on. I finished reading a book called "Chasing the Dragon" by Jackie Pullinger, coupled with practical experinces of showing the love of Jesus, and I knew what I wanted to preach about. I would like to share with you the verses I used:

Mar 12:28 And coming up one of the scribes heard them reasoning, knowing that He had answered them well, he asked Him, Which is the first commandment of all?
Mar 12:29 And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, "Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God is one Lord;
Mar 12:30 and you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength." This is the first commandment.
Mar 12:31 And the second is like this: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. There is no other commandment greater than these.
Mar 12:32 And the scribe said to Him, Right, Teacher, according to truth You have spoken, that God is one, and there is no other besides Him.
Mar 12:33 And to love Him with all the heart, and with all the understanding, and with all the soul, and with all the strength, and to love the neighbor as himself, is more than all the burnt offerings and sacrifices.
Mar 12:34 And seeing that he had answered intelligently, Jesus said to him, You are not far from the kingdom of God. And no one dared to question Him any more.

Mat 5:43 Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy.
Mat 5:44 But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;

Joh 15:9 As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love.
Joh 15:10 If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father's commandments, and abide in his love.
Joh 15:11 These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.
Joh 15:12 This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you.
Joh 15:13 Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.
Joh 15:14 Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you.
Joh 15:15 Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you.
Joh 15:16 Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you.
Joh 15:17 These things I command you, that ye love one another.

This sermon touched on some personal experiences in my life where I was able to forgive and bless others with the love of Jesus. More and more I am in love with Jesus. His love is overflowing in my heart for others. I really do love other people. I am developing a greater, deeper compassion for the lost and for Christian siblings struggling. I am so thankful and blessed.

The last two sermons have touched me deeply where I have weeped with joy. As I preached on Sunday, I know the devil has alot less footholds in my life and others as I was obedient to the Holy Spirit. I could feel and see the fire of God rumbling in my belly. I know this will become stronger as I step out in faith for Him. As He increases, I decrease. Words cannot describe how grateful and blessed I am to be used by Him, as His Vessel to bring Him glory.

A New Home, A Peaceful Heart

2005-08-03T01:16:00.000-04:00

This weekend I moved again for the third time this year. I found an apartment when I moved from Edmonton to Calgary, but my landlord was getting married. On May 15th, I moved into a new place but found it was not where I was supposed to be. This third move was completely of the Lord and was the best move I have had to date!

When I started seeking the possibility of another apartment, I was looking into an area of town where I am employed. Nothing was affordable or felt right in my spirit. The Lord kept leading me to a source and told me there was a place for me. I had a difficult time seeing what the Lord had for me. There was one possibilty in the same neighbourhood. I kept thinking that would not make sense...move three blocks away? I trusted the Lord and made the phone call.

The apartment was a little out of my price range and before I called I asked the Lord to give me an amount that He would bless. I then called this Christian couple and explained my situation. I went over a couple of hours later. I told them my circumstances, that I was a bible college student and explained my passion for ministry. As I described what the Lord was doing, the three of us were filled with tears. Praise the Lord! We were an answer to one another's prayers! We even recieved the same rental price for the apartment from the Holy Spirit!

I then went to look at the suite. Wow! Everything that I was seeking. I measured the space and was so excited that my poor furniture could finally have a home. It had sat covered in plastic outside in all of the rain and flooding. Furthermore, it had sat on a porch from January to April. The Lord has truly blessed me. The place is serene, beautiful and peaceful. It is a gift from God. As I sat soaking in the bathtub, I couldn't help but feel that I had dreamed of this place before, that this apartment was hand picked for me, for such a time as this.

I had only started packing for this move two days before. Unfortunately, I pulled back muscles, possibly even a ligament in my lower back region. I went to the chiropractor at work that day and he concurred I had indeed pulled muscles. I had to ask for help. So, I asked three Christian brothers/friends to help me move so that I did not have to lift any heavy items. I think the Lord was teaching me a lesson. Get myself out of the way and ask for help! I try to do so much on my own. The Lord is teaching me to rely on Him and through this experience He most certainly has.

So, I had no details on the move and therefore could not really give any answers to those that I might need help from. My new landlord told me not to worry. So, that is exactly what I did. Trusted God for the end result. On Thursday evening I was too tired and sore to pack. On Friday I worked a full day, then decided to go to Bible Study and got home at 11:30 pm. On Saturday morning I ran errands and picked up some empty boxes and looked after my girlfriend's cats. Around lunch time I started packing. My landlord came over around 1-2 pm and we started slowly bringing items over to the new apartment. In between I packed and made a couple of phone calls to arrange for help. I even took a break around 3 pm to answer email and talked on the phone for 30 minutes or so.

At 5pm, my landlord showed up with a truck. His friend let us use it for free. We loaded up some items and took it over to the new place. When the guys arrived at 3:30, they moved all the heavy boxes and pieces of furniture. Then we slowly packed items into boxes and away we went. At 9:30 pm, all four of us (the one guy went home early) sat down at a restaurant to eat supper. Everything was out of the apartment! The Lord blessed me even more. Oneof the guys paid for my dinner! Can youimagine? I should be blessing them! Instead, the Lord showered me with blessings. I am sooo thankful!

On top of all of that, my landlord arranged my furniture for me and brought boxes in from the garage so I would not have to lift them. Furthermore, the young Christian man that was here before has allowed me to use his phone for a few days until I can make arrangements for a telephone since Telus is on strike. If it is possible, I may be able to use his line and change my phone number. This is how I am writing this blog entry now. I feel blessed beyond measure and feel a deep gratitude in my heart for everyone that helped me. Most importantly I am so thankful to the Father. I trusted Him, I did not worry and it was the easiest, least stressful and most affordable move I have ever made in my life! The old Karen would have worried incessantly, taken an unbelievable amount of time to pack and would not have trusted God as she did through this process.

I am sooo thankful I am a new creation in Christ, one that is dying to myself so that I can strive to be more like Him.

Part 7 - Psalm 24 days!!!

2005-07-24T00:25:00.000-04:00

A couple of days ago I spent over an hour writing this post and then accidentally lost it all! So...it was not meant to be. Therefore, I condensed this post. There has been so much happening with regard to ministry that I have not been able to keep up with entries. For this I am thankful. I desired to be used by the Lord, and I am being filled up and growing in Him daily.

The Lord is continually drawing people to himself and we are being used by the Lord to lead people to Christ. The last couple of weeks we have seen several people come to Christ through 'Street Church' and through Monday Night Evangelism. Every Sunday at Street Church people are giving their lives to Christ, being baptized in the Bow River and receiving baptism of the Holy Spirit.

On Mondays, the Lord has been leading me to the skateboard park, where we are getting the ground ready for harvest. We are not preaching there right now, but are witnessing for the Lord. On Monday July 11th we led our first person to the Lord at this location. He was about fifteen years old. That night we forgot our bibles, so we did not have any to give him. It was the first night we handed out pizza and it was well received. Last Monday we had some excellent conversations about the Lord.

On Wednesday July 13th, three of us were asked to speak to a young adults group. We spoke about the Monday night ministry. It was an absolutely fabulous evening. We had several youth interested in coming out and helping at the skateboard park. The end of the night a brother and myself were able to minister to a young woman. The Holy Spirit impressed needs upon our hearts, which might lead to a ministry opportunity in Saskatchewan in the next month or two. Praise the Lord!

Today we had our First Christian Festival at the skateboard park. We had a band and worship team, a dance group, people with flags/dance and speakers. We had a free barbecue complete with hamburgers, hot dogs and drinks. There were carnival games, candies, a prayer tent with bibles and I did some face painting. It was a beautiful sunny day, one in which many seeds were planted. Praise the Lord!!!

I decided to end this series with the seventh posting. I have great expectations of a great God. He will be continually working through this ministry and I will continue to write stories. In the last 6 and a half months we have had about 170 people come to the Lord through this minstry. I look forward to the many ways he will continue to use me. Even now, I have another opportunity awaiting aside from this ministry to go and witness to a family. Hallelujah!!! When I decided to follow the call of God on my life, I told Him I would go wherever he sent me. Jesus...I will follow you to the ends of the Earth until the day I see you in Glory!

I thought it fitting to end with Isaiah 61:1-3 (NIV):

1 The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me,
because the LORD has anointed me
to preach good news to the poor.
He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
to proclaim freedom for the captives
and release from darkness for the prisoners,
2 to proclaim the year of the LORD's favor
and the day of vengeance of our God,
to comfort all who mourn,
3 and provide for those who grieve in Zion—
to bestow on them a crown of beauty
instead of ashes,
the oil of gladness
instead of mourning,
and a garment of praise
instead of a spirit of despair.
They will be called oaks of righteousness,
a planting of the LORD
for the display of his splendor.

Part 6 - Psalm 24 days!

2005-07-16T16:03:00.000-04:00

I just realized it has been 15 days since I wrote my last post! My goodness, the Lord is good! I have been very busy being used by the Lord to further His Kingdom! Hallelujah!

On Sunday July 3rd, we had a couple of people re-dedicate their lives to the Lord, and a man walking by come up for prayer. Afterward, 3 people decided to get baptized in the Bow River. One was a young man driving by on his bike. He came out of nowhere and said he wanted to be baptized. He openly professed that Jesus was his Lord and Saviour, was baptized and disappeared as quickly as he came! The Lord certainly draws His people!!! It was a beautiful day.

Afterward, I asked some of my brothers to pray for me as I was asked to the family's home that I ministered to on Father's Day. (See Part 3 of this Series) Their daughter was just married on Friday and they were having a family barbecue. I went inside and immediately went to the man I had prayed with only a few weeks before.

I held this man's hand. He was very weak and had a hard time speaking to me. I noticed his hands felt better and that his circulation must have improved. He looked at me with a beautiful smile and said how happy he was to see me. He said, "Karen I was just thinking about you and now here you are! I am so happy to see you. I have so much to tell you." I asked him how he was feeling as I stared into his very yellow eyes. He said he was weak, and not better although we discussed his circulation and he noted that it was improving. He said although physically he was still suffering, that something indeed had changed in him since I had been to his home and prayed with him only a few weeks before.

He held my hand tightly and with much love, said "Karen, I have been a very cynical man, a hard man to penetrate most of my life. Anyone close to me will tell you so. When it has come to any matters of religion, I have not wanted to listen to what they had to say, until you came along." He then went on to explain to me that he had talked to his mother again, perhaps offending her, but not really caring as he was speaking truth to her. He looked very deeply in my eyes, continuing to hold my hand tightly, giving it a firmer squeeze each time he became expressive in his voice and face. "Karen as I told my mother and I am telling you now, I have not ever in my life seen someone glow as you do. I have known and met many Christians but have not seen them radiate such a light as you have. In you there is truth and a purity I have not seen. It is the closest thing I have seen to God."

With tears in my eyes and rolling onto my cheeks, I asked him, "so now do you believe in God?" He also had tears in his eyes and replied, "I am not sure if I can say that to you, but I will say I am believing there is something going on with what I believe. I have not been the same man since you prayed for me. Something is changing inside of me." He was very tired, so I asked if I could pray for him and he said he would very much like that.

The Holy Spirit lead me in this prayer and filled me with an incredible boldness! I prayed that the power of God would come upon this man so mightily that he would believe in Jesus. I prayed for his salvation, and thanked God for his healing. I prayed that he would not ever depart from this earth unless he accepted Jesus into his heart. I prayed for the loving arms of our Father to wrap around him and fill him with His love. I asked the Holy Spirit to fill him to overflowing, extending and pouring out his grace and mercy into his life.

He said he would like to see me again soon. I then spent the next couple of hours with his family, talking about the glory of God and just allowing the Lord to use me as a vessel.

~~~~~~~~~~

On Monday July 4th, as I prepared myself for Monday Night Evangelism, I was seeking the Lord where to go to do ministry. Which location Lord? How would you like to use me? I had no particular leading, so I agreed to go wherever the Lord needed me. One of the Brothers had started a ministry out at a skateboard park the week before. So, this night would be their second night. He boldly asked for people to come with him to help out. No one stepped forward. Inside I was battling as I wanted to go back to the drop-in centre. I kept thinking of the relationships I was forming with some of those folks. Then I said to myself, 'teenagers'? Not exactly what I was looking forward to. I kept thinking of the rebellion, rejection and bad attitudes we might face. In the few seconds of thinking I looked at my brother standing, waiting for volunteers and felt the Holy spirit urge me to say what I had received in prayer earlier that day. "I will go wherever the Lord needs me", and stepped forward. He said I need you, so let's go! We managed to invite another brother, who was even more uncomfortable going to the park. When he realized what he was doing, he tried to back out of it. I said, "we need you". Give it a try and let the Lord work through you in your discomfort. We always grow when the Lord places us in the position of uncomfortablilty.

So, the three of us went off to the skateboard park with pop, chips and bibles. When we found a patch of grass, I thought if we used my massage table, we could attract attention. It worked! People thought they were getting free massages, then realized it was food and bibles! We gave away everything, except perhaps a few pops. We had many deep conversations about God and Jesus Christ. We talked to kids about sex, drugs and rock and roll. I had a conversation with a young man, perhaps between 25 and 30 years of age. He was new to Canada from China, just visiting the park and watching the bikes and skateboarders. We discussed many things about Christianity as a whole. He asked me about God and how the Trinity worked. I was sooo thankful at this moment I had researched Saint Patrick last semester. I grabbed the leaves of the tree behind me. I found three that came together on the same branch and explained how God was three in one, the Trinty, but all the same God. He seemed to really understand through illustration. He showed me three fingers, for the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. He then made a fist to show one God! He got it!!! Yeah!!! I gave him the web site to contact the gideons to found out about how he can get a bible that is half English/half Chinese so he can understand the bible. He thanked me very much for my time and said he would like to meet me again sometime to talk more about it.

My other brother was making headway with a youth that was struggling to give up his heavy metal music. We both explained to him that we gave up all of our heavy metal music and why. The music does not glorify God at all. Over all, we had an amzing night, being used by the Lord and being able to witness the love of Jesus Christ! Praise you God!!!

I will try to write more later on this evening, so keep posted! God Bless!

Part 5 - Psalm 24 Days!!!

2005-07-01T12:57:00.000-04:00

It has been so busy lately that it is hard to keep up with writing. For now, since I am behind I entitle these posts as 'Psalm 24 Days!'. Maybe I will change the title, perhaps I will keep it for now as Psalm 24 is so powerfully entertwined with what the Lord is doing in my life. My eyes have been more on Him, I am looking upward with great expectations. My faith is soaring with the eagles. My spirit is humming along with the most beautiful music in heaven.

On Sunday June 26th, we had our second service of Street Church. Again, we offered communion to those who believe in the Lord. We were blessed with great weather. We had three persons come to the Lord, one of which was a re-dedication to Jesus Christ. These three were baptized in the Bow River. We all sang with great praise and joy in our hearts as each one came up a new creation in Him! Afterward, we prayed for baptism of the Holy Spirit for these three. It was an emotional time, and one in which God was mightily glorified!

Monday Night Evangelism was the following evening. I had prayed and felt the Lord say I was to minister alongside one of the Pastors. So, the pastor and I talked briefly and we went to the same location. The location we went to is the same location in which we have our Sunday church service. Despite the fact that it was raining, we had quite a turn out.

You could tell people were hungry for the gospel, not just for some of the food we had to serve. Prior to the sermon and during worship, we were being challenged and stretched by many people asking questions. They wanted to know if we were real, does Jesus really exist,what about science? I had some comments about hypocritical Christians. I had comments about the love of God and how some Christians don't appear to demonstrate that love. I had one man say to me, 'Why would you care about me?' I do care, I replied. 'How do I know that?' I replied, 'Because of Jesus Christ'. I smiled and then prayed for him in my heart as I was being pulled away by another woman.

This woman was the lady we prayed for last week, and that had given her heart to Jesus. She pulled me away from the crowd to share with me some wonderful news. She said to me with such excitement, "God is healing me!" She bent down to pull up her pant leg and socks to reveal some healing wounds on her leg. Then she asked me if I remember her walking up to the truck last week for prayer limping. I had not remembered her limping, but I knew she had been in great pain. She said that the pain had been much alleviated and that she was limping less, plus the wounds were healing. We praised God, cried and hugged one another, once again basking in His glory!

We then walked over to hear the rest of the sermon, plus I wanted to be prepared to pray for others. There were several people coming forward very quickly to receive prayer for salvation. It generally starts with one brave, broken soul, then others follow in suit. This man came up beside me. I asked him if he wanted to accept Jesus as his Lord and saviour. He said yes and was quite emotional. I started to pray, then the pastor on the truck came and led him to Jesus alongside of us. The woman that had been healed the week before was also ministering, laying hands on and praying passionately alongside of us. I cried tears of joy and incredible gratification to Jesus!

I was praying in tongues as the Pastor was leading this man into salvation. I prayed as the Holy Spirit had me pray. This man stopped and looked at us while we were praying blessings over him and leading him to the Lord and said, "How did you know my name?" I said I did not know his name. Then he looked at myself, the Pastor and the other woman. He exclaimed, "None of you know my name! I did not even tell you my name!" He then looked at me and pointed his finger in my direction. "You keep saying my name! How did you know my name?" I said, "I honestly don't know your name. I am not saying your name, I am praying in tongues. It is a prayer language from God." He said,"Listen, I do not know what these tongues are that you are talking about, but you keep saying my name. That is what I am hearing you say." I then realized that the Holy Spirit was at work, allowing this man to hear his name. I had heard of these miracles. This even happened on the day of Pentecost in Acts 2. The four of us were speechless, in awe of the Lord's power. To be used as a vessel in such a manner was profound. We cried, praised God and watched as the Lord continued to work on this man and others as they were coming to the Lord. We figure about 8-10 persons just in this one location came to the Lord that night. Halllejuah!

At the end of the evening, we praised God! We went back to the main location to all share with one another all that God did that night. I went to encourage the one brother by telling him of the healing with the woman from the week before. He prayed and praised God on the spot! What an awesome sight it is to see fellow brothers and sisters in Christ, on fire!

I anticipate more and more miracles, signs, wonders, healings, salvations and baptisms as the Lord does a mighty work here and brings revival amongst the poor and homeless in Calgary.

Praise be to you God!!!

Part 4 -Psalm 24 Days!!!

2005-06-28T18:49:00.000-04:00

On Sunday June 20th, I went to Monday Night Evangelism. It was another awesome night in the Lord! There are several centres our group goes to. I stayed outside the Salvation Army as I had the week before. The lady we prayed for the week before came to express her good news. We prayed for her healing and believed in faith that her cancer was healed. She went to the Doctor and all the tests revealed that her cancer is completely gone! Praise the Lord!!! She had medical evidence...proof that the Lord healed her completely of the cancer. We had her give a short testimony.

One of the Pastors then preached a powerful message of salvation. His daughter then went up and gave a mime show, totally filled with the Holy Spirit. It was soooo beautiful and apparent that it touched the faces of those present. Afterward, we asked anyone to come forward for prayer. A couple of ladies came forward. One was a Christian, just baptized the day before. Myself and a brother in the Lord prayed for a woman for her to be healed of a terminal illness. While we were praying for the powerof the Holy Spirit to heal her, our Brother led her to the Lord. The three of us were enveloped in one another's arms. She was crying and desperately seeking Jesus. We held her and loved her. The Father poured out his love and blessings into her life. Hallelujah!

Afterward, I went inside to join the bible study to participate in prayer. Once again, the Holy Spirit was busy at work. We prayed for a man to be healed of alcoholism, suicidal tendencies, depression and a heart condition. We finished with some great discussions, encouraging one another and building each other up in the Lord.

I went home, once again, soaring as with the eagles, praising God in my heart!

What an amazing God we serve!

Part 3 - Psalm 24 Days!

2005-06-26T01:45:00.000-04:00

Now I wanted to report how God worked last Sunday, June 19th. On Friday, I had lunch with a couple of women, ministry related. The one woman's husband was terminally ill with cancer, and both of them not born again. I stressed the importance of salvation, particularly with regard to her husband's situation. I had been asked to minister to this couple back in April, however it was not the Lord's timing YET to do so. This man had been raised in an environment where he was consistently preached at by his mother and it turned him off of God. I asked if I could come in and pray for his healing. They said they would have to ask him, and that the condition was to not come in and try to make him born again. I found out Saturday evening that the man agreed for me to come to his home and lay hands on him Sunday afternoon for his healing. Praise the Lord!

On Sunday morning I drove to church to the normal intercessors prayer gathering, but no one was there. I had forgotten the information at home to go to this home after church for ministry, so I drove back home. On the way back, I felt the Lord motion for me to go to a different church. So, I did. I went to a spirit-filled charismatic, dancing and praising congregation. At the end of the service I went up to one of the Pastors and asked for prayer and guidance with regard to this man's prayer for a healing from the Lord. I asked him to agree with me in prayer for this man's healing and asked for a special anointing, etc. He then said that the Holy Spirit has given me this assignment to go forth and pray for this man. So he said to look at this as an assignment from God and go in obedience no matter what I might feel, think, etc.

So I drove to this person's house. When I arrived, this person's family was present. One relative that is born again, joined me to lay hands on and agree in prayer, with accordance to Matthew 18:19 which states,

"Again, I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything you ask for, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven."

On the way to this person's home, the Lord led me to John 14 and I also decided to read from John 5. I sat down in front of this man and explained what I was about to do. I told him that through the power of the Holy Spirit healing occurs, not through me. I told him that I was going to read from scripture and stand on the word of God. I explained to him I would not preach to him, that I was praying for him to know the Lord, but today was prayer for healing. I gave him some testimonies of the healing power of God and how much the Lord has done in my life.

I held his hand and prayed. I prayed for a full complete healing of the cancer in the name of Jesus Christ. We stood on Matthew 18:19, I read from John 5 (the same scripture I preached on on Monday night), then I read from John 14. I explained the beginning of this chapter, that it is a message of slavation, I read from verses 9 to 14.

9Jesus answered: "Don't you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, 'Show us the Father'? 10Don't you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me? The words I say to you are not just my own. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work. 11Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the miracles themselves. 12I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. 13And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father. 14You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.

I ended the prayer session thanking Jesus and giving God all the glory and honour. The family took the process very well, some tears. I said, "you have been healed in Jesus Name!" I mentioned to his wife to work slowly at building up his strength again. They all said they would contact me again in the near future, once he was able to eat more. While all of this was happening, this man picked up the phone and called his mother over in England. He said 'Hi Mom, I have a young lady here that has something to tell you about what has happened.' He handed the phone to me. I said to his Mom, "Hi Mam, I just wanted to let you know that your son has been healed by the Holy Spirit. We agreed together in prayer, layed hands on him and stood on the scriptures." She said, "Thank you so much." I said, "No, don't thank me, thank the Lord, praise him...He did all the work. I am just the vessel." She replied with, "Praise the Lord and thank you for being there for my family, for listening to God." The man and his mother continued a conversation for awhile. After a coffee, some encouragement and warm hugs, I said goodbye.

After this, I drove quite a distance to go to our first church service for the homeless outside one of the shelters. We call it 'Street Church'. We believe the Lord is going to do many things through the start of this church. It is outdoors, rain or shine, with preaching and worship, prayer and baptisms. It was incredible!!! Seven people gave their hearts to the Lord. Five of those seven made decisons to be baptized in the river. We walked down to the flooded river where it had come up over the walkway. We were very careful and had rope in case. These five gave their testimonies of their faith, confessing publicly that Jesus is Lord. Then they were baptized in the very dirty flooded river. Afterward those same five came for prayer for baptism of the Holy Spirit, kneeling in reverance with wet knees to the ground. It was soooo beautiful!

This ministry is the same one affiliated with Monday Night Evangelism. It is a ministry that God is blessing, is producing fruit and may even become the start of revival here in Calgary. I am blessed to be involved, to be used by God and to be here. Words cannot express the excitement I feel in my heart and spirit.

I will write about the rest very soon!!! Praise the Lord!!!

Part 2 - Psalm 24 Days!

2005-06-23T00:59:00.000-04:00

I have so much to write about over the last ten days or so. I will split it up into segments. I will start off by praising and glorifying God! He is soooo awesome! My faith has deepened and my spirit is alive in the Lord, in a different way than I have been in the past! I am excited, happy, blessed and more in love with Him! Hallelujah!!!

On Monday June 13th, I went to Monday Night Evangelism for the second time. I had met one of the guys that helped to start this ministry a couple of years ago in the afternoon. We were discussing the call of God on our lives, testimonies, etc. He told me that he was going to be preaching that night, however God only gave him half a message. Later in the conversation, he said he felt the Holy Spirit encouraging him to ask me to preach that night. Even a little testimony would be good. We could both speak. I said sure, I could think of something. We then walked down the hall and let the man who organizes the speakers know what had been suggested and decided. This guy walked up to the organizer and said, "Karen is preaching tonight." He said OK. So it was settled. Then I had my nervous jitters and realized I only had 3 hours until I had to speak. The Lord had given me a message, actually an entire sermon within five minutes, so I prayed as I frantically drove through heavy traffic. I had to pick up a gal from church. I ate supper in the car after arriving at home. I only consulted my bible about five to ten minutes before preaching.

So, the first speaker went up and spoke for five to ten minutes. Then I followed in pursuit. I want you to visualize the scene. We are all outside a salvation army, in a parking lot. There is a truck with a great big Jesus Sign on it professing Jesus as 'King of Kings' and 'Lord of Lords' with a website and phone number. There is a boom box and a microphone. I got up on the flat bed of a truck and preached the gospel of Jesus Christ! Many years ago, I would never have thought of me doing this for the Lord. I could speak for my profession, but for Jesus? It was incredible.

I gave a testimony on the healing power of God. I preached from John 5:1-15 ( you can read this by cutting and pasting this into your web browser: http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John%205;&version=50 OR perhaps click on the link). I preached that God is a God of healing and that the Holy Spirit does the healing, not us Christians. We are the chosen vessels. We pray in faith, believe in the word of God, and stand on the scriptures for the healing. I talked about the Holy Spirit, the love of God and how He wants relationship with all of us. I let them know that whether or not they were looking at me, the ground, not listening, it did not matter...the Holy Spirit was working on their hearts and that He loved everyone of them. I then prayed for people to come forward for prayer for healing and salvation.

Some of us prayed for people and others served pizza and juice to those who waited in the crowd. I prayed and talked with one man at length, then was asked to go on the other side of the truck and pray for a woman. Many gathered around her, layed hands on her and prayed alongside of one another. Her prayer request was for a healing of lung cancer. As soon as I placed my hands upon her body, I could feel the Holy Spirit come in power. As I prayed for her healing, I could feel a Holy Heat rushing from my hands into the small of her back. I declared her healing according to the word of God, and praised the Lord for healing her of this disease! I asked her after the prayer if she could feel the heat in my hands and she said yes, that it was still burning in her back. Praise the Lord!!!

Afterwards, I wanted to go inside. They were just finishing the bible study and about to start prayer. I walked into a group of people, of which there was alot of hurt and pain. There was one person swearing at another man, and just about to start a fight with him. She was also very angry at God. I will not go into the particular issues, as it was very personal. I told her she needed to forgive God, forgive her enemies and pray. Well, she did not want to hear that. She stared me down, in a very challenging manner and swore at me too! I told her that God loved her, I loved her and so did all of us here. She told me I was full of it, and walked out, speaking more profanities as she left the room. I told the group that we needed to pray for her, that she had a hard time believing that we loved her, but we did. As we were about to pray, she walked back in the room, looked me straight in the eye and asked if I really loved her and why. She also wanted to know how it is I know that God loves her. I told her about Jesus, His love, His death and the Love he put in my heart. I spoke the word of God. I stared her down too and would not let my gaze leave her. Then we all prayed as a group. There were tears and joy. The Holy Spirit was at work, brilliantly and lovingly making all things work for His good.

The girl I came with and I finally decided to leave after all prayer was done. We were praising God for so much! We went outside and just as we were about to leave, we saw a fight break out. It was terrible. The one guy had the other guy on the ground after wrestling and punching him in the head. Then he proceeded to kick him repetitively in the head. My friend and I were horrified. We raised our hands toward them and started prayer with fervour and passion. We prayed for the fight to stop, for the Holy Spirit to come between them and split them up and have them walk in opposite directions and go home. It was miraculous! When we prayed that prayer, they split apart and went in opposite directions very quickly. We started to praise God again over and over, amazed at answered prayer, basking in His love. Then, within moments, the woman that we prayed for before, came and knocked on my car window to thank me for praying for her and helping her. I got out of the car and gave her a great big hug. We talked for a bit, then went with some other Christians for donuts and coffee to discuss all of the wonderful things God was doing in our lives and through this ministry.

Praise the Lord!!! I will try to write more segments very soon. The Lord is doing so much right now, it is hard to find the time to write about it. I am sooo excited and on fire for Him. I cannot wait until the next opportunity comes my way , in order to show Jesus to others and glorify our Lord!!! Hallelujah!

Update on Flooding

2005-06-20T20:11:00.000-04:00

First of all I would like to thank and Praise God during this time. Secondly, thank everyone of you for your prayers.

I prayed for the Lord's help and He came through. The basement did start to flood from the rain. However, the water never moved past the towels I left on the floor. They were completely saturated, but no water moved beyond the towels. This was Friday evening I first noticed the water. Saturday we were pummeled with rain, fast and furious. The reports were over 100mm over night, not including all of the rain we had on Saturday. I believe this is just one of the many miracles of God.

Today the landlord brought a plumber over to make sure the reason for the water. After ruling out all possibilities, it was decided for the first time ever this house let in water from the rain. I checked out my couch today. The bottom of the couch where the water level rose up, caused minor wetness and a tiny spot of water elsewhere, no more than five inches in diameter. I let it dry out today, airing it out in the sunshine. I tried to move it into the apartment, but it just would not fit. So now, I will find a home for the couch. This poor couch has had more travel and stories than alot of people I know...LOL

As for the rest of Calgary 2,000 people were evacuated from their homes this weekend, some only returning today. We are in a state of emergency due to the dirty water from all the rain and flooding. We are on a strict consumption of water. The next 24 hours will be crucial. If Calgarians do not watch their water usage, we may lose our ability to use it for awhile (extreme measures). Residential homes will be the last to be affected by that course of action. There is plenty of water, the water treatment plant cannot provide enough clean water necessary for the current demand for consumption.

Well, off to Monday Night Evangelism. I have so much to write about what the Lord has been doing this past week. I have not had much time with ministry and work, plus the phone lines were affected, just fixed today. So, I did not have internet access.

Stay in touch for more stories....

Prayer Request - Flooding

2005-06-18T01:42:00.000-04:00

Well, it looks like we are in another rainy period here in Alberta. Last night I could not sleep all night. I had a dream that Calgary was about to receive another 256mm of rain. I think that was the number. That would be alot moe rain than we had during some of the more serious flooding. At work today I asked the girls if they had heard such a number in the forecast. ( That is how real the dream was) They all said no. Last night I heard we are supposed to receive showers on and off over the weekend. It rained last night, but not too much. Today however we have had a combination of downpours and steady rain.

At work tonight we started to get a flood in through the back door. We did not leave until late, having to mop up and leave towels and cushions to mop up the water over night. It enters in right where the electrical panels are. Please pray for no damage and for the employee's safety.

So, I came home, of course tired and having to be at work in 8.5 hours from now. My yard is soggy, I got a foot soaker through my running shoes. I am concerned that the couch will get damaged. I am praying and trusting in the Lord that it will be OK. So far, the last flooding we had here in the city and Southern Alberta, the couch was very dry and undamaged. Praise God! However, today, there is more water here in this end of town. Just five days ago, further south there was serious flooding after the other flooding around.

So, I come inside. Inside the laundry room there is flooding. I moved some of my belongings to one side for now. I mopped and used towels to get some of the water. I left towels for overnight. The landlord is coming in the morning. Please pray for my couch outside and all of my belongings inside. I do not have contents insurance as I cannot afford to do so. Plus, some insurance policies do not cover flood damage. The government here was kind enough to give relief to those flood victims that were denied assistance from their insurance companies.

So, all is in the Lord's hands. I trust in Him, no matter what happens. I feel peace and will press into Him as I monitor the situation. Thank you for joining me in my prayers. God Bless.

Part 1 - Psalm 24 Days!

2005-06-16T13:55:00.000-04:00

On Sunday June 5th, the Holy Spirit lead me to read over Psalm 24 several times, etching the scripture deep within my soul. What a profound scripture, yet I knew I needed more intimate time with the Lord and to look up at Him in every situation.

I went to church Sunday morning with a heavy heart. I had been rejected by my peers for revealing some of the things I have learned about, in and through the Holy Spirit. I was very sad when I drove home after Friday night bible study. Then the Holy Spirit reminded me of a time a couple of years ago. I had talked about the very same thing with a man that was on fire for God, but had no understanding of the spirtual realm. I experienced rejection there as well. Perhaps a year and a half after the fact, I met him at a prayer vigil. He was pumped up, his eyes had been opened to the truth. He apologized for rejecting what I had to say, but had to go through the Holy Spirit's leading the hard way. I only planted the seed. The Lord took him through the process, to bloom a beautiful flower of truth and knowledge in the Spirit.

On Sunday morning, I went to pre-service intercession. There are a couple of ladies, just overflowing with the Spirit and completely on fire for God. Perhaps this is what keeps me at this church for now. As we were praying, interceding and worshipping the Lord, three of us entered into a wonderful intermingling of the Holy Spirit. I had kept receiving a visionof gates. At the gates the Lord was ushering people in, to come in those gates. To be with Him, come meet with Him in the Holy place. This happened a few times during prayer, then as I recieved the vision again and heard the words in the spirit to enter in/come on in, one of the ladies passionately yelled out, "ENTER IN!" My goodness, I slapped my hand on the table and started praising the Lord...she and I started giggling in the spirit and praising God. The third lady was receiving Psalm 24 at this time and started to burst forth the glorious words from the scriptures. "Lift up your heads, oh you ancient gates! Come to see the Lord of Glory!" Wow...we cried, laughed, praised God and marvelled at how he used us three as intricate pieces of a puzzle, coming so perfectly together in the Spirit.

After this, I decided to go and sit amongst those that rejected me a couple of nights before. I did it in the right spirit, with great love in my heart and wanting to do what God wanted, not what my flesh desired. It turned out be be okay. Although they may not agree with my views, it appears they are not rejecting me altogether.

There are so many lessons to be gained from this experience:

During the tough times of your journey, always keep your eyes focused on God. Satan and his army will attempt to pull you into despair, unforgiveness, bitterness, depression, etc. . Anything opposite to the fruit of the spirit to pull you away from God, to prevent you from looking up to Him.
I have learned from experience that when you go forth with a word from God, perhaps a revelation He has given you, often it will be rejected. Not always. During these times, trust in Him. He will not leave you nor forsake you. If you are putting forth His truth and it is not of your flesh, it is of the Holy Spirit, the Lord will come through for you. As Christians we are taught to test all spirits, so let them test what you have to say. The Holy Spirit is one of truth, He is the only one who can open up eyes and ears to see, hear and experience all He has to offer. Pray for those that persecute you and reject you.

I am certain there are many more things I can write from this experience. In fact, I am sure I had a list of five things in my head. The most important thing for me was to know that the Lord is always with me and comes through for me, for we are Victorious in Christ!!! Hallelujah!

Lift Up Your Heads

2005-06-08T02:31:00.000-04:00

Psalm 24
Of David. A psalm.

1 The earth is the LORD's, and everything in it,
the world, and all who live in it;

2 for he founded it upon the seas
and established it upon the waters.

3 Who may ascend the hill of the LORD ?
Who may stand in his holy place?

4 He who has clean hands and a pure heart,
who does not lift up his soul to an idol
or swear by what is false.

5 He will receive blessing from the LORD
and vindication from God his Savior.

6 Such is the generation of those who seek him,
who seek your face, O God of Jacob.
Selah

7 Lift up your heads, O you gates;
be lifted up, you ancient doors,
that the King of glory may come in.

8 Who is this King of glory?
The LORD strong and mighty,
the LORD mighty in battle.

9 Lift up your heads, O you gates;
lift them up, you ancient doors,
that the King of glory may come in.

10 Who is he, this King of glory?
The LORD Almighty—
he is the King of glory.
Selah

The Lord led me to this psalm on Sunday evening. The Lord had me read it several times. The more I read it, the more I hear the Holy Spirit speak to me.

In the first 2 verses, God is shown to be our absolute authority. He made this earth and everything in it. Read that verse many times and it will appear more profound each time. We all know He is the Creator, but the more I read these verses I felt a deeper reverence for the Sovereignty of our Lord.

Verses 3 to 6 touched me very deeply. To stand in the Holy Place of the Lord, one must have clean hands and a pure heart, not swear by what is false and not lift up our soul to an idol. What great blessing such a person will receive. David then says, such is the generation of those that seek Him.

Lord, I want to be of such a generation. I want to be able to stand in your Holy Place, to experience your awesome splendour and glory!

Verses 7 to 10 are very interesting. Not only is the King of Glory more clearly defined, but I feel even a greater reverance for Him, the more I continue to read. He is strong, mighty in battle, He is the Lord Almighty, the King of Glory. Hallelujah! I looked at some commentaries to try and grasp the 'lift upyour heads you ancient gates'. Barnes says this is when they are coming into the city of Jeruslaem, carrying the ark of the covenant.

I feel the Holy Spirit placing something deep within as I read this, something for the generation then, now and the generations to come. Oh, lift up your heads you ancient gates! That is us, you and me. Get out of our complacency and set our faces before Jesus! Lift up our faces before the Lord so that the King of Glory may come in. The Lord is seeking such a generation.

I leave this verse with you to meditate upon. I pray the Holy Spirit will speak to you in the way He has spoken to me this evening. Praise His Holy Name!

Pray for Alberta

2005-06-07T19:57:00.000-04:00

Currently many parts of Southern Alberta have been declared a state of emergency. Some communities have had a mandatory evacuation. Due to increasing levels of rainfall, rivers are rising and overflowing. Ten years ago Alberta experienced severe flooding, mostly in the Southern part.

Now, in Calgary, the rivers are rising. The Elbow River is threatening and rising on the banks, creeping into yards. Outside of Calgary, one community in the west of Bragg Creek has had a suggested evacuation as well, as their only bridge is threatening to be washed out. Pincher Creek has flooded over, and Sheep River is threatening some communities West of Calgary.

Please pray for safety for all adults and children in these areas. Please pray for minimal or no damage to their homes/belongings. The rain might let up a little by tomorrow, but areas will still be on watch until the water starts to dry up. Calgary has not delcared a state of emergency, but is in the process of preparing for one.

On my end here, The Lord has been good. A friend helped me bring in my loveseat from outside and it was fine. Praise the Lord! I now have furniture! We moved it in the rain and it got wet, but dried out with no problems or damage. My couch is outside on the lawn wrapped in plastic, as it will not fit in my apartment. It appears to still be dry, even with all of this rain. I asked the Lord to keep it dry and praise the Lord he has! Even our first bout of rain a couple of weeks ago, I was driving home and it started to pour. I prayed, Lord please save the furniture. When I arrived, the wind blew the plastic off, it had rained, but the furniture was completely dry. The plastic was wet, and a puddle to boot. I praised God aloud right there and thanked Him. Now, I am hoping to bless our church's new youth pastor with a couch. I will not find out until Sunday if he can take it. Please pray to keep it safe so it can bless someone, hopefully this new Pastor that is moving to our city from the US.

On a final note, some may think that the big things we see God do are miracles. I believe the little things are miracles too. God keeping my furniture dry under such circumstances is a demonstration of His magnificent power and He does deserve the glory!!!

Babe in the Woods

2005-06-07T01:57:00.000-04:00

Today I made a decision to go to and be involved in a new ministry. I am in a new city, now since December 18th, and need to meet people who have a passion for God. A Christian I met recently asked about the call of God on my life and I told him the Lord gave me a vision back in the winter of 2002. He wanted to know what it was, so I told him. I explained how the Lord brought me to this point of my life and had me move across country for Him. He was very enthusiastic and said that I had to come out to his ministry group.

I will tell you what this ministry is and its set-up. It is an evangelistic ministry that primarily preaches out doors, mostly to those of lower income or homeless individuals. A couple of these places are outside of shelters and drop-in centres. It is street evangelism, John Wesley style. It is a little out of my comfort zone in some respects, in other respects, it is right up my alley. I will explain this last point. I confess, I am not the most comfortable walking and doing street or door to door evangelism. I like to be led by the Holy Spirit to those I do 'blunt, in your face' evangelism to. What I love about this ministry is praying for others, seeing souls saved and people healed/delivered by the Holy Spirit.

I was very excited to go this evening. Last week, I think they said eight people were known to give their lives to Christ, many had hands on prayer, one person was delivered of demons, and another still struggling with demonization. Our prayer was for the demon-possessed man to come back tonight. As far as I know, no one saw the man, but I believe he will be saved and delivered. I did not know where I would be used this evening. It has been raining heavy in Alberta, so they brought the ministry in doors this evening, the other groups went out in the rain to preach. I was one of the groups that stayed indoors at the Salvation Army.

As we went outside to recruit people to come hear the wordof God, have pizza, bible study, etcetera, I approached 3 people huddled together smoking to invite them in and struck up a conversation with them. I saw many others further away in amongst some of the trees, and thought I could go over and invite them too. They said, "No, Karen..they are all over there doing crack. It is not safe for you to go over there alone." Then the one guy said to me, "I see we have ourselves here a babe in the woods." I kind-of defensively said "No, not really a babe in the woods. If you knew my testimony, you would be surprised. I may only look innocent and that is due to the Lord doing all the work in me. I am just not comfortable or know the area. It is my first time down here you know." Afterward, as I walked inside I thought I may as well have eaten my foot whole. Goodness! What a bunch of babble! I really am a babe in the woods in some ways. I am learning more about crack since becoming involved in street ministry, but this area is new to me in so many ways. I have been exposed to all kinds of alcohol and drugs over the years. I worked at a homeless shelter for teens, confiscating drugs and weapons. But the street ministry,seeing it first hand...I am a babe in the woods.

Tonight we shared the gospel, gave away some bibles, had an opportunity to pray for some folks. I drove one gal to a shelter. Talked with some other folks. All in all it was a good night, one filled with personal lessons and growth. Tonight I feel God handpicked just for me ( I apologize if that sounds selfish, as there are so many helped through this ministry). I feel after I heard the Lord speak to me this morning, and electrify me this evening, this is the beginning of many beautiful paths.

The Self Pity Rollercoaster

2005-06-04T14:07:00.000-04:00

Today will not be one of those positive posts I like to write all the time. Lately I have written about feeling joy, peace, etcetera. This is true. The Lord has blessed me abundantly in so many areas. However, occassionally I seem to get on a rollercoaster of self pity. I would like to destroy this rollercoaster, blow it up, erase it from my existence. I hope to one day be like Paul and to be content in every circumstance.

Living in a new city I feel lonely. All the people I started to get to know are now no longer involved in my life due to the relationship break up I went through five weeks ago. All except for a couple of people have remained in contact with me. I went to a friend's wedding last weekend and my ex-boyfriend was there as well. We had originally been invited as a couple, then circumstances changed. I was still invited to the wedding as I have become friends with the couple. These two have remained in my life and have been like angels sent from the Lord. They have been such a blessing. The wedding was very difficult to attend. My ex and some of his friends completely ignored me and were very rude. I cannot understand why Christian men would act in such a manner. We are all to be brothers and sisters in the Lord. In my hurt and pain, I gave it to the Lord. I cannot carry this burden any longer. I need to heal from all the bad things that have been said and have occurred.

Moreover, I had to find a new church. Any of the contacts I started to establish at this old church have fallen to the wayside, due to the fact that my ex is there. Some of the folks I had been developing close relationships with have not called to say hello or to say anything with regard to the breakup. These are family in the Lord. I do not understand how or why Christians act this way. We are to be an example to the world, not be exactly like the secular world around us.

In this new church, I felt excited at first. It is a well-balanced congregation. It is sound doctrinely, has upbeat worship, mixes a charismatic flair with tradition. I still don't know if it is for me. I like the charismatic churches, as I love having the Holy Spirit working in full power, not squashed or limited due to fear. I tried a couple of more charismatic churches, but they do not seem balanced enough for my liking. I might occassionally this summer try different churches to see if something fits more what I am seeking. However, I will plant some roots at this congregation for now. The intercessory group is on fire for God, but I am not seeing this in a good portion of people that attend there. I am so desiring friendships with people that are on fire for God, understand the gifts of the Holy Spirit and move in them. Like I said in a past post, perhaps the Lord wants me to be an example to others. It feels strange worshipping God next to others that are not exuberant about their praise, yet I put my hands up in the air and like to dance a little jig. So, I will remain different to some around me, but I am focusing on the Lord. What they think should not matter.

I received my first assistance last weekend. I had tried to get hold of the food bank, but they have limited hours. Plus, I had been struggling with the shame and other ungodly emotions I was struggling with realizing I had to go through an application process. The church I am attending has a food bank, so one of the younger gals asked on my behalf if I could have some assistance. So, I ignored any stares I may have receievd, with thanksgiving in my heart, carried the bags of groceries to my car after the church service. Last night I used my grocery coupon. I planned my grocery list, to combine meals from food at home to leftovers my friend's gave me when they went on their honeymoon. I actually added up every item, being careful to not overspend on anything.

So now, on to my work issues. I have recieved a second job, praise the Lord, but I cannot start until I receive medical insurance and registration to cover me while I work. Can you imagine they received my application over a week ago and I still have not received my number? I called every day this week. It has been frustrating. I could be making some extra money to cover expenses. I have let the registration office know my financial situation, but it has not made a difference. Same with my other job. I have let them know for weeks how I need extra hours, but once again, I receive only 10-15 hours per week. It was not until I mentioned that I recieved a second job, that they posted the schedule weeks in advance and gave me more hours. Crazy, huh?

Now, I am in a quandery. My job in the north is 25-30 minutes to drive, my other job is 15-20 minutes. My school is only about a 10 minute drive maximum. My church is about 15 minutes to drive, further south. I just moved here to this apartment a couple of weeks ago. I don't want to move again. However, my apartment is so tiny that my furniture is out on the lawn. I am going to see if I can receive help to move my love seat inside which will require 3 doors coming off and yet there is no guarantee that I can get it inside. The couch will have to find a home. If I decide to find a cheaper apartment in the north, my church will be too long a drive, school will take longer, but not a big deal. I have decided to remain in the south for now, make a home of it and keep my eyes open. Not too far away from where I live there is a gorgeous park, with trails and a fabulous view!

So, as writing this post is to get my feelings out, I have been feeling sorry for myself and am trying very hard to remain in a cycle of joy. Since I left Ontario almost a year ago and moved across the country, I have had to face alot of trials and adversities. In December, I was tempted to walk away from it all. I thought, if it is this hard now, what will it be like in full time ministry? Even though I was in that space of wanting to tell God that I wanted to hang up my robe and walk away, I could not do so. I want so much to make a difference in this world, to bring God much glory and to see thousands of souls saved. So, here I am having a pity party and riding a roller coaster I do not want to be on. I even prayed and asked the Lord if I could return home, but that is not God's will to do so. So, I remain...lonely, grieving, crying and pushing through to focus on God during these tough times.

Before I left Ontario to pursue the call of God on my life, my Pastor told me that it is not an easy walk to do so. I had suffered a terrible situation dating a so-called Christian man, that ended terribly and the guy renounced Jesus Christ. My Pastor said it was one way God was trying to prepare me for dealing with bad scenarios that will come as a result of pursuing the call. This past year has helped me understand what he was trying to communicate. Walking in God brings persecution from all angles. Paul taught us that we are to rejoice through such times. I have had time to reflect on this. I think Paul, like the rest of us, had to go through the muck and the swamp of life in order to obtain and keep an attitude of thanksgiving and contentedness. There were 10 hidden years that the Lord worked on Paul. In this time, I am convinced the Lord put him through a baptism of fire over and over again until Paul was ready to do the work of the Lord.

I have cried to the Lord many times, change me and transform me to your likeness. Make me more like you and less of me. I know He is taking me through the process and getting me ready for ministry. To be a leader of God's people, we must be more like Him. To live,breathe and eat the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Lord, although I confess my sin of grumbling before you, I love you more than life itself. I want to do great things in your name. So, once again, I thank you for the trials and tribulations of life. I look forward to the time when, like Paul, I can say " I have learned to be content in whatever state I am." (Phil.4:11, NKJV)

Summer Break

2005-05-31T01:47:00.000-04:00

Praise the Lord! I give Him all the glory, honour and credit for all He has done for me! I am finally finished school now until September. On Friday morning I handed in my assignments. After all the difficulties I had to face this semester including the passing of my Stepfather, the school gave me an extension to finish. This was God's grace.

I am almost settled into my apartment and am seeking a home for my furniture. It is wrapped in plastic in the backyard as it will not fit in this place. I have a tiny basement suite. When the Lord called me here to Alberta, I prayed about what to keep and what to give away. I wanted to keep my bed, dresser, and my big desk. The desk takes up most of my livingroom, LOL, but I call it my Ministry desk. It is great for studying, research, writing and fits my personality! The couch and loveseat were not on that list, and I want to bless a Christian family or organization. Please pray for someone to be blessed!

Now that I have the summer break, I will focus on employment, health, grieving and the Lord. I have not really grieved my losses this year and need the Lord to heal and mend many areas. My stepfather is with the Lord now, and that makes me smile. However, there is so much I need to focus on, allowing the Lord to wrap His loving arms around me, loving and strengthening me.

I am looking forward to writing and reading this summer. There are books that I have wanted to read for awhile, just no time during studies. I anticipate this time with the Lord.

In the River

2005-05-26T01:34:00.000-04:00

Lord,

You are the twinkle in my eye,
You are the love in my heart,
You are the bounce in my step,
You make me shine.

Your word gives me sustenance,
Your Spirit speaks deep wisdom within,
You feed my soul,
You speak whispers of knowledge.

You fill me to overflowing,
Gentle streams gurgling in my laughter,
Rushing rivers pouring forth,
Giving me the ride for eternity.

I am white water rafting in the river of life,
Jesus my friend is with me,
The Holy Spirit is guiding my path,
My Father is Smiling down at me....

I am having the most fulfilling time in my life,
Full of joy and new experiences,
The work on the River is challenging,
It can be hard, but exhilarating....

Wanna come for a ride?

Remember Jesus

2005-05-24T10:58:00.000-04:00

I just finished studying the Pastoral Letters. Actually finished my assignment yesterday. Paul gave Timothy much commands, directions and advice for living out the call God put on his life. One of the things that Paul taught was to remember Jesus.

2 Timothy 2:8-13

8Remember Jesus Christ, raised from the dead, descended from David. This is my gospel, 9for which I am suffering even to the point of being chained like a criminal. But God's word is not chained. 10Therefore I endure everything for the sake of the elect, that they too may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus, with eternal glory.

11Here is a trustworthy saying:

If we died with him,
we will also live with him;
12if we endure,
we will also reign with him.
If we disown him,
he will also disown us;
13if we are faithless,
he will remain faithful,
for he cannot disown himself.

Pretty powerful words from Paul. I wondered why Paul had this teaching in here about remembering Jesus. When you look at the life he led, how could he not remember him? However, when you are enduring hardship for the sake of the gospel it is important to keep Christ the focus. If not, it would be easy to allow suffering to overtake you, giving Satan too much ground. It is when you let your guard down that Satan will attack who the Saviour is, trying with all his might to pull your eyes away from the one that saved you.

Jesus is the way, the truth and the life. There is no other way.

Life is Full of Surprises

2005-05-18T12:49:00.000-04:00

I want to thank the Lord, once again for all things that pass my way, good and bad, negative or positive, hardships or blessings.

I have moved into my new place,which has its own comedic set of errors! First of all, and now the second apartment since I moved to this city, my furniture will not fit. So, my couch and loveseat are on the back lawn wrapped in plastic. So, either I sell or give to the Salvation Army. The next few weeks will help out there.

Secondly, on Monday I locked myself out of the apartment. It was about 5- 5:30 in the afternoon. I had no access to a phone, no money, did not know the landlord's number, did not have other numbers handy. So, I thought, I cannot just wait here, this will take forever. So, placed my hand on the door and said Lord, please help me I need a miracle! Then I knocked on the tenants door, I thought they were home as the 2 cats sound like a herd of elephants. No one home. Then went to the shed and grabbed one tool box and my briefcase, hoping that maybe there would be a bobby pin. Worth a shot, I am thinking. Then I remembered I had left the 2 windows open. So, the one side of the house I thought someone would call the cops for sure, as it is wide open. So, I decided to climb through the bush and try the other side of the house. I had to bend and pry the screen open. The opening of the window was 17" wide by 13" height. The drop to the bed was a few feet. Can you imagine I made it through the window with no injury? Afterward, my thumb and wrist hurt a little. So I praised and thank God for the miracle. First of all, that I was not fat, secondly flexible enough to bend through the window like that, thirdly that I did not have to wait for a long period of time for someone to show up. Fourthly, felt relief that knowing if I ever had to make an exit out ofthe window, at least I know I can fit through.

I would like to thank the Lord for His help with my schoolwork. I only have 2 assignments left to do which both have to be completed in the next 6-7 days maximum. It is only by the grace of God that I have managed to do this, move, deal with a relationship break up,etc. ...all at the same time! There are blessings in the adversities of life. We must remember to thank God for all of them!

Trusting in God

2005-05-10T13:30:00.000-04:00

As I go through my journey, I realize this is an area that I am still struggling with. The Lord started teaching me Easter 2004 that I really need to let go and let Him steer the course. Right now I am in the Lord's ship, on his waters, chartered for unknown territory. The Lord is my rudder and is steering my direction. The moment I get worried or anxious about a circumstance in my life, in other words a storm is brewing or I am in the middle of the storm, I grab onto that rudder for dear life and try to steer it myself.

This is the difference between trusting God in all things and not trusting Him to see me through the hard times. I want to be like Jesus, sleeping on the boat, unaware of the storm around me. Why? Because all of my trust is in God. This is a difficult process to learn.

Last night I received that today I should write about trust. I looked through the psalms and found some amazing scriptures I would like to share.

Psa 25:21 May my goodness and honesty preserve me, because I trust in you.

Psa 27:14 Trust in the LORD. Have faith, do not despair. Trust in the LORD.

Psa 28:7 The LORD protects and defends me; I trust in him. He gives me help and makes me glad; I praise him with joyful songs.

Psa 31:14 But my trust is in you, O LORD; you are my God.

Psa 31:19 How wonderful are the good things you keep for those who honor you! Everyone knows how good you are, how securely you protect those who trust you.

Psa 32:10 The wicked will have to suffer, but those who trust in the LORD are protected by his constant love.

Psa 37:5 Give yourself to the LORD; trust in him, and he will help you;

Psa 38:15 But I trust in you, O LORD; and you, O Lord my God, will answer me.

Psa 56:3 When I am afraid, O LORD Almighty, I put my trust in you.

Psa 56:4 I trust in God and am not afraid; I praise him for what he has promised. What can a mere human being do to me?

Psa 62:8 Trust in God at all times, my people. Tell him all your troubles, for he is our refuge.

Psa 84:12 LORD Almighty, how happy are those who trust in you!

Psa 115:11 Trust in the LORD, all you that worship him. He helps you and protects you.

Psa 119:66 Give me wisdom and knowledge, because I trust in your commands.

Psa 143:8 Remind me each morning of your constant love, for I put my trust in you. My prayers go up to you; show me the way I should go.

I chose 15 verses from Psalms in the Good News Bible. There are 134 verses found in the old and new testament of the Good News Bible that menti0n trust. As you can see from these verses alone, there are many positives to trusting God. There is an unshakeable confidence in who God is, that He will always protect and help you. He answers us, guides us to where we should go. Wisdom and knowledge are ours for the taking, he listens to our troubles and answers us. We are happy, filled with gladness and enveloped in His love.

I feel much at peace after reading these pslams. I will continue to read these verses of scripture over the next little while, as I desperately seek to trust Him in all things.

2005-05-08T16:00:00.000-04:00

Mom and I. I want to honour my Mother on this special day. Lord I pray you bless her and fill her with joy. Though we may be far apart geographically, we are not in our hearts. I love you Mom!

In Pursuit of Him

2005-05-07T17:49:00.000-04:00

For those that may have already read this post, I apologize, I decided to edit and re-publish.

A few days ago, I finally finished the third of three books. Praise the Lord! Now I have to write a 12 page critical book review. This is part of a course I am taking called 'Gospel in Action'. It was also tied into my trip to Vancouver.

As I read this last book, there were many moments I felt the Holy Spirit speaking to me, nudging ever so gently. Reading these books had me reflect on some of the things I have had to endure since following the call of God on my life. One of those areas is in finances. It has been a struggle and is a walk of faith. As I realized how tight things were the other day, I could only make partial payments on some of my bills. I just said, 'I trust you Lord'. I really do. I know you will provide.

I decided to call my Mom to let her know how things were and that I was moving next week for sure. My Brother answered the phone. Of course we got on the subject of finances and I let him know how nice it was that I only had to pay the landlord half of my deposit for now. I mentioned that work was slow, only 16.5 hours this week. Well, later that evening, I found out I will be receiving an early birthday gift to help out with expenses. My birthday is 5 weeks away, but it will be perfect timing. At the end of the month I need $750.00, next week I need well over $300.00. This week I am only made $150.00. Next week, I am scheduled with less hours and will make less than that. Praise the Lord for His provision!

By the way, some of this gift is from my Brother whom is not a Christian, but I believe will be one day. He said that so many times I gave him thought gifts, and told me how much he had appreciated all those times. Now, he was able to do things for me. I write this with tears in my eyes. The Lord has done so many tremendous things with my family. The Lord gave me a dream early 2002 that said I would be bringing my family to the Lord. After that, my Mom and Stepfather both became born again. My Father, although he has not officially become born again, calls Jesus his Lord. I taught him how to pray, and he speaks with blessings toward me, always acknowledging God. My brother asks questions, but has not become born again.

In this dream the Lord gave me in 2002, there had been a great snowstorm. There was ice and lots of snow. My job was to delegate what it is each member of my family had to do in order to save the house. My brother decided to borrow the neighbour's snowblower. It was the middle of the night and he had taken it without permission. We all worked through the night. In the morning, my Brother returned the snowblower to the neighbour and apologized for having taken it without permission. He also offered to replace the gas he had used. The neighbour said, 'Don't worry about it son.' He placed his hand on my brothers's back and then said, 'Let's go catch some fish.'

I cannot even begin to tell you how excited I was when I woke up from my dream. Since then, I have seen radical transformations in my family. Just the other day, after my Dad realized I broke up with my boyfriend, he offered words of comfort. He said, "Don't worry Karen God is with you always." Wow! I sense the power of the Holy Spirit, even now as I write this post. The Lord is doing a beautiful work and I want to glorify His holy name! Thank you Lord!!!

See how the Lord works? I came in to write one thing and it turned into a wonderful testimony! However, I still have it upon my heart to write a couple of paragraphs from the book I just finished reading, which ties into the things you encounter as you pursue the call of God. This book is called, "Churches that Make a Difference - Reaching your Community with Good News and Good Works" by Ronald J. Sider, Philip N. Olson and Heidi Rolland Unruh. I will quote from pages 309-310:

It is no coincidence that many of the great moments in salvation history start out with a trek through the wilderness. Abraham, Moses and the Israelites, and Jesus all found themselves wandering through the desert after responding to God's calling. As your congregation answers God's invitation to join in holistic mission, you can expect to pass through the wilderness. You will most likely encounter the test of inadequate finances, personnel, and space. You will endure temptations to turn aside, turn away, slow down, speed up, and sell out. You will struggle to develop ministry leaders who share the holistic vision, are passionate servants of the Lord, and can work together as a team. As Nehemiah faced the taunts of Sanballat and Tobiah as he worked to rebuild the wall around Jerusalem (Neh.4:1-3), you will experience opposition to the ministry, from outside as well as inside the congregation.

If your congregation (and particularly its leadership) is committed to the Lord, to one another, and to love of neighbour, these trials will not derail God's plan for your church. It is in the desert that the Holy Spirit teaches us key truths, tests our character and purpose, and strengthens us for ministry. God's strength is made perfect in our weakness (2 Cor. 12:9). Through costs, change, and conflict, God pours out onto the church his boundless, all-sufficient love, power and grace - which we then proclaim in our evangelism and demonstrate in our works of compassion and justice. A congregation that ventures into holistic ministry can thus share Paul's confidence "that the one who began a good work among you will bring it to completion by the day of Jesus Christ" (Phil. 1:6).

This book was written to help churches pursue, develop and implement an holistic vision and ministry. There are many aspects of this book that would equally assist you in your pursuit of God. It also opens up your eyes in different areas, stretches you cerebrally to understand the sociological problems we face and how the church is intertwined.

On a final note, I am blessed and thankful for having the opportunity to work on this assignment. If not, I would not have read this book. I am thankful for the encouragement I received. As I walk through my wilderness with the Lord, I will remember some of these words. Now, over the next couple of days, I will trust God as I write my critical book review. I will trust that He will grant me clarity, patience, joy and peace.

What a Disappointment!

2005-05-05T16:25:00.000-04:00

My rant for the day:

I just found out I cannot have the summer intern position I applied for. Instead of homework, I worked on my resume and cover letter as I need the work and the experience. Reason why I could not get the position? I AM TOO OLD! Yikes! I am only 32 years old, but the cut off for the program is 30. The program is government funded. I mentioned to the woman that it was not fair as I was attending school the same as those that are younger.

On a good note, she commended me on the presentation and work on my resume. She told me she would keep it and keep her eyes and ears open to see if anything becomes available in the church. That is good to know! On another good note, when I met her last weekend she must have thought I was younger than 30...tee hee!

Well, I will leave all this in the Lord's hands. Yes, I am disappointed. However, I know God is in control. I am hoping perhaps that He has something in store. He knows I need the work and experience at this time in my life.

In Our Midst

2005-05-04T00:57:00.000-04:00

I woke up this morning with the words from a song, now I cannot even remember the song, but the words consist of the phrase, 'The Lord is a strong tower'. Generally when the Holy Spirit speaks to me in those moments upon awakening and it is with a song, it is always something significant.

This was fitting for the morning. Two of my girlfirends were in from out of town and I came out to where they were camped out in my livingroom, and sang the lyrics. The night before we had decided we would spend the morning in prayer. That we did. We three were tremendously blessed as the Holy Spirit poured out his love, words of prophecy, healing and wisdom.

We wrestled with the issues of fear, doubt, trust, etcetera. This posed questions as to where God fit into these issues. Is God in control or are we? Do we believe all His word tells us or not? Do we walk on God's path or our own? These are difficult questions, particularly if God is not front and centre in all areas of your life.

There are many verses in the bible on dealing with some of these issues; I decided to include 3 for illustration:

1Jo 4:18 There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear, because fear has torment. He who fears has not been perfected in love.

Mar 11:23 For truly I say to you that whoever shall say to this mountain, Be moved and be cast into the sea, and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that what he said shall occur, he shall have whatever he said.

Psa 37:5 Give yourself to the LORD; trust in him, and he will help you;

When we put the Lord ahead of any problem and hand Him complete control of every and any situation, there truly is no room for the angst associated with these issues and questions. God is our strength, our tower in the midst of any situation or place.

As I looked up the definition of a tower to receive clarification, it helped to place a greater understanding on the lyrics of that song. Here are some of the meanings:

a building or structure higher than it is wide, either isolated or forming part of a building;
such a structure used as or intended for a stronghold, fortress, prison, etc.;
a tall, movable structure used in ancient and medieval warfare in storming a fortified place;
to rise or extend upward, as a tower; reach or stand high;
to rise above or surpass others;

He is our strong tower. Jeremiah knew this:
Jer 16:19a 'GOD, my strength, my stronghold, my safe retreat when trouble descends...'

No matter what may be around, in the greatest of storms or the clearest of skies, as we seek for all the answers, run for cover or do not know where to turn...

In our midst there is God.

Found a Church Family

2005-05-01T20:14:00.000-04:00

I am so glad to report that I found a church I will call home. It is only my second visit there, but it feels like a good fit. I will keep attending and praying and see what God has in store for me. It has been described as inward and outward, with focus on small groups and outreach as well. They are charismatic/mixed. There is a blend amongst the congregation. Very stable, biblically solid. They embrace five fold ministry and believe in utilization of all the gifts.

Two weeks in a row I attended intercessory prayer before the service starts and I am blessed by it. These people are so filled with the Holy Spirit and are lovely to be around. This church has two young adults groups, separated into 2 categories. One is teens to mid-20's. The other is mid-20's to mid-30's approximately. I am so happy for the latter group! Yeah! I find there often are not groups for those in their 30's, or later 20's.

Today I was invited for an incredible lunch. I went with the older young adults group to get to know them better. I met them all today for the first time and they were great! A couple in the church blessed us all. I felt like I was dining in a restaurant. When you are on your own and only have your cat for company at dinner time, it is tremendous fun!

So far, all the people I have met at this church are exhibiting the fruit of the spirit and love in their hearts. I am so impressed! I have met some very strong women in the Lord, who love God passionately! Thank you Lord for this blessing! Also, I have an opportunity to apply for a summer intern position. It will stretch me, but I am sure I would learn a great deal from it.

New Beginnings

2005-04-30T16:32:00.000-04:00

Today will be a personal post, coming from my heart. My relationship ended this morning with my boyfriend. It was not a hard time to sit down and have the inevitable discussion of our relationship ending. It is actually quite a relief. Not to say that I am not feeling emotional, I just need to be strong and heal. I want the Father's loving arms to consume me.

I want to thank you Lord for preparing my heart and spirit for today. It has not been an easy time and has been even more difficult to finely attune your voice throughout the struggles. I pray Lord that you would heal my mind, body, soul and spirit. Lord teach me to walk wholly in your love and forgiveness.

Lord I know you have set me aside for many things, not just to pursue a calling on my life. I know that you are preparing me for a husband and family. Lord prepare me for all aspects of what you have planned for me in the future. Please provide a man that will understand how you are working in my life and will support my decision to pursue full time ministry. Lord you know my needs, wants and desires greater than I know myself. You formed and molded me in the womb. You are my Creator.

I love you Lord. I embrace this new beginning.

Time of Restoration

2005-04-29T02:27:00.000-04:00

I believe the Lord has been trying to speak to me on a particular matter for quite some time. As we struggle between spirit and flesh, it is sometimes difficult to hear the still small voice of the Holy Spirit.

As I have pursued the Lord in prayer, I have received a few words. When I pursued the Lord further, wrestling with Him for understanding, I received greater revelation.

I believe in grace. I also believe that a Father disciplines His children. Like the Israelites that wandered so many years, God poured out His grace and yet removed His blessing from some that wandered so that they may not ever see the promised land.

As the Lord led me to Jeremiah 32 this evening, I was reminded of what the Lord has placed in my spirit over the last few weeks. What gave me hope was the last verse in which the Lord declares He will restore all that is lost.

This is not meant to be taken out of context at all. I need a restoration of my spirit, my passion, my innermost desires. Stepping out in faith to pursue my call has been tough, but I have no regrets. The Lord is teaching me, transforming me and stretching me.

Anyone who has ever seen the movie Braveheart can relate that stretching hurts! This is the kind of spiritual stretching I am referring to. When the Lord is done, I will not fit the same anymore.

Hallelujah! Time to throw out my old wineskin! Lord I want a new wineskin and fresh wine to be poured in. Lord I want to flow to overflowing, to be rich in your fragrant bouquet, to be the most beautiful colour that picks up the natural hues of your love.

I pray for your restoration Lord.

Psalm 51:12
Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.

Back from Vancouver

2005-04-27T02:41:00.000-04:00

Well, it is nice to be back home. I arrived Saturday evening at 7:30pm after being in a crowded van all day and getting up at 4 am. I was so blessed. My landlord and his fiance invited me to have dinner with them and to watch a movie afterward. It was relaxing. We all spent time with my darling cat. They took care of her while I was away. Thank you Lord and bless them for their kindness.

To summarize some of the events, I will return to Thursday. As I mentioned in another post, we all helped out with a food bank for single Mom's. It was incredible to see how much work, organization and planning goes into such a service. We had to unload two truckloads of boxes, then open the boxes, divide/separate goods into different piles and count them. Then we placed buckets and boxes on the floor and distributed items from fresh food, canned goods, to personal hygiene. One day when I have pictures developed, I will post some of them. After that we had class. Then we sat in on a bible study for Young Adults that was happening in the room where we sleep, eat and study. Finally, the moment arrived for us to go downtown at night time.

We drove down to the area of East Hastings and Main. On route, we witnessed a fist fight, the usual number of people doing drugs and some prostitutes. The streets were very quiet which surprised us, even 'Pigeon Park' was empty. Sorry I called the place 'Bird Park' in another post. The guy that took us down there mentioned it was very unusual to be so quiet plus the fact that one whole block was filled with police cars, about 14 of them. Our assumption is that something serious must have happened earlier in the evening. Unfortunately, we did not get out and walk. Some of the students were relieved that decision was made. I was a little disappointed as I wanted to see everything, interact and learn. I wanted to see just how horrible the conditions are and how the action increases in the late hours of the evening. However, I do not need to see more for the compassion in my heart to increase. I wanted to gain a greater understanding of the sub-culture. We took a drive then into the wealthy areas to see where the higher end prostitutes are. We learned a little about the higher and lower end hookers.

To complete the evening, we drove down an area called, 'Kiddy Stroll'. I apologize if that is offensive to some readers, but let's face it folks...this is reality. Kiddy stroll is named because it is the area of the city that someone can hire a child prostitute. I am not sure of the youngest age but it would not surprise me how young some may be. My guess is that between the ages of 8 and 15. It is legal to have sex at the age of 16 in BC, perhaps 14. I would have to check on that. In think we were told 14. The people or parents that are pimping do their business behind closed doors in this area. When the child is needed, they usher them out to the vehicle to the customer. There are some brothels in the area that cater to this, plus any age of prostitution. This area touched me to the inner core. Alongthis last part ofour drive, we did see a young girl standingout at the side of the road. She seemed so pretty, fearful and fragile. We watched her walk, which appeared to all of us that she did so with great difficulty. I can only assume why, but do not want my imagination to think about it. We were informed that Vancouver is the city that caters to your every desire, in Satan's dominion that is.

On Friday we were up bright and early to go and spend the day at Union Gospel Mission again. Some of us were on kitchen duty and some maintenance. I was chosen for the kitchen. I made 128 sandwiches, mixed/prepared drinks, cut desserts and helped out in other areas. It takes a great deal of time, effort and preparation to feed 100's of people a day. We had lunch then prepared to do chapel service. The men, maybe 1-2 women really appreciated the service. They clapped after the one student preached, not because they had to but because they wanted to.

After that we went downtown for dinner. Our teacher took us all out for a great steak dinner. We had enough money left over to treat ourselves. We had managed to save on gas and food throughout the week. Amazing and a blessing, as gas prices were over a dollar a litre there. After dinner I had a great talk with a panhandler. I did not have money for him, but what I did have was a blessing. I spoke with him and treated him as a real person. It put a wonderful smile on his face. Afterward we walked down Grenville and Robson area just for fun. The youth group would be busy until at least 11 pm, so our room would not be available for sleep until after that time.

The other thing perhaps I did not mention was that on Wednesday I saw a woman who was high on drugs, probably heroin or crack. She was in her own world, dancing in a contorted state. She had on only one sock. I saw her inch toward traffic and prayed 'Lord, please don't let her be hit!' We were all standing outside the gospel mission, watching. She turned around and placed her feet inward toward oncoming traffic. I gasped, my body leapt forward and my teacher said something to the effect of..."Karen, don't even think about it!" I was in shock and horrified to see this stoned woman dance blindly in front of traffic. I was almost sick, and so glad she made it across the road. I thanked the Lord! My teacher explained it was not safe for us to help people in this area, even if in broad daylight. We would be putingour lives at risk. Even if we saw her get hit by a car, the best thing we could do for her would be to call 911. Suffice to say, I shed some tears later. I felt frustrated, confused, disgusted...even a little angry at the situation. Such a feeling of helplessness.

My question then was, what would Jesus do? I cannot imagine our Saviour would watch that woman in those circumstances. Would Jesus not help her? What if she had been hit? Would he not go over to her? Lay his hands upon her and heal her? Would he not make sure she was out of harm's way? My head is spinning with thoughts! The response I received was that Jesus did not help every person. He did not heal everybody. I was told it was not my responsibilty to make sure everyone is OK. My intentions are good and my instincts not only honorable, but healthy. Moreover, the discussion led into the scriptures that indicate Jesus healed those that wanted to be well. Hmmmm...scratch my head. Then Grace comes to mind. UNDESERVED FAVOUR...this is the meaning of grace.

I have so many things I want to write about, but this last point is the one burning on my mind. I often try to live my life as biblically as I can. After briefing you on this last scenario, I am curious to know others thoughts. What would you have done? If you are a Christian or Non-Christian I would be interested in your response. Furthermore, how do you think Jesus would have handled the situation?

Misplaced my Pic

2005-04-26T18:49:00.000-04:00

I somehow misplaced my picture that I posted on April 24th. Then to correct, I deleted the pictures. Now, I am placing the same picture in this post. I have downloaded Picasa and Hello but have not figured out how to use them properly. My greatest frustration is that I want my picture on the introductory page, and in my profile. However, I do not know how to do it and have tried several times, thereby making the mistake of losing the picture I posted because I posted it three times in a row. Yikes! If anyone has any helpful suggestions, please let me know. Your help would be greatly appreciated.

I will write my final comments on Vancouver shortly. I did so last night only to lose everything I wrote as AOL shut down. My schoolwork is top priority, however this will help me to keep track of my activities seeing as I have to write a report on my stay in Vancouver.

LOL...I just had to delete this picture I had under this heading because it was blurry. Hopefully the pic under April 26th will turn out!

2005-04-26T18:44:00.000-04:00

Karen

Pic of me February 2005

2005-04-24T16:22:00.000-04:00

Picture of me taken February 2005

Thursday in Vancouver

2005-04-21T20:59:00.000-04:00

Hi Everybody! Well, our time here is almost over. It has been a jam-packed couple of days. Yesterday we went to Union Gospel Mission downtown. We were responsible for giving chapel three times as a group yesterday. People's lives were touched. One person in the afternoon came up for a prayer for healing. He did not even stay for supper which is incredible! He left after receiving prayer. Most are just there for the meal, some really enjoy the services and look forward to them. I had an awesome conversation with one man in particular, and some others too. We helped out doing other things. At the end of the night, I injured myself again. I dropped one of the big plastic beds on my foot/toes and is still sore. Late afterward we came back and had a class. Afterward we received some upsetting news as a class and many of us cried. It was an emotional time. Later, we giggled and laughed late into the night, which helped diffuse the heavy emotion we all felt inside.

In the morning, we woke up to someone's phone. In response to the confusion, one girl fell into me and landed hard into my back. She scraped her elbow pretty hard and was bleeding a bit. She felt bad and we were both pretty sore. Then about an hour later another girl partially stepped on my head. Yikes! Suffice to say, I woke up in a bad mood. I was feeling sorry for myself for awhile. Now, I just choose to have joy and worship God through it all. Today we helped out with a food bank for single Moms. Today and yesterday we made lunches for school kids. Tonight we are going downtown late at night to see the street activity pronounced.

Gotta GO!!! So much i want to write. God Bless. Bye for now.

Tuesday in Vancouver

2005-04-19T20:40:00.000-04:00

Well to add on to what we have done since my last writing...

On Monday we went down to the area of East Hastings Street and Main. Here we split into small groups and walked the streets to get a feel for the environment and people. This really tied into our morning lessons on why some people become homeless, society/sociology, and gentrification. It was daytime when we went down but there was still a great deal of activity. It was a common sight to see people doing crack, prostitutes and drug deals. Many sold found or stolen items on the street, selling tickets for upcoming events plus other activities. Our group was approached to buy drugs, showing us the contents openly. The police are busy and not often dealing with the drug problems. Someone kicked a window out of a buiding and there was an issue with a stolen bike from Carnegie Hall (library). We saw the place called, 'Bird Park'. This is an area where people sleep, consistently do drugs, deals, etc. It is an area that is often photographed and used in documentaries to capture the feel of the environment and culture.

After that we went for a drive in some richer areas and into Stanley Park, to get a feel for the contrast in environments within a local region. We got a look at the ocean and mountains from a different perspective. Too bad I did not have my camera. However, it was left behind as we did not want our van broken into.

Class was great this morning and presented itself with some healthy debates on culture and ethnicity. This afternoon we are in charge of cooking beef stew for 100 meals so they can be frozen for the food bank they have here for the locals. It was chaos with all of us in the kitchen. I sliced my finger open moving the lid for the professional cooker we are making the stew in. Ouch!!! The same hand that I injured on Saturday morning.

So, doing homework, blogging, recovering from crying due to the onions in the kitchen and waiting to finish stew. We have been locked out of the kitchen and are awaiting arrival of a key. Hoping the stew does not burn! The next few days will be very busy. Spaghetti duty, making bagged lunches for kids and handing them out. Then ministry downtown, food bank here on Thursday, plus other opportunities. The youth are here late Friday evening, then we will be up 5-7 am to drive back. Then home to do more homework.

Speaking of homework, back to the books!!!

Here in Vancouver

2005-04-18T16:30:00.000-04:00

Hi there everyone. It has been an interesting trip thus far. 10 of us total in a small van and cramped spaces. We arrived in Langley, BC and were invited to supper at one of our professor's houses. We are staying in a converted tire factory that is being used for ministry purposes. We are all camping out in one large room in sleeping bags, air mattresses on floor or some couches.

On Saturday we helped out with a kids ministry. We picked up kids in the area and had lessons, teaching, fed food, etcetera. These children were not Christian, perhaps some have become Christian since the ministry started. It was a learning experience as we had to discipline the kids on the bus, of which some were rebellious by nature. While in this role I slammed my fingers in the window because someone would not shut it. Ouch! That hurt! Later on we had ministry with the older girls. It was great to see kids being touched in a gentle and positive manner.

Sunday after church, we decided to take a trip to the waterfront here in Vancouver. It was soooo beautiful. It was the first time I have seen the Pacific Ocean and got a picture of me standing in it. Yeah!!! We took a drive down East Hastings and Main area and saw different ministries and sights. We also went for a walk down Robson Street. Differences in culture shock, yet so close together.

Today we are awaiting our next adventure. We attend classes every morning while here and then the plan is to do ministry in the afternoon. In between we sneak in naps and homework.

I have definitely been challenged and am growing personally since I have come here. I am learning to adapt under difficult circumstances. Being in an environment with communal living has its challenges. I am so thankful to the Lord to be challenged in this manner as it is a preparation for things to come. Thank you Lord!

In addition to your prayers, please pray that the Lord will continue to change me and help me to grow in Him. Pray for the compassion and love of Christ to well up in my heart to overflowing as we go through these next few days of ministry.

God Bless everyone of you.

Going Away

2005-04-13T21:32:00.000-04:00

I will be away from the site for awhile as I am going to do inner city missions with my school. I will try to provide updates while I am gone. Please pray for safe and pleasant travelling mercies and that we would all do great things for God. Pray for saved souls!!!!

You are Called

2005-04-13T00:35:00.000-04:00

This email came through from a prophetic group I belong to. It really spoke to and encouraged me. It was a gentle reminder to say yes, Karen. Keep driving on toward those things in Christ that God has called you to. Trust in Him. Ride the wave.

This word is from S.B. :

You were called into freedom, accepting the name of Jesus as your savior and lord.You were called from the darkness of the evil one into the purity of new life and light.You were called into the way of truth, moving you aside from the deception.You were called to eat at my table; to have plentyYou were called into new wholeness, a new spiritual health that springs forth from Jesus,Yes, you are the called ones.It is time now to walk in the freedom and liberty you received.It is time to shine forth the true light. Light, my light dispels darkness.It is time to speak forth the truth of my gospel, to release the captives from their traps.It is time to stop hoarding and share from my table.Release fresh bread and pure water into this dying world.I long to flow forth from my people. Allow my Spirit to move freely in power.Yes, you are still called. You are my people. Allow me to prove myself.Stop trusting in the uncertainty, but trust me. I am the truth.You are called to be my witnesses, to attest my ways to the world.You are called to walk in the freedom of doing my ministry.You are called to walk with authority.Release what is holding you back. Learn to walk again.Learn to walk with an ongoing filling of my Spirit.Learn to trust and rely upon that which is my Spirit.You are called to move forth beyond the boundaries you have established.I have promised to cross over ahead of you. Enter into a new way.

Running with the Horses

2005-04-09T23:55:00.000-04:00

As I spent time with the Lord the other night, the Lord led me to Jeremiah. This is part of what I received:

Jer 12:5 Jeremiah, if you get tired in a race against people, how can you possibly run against horses? If you fall in open fields, what will happen in the forest along the Jordan River?

This reminds me that our strength comes from God and God alone. We must trust God fully in all things and be strong in Him. In our weakness He is our strength.

I don' t know about you, but I feel tired running with men at their pace. I would rather allow God to be my strength and stamina and run with the horses. Woo Hoo!!!

I want to feel the wind of the Holy Spirit whipping across my face as I enter into His magnificent power and brilliance.

I want more of you Lord!!!

A Different Perspective

2005-04-09T01:38:00.000-04:00

I attended a Christian concert this evening at the church where I attend school. It was a great time. A friend blessed me by picking me up and paid for the evening. There were many kids there under the age of 18. We sang, danced, laughed and had a great time. Coming from a different generation, it is always difficult to try things that do not seem natural. However, we took off our shoes at the end of the night and jumped up and down like crazy kids. We had so much fun. I love to dance in worship but often don't jump up and down, but I will tell you, it is truly exhilarating! I encourage you to try it sometime.

The preacher spoke on Daniel and the den of lions. He spoke about being in the darkness and being in the den of our own lives, of which I can relate. He also spoke of the den being a place of refuge. Here, Daniel was not touched or harmed in any way by the ferocious lions. An angel of the Lord came and prevented the lions from harming Daniel. The power of the Lord turned ferocious hungry lions into tender pussycats. He also said that out of dark places come new birth. Daniel here spurred on revival for Babylon.

To encourage us then, if we are in a dark place, there is hope and a new birth of the Holy Spirit as we come out of that place. In the meantime the Lord is taking care of us no matter the struggle, trial, persecution or situation that we face.

Hallelujah! Lord I look forward to what you will birth in the time to come!

So even now, as I go through an Hebrews Marathon after a busy work week and prepare for an oral presentation on the synagogue...I await your miracles and for you to be glorified Lord during such a period of darkness.

Thank You Lord

2005-04-07T00:48:00.000-04:00

I want to thank you Lord for all the ways you have provided for me.

Thank you Lord for my job. I am tired and my eyes heavy to read, but I wanted to write a note to let you know I appreciate your provision.

Thank you for family. Lord please place a hedge of protection of your ministering angels around my Mom and Brother at this time. Lord provide for all their needs and fill them with joy and wonderful memories as they go through their time of grieving.

Thank you for friends and wonderful brothers and sisters in the Lord.

Thank you for my education, teachers and fellow students.

Thank you Lord for all the things you will bring in the future, including a new church family.

Thank you Lord for all the trials and adversities. Thank you for the pain, tears and heartache. Thank you Lord for in this time you transform me into the woman of God I desire to become.

I love you Lord.

Leave of Absence

2005-04-04T02:38:00.000-04:00

Well, due to circumstances in my life I will have to put this journal on hold until I can find time to write. I had a death in my family, plus other urgent circumstances to deal with. I will seek all of God's grace to get me through school at this time. I am concerned about not getting assignments finished.

So...if you are a regular reader, please be patient and pop in evry once in awhile. I am hoping in May orJune I can start this blog again regularly.

Please pray for God's miracles. I believe He can and will help me get through this tough time.

A New Path

2005-03-21T11:56:00.000-05:00

Here is another prophetic word received from the group I belong to. I will refer to the person who received this from the Lord as R.S. This word also spoke to me. I had seen this word I believe last week, and I could feel the Holy Spirit, in fact I believe I sent R.S. an email to tell him so. However, it resonated more with me on the prayer end of the word. Today the word resonated within me and I feel applies in more than one context.

I am in the process of trying to find a new church so I can get the mentorship/internship that I desire. My one internship did not go the way I had hoped and I did not learn alot about the practical aspects of pastoral ministry, but I did learn some things about how a church reaches out and different problems they had to face. The church where I have been is not set up to assist me. So...I walk on another path. I am excited in one sense and overwhelmed at the same time. I am in a new city, only here for 3 months now and still trying to learn the different sections of the city. I was held back, my vision was not as strong as it had been in the past, and it was hard. I look forward to what the Lord has in store for me and His Kingdom. Thank you R.S. for listening to His voice.

The following in italics is the word:

Led Out of the City

Behold, My child, I have led you out of the city. It has been a long and hard walk for you, but I have done this that you may see more clearly - away from the hubbub and distractions within the city. It is a time of clarityfor you. A time of vision and pronouncement. Yet it has been hard on you;being on the outskirts of the city you were so familiar with. And even when you tried to enter a new city, I suffered you not to remain, but withdrew you again that I might restore your sight. You have lost something valuable which I long to restore to you - vision, hope, and a future.

You have developed your other senses to compensate for your lack of vision.But now, I, your Lord, desire to restore you to fulness. I have longed forthis for you. For in My Word, I restored sight to the blind in many ways;some instantaneous, and to others through a process. You have been dealt with as the blind man who I led by hand out of the city. At first he saw men as trees and then fully shortly thereafter. Behold! My hands are upon your eyes this very moment and I am restoring sight to you.

It has never been my intention to have you remain alone on the outskirts ofthe city forever. I have felt your loneliness and I have great compassion for you. I tell you these things to encourage you, My child. For I know it has been hard on you. But even now, a ray of sunshine is piercing throughthe darkness you once had. Rejoice, oh little one who has endured much. Rejoice and be glad for your blindness has come to it's end!

Hallelujah! Mark 8:22-25 Isa. 60:1

Note: The cities that the Lord makes mention of are church/cities for my application. The Lord may intend another meaning for you, unique to yoursituation.

Heavenly Father, I thank you for your wonderful generosity and kindness of heart. Thank you for your healing touch. In the name of Jesus I pronounce the opening of blind eyes to your beloved people. May the light which you spoke of permeate their darkness and cause them to rejoice in your presence. Bathe them in the joy you so long to give everyone of us. I bless you and thank you from the bottom of my heart. My love and my Father. Amen........(I saw oil-like light shooting out in many different directions as I prayed this)

The Narrow Path

2005-03-20T01:42:00.000-05:00

This is the verse from Matthew that I shared when I gave my first public testimony in the fall of 2002:

Matt. 7:13-14
13 "Go in through the narrow gate, because the gate to hell is wide and the road that leads to it is easy, and there are many who travel it.
14 But the gate to life is narrow and the way that leads to it is hard, and there are few people who find it. (GNB)

I used this verse when I gave my first public testimony to a large congregation because it was the verse that most suited my walk with the Lord. My walk has not been an easy one. From the time I was very young I have had many struggles, trials, traumas, and disappointments. I have experienced that of being raised in a broken home, have suffered chronic illness, child molestation, verbal/emotional/physical/sexual abuse, rape, debt, unemployment, workaholicism, burnout and many, many hurts.

The reason why I am sharing this is that although life has been hard and continues to have its trials and adversities, there is one constant: Jesus Christ.

He will never leave me nor forsake me. Nothing can separate me from the Father's Love. Absolutely nothing.
Romans 8
38For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. (NIV)

Wow! What an awesome piece of scripture. It gives me such comfort with the trials I am going through. I am in a position of having to make difficult decisions, relinquishing control of my life and others completely into the hands of the Lord, and living by faith.

One decision I made awhile ago and am reconfirming today is making Jesus Christ my number one priority in my life. Without Him I am nothing. Without His guidance I run in circles. Without His voice I am lost. He is my supreme shepherd and best friend. I rest in His peace this evening. Hallelujah!

I made a decision to come to Bible College to pursue the call of God on my life. I came here to Alberta from Ontario with such passion, throwing all caution to the wind and completely trusting in God. I sold my home, gave my business away, gave away four truckloads of items and started a new life out here. Ever since I came, it has been a struggle. My relationship with my boyfriend has suffered, I have moved from one city to another and am about to make another move. I have only been here since July 2004. On top of that I ran out of money and could not find employment. I think maybe I was overqualified for some of the retail positions I was applying for plus did not have experience. It had been at least 14-15 years since I operated a cash register! I had no money for rent in February. However, people I knew from Ontario received a word from the Lord and sent me some money. That paid for a month's rent and about $60.00 in gas and groceries. Thank you lord! Then my brother was able to pay me back some money he owed me...now I have rent for March and April! Hallelujah! After seeking employment since December, I finally got a job and started Monday March 14th this week. Praise God!!!!!

I realize the road is tough, but God is always there. He provides for His children. It has been and continues to be a challenging journey. I have been called crazy, have been asked if I am sure I heard from God, have had people tell me I made a mistake moving here and going to bible college. Just this week someone I love very much told me I should drop out of Bible College and pursue a different career, and also told me going into ministry was not a good idea because it did not pay well. Not a good choice for me so I was told. I have recently had suggestions to move back to Ontario. I get told all the time about my biological clock and what if I don't get married? I really could go on. I have been rejected, insulted and have been treated badly by Christian and non-Christian folks, all in a matter of 8 months.

Praise you Lord! With all of this difficulty, I know you are preparing me! Satan has no power and no authority! I choose to follow you, to make you number one, to remain in College and pursue you as my passion!

I choose the Narrow Road. It is the Only Road that leads to Life!!!

The Unnecessary Circle

2005-03-19T01:15:00.000-05:00

The following corporate word came from a prophetic group that I associate with, and I will refer to the person who delivered this word as "J". This word came at a time when I was seeking the Lord for answers in prayer. I felt some things stirring in my spirit, directions, guidance from the Holy Spirit and this word came through.

I had a vision of a circle. It was a very large one and had been well paced. Some of the circle was in a place of ice and I could see where the walker had slipped, got up and walked on. Another part of the circle was in a place of intense heat and I could see the footrpints in the dust. Another part was in a place of storms and I could see thick mud. Far in the distance I saw the person, coat buttoned against the gales, head down, walking this endless circle. As I watched, the Lord laid this in me:

Now, I say now, even today, is the time to break the circle. You have walked a long and wearying route, holding on to what you have, and yet you wonder why your steps take you no where. I have heard you say that you take one step forwards and four steps backwards. I have seen you ponder on this, yet again you walk the same steps.

It is not to be like this. There is a new route for you. A route of plenty and joy. A route of healing and restoration. That route is not along the way you know. It is not the familiar route. It is my route. It is the route that you take in faith, with your eyes fixed firmly on me, with my promises in your mouth, with my Spirit by your side, guiding you. Did I not say I will tell you "This is the way walk in it"? Yet you walk the endless circle and it is time to break out.

Different. I am taking you a different way and all you need do is trust me. Will I leave you to be an orphan of the elements? Will I let go of the hand of my beloved and leave you to the wolves? Do you remember that I am He who will restore the years the locust has eaten, the small and the large locust. Everything will be restored and more. Everything, and I say there is a day and it is called today when there must be a change.

When the circle must be trod no more.Do not walk on when I call. Stop and listen to me. Let me lead you, let me guide you, let me take you from the slippery slope and the desert heat and place you where I have prepared a place for you. An abundant place. A place that is waiting to restore and renew. A place of joy, a place of much, the place I have for you. Trust me, that is what i ask, that you trust me and walk into the new walk I have for you.

I really do feel like I have been walking around in a circle, truthfully. I feel like that person who has been walking through the storms...weathered, beaten, bruised and in need of my Father. I need the warmth of your breath and the comfort of your arms Lord. I am ready to walk that walk of faith with you. I stretch out my hand and say, "Come and Get Me Lord!"

Irish Blessing

2005-03-17T12:12:00.000-05:00

May the Road Rise to Meet you.
May the Wind Be Always at your back
May the Sun Shine Warm Upon your Face.
And Rains Fall Soft upon your Fields.
And until we Meet Again,
May God Hold you in the Hollow of His Hand.

Happy Saint Patrick's Day!

Browsing the Blog

2005-03-17T01:02:00.000-05:00

Tonight I decided to browse through different blogs as I took a break in between studies. I noticed quite a variety in what people write about and how they express their feelings. Some blogs are about products or focus around a particular group.

My heart felt saddened as I read some accounts of people who are bored, negative, have nothing going on in their life and don't care in general. One girl wrote, "I have no life, nothing to write, so if you are reading this then you must have no life too". Her other entries consisted of a life focused around the TV and overall sluggish comments about work and her life. I felt like writing her to encourage her somehow but could not think of anything to write, so I prayed for her instead.

The other night I happened to read some blogs by teenagers, one Christian and the others not. I was surprised by the Christian girl, writing of hating her mother and expecting that life would naturally be crappy...yet she professed to go to church and know God. My thought was...do you know Jesus? Really know him? Has she even become born again?

My heart cries out Lord!!! All these lost souls in and out of the church. The churched is in great need just like the unchurched. Lord I pray these people writing so despondently in the blogging world would come to know you. There is life outside the cyber world and that life is in you Jesus!!! I praise your name Lord. Please do a work in these lives, Lord let your light shine in on their blogging world. Give them hope Lord. Lord allow me to be that vessel for lost and hungry souls! Amen!!!!

John 8:12 When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” (NIV)

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2005-03-17T01:00:00.000-05:00

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What is a curse?

2005-03-15T20:54:00.000-05:00

When I first entered the world of Christianese, this is a word that came up that often puzzled me and I was intent on finding out what it meant and why it is used. It is used in several scriptures, one of which is Rom 12:14 "Bless those who persecute you; bless, and do not curse." (NIV)
So....I naturally thought Christians were strange or too focused on witchcraft. I thought a curse is like a spell you put on someone, curses don't exist, all that stuff is in fairy tales. In fact, I had grown up not really believing even the devil was real.I did not learn any of this until the Lord brought me back to him almost four years ago. Then I learned that a curse can be any word that is spoken against a person. '...what? You cannot be serious.' However, as I examined the scriptures and sought the Holy Spirit this is true.
Webster's College Dictionary gives several meanings for what a curse is:
the expression or wish that misfortune, evil, doom, etc., befall someone.
a formula or charm intended to cause misfortune to another.
the act of reciting such a formula.
a profane or obscene word, esp. as used in anger or for emphasis; swearword.
an ecclesisatical censure or anathema (a person or thing that is detested or loathed) .
to wish or invoke evil, calamity, injury, or destruction upon.
to swear at.
to blaspheme ( to speak evil of God; slander; abuse).
to excommunicate.
slang for menstruation or menstrual period.
This is part of Jesus' teaching. To bless and not curse. See the next two verses.(NIV)
Matthew 5:44 But I tell you: Love your enemies [ Some late manuscripts enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you] and pray for those who persecute you, (Context Matt. 5:43-45)
Luke 6:28 bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. (Context Luke 6:27-29)
We are to love our neighbours as ourselves. We are to speak blessing into others' lives. We are not to retaliate against someone if they are angry or have done harm to us. We are to bless and pray for those people.
Have you ever noticed well meaning Christians find different ways to express their anger that they feel is acceptable. "You do not know what she did to me, one of these days she will get it back ten fold for hurting my feelings." Well, who made them judge and jury? Is this not cursing the other person? Wishing bad things to fall upon your neighbour or brother and sister in Christ? Scripture also gives direction in this area:
Matthew 7
Judging Others 1“Do not judge, or you too will be judged. 2For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.
The example of how we Christians treat each other is just an example. Not only that, but how we treat our neighbour. I am not one who has completely abided by this teaching either, although I do strive to bless and not curse. I find that a good majority of us stumble in this area of our lives. We are driving along and someone cuts us off. How do you react? Most of the time now I say "Bless You and pray for the person's crazy driving." Not all of the time. Sometimes I say things I shouldn't and have to ask the Lord to forgive me for calling someone a name which meant they have no brain, etc. Before I came back to the Lord again, in my rebellious days, I just overused a particular finger. Regardless, our actions and words can be curses against the other person.
How about the way we treat others in different denominations or the homosexual community? I often find brothers and sisters in Christ saying things about other denominations that are curses. They feel justified in expressing what they do because their doctrine or theology may be different from their own. It is okay to express your opinion but not to the point that you resort to name calling. You are cursing and not blessing.
Now, as for the homosexual community...why do Christians resort to such anger and vulgarity to express what the scriptures say. We are to love them just as any other person who sins on this earth. Bless and pray for them. We are not the judge. We are the salt and light of this earth. However I hear cursing and profanities expressed by brothers and sisters that breaks my heart.
As a final note, we need to ask ourselves..."What would Jesus do?" He is a friend of sinners. He would allow anyone in his company to listen to His teaching. He loved them. He loved us all so much he died for every single one of our sins. I encourage all of you to bless as often as you can. Do not judge. Pray for others. You can make a difference in this world just on this teaching alone. Not only that, your life will change drastically. The devil has no power when you speak blessings over others. I strongly believe that what you reap, you sow. If you bless others, you will be blessed.

Peace and Joy

2005-03-12T00:48:00.000-05:00

Romans 5:1-5 (NIV)

1Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. 3Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; 4perseverance, character; and character, hope. 5And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.

The bible tells us to rejoice through our sufferings, but it is a very hard process. Most of the time we will grumble through our pain rather than thank God for the suffering. We will cry out to God, "Lord I want to grow closer to you" then when hard times come we cry, "Lord, please take it all away." I have to admit I am no different than a good majority of saints out there who struggle in this area.

As I examine verses 3 to 5 I see several truths that help me to understand suffering as a Christian. First of all what does suffering produce? My flesh says it produces alot of pain, heartache, turmoil, agony...and on and on. When we are in the negative cycle of suffering it is like a disease that eats away at our spirit. Now what does the bible say? It says in these verses it produces perseverance, which produces character, which produces hope. What does hope do? It never disappoints us. Why does it never disappoint us? This is because of the love God has poured into our hearts.

What an awesome piece of scripture. So, how do we positively rejoice in our sufferings as scripture says to do so? We have to put the word of God into Action! I have noticed that when I have been down in spirit, struggling with God, struggling with life and I put this into action, I experience peace and joy. Sometimes it is hard. I will be crying and feeling pretty down and sometimes it will feel like it takes all of my strength to overcome it, but through the suffering I manage to put my hand up in the air and start praising God.

At first my hand will feel so heavy and my voice feel strained, as if forming the words with my mouth are straining muscles with which I use to speak. Then I feel stronger, happier, more joyful. I cry out, "Praise you Lord! I love you Lord! Thank you Jesus for giving me life! Thank you Jesus for dying for me on that cross! I pray in tongues, I sing in my spirit and with my own tongue, I dance before the Lord and cry Hallelujah!!!" I feel remarkable peace and joy as I rejoice through my suffering. As a result I grow, I feel the hand of God at work in my life and I push on to win the prize...eternal life with my Father...

Phillipians 3:14 (NIV) 14I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.

I have eternal hope and feel the love of God in my heart, in which nothing can separate me from the love of God. Hallelujah!

I encourage you to praise God in the hard times, fill yourself to overflowing with the word of God, and press into Him. You will NEVER be disappointed. Scripture says so.

If you would like me to pray for you, please email me. If you do not know Jesus Christ as yourLord and Saviour please email me and I will help you. No one should go through life not ever knowing the love of God, nor should we not ever know that God loved us so much, He gave his one and only son, Jesus to die for us on the cross, for our sins so that we shall have everlasting life. (please read John 3:16-19) Ifyoudo not ahve a bible you can access any scripture in several versions through www.biblegateway.com.

God Bless You.

Hmmmm...Let Me Think

2005-03-11T01:27:00.000-05:00

Have you ever just sat in front of the screen, wanting to write, thinking of a variety of topics and yet could not formulate what you wanted to say in the first place? I think fatigue has set in. I thought of several scripture verses, then quotes from significant historical figures or events. I then thought maybe I will quote a devotion or even a book. In the end I chose the most realistic source...me. Sometimes we walk around in circles or wander along difficult paths in life, perhaps hit a dead end seeking for the answers. Sometimes that answer is the reflection you see in the mirror. Most often the greatest gifts we can give others is to express ourselves from our heart, be open, transparent and real.
Well, now reality has truly set in for me. I would love to write a heart warming story, but my pillow is beckoning. To all those bloggers out there, I do pray that from deep inside you write from your heart this evening. Allow yourself to be you. God Bless and Good Night.

Our Tongue is a Fire

2005-03-09T02:19:00.000-05:00

James 3:1-9 (NIV)
Taming the Tongue
1Not many of you should presume to be teachers, my brothers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly. 2We all stumble in many ways. If anyone is never at fault in what he says, he is a perfect man, able to keep his whole body in check.
3When we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us, we can turn the whole animal. 4Or take ships as an example. Although they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are steered by a very small rudder wherever the pilot wants to go. 5Likewise the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. 6The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole person, sets the whole course of his life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell.
7All kinds of animals, birds, reptiles and creatures of the sea are being tamed and have been tamed by man, 8but no man can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.
9With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God's likeness. 10Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers, this should not be. 11Can both fresh water and salt[a] water flow from the same spring? 12My brothers, can a fig tree bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water.
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I felt led by the Holy Spirit to share the following scriptures.

It is incredible how we can speak blessings and yet curse with our mouth at the same time. James here is teaching that the tongue is a deadly poison, one that can kill. The tongue can also be a giver of life. The tongue is such that it can produce an entire forest fire with one little spark. Imagine. That is alot of power.

From a negative perspective, we can destroy one another in the manner in which we speak. One word can cause a person extreme hurt, can cause depression to set in, can make one angry, irritable and even violent. Only one word, a little spark of evil.

Positively, we build one another up, encourage and love with just a single word. One loving word can alleviate depression, rejection, suicidal thoughts, loneliness, heartache....the list goes on. One word can bring a smile to one's face, can give courage, ambition, excitement and love. Only one word, a little spark of warmth.

Our words can produce great fires. A great fire can wipe out whole communities, destroy lives, greatly affect the economy and cause complete and total devestation. A great fire can produce heat, warmth, and maintain life.

What fire are you producing? Are you a giver of life or do you taketh away?

A New Beginning

2005-03-08T04:18:00.000-05:00

Today is the start of a new day, a new era and my first entry. I entitled my blog "In The Presence of The Almighty" as there is no other place I would rather be. I want to live my life all out for God, to grow closer to Him, to create an intimacy with my Father, the Creator of all things.

I attended a large worship service tonight, with hundreds of people in attendance. The church was filled with people of all ages: elderly, teens, a father with a baby. It was magnificent to see the unity and love of God's Family all worshipping Him. The music was for the younger generation, and was VERY loud. I watched the elderly couple three rows ahead. They worshipped, prayed and smiled. No grumbling, no murmuring. Just there to worship our Lord!
It made my heart smile.

I thought it fitting to quote David, in Psalm24:1-6 (NIV):

1 The earth is the LORD's, and everything in it,
the world, and all who live in it;
2 for he founded it upon the seas
and established it upon the waters.

3 Who may ascend the hill of the LORD ?
Who may stand in his holy place?
4 He who has clean hands and a pure heart,
who does not lift up his soul to an idol
or swear by what is false.
5 He will receive blessing from the LORD
and vindication from God his Savior.
6 Such is the generation of those who seek him,
who seek your face, O God of Jacob.