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Servant of GodAll this and Jesus Too June 11 May this be a city without Walls "While the angel who was speaking to me was leaving, another angel
came to meet him and said to him: "Run, tell that young man, 'Jerusalem
will be a city without walls because of the great number of people and
animals in it. And I myself will be a wall of fire around it, '
declares the Lord. 'and I will be its glory within." Zechariah 2: 3-5 What happens when a body of Christ chooses to live as Christ lived? You would have members from different congregations and different denominations working together to fulfill all that the Lord has called us each to do. What happens when prayer becomes the foundation of who we are? These diverse group of people would join in their hands and voices in one accord. What happens when each congregation begins to pray for the blessings and growth of another body of believers? Christ begins to break down the walls of our own agendas and He begins to rebuild the foundation of our beginnings. When all this starts to happen, amazing things start happening in the surrounding communities and everybody begins to see that God is truly at work here. The restoration of the broken hearted is redeemed and the network and connection of God's children is unified. It is a rarity to see or experience Christians of different denominations coming together to pray for the other, but this is exactly what happened last night! I can't begin to recap how God moved last night. As the pews of our church filled up for the first time in years, it was powerful to witness the beginnings of a great movement on the Island. The awkward "I'm from a different denomination" atmosphere was broken by the love that Christ had for us all. Nobody came in trying to show or prove something to another, they came in under the umbrella of Christ's mercy and grace. Let me tell you, it poured with His blessings last night! We sung songs containing such lyrics as "Prepare ye the Way" or "Open the eyes of my heart" and both those lyrics speak directly to the way that God was working last night. God is preparing the way and opening our hearts to receive all that He wants to provide. It's been a long time coming but these prayers are being answered and God is bringing us back to our humble beginnings. The scaffoldings of legalism and sectarianism are being lifted. He is regrouping His people and bringing back a passion that was once extinct. For those of you who have been keeping up with my journey, you know that I have kept trying to run from this place. I wanted a place where I could see God working; A place where I could be strenghed by the body of believers. From the campus of Rhode Island College, to the smallest churches on the Island, Over the last couple of years, God has made himself known within the different Rhode Island communities. He is sweeping through this place and placing me right in the midst of a revival! Yes, I still feel called to Africa, but it will be on God's terms and in His time. God is bringing unity to this place, and I can't help it but to Thank the Lord for keeping me here! It's not about where you fellowship or how you fellowship, it's about who you are felllowshipping for. The love of Christ abounds here. He has connected the branches of this Island and a great fruit bearing tree has begun to take root! The Hospital of Christ's building is being extended...these doors are open! In response to Zechariah chapter 2, Though this is a prophecy for Jerusalem, i see it as a promise for us too. It shows evidence of God...it shows the intricate ways that God is at work in this place. May this be a city without walls May the Lord be a wall of fire, of passion around us May we have the strength to flee from those places that are hindering us from serving Him May the fruit of this place be spread across this Island as well as the nations Let us be still before the Lord because He has begun the work of Redemption, Restoration and Revival May we learn to love the way that He loves us. March 04 Snow Globes In anticipation of Spring, i was walking the other day through grass
that was awakening to the warm air. The Robins were testing their vocal
cords and the flowers were playing peekaboo with the world. The
colorful development of all living things was evident with every step that
i took. As I continued this journey, I felt the riveting coldness of
small white dandruff. But it's not dandruff because you see, First
there was only one flake and then there was a whole flock. The snow
party that ensued was ridiculous and i came to the conclusion that i
think I'm living in...a giant snow globe. That's right a snow globe! I
feel like all winter we have been part of the amusement of the snow
gnomes. They sit on the outside of our little bubble and have been
shaking us up all winter. The snowfall has been continuous so they must
have been really bored this year. Then they fell asleep for a little
while so we had false hope of spring just being around the corner. They
want to catch us off guard so they sit there and wait for unsuspecting
people like myself to go and enjoy the warm weather. The little imps! The snow gnomes are driving me nuts, the tricky little devils. I know that they are laughing at me and they are just waiting for another time to catch us off guard..don't get me wrong, i am all about snow...in it's time and in it's season. But not when March comes roaring in and offers such prospects of such a deeper intimacy with the outside world. I've been inside for too long...I want out...i want out of this snow globe! Haha...all that to say that just when you think Spring is here...snow keeps coming back...Gah... February 27 Brick by Brick Hey Y'all So, I just got home from Visiting Ariealle, my teammate who went with me to Uganda this summer. On the way home I had some cool God time so i scribbled this out on the plane...it might still need some work but here is what I have so far..I know it's been some time since i sent out an email of sorts so i thought i would just give you a glimpse of what has been going on here..in the place that I once referred to as Nineveh. Caution: God IS at work here...please pardon my appearance as God continues to rebuild His foundation. The plans are already drawn up and the ground has been carefully measured. The wrecking crew have begun the tear down while the building crew waits patiently. Each man has their tasks, let the process begin! As the old foundation is being torn down, the new materials are set aside. The designer longs for the day when He can stand back and see it all come together, according to His plan. We know without a shadow of a doubt, that the finished product will be something behold. This is especially true in areas of who God is. God is the creator of all things and He sent His son from Heaven to Earth for the forgiveness of our sins. He paid the ultimate sacrifice; a love so unconditional that He gave His life and took on the sins of this world. God is the ultimate builder. When we stand back and allow Him to lead us, allow Him to build us, beautiful things are produced. The finished product is beyond our own expectations. God is so patient with us and there are times when we jump the gun and begin the building process on our own. When that happens, the foundation cracks so easily. The wood begins to rot, and the paint beings to peel off. Much like the house built on sand, the natural elements begin to corrode and destroy that which is poorly built. The wrecking ball is soon called in and the site becomes fragments of those things which once were. When the wrecking ball is turned on, the process is painful. Brick by brick the walls begin to shatter. With each brick, memories flood the depths of our own perceptions. Once the dust settles, the generational ideologies and mistakes are brought to light in the poor planning of our foundation. In the book of Judges, the Lord called Gideon to tear down the idols that His father built. In obedience, Gideon destroyed the ideals that he grew up with and allowed God to rebuild upon a rock. Caution, God is at work here! He is taking a wrecking ball to all that which we attempted to create ourselves. He is redefining what it means to change our thinking, especially those thoughts that have been ingrained in our minds and hearts since childhood. He is showing us that His plan is perfect, and we need to open our minds and hearts to a new understanding of who He is and who He has called us each to be. The idols of our father’s generation are being torn down…please pardon our appearance while God continues to do a great work here. Caution, God is at work! December 17 Pray for Rain“If you pray for rain, make sure you carry an umbrella” We have a tendency to trudge through life’s storms. We see the water raging and begin to think that we are drowning. The rain is seen as a driving force which shatters dreams. The picnic is cancelled, the wedding is ruined and the field becomes too muddy to finish the game. How often do we see the rain as a blessing? Are we willing to listen when the gentle pitter patter on the roof becomes a beautiful melody? I’m learning how to listen closely, preparing myself to put on my rain gear and go dance in the rain. In our droughts we pray for rain, never expecting an out pouring of heaven’s blessings. If you are going to pray for rain be assured that a torrential down pour will be the result! I’ve been in an interesting place lately. It is a place of abundant blessings. Prayers are being answered and there are times where I am just seeing the inconvenience of the stormy weather. I fail to remember that I prayed for rain in this drought and in turn, I am experiencing the melodic dance of heaven’s outpourings. In my last update, I wrote about how I thought I was being called to Colorado. God shut that door and I felt that I was being called to my Nineveh. In many ways, God has redeemed this place. Prayers that I prayed back in Colorado are being answered and I am excited to see what happens next. I feel like a little kid who just found a really good book and as I hide under the covers anticipating the next adventures of the upcoming page my parents are in the next room telling me to “Turn off the light. “Josh, Rebekah and Jacob go to SLEEP!” (Haha they said that so much that my cockatiel says that repeatedly.) Life isn’t one giant storm, it is a bunch of puddles that need to be danced in. It is a remnant of the storm. The SON always shines after the rain and if we look closely, we will begin to see that the SON is always shinning, even when it’s raining. Let our hearts be refocused so that we might be able to see that God is still present in our storms. Through it all He is our quiet strength that stands up and says “peace be still.” October 21 ALL HEREExodus 24:12 “Then the Lord said to Moses, “Come up to Me on the mountain and be here; and I will give you tablets of stone, and the law and commandments which I have written, that you may teach them” When God called Moses up to the mountain it was as if He was saying BE HERE. Don’t worry about what is going on down the mountain, don’t worry what you’re going to do after the mountain BE HERE, be fully here. “Where ever you are be all there, Live to the hilt of every situation you believe to be the will of God.” (J Elliot)…I’ve been struggling with this lately. I have been struggling with being content in the places that I am. I have so many desires, so many plans and so many expectations that I have placed before God. Despite all this, I keep saying Lord use me, send me, teach me your ways and guide me on your paths. When the Lord sends us and then requires us to stay in the places that we are, are we willing to stay? Are we willing to serve God in the Valley while we wait to climb the mountain? The transition from Africa has been hard, when you leave a place that imbeds itself into your heart, you become homesick for the distinctive smells and the people that have impacted your life on so many levels. It was only a month but the connection that I feel with the Ugandans, with Africa, is so overwhelming that I yearn to be in Africa’s pearl once again. So many doors have been opened and the branches of God’s family has become so vast… to which extent are you truly home? Home is where your heart is and if God is in your heart, Home is everywhere you are. After a trip like this it’s hard not to get back in the saddle and say “Lord I’m ready for another ride! Ride like the wind Bulls Eye!” For a while I was praying about the next step, the next place that I was being called to. As some of you heard, a friend and I were planning on moving out to Colorado at the end of this month. After a couple of weeks of praying about it, we both felt like that the Lord was indeed leading us. We had confirmation and started preparing ourselves for the trek across country. After a couple more weeks however, we both had confirmation that that is not where we are supposed to go…right now. God works in amazing ways…It was as if He was saying….”what are you willing to do for me? How far are you willing to go? Then….”if I keep you in the valley longer are you willing to stay there too?” Like with the Israelites, my heart was already preparing itself for the promised land. I was getting excited about the prospects of milk and honey; anticipating the ways that I can serve the Lord on another adventure. It was convicting because as I was telling some friend’s about the struggles that I had with wanting to be in Colorado, they asked me “Bekah, while your waiting to go to Colorado, how is God asking you to serve Him here?” I guess you could say that that was another Kick in the face because as I look back, I have never been fully here. My heart has never been fully in Rhode Island it’s been elsewhere…in Colorado, in Africa etc…I have always lived for that next step and never allowed myself to concentrate on the here and now. “where ever you are BE ALL THERE.” Some ministering opportunities have arose here and for the first time in a long while, I am excited to be here. To have my eyes opened to the need and the ways that God is working and redeeming this place. It was a prayer in Colorado that Rhode Island would become a place that has the skin removed from their eyes to be able to see God calling out to us and saying HERE AM I. God is doing just that, though we might not see it completely, God is redeeming this place! Step back and begin to see God in the little details. His presence is outstanding! I’ll admit, it’s a little bit overwhelming to continuously see God at work, but again and again He has shown me how His provision, His Love, and His grace are constantly being interwoven and revealed through everything. Right now things look as though they are just mumble jumble but when we connect the dots we can see that there is actually something in the mess. The dots are actually coming together and making this awesome picture! As Jesus said to His disciples in John 13:7 “What I am doing you do not understand now, but you will know after this.” I don’t know what God is doing now, but I know that with everything else…He still keeps on saying “I’ve Got it kiddo. When I say go you will go, but when I say stay, you will stay.”
Being ALL HERE, Beks |
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