January 2013 Insta-Summary

Stop over in Pasadena for Bible Study, near Fuller, then HOLLYWOOD

Fundraising

 Meeting We As Human

Bubble bat, movies, homework & Bethel TV. I cant believe I'm in Kris Vallotton's school; learning from his life, his heart for getting us to know the word of God for ourselves, his wisdom & humor, him & Bill changed the course of my life, I'm so grateful!

Late night DQ with Elizabeth

COVENANT: PASSION AND SACRIFICE by Kris Vallotton

The goal of covenant is that 2 would become 1.

Luke 6:2-7 Jesus tells us to love those who can’t love us back, do good to those who can’t do good to us and credit will be given to us. The word credit is 110 times translated as grace. As soon as you obey, grace is given to you to do what you couldn’t do 1 second before you made the choice to love those you couldn’t love. Sometimes the world hates us just to see if we have love.

The Bible doesn’t say arise and reflect, it says arise and shine. I don’t need your love to give it back to you, I have a source of love that you don’t even have. 

David serves Saul well but jealousy, bitterness, unforgiveness and hatred stir up and Saul begins to chase David. Unforgiveness has no friends. The people you wanna love, you’ll hate. In the midst of Saul chasing David, the Lord gives David a word, that He’s gonna give Saul into his hands, and he can decide what to do with him. David’s men want to kill Saul & David says “Far be it from me to touch the Lord’s anointed”.  Saul says, “You are a better man than me and you deserve the kingdom.” But he’s so angry and bitter that a spirit of insanity comes upon him. He goes after him again, same thing happens. David is anointed King, he has Jonathan’s robe, He has the word of God, yet, David says “I choose to honor him even if he doesn’t deserve it. I choose to love the person who doesn’t love me.”

We live in a world that’s all about making me happy. Happy is about pleasure. Pleasure is good as long as it doesn’t take the place of virtue. If it does, I’d rather take joy instead because I can consider it joy when I face various trials, but I can’t consider it happy. To ruin a perfectly good marriage, try to get your spouse to make you happy.

Covenant expresses itself in camaraderie, but not all camaraderie is rooted in covenant. Fellowship rooted in warfare is fuelled in hatred not forged in love e.g. gangs, bullies. Camaraderie without covenant always needs an enemy. Covenant needs no enemy because it lays down its life for its friends. When a culture of covenant is absent from a community, society adapts an ‘us & them’ mindset. Covenant destroys the ‘us & them’ mentality and bonds people through God’s love not mutual agreement. The Church shouldn’t be known for what we’re against, but for who we love.

2 Timothy 1:2 You can’t take suffering out of the gospel because suffering is a part if the Kingdom. Not sickness or death, but passion and sacrifice; it doesn’t always make you happy.

Be in the background, lay down your life & make it work! Passion won't make it work on hard days, but sacrifice will. Covenant makes no difference if you were in a tent or in a palace.

Lord, take me from camaraderie to covenant. Teach me to live in a way that I lay down my life not because I have to, not because I don't have rights but because I choose to take those rights and say you can have them; here's my armor, here's my robe, here's my sword, here's my bow and here's my belt. I'm not prepared to work against you or war against you, I covenant with you and in hard times I'll renew my covenant and remind you that I'm with you. In Jesus name. Amen

 

Miracles & A Good God!

Today I saw a woman who had a torn meniscus & couldn’t bend her knees, get up on stage and kneel down. Yep, you read that right. Wanna know what the best thing is? That isn’t even the half of it. I saw a woman who dances through her pain from severe arthritis worshiping God, get healed. I saw a woman whose body was so weak from having Parkinson’s disease for 5 years walk up on stage without her cane which she has used everyday coming to school. Today, she walked laps around the auditorium, jumped up during worship & testified of a good God!

don't need that cane anymore!

“God is good” isn’t just a call from stage for the church to respond, “all the time”! It’s the truth! God is good! Believe it!

Oh dear friends, believe it.

I was in a room full of people praying for friends who had one arm shorter than the other, I prayed an off-handed, “God please do it” not really believing it could happen, heck, I didn’t even stand up from my seat, I just did the standard, hand stretched out toward them thing we do in church. Two seconds later, I jumped up from my chair because I literally saw the shorter arm growing 2 inches to be the same length as the other. With my own frigging eyes! I saw a drunk man give his life to Jesus.

As my friend so aptly put it, this is the Bethel School of Supernatural Ministry dang it! And we believe in a good God!

I saw a room full of people today, with their arms stretched out to celebrate and adore their Savior. God isn’t just laid back on His recliner basking in the praises of His people; He’s on the edge of His seat, raring to move when His people finally start believing & declaring who HE IS. He called Himself Healer. We didn’t call Him that, He said, word for word, I am the Lord who heals! He called Himself Provider, I’m not putting this label on Him He said, I will surely provide. 

I should know...I'm an international student. I can't work. I can't just call home for money, but this is my 5th month here & the bills are getting paid. I don't know how, but it happens. He called Himself Provider, His will, His bill.

I saw a woman. People look at Heidi Baker & admire all the work she’s done and the sacrifices she’s made being a missionary in Mozambique. I saw her deep, deep love for Jesus. Nothing stood between her and Jesus. All she did, she did for the love of Jesus. When she smiles, she reminds you that Jesus smiles. 

Painting by Theresa Dedmon (Compelled by Love The Movie)

The savior smiles! That’s the picture we need in the front of our Churches, not a forlorn savior with His hand on His heart, or worse, a crucified savior hanging on a cross. A smiling Jesus who delights in His children. In His friends. A good God who gives good gifts!

PS:

You can read about my life moving from Nairobi, Kenya to Redding, California and read about my Mission Trip to spread more of the good news that God is Good, to Piemonte & Naples in Italy this March. The trip costs $2550 & so far I've raised $255 and need to make my 2nd payment in 2 short days. Here's the link, and the link to donate!