Hey, my dear, dear Sisters. I thought about you so much while we had the privilege to serve in Washington State. We cherished every second we were there and God was so gracious and merciful to us. He could not have given us a more wonderful group of participants to kick off the 2011 Living Proof Live schedule. We lapped up every second with them. They were so full of praise and expectation for God to speak and so rowdy and fun. I would have brought every single one of them home with me to Texas if I could have.
I want you to know that you sowed very direct seed into that event. On Friday afternoon my notes were, for the most part, ready to go but I just sensed a desire to seek something more from God. I knew in my heart that it involved prayer so I got down on my knees again and prayed but I got back on my feet still not quite feeling the breakthrough that I was hoping for. The thought came to me, I believe by God Himself, to get on the blog and scroll through all the comments to the Tacoma Ticket Giveaway post and look for entries where Siestas had prayed specifically for the event. I hit a gold mine. I stopped at each one of them and actively agreed and received all that had been prayed. The breakthrough came! It was God’s good pleasure to raise up seed-throwers from spots all over the United States and Canada to sow into the Tacoma LPL harvest. I can’t express to you how deeply and profoundly it hit me. Sometimes I feel like I harass you guys half to death for prayer but we are so desperate for it. I knew this weekend that it is God’s way. Profit sharing. Oh, how I pray that we might be able to believe God for a 2 Corinthians 4:15 work as we partner together:
All this is for your benefit, so that the grace that is reaching more and more people may cause thanksgiving to overflow to the glory of God.
I think God particularly blesses our seed sowing when we have no direct involvement at the event or gathering. No personal gain except the glorious nod of God. I’m actively praying for Priscilla Shirer’s simulcast in several weeks even though I’ll be in Fresno. I don’t doubt she’s praying for us, too. I can’t wait to hear the report of all God is going to accomplish through that mighty servant of God as she teaches and as her brother, Anthony, leads worship. This is the will of God for us in Christ Jesus. One Lord. One Body. One Spirit. If the grace of God through Christ is “reaching more and more people,” our thanksgiving overflows to the glory of God!
The group in Tacoma exceeded our expectations in so many ways. Their outpouring for Japan moved us so deeply. Our wonderful brothers and sisters from Samaritan’s Purse were swamped. They were so overwhelmed at the break that we had to keep them open after the event and position them at exit doors They counted dollar bills all afternoon to the tune of $66,025.25. As soon as the horrific tragedy occurred, we asked Samaritan’s Purse if our offering for that LPL could go specifically to relief for Japan and they complied joyfully and set up an immediate fund. (Any of you are welcome to get on their website and also contribute if you feel led and aren’t already giving through another organization. No pressure. Just opportunity.) We are all stunned and heartbroken over the devastation in Japan. It’s just incomprehensible. The images are more than I can wrap my mind around. May “the Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger and abounding in loyal love and faithfulness” show Himself in every possible and undeniable way. May one of those ways be the banding together of His Body around the world to be His hands and a healing balm within them. They need our help.
It’s time for Siesta Scripture Memory Team Verse 6! Ready, Sisters?? Stay with it! I’ll give you my sixth verse (it reminds me of you) then show you a small handful of pictures I took over the weekend on my iPhone.
Beth, Houston. My goal is that their hearts, having been knit together in love, may be encouraged, and that they may have all the riches of understanding of the knowledge of the mystery of God, namely Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. Colossians 2:2-3 The NET Bible
OK, here’s some pictures from Tacoma if you want a peek before you chime in with your verse.
This was my one glimpse at The Mountain. We had rain most of the time and, mountain girl that I am, I just kept looking out of my hotel window for a glimpse of that famous sight. While I was studying, I felt a tugging at my heart and I jumped up in hopes that the clouds were lifting somewhat and sure enough, there that bad boy was. I was so happy, I cried.
This was the sunrise the next morning. I was always an early riser as a kid and, now that I am an adult, I know it nearly drove my mother crazy because she’d have preferred her Folgers by herself. (This helps explain to you why I was a coffee drinker by the ripe old age of six.) My dad used to take up for me and say, “The early bird gets the worm!” Well, when I caught a glimpse of that sunrise in Tacoma Saturday morning and fifteen minutes later it was pouring down rain, I knew my Daddy was right.
I can’t believe I’m about to let this come out of my mouth but I had some of the best Mexican food on earth there in Tacoma. I was baffled. Someone had recommended “Masa” (on 6th Street) to us but Michelle and I looked at each other like, “Texans better not try it. We better leave that to the Tennesseans. They might not know better.” But, after the event, we were about to have a meltdown for hot sauce and decided to cave to the pressure. It was so good I couldn’t believe my own taste buds. We started with this unbelievable Bean and Queso dip then, because cheese enchiladas weren’t on the menu, I decided to get Vegetable Fajitas. I’ve never tried them before but I’ve been with Travis and Angela when they’ve ordered them. (And I looked with contempt upon them.) They were unbelievably good. Really fresh – chunky and grilled and topped with cheese. Side of rice and beans. Sara was our waitress and took such good care of us. She’s expecting little Christos in a few months and we loved getting to talk to her. We saw a couple of tables of women from the LPL event, too, and so loved getting to hug their necks.
As if the Mexican Food wasn’t good enough, there was a Stumptown coffee bar attached to it. Talk about the ultimate way to end a meal! I have become a fan of Stumptown through our dear Kelly Minter who considers it a friend that sticks closer than a brother. (My words, not hers.) Michelle has been ordering it for me for a year or so and it’s what I grind and fix about twice a day in my office at LPM. Darla was our barista at the coffee bar in Tacoma and, as I live and breathe, the woman was an artist. Look at this crema. That is not whipped cream. That is how she finished off a Latte with plain-old low fat milk. UNBELIEVABLE. I was so impressed. I wanted to ask her how she dealt with her pride but she seemed astonishingly humble for such a craft. Almost like she didn’t notice she was a rock star.
These were two of the most wonderful women we had at the Tacoma Dome. (Blood) sisters Roxana and Christine sat down nice and close to the front and gave God considerable glory in my earshot. They and their small group wore tiaras to the event so we were blessed to no end by every glimpse of them. That is, of course, Michelle in there with us.
This last picture is of a group of really young women that were having coffee at the Starbucks we went to several hours after Stumptown. (No coffee for me that late. I’m saying that because I know somebody’s going to get into my business. I got Blueberry water but I didn’t want to. I drank four sips.) One of these darling things is getting married next week and had a little veil on. They were so cute we could hardly stand it. Just as they were getting up to leave, one of them looked over at me with wide eyes and asked if we were we.
WHY DIDN’T YOU COME TO THE EVENT??? We asked.
Because we couldn’t afford it!
Then I said: NEVER let me hear you say that again!
We do anything possible to get our college girls tickets to LPL’s. For crying out loud, if somebody’s broke, it doesn’t matter what age they are, we try to get them tickets if they really want to go. LifeWay, too! They are tremendously tenderhearted and willing to do whatever they can to minister and disciple. Tons of tickets were given away to that event in Tacoma. You have no idea how much we’d like to do it for free.
This was my view from the airplane seat just as we were about to put our tray tables up and our seat backs forward for departure. I wanted you to see my cute rain boots peeking out from the bottom. I’ve had them for a couple of years and worn them about a thousand times but they were for such a time as Tacoma.
Well, I’ve rattled your ear off. You guys are important to me. I love you. I think of you everyday. Now, cough up your sixth verse!
Hold tight to Jesus in the ebb and flow of this temporal world. One sweet day this convulsing earth will be made new. The skies will tear open like a veil and every eye will see. Come quickly, Lord Jesus.
Kalonni Porter, Van Meter, Iowa: May he send you help from the sanctuary and grant you support from Zion. May he remember all your sacrifices and accept your burnt offerings. Psalm 20:2-3 NIV
Joy, Altadena, CA [it’s my bday :)]
The instructions of the LORD are perfect, reviving the soul. The decrees of the LORD are trustworthy, making wise the simple. The commandments of the LORD are right, bringing joy to the heart. The commands of the LORD are clear, giving insight for living. Reverence for the LORD is pure, lasting forever. The laws of the LORD are true; each one is fair. They are more desirable than gold, even the finest gold. They are sweeter than honey, even honey dripping from the comb. They are a warning to your servant, a great reward for those who obey them.
Psalm 19:7-11 NLT
Joy to you on your birthday, Joy! May God bless you with a fun day.
Happy Birthday Joy! Have a blessed one!
Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenver you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. James 1:2-3 NIV
II Peter 1:4 (NIV)
Through these He has given us His very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.
Susan, Lititz, PA.
“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.”
1 Cor 13:4-5 (NIV)
Psalm 37:4
Delight thyself unto the Lord and I shall give you the desires of your Heart
NIV
Carla, Iowa
Karin, Johannesburg,NIV
John 17:33 “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”
2 Tim 1:7 NIV “For God did not give us a spirit of fear, but of Power, love, and self control (or a sound mind).” Katherine Jonesboro, ar
Paula, Brownwood, Tx
Do all things without grumbling or disputing.
Philippians 2:14. NASB
Pam, Holt
“Praise God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! The Father is a merciful God, Who always gives us comfort. He comforts us when we are in trouble, so that we can share that same comfort with others in trouble.”
2 Corinthians 1:3 & 4, Contemporary English Version
2 Tim 1:7 NIV “For God did not give us a spirit of fear, but of Power, love, and self control (or a sound mind).” Katherine Lee Jonesboro, ar
Charmaine, Miami. . . . but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint. Isaiah 40:31 (NIV)
For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.
2 Corinthians 4:17-18 NIV
Ellen M. Camden, DE
Tiffany, Sandwich, IL
Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; You were bought with a price. Therefore honor God with your body. -1 Corinthians 6:19-20
Laura, Smyrna,TN: Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn away from it. Prov. 22:6
King James version
Amy, Waco: Leviticus 20:26 NIV, “You are to be holy to me because I, the LORD, am holy, and I have set you apart from the nations to be my own.”
Mary H.
Ardmore, Al
Colossians 4: 6 NIV
Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.
Jeri, Stillwater, Ok
Now unto Him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us. Ephesians 3:20 (kjv)
Angie and Katrina
Toronto
Jeremiah 29:11-13
“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you; plans to give you hope and a future.
Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you.
You will seek Me and find Me when you seek Me with all your heart.” NIV
Joy, Tri-Cities: “But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.”
John 14:26, NIV
Carol in Florence, MA.
Though the mountains be shaken
and the hills be removed,
Yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken
Nor my covenant of peace be removed,
says the LORD, who has compassion on you.
Isaiah 54:10 NIV
Dean
Barbourville, Ky
“Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.”
Ephesians 4:2 NIV
Lynn/Pflugerville, TX “They are like trees planted along a riverbank, with roots that reach deep into the water. Such trees are not bothered by the heat or worried by long months of drought. Their leaves stay gree, and they never stop producing fruit.” Jeremiah 17:8 NLT
“Do not be quickly provoked in your spirit,
for anger resides in the lap of fools.”
NIV
ECC 7:9
Ruth, Coeur d Alene Idaho
Find rest, O my soul, in God alone;
My hope comes from Him.
He alone is my rock and my salvation;
He is my fortress, I will not be shaken.
Psalm 62:5-6 NIV
Rosalye
Vicksburg, MS
You have made known to me the path of life;
You will fill me with joy in Your presence,
with eternal pleasures at Your right hand.
Psalm 16:11
NIV
Isaiah 30:21 (NIV)
Whether you turn to the right or to the left,
your ears will hear a voice behind you,
saying, “This is the way; walk in it.”
Love this verse on so many levels!
Angie
Deltona, FL
Michelle, Houston, TX
Joshua 2:11
“And as soon as we heard these things, our hearts melted; neither did there remain any more courage in anyone because of You, for the Lord Your God, He is God in heaven above and on earth beneath.”
Shannon, Flagstaff “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men. Colossians 3:23 NIV
Erika – Gadsden, AL
Psalm 40:8 NIV
“I desire to do your will, my God, your law is within my heart.”
Linde, Dallas
“8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works, so that no one can boast.”
Epehsians 2:8-9 NIV
Kerri, Nichols, NY
Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths. Proverbs 3:5-6 (NKJV)
Dana, Boerne, TX
God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Psalm 46:1
I Timothy 6:6-8 NKJV
Now godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. And having food and clothing, with these we shall be content.
(And we pray for those who have neither of those now.)
Teri K., Kalamazoo.
“You will not need to fight in this battle.
Position yourselves, stand still
and see the salvation of the LORD,
who is with you, O Judah and Jerusalem!
Do not fear or be dismayed;
tomorrow go out against them, for the LORD is with you.” 2 Chronicles 20:17 NKJV
Colleen, O’Fallon. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him;
Psalm 103:11 NIV
Karen, Leonard, TX
Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
Romans 12:21 NIV
Sarah, Wichita Falls, TX
Philemon 6 I pray that you may be active in sharing your faith, so that you will have a full understanding of every good thing we have in Christ. NIV
Cindy, Prairieville, She is clothed with strength and dignity, and she laughs without fear of the future. Proverbs 31:25 NLT
Suzanne; Pasadena, Tx
For He orders His angels to protect you wherever you go. Psalm 91:11 The Living Bible
Kristen, Austin, TX
“I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws.” Ezekiel 36:26-27, NIV
Chapin, SC “that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened w/ might through His Spirit in the inner man, that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith.” (Eph 3:16-17) NKJV
Laura, Pleasant Hill, CA
Romans 8:5-6,ESV
For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit.
For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit if life and peace.
Lisa, Calgary
“So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.” Colossians 2:6-7 NIV
Pam – Hatton, MO
Hebrews 12:11 (Holman Christian Standard Bible)
11 No discipline seems enjoyable at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it yields the fruit of peace and righteousness to those who have been trained by it.
Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.”
1 Cor 13:4-5 (NIV)
Carol, Lubbock, TX
“Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and your dominion endures through all generations. The Lord is trustworthy in all he promises and faithful in all he does.” Psalm 145:13 NIV 2011
Jill, Fort Ashby, WV
“One thing I ask of the Lord, this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to seek him in his temple.”
Psalm 27:4 (NIV)
Laura, Morgantown, WV
“I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with loving-kindness.” – Jeremiah 31:3 (NIV)
Kathy Knoblock, Akron, Ohio
Isaiah 42:13
“The LORD will march out like a mighty man, like a warrior He will stir up His zeal; with a shout He will raise the battle cry and will triumph over His enemies.”
(NIV)