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.
The Lord your God is with you, He is mighty to save, He will take great delight in you, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing. Zephaniah 3:17, NIV
Natalie, Nashville, TN
Philippians 2:3-4 HCSB Do nothing out of rivalry or conceit, but in humility consider others as more important than yourselves. Everyone should look out not [only] for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.
Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 1 Corinthians 13:6 (NIV)
Lori, Bushnell, FL
Pam, Greensboro,NC
“You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in You,
whose thoughts are fixed on You! Trust in the LORD
always, for the LORD GOD is the eternal Rock.”
Isaiah 26:3,4
Kelei Liggett. Iowa Park,Texas. NIV
2 Chronicles 7:14
If my people,who are called by my name,
Will humble themselves and pray and seek My face
and turn from their wicked ways,
Then I will hear from heaven
And will forgive their sin
And will heal their land.
Kristi, Telford, PA
“Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.” Rom 12:12 NIV
Shellie, Moscow, Idaho
Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.
Romans 12:12 NIV
I was on vacation this week. Just got back.
Dear Friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God because God is love.
1John 4:7,8 (NIV)
Jennifer, Lexington, SC
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!
2 Corinthians 5:17 (NIV)
“Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the LORD’s purpose that prevails.”
Proverbs 19:21 NIV
“Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the LORD’s purpose that prevails.”
Proverbs 19:21 NIV
Karen, in Hendersonville “Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past.See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland.” Isaiah 43:18-19
Gena: Elgin, Texas
Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go. Joshua 1:9 ESV
By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible. Hebrews 11:3 NIV
Jerrianne, Gastonia, NC
Romans 15:13 May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. NIV
Robbi, Glen Allen, VA
“Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.”
Luke 12:32 KJV
Allison Mitchell, Hanover, WV
2 Corinthians 3:6 (NIV), “He has made us competent as ministers of a new covenant- not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.”
1 Corinthians 10:23 (New International Reader’s Version)
The Believer’s Freedom
23 You say, “Everything is permitted.” But not everything is good for us. Again you say, “Everything is permitted.” But not everything builds us up.
Wendy, and daughters Faith and Naomi Hope, Eden Prairie, MN
Psalm 119:35-36 (NIV)
“Direct me in the paths of your commands, for there I find delight. Turn my heart toward your statutes and not toward selfish gain.”
Belinda, Houston
Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus.
Phillipians 2:5 (NIV)
Cindy, Clarksville, TN. My brethren count it all joy
when you fall into various trials knowing that the
testing of your faith produces patience. But let
patience have it’s perfect work that you may be perfect
and complete lacking nothing. James 1:2-4 NKJ
Jaye, Keller, TX
“Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord”
Acts 3:19 (NIV)
Beth from North Little Rock, AR
I Cor. 1:26
Brothers and sisters, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth.
“Let us hold fast to the hope we profess, for He who promised is faithful” Heb.10:23
Victoria – Mason, MI Each time He said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me. That’s why I take pleasure in my weaknesses, and in the insults, hardships, persecutions, and troubles that I suffer for Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong. 2 Corinthians 13: 9-10 AMEN!!!!!!!!
Tisha, Nazareth, TX
and without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to Him must believe that He exists and that He rewards those earnestly seek Him. Hebrew 11:6
(sorry i am very late!)
Christy Crosby, Clarksville TN:
“When I am afraid, I will trust in you.” Psalm 56:3, NIV
I’m joining with Betsy from Ponca City in memorizing:
For God has not given us a Spirit of timidity, but of power and love and discipline.
2 Timothy 1:7
Amy, Huntsville AL
“He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever.”
Revelation 21:4 (New Living Translation)
Mary, Satellite Beach
The LORD your God is with you,
the Mighty Warrior who saves.
He will take great delight in you;
in His love He will no longer rebuke you,
but will rejoice over you with singing.
Zephaniah 3:17 NIV
Kay, Arkansas, “And He has said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.’ Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me.” 2Cor 12:9
Proverbs 3:13 NIV
Blessed is the man who finds wisdom, the man who gains understanding.
Tracy B. Atlanta, GA
Romans 8:35-37 (New King James Version)
Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written:
“ For Your sake we are killed all day long;
We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.”
Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.
Fear of man will prove to be a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord is kept safe. Proverbs 29:25 NIV
Ft Irwin, Ca
Idabel, Ok
For everyone to whom much is given, of him much shall be required.
Luke 12:48
Hosea 10:12 (NIV): “Sow righteousness for yourselves, reap the fruit of unfailing love, and break up your unplowed ground; for it is time to seek the Lord, until he comes and showers his righteousness on you.”
KMac, Houston
“Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don’t get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes.” Matthew 6:25 The Message
Annette, Toronto ON
Philemon 20
Yes, brother, let me have joy from you in the Lord; refresh my heart in the Lord. (NKJV)
Cheryl McClain~Miller, SD
“Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.” ~Rom. 12:12
Shelley, San Angelo
“And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
Philippians 4:7
NIV
Susie, NC
Mark 11:24 So I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have recieved it, and it will be yours.
Jackie, Little Rock, AR: For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through the endurance taught in the scriptures and the encouragement they provide we might have hope. Romans 15:4 NIV
Ashley, El Dorado, AR
But he said to me “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
2 Corinthians 12:9-10
Twyla, Greenville
“He has showed you, O Man, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly, and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.”
Micah 6:8 NIV
Becky, St. Augustine
“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.'”
Isaiah 30:21 NIV
Kathy, Corinth, TX
For You light my lamp;
The Lord my God illumines my darkness.
For by You I can run upon a troop;
And by my God I can leap over a wall. Psalm 18:28 & 29
Vicki, San Angelo
“Then King David went in and sat before the Lord, and he said:
Who am I, O Sovereign Lord, and what is my family, that you have brought me this far?”
2 Samuel 7:18
NIV
Kristi from Charlotte, NC
“If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing.” 1 Cornthians 13:3 ESV
Allyson, Tennessee: “Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the LORD our God.”
Psalm 20:7, NIV
Barbara, Oakley
A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.
Prov 15:1
Cindy
Valdosta,GA
Everything is permissible – but not everything is beneficial.
1 Corinthians 10:23, NIV