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.
Wendy, Albuquerque “The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being” – Hebrews 1:3 NIV
Becca
Grand Prairie
So then, each of us will give an account of himself to God. Romans 14:12, NIV
Rychelle, Coeur d’Alene, Idaho
“Whom have I in heaven but you? And earth has nothing I desire besides you. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.”
Psalm 73:25-26
“The name of the LORD is a strong tower; the righteous run to it and are safe.” Proverbs 18:10 NIV
Susie, Whitehouse, TX
Donna
Norman, OK
“Commit everything you do to the Lord.
Trust him, and he will help you.” Psalm 37:5(NLT)
Amy
Tyler, TX
Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful.
Hebrews 10:23
Tennessee
James 1:2-5 (NIV)
Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters,[a] whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3 because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. 4 Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.
For I know the plans, I have for you declares the Lord, plans for you to prosper and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.Jeremiah 29:11NIV
Sue Lawrenceville, GA
“Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the LORD’s purpose that prevails.”
Proverbs 19:21 NIV
Norman, OK
Deuteronomy 29:29 NLT
The LORD our God has secrets known to no one. We are not accountable for them, but we and our children are accountable forever for all that He has revealed to us, so that we may obey all the terms of these instructions.
Pay close attention to what you hear. The closer you listen, the more understanding you will be given — and you will receive even more. Mark 4:24 NIV
Sharon, San Antonio,
And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:19 NIV
Amy, Starkville, MS “There is a time for everything,
and a season for every activity under heaven:
a time to be born and a time to die,
a time to plant and a time to uproot. ” Ecclesiastes 3: 1-2
Isaiah 40
28 Do you not know?
Have you not heard?
The LORD is the everlasting God,
the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He will not grow tired or weary,
and his understanding no one can fathom.
NIV
“Sacrifice thank offerings to God, fulfill your vows to the Most High.” Psalm 50:14 NIV
Ann Ft Lauderdale, FL
To everything there is a season, and a time for every purpose under the heaven.
ECC 3:1
King James Version
Rebecca of New Kensington, PA: Psalm 145:18 (NIV) The LORD is near to all who call on him,
to all who call on him in truth.
Here are the scriptures for me and my mom.
Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings.
1 Peter 5:8-9
Carrie, Burnt Hills, NY
For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your Heavenly Father will also forgive you.
Matthew 6:14
Donna, Ilion, NY
Amy Hopper
Ardmore, Oklahoma
“If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him,, graciously give us all things?”
Romans8:31-32 ESV
Tammy, Fayetteville, AR “I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.” Philippians 4:13 NASB
Commit everything you do to the Lord. Trust Him and he will help you.
Ps 37:5
Diane C
VInton, La
From Columbia,SC
But the fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Galations 5:22-23, NIV
Sheila Armstrong – Union City, Indiana
Isaiah 50:4 (NIV)
4 The Sovereign LORD has given me a well-instructed tongue,
to know the word that sustains the weary.
He wakens me morning by morning,
wakens my ear to listen like one being instructed.
Kathy – Fort Worth
“The Sovereign Lord had given me an instructed tongue, to know the word that sustains the weary. He awakens morning by morning, wakens my ear to listen like one being taught.” Isaiah 50:4 (NIV)
2 alike verses in a row, WOW!
Cindy, OKC, OK “The Lord is good, a refuse in times of trouble. He cares for those who trust in him. Nahum 1:& NIV
Isaiah 43:18-19 (NASB)
18 Do not call to mind former things or ponder things of the past.
19 Behold, I will do something new. Now it will spring forth; will you not be aware of it? I will even make a roadway in the wilderness, rivers in the desert.
Karen,Oconomowow…..Taste and see that the Lord is good;blessed is the man who takes refuge in him.Psalm 34;8
Barb,Hermitage,PA
“And above all things have fervent love for one another, for love will cover a multitude of sins.”I Peter 4:8 NKJV
Josie, 8 years old, Princeton, MN:
“I am the vine; you are the branches. The one who remains in Me and I in him produces much fruit because you can do nothing without Me.”
John 15:5 HCSB
April- Smyrna, Georgia
The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold everything he had and bought it.
Matthew 13:44 NKJB
Bethany Fisherville, Ky “All who touched Him were healed.” Mark 6:56 NIV
II Timothy 2: 22-24 NIV
“Flee the evil desires of youth, and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart. Don’t have anything to do with foolish and stupid arguments, because you know they produce quarrels. And the Lord’s servant must not quarrel; instead he must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful.”
Isaiah 43:25 “I, I am He who blots out your transgressions for my own sake, and I will not remember your sins.” (ESV) Tita in Bear, Delaware
Melanie, Omaha, NE
Whoever oppresses the poor shows contempt for their Maker, but whoever is kind to the needy honors God.
Psalm 14:31 (NIV)
Kari, South Dakota
James 4:17 NLT
Remember, it is sin to know what you ought to do and then not do it.
Mercy, Tampa, FL I have set before you life and death, the blessing and the curse. So choose life in order that you may live. Deuteronomy 30:19 (NIV)
Tracy Medicine Lodge, Ks
Hebrews 11:6 NLT
And it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that God exists and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him.
Becca – Austin, Texas
We love because he first loved us. 1John 4:19 NIV
Kate, Charlottesville
Psalms 34:2-3 NIV
“My soul will rejoice in the Lord; let the afflicted hear and rejoice. Glorify the Lord with me; let us exalt his name together.”
Heather
Little Rock, AR
“A man’s discretion makes him slow to anger, Â
And it is his glory to overlook a transgression.”
Proverbs 19:11
New American Standard
My verse for this month is Ps. 34:8 NLT Taste and see the Lord is good. Oh the joys of those who take refuge in Him!
My verse for this month is Ps. 34;8 NLT Taste and see that the Lord is good. Oh the joys of those who take refuge in him!
Valerie from Coweta, OK
Psalm 121:8 NIV
The LORD will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore.
Michelle, Lewisville, TX
Proverbs 30:5 NIV Every word of God is flawless; he is a shield to those who take refuge in Him.
Joyce ~ Bison, SD ~
Keep awake and watch and pray (constantly), that you may not enter into temptation; the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak. Mark 14:38 (AMP)
Lisa, Hattiesburg, MS:
The Lord is near to all who call on him, to all who call on Him in truth.
Psalm 145:18 (NIV)
“When you lie down, you will not be afraid; when you lie down, your sleep will be sweet. (Proverbs 3:24 – NIV)
3/1/11 The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in Him and I am helped. My heart leaps for joy and I will give thanks to Him in song. Psalm 28:7 NIV
3/15/11 Being confident in this, that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Jesus Christ. Philippians 1:6
Waco, Texas
I could use the short one from last month to help me catch up.
Angie P., Newark, DE ~ March on, my soul; be strong! (Judges 5:21b)
Andrea – Tempe – Honor everyone. Love the brotherhood. Fear God.1 Peter 2:17 ESV