Thankful for water..........

This is my backyard this week.  The little creek behind our house is way beyond flooded.  As are all of the rivers and creeks around here.  And it poured rain this morning......again.  All of the ground is saturated, squishy, and waterlogged.  But, hey, look at how green the grass is!  Which brings me to what has been on my mind all day........water.

Early this morning I saw a post on Facebook from "Humans of New York".  I love this particular page.  They post interesting stories of random people that they meet on the streets of New York.  Here is the post from today.....

“I’m single, unemployed, and late middle-aged. But I don’t really get sad. I just don’t think sadness is in my brain chemistry. When I go home to my apartment, I’ve got a faucet that releases both hot and cold water. You know how many billions of people don’t even have clean drinking water? And I’ve got two types of clean water: hot and cold.”

I just could not get this off of my mind, all day today.  How powerful and thought provoking.  We are so blessed!  We have a solid roof over our heads, we have protection from the elements.  We have safe HOT and COLD water.  We have lights and power for appliances, we have computers and televisions and cellphones.  And so, so much more.  Isn't it amazing that it takes a single paragraph post on Facebook to cause me to stop short and really think about just how blessed I am?   So even though we have had a bit too much rain, and we have a bit of flooding, we are still so blessed.

I was remembering last January.  I was at a conference and Heidi Baker was speaking.  She is a missionary in Mozambique Africa.  Just before the conference there had been disastrous flooding in Mozambique.  I mean really devastating.  Their entire base had been wiped out.

Even before the floods, they didn't have much.  But just like this man in New York, Heidi Baker was just so grateful for what they did have.  And how very blessed they are...because they have Jesus.  

I have not been very much like that man in New York or Heidi Baker.  As a matter of fact, I would have to say honestly that I have not been very thankful for these little things (which are really BIG things).  After reading that post this morning, every time I went to the sink, I thought about that clean water pouring out.  And I remembered all of the people around the world, who don't have a sink or clean water anywhere.  Those that have to walk miles and miles for dirty and contaminated water.  Or those that simply don't have any water.  Would you join me tonight in praying for all of those people?  And would you also pray that those of us with access to clean water, would not take it for granted.  Most of all, would you join me in prayer for them to know Jesus, the living water!   I can't help but think of  John 4:13-14....

Jesus answered, "Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst.  Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life".

Jesus, thank you for this reminder today of all of the great blessings you have poured out on us. Holy Spirit, help us to see all that you have provided for us.  What a gift water is to us.  Thank you for missionaries who give their life to bring the Good News to other nations.  Jesus, you are the Living Water!  Amen

Letting it all sink in.....

I spent the last couple of days at a very intense conference at Chicago HUB with lots and lots of amazing speakers.  It was the most packed agenda I have ever seen at this kind of event.  The time just flew by.  There was hardly time to eat or sleep, let alone think about all that you had taken in during the last session.  As I was driving home last night (late, but not ridiculous since I had to be up at 5:00am this morning), I was trying to "sum up" what the conference on THE PRESENCE (of Jesus) had imparted to me.  The most interesting thing about all these really big name speakers...... every one spent time telling about their failings, their struggles, their "humanness".  Most also gave details of the very real lives they were leading before Jesus' presence changed the entire direction of their journey.  I was reminded over and over how powerful each persons testimony is.  The last speaker of the event was Heidi Baker of Iris Global .  I could not begin to tell you how many people crowded into that room to hear her speak.  There was not a spot anywhere....not just chairs but floor space as well.  Here are a few pictures.....

 This is Bobby Conner.  The most amazing thing is that he can quote Scripture - even less well known verses without opening the book.  He mentioned that he has the Bible memorized and I would believe it.  He is a powerful prophet in the body of Christ today.

 This is David Wagner praying for Nancy Magiera (the leader of the ministry that sponsored this conference).  This was his first time at any HUB event, and I am sure that he will be back.  He was amazing.

 And here is Heidi Baker and Nancy.  As you can see, I was blessed with front row seats at this sold out event.  

I didn't get pictures of Bruce Van Natta (I think he walked around so much that I never got a good shot!)  and also missed Steve Mitchell.   Steve led worship and really did bring the "PRESENCE" into the room.  There was an awesome intercessory team from Crusaders Church in Chicago.  This intercession drew me in, touched me and changed the atmosphere so quickly.  

I met and talked with so many nice people.  I ran into old friends that I hadn't seen for years.  And, interestingly I got a personal prophetic word from a young guy I had never met before.  The first thing he asked me was if I knew what my name means! Yes, that's right.  Just like my last blog.  So I have to assume that Jesus is really trying to say something to me about my name!  

I strongly encourage you to click on each of these names to learn about these ministries.  Heidi Baker shared that they are currently in a crisis with serious flooding.  Many of their bases are flooded and their home base in Pemba, Mozambique will be without electricity for a LONG TIME.  Like think months.(Just imagine no running water AND no electricity....)  Hundreds of thousands of people lost their homes and everything they own.  There is a great need for us all to respond to this urgent need.  Heidi's ministry feeds thousands of people EVERY DAY and this flood will complicate that process.  Would you please join me and pray for this ministry?  They need us all to stand with them at this time.  

Yes, it was a very full couple of days.  I have so much to chew on, digest, meditate on, think about, and take in.  I am very thankful for the pages and pages of notes and also the CD's of the sessions that a friend purchased.  I am so grateful for the many volunteers who helped carry out this BIG event, as well as Hank and Nancy Magiera, the founders of HUB.  I have been reminded that it is the presence of Jesus that has sustained me in the last very hard months. And it is the presence that brings me the hope and peace for the future.  

I'll blog tomorrow (or the next day) with more specifics about what the presence really is and how to experience that presence and what it means to me.  So wait for it!

Jesus, thank you for your body....your anointed leaders....my sisters and brothers.  Holy Spirit, what a joy and to be in the presence!  Jesus, bring forth an abundance for Rolland and Heidi Baker.  Bring a multiplication of resources to meet every need.  Thank you for connecting us all, even around the world!  Amen

Problems that turn into blessings!

Yesterday I was reminded, once again, that sometimes a problem might actually be a blessing in disguise.  I was getting ready to leave Gwen's house, after another wonderful day with them, when my car seemed to be totally dead!   Now this is frustrating on several levels.  First of all, there is an almost brand new battery in this car - just purchased in November.  Secondly, I had another time when my car would not start.  When Ken came to figure out the problem (since it was just weeks after the new battery), he discovered that the cable to the battery was loose. So he connected the cable and tightened it and since that, everything has been fine.  Here we are, just a couple of months later and the car won't start.  When I opened the hood, there was the battery cable, NOT connected, AGAIN!  Thankfully, Tim was able to just push the cable on and the car started right away.  I got home just a bit later than normal and Ken was able to fix (for the time being) this battery problem.   As I was driving home I was thinking about this "problem".  In the morning I was reading a Facebook post by my Kenyan friend Lucy.  She was recounting all the ways that Jesus works in our daily life.  One of the ways she noted was through "problems".  As she said, sometimes the problem we face actually keeps us out of what might be a real disaster.   I was imagining the accident that I might have avoided or some other thing that I can't even imagine!   So, I am thankful for this blessing, yesterday. 

A few weeks ago, I had a dream.  In the dream there was a very large banquet table, and it was filled with the most amazing looking food.  I have a picture similar to the one above, hanging in my bedroom.  But in the dream, the chairs were all filled with people and the table (and the plates) were filled with food!  There were also lots of people standing around the table - which I thought was kind of interesting.  I felt that this dream had something to do with Communion, but it seemed that there was more.  While I knew that there was a message in this dream, I couldn't quite figure it out.  Then a couple of other things came up.  First, I saw a video of Heidi Baker describing the floods in Mozambique.  The short video brought me to tears.  I can't find the link to the exact video, but you can watch a more recent video about the flooding here Heidi Baker - flooding.   And then I got invited to a Passover Seder.  Well, these three things did not seem at all connected...........until I spent a very powerful hour in worship at HUB on Sunday night.  

I  can't explain exactly how I began to put these very odd pieces together, but what I began to see during worship was a FLOOD of the Holy Spirit and a FLOOD of revelation of exactly who Jesus is, that was going to happen all over the world at Passover Seder celebrations.   I felt that all of those people that were standing BEHIND the chairs in that dream, had not yet discovered the host of that banqueting table - Jesus.   It seemed that many people are "stuck in the mud" (which was shown very clearly in the Heidi Baker video) and while they are very close to the truth, they are not quite there.  I just love that Jesus may well be using that flood - that problem - in Mozambique as a blessing.  Please join me in praying for all of these things.  Pray for Heidi Baker, her ministry, and everyone in Mozambique.  Pray for all of those Passover Seders around the world.  Pray for a new and renewed revelation of Jesus in that special meal. There is plenty of room at that "Communion" table!  And pray for that flood of the Holy Spirit over all of us! 

Jesus, thank you for the reminder to see the blessing in every problem.   Thank you for speaking to me in dreams and bringing further revelation during worship.  Jesus, bless Heidi Baker and bring more of your provision and presence to Mozambique.  Yahweh, it is your plan that ALL would be saved.  Holy Spirit, bring revelation of Jesus during all of the Passover Seders.  Let there be a flood of new saints taking their places at that Communion table.   Amen