First part of my time away.........and there is JOY!

 So, as I mentioned, I am away scrapbooking with the gals!  I can not tell you how much being with these ladies fills my soul and just plain makes me feel good.  We are at a new location, and so far, it is really nice! 

While you might think this is the treat aisle at Walgreens, this is just the food to share section of our room. Yeah, this is not great for someone doing Weight Watchers!  Anyway, I have actually accomplished about 10 pages, so all in all, not bad!  When I went to get in the shower this morning, I realized that my shower gel bottle is almost empty.  And so was my shampoo.  I guess I should have looked at my travel kit before I left home!  Then this morning, as I was getting dressed, I looked in my suitcase and discovered that somehow I had forgotten to pack a shirt for tomorrow!  This is certainly not a great start to living out of a suitcase for the next two weeks! Fortunately, I am going to be at home tomorrow before we leave on our vacation.  So I will be able to not only change my shirt, refill my travel shampoo and soap,  but also take a quick check of my BIG suitcase to make sure that I have what I need.  This is really nothing to stress over since as we all know, there is a Walmart in every town and a Walgreens on every corner! But I would much rather be prepared. 

Last night (very late) as I was laying in bed, I was thinking about joy.  What makes me the happiest.  It really isn't about things at all.  It is always about people.  It doesn't matter what I am doing, it is always about WHO I am with.  I guess that says something about me.  I find the greatest joy being with family and friends or surrounded by others who love Jesus.  It doesn't take much to make us all laugh.  And laughter is good for your soul.  I love Psalm 126:2

Our mouths were filled with laughter, our tongues with songs of joy.  This it was said among the nations, "The Lord has done great things for them."

I think this is true.  When others around us see us laughing and having so much joy, it causes them to stop and think, "Wow, I wonder what they are so happy about?"  It may just not be so true that they realize that it is God that has helped us to be joyful.  This is a good reminder for me (and all of us) to be quick to give God the glory when we are happy and having fun.  For me, it is much easier to talk about how Jesus has helped us when things are really bad.  Somehow it is a bit harder to remember to give HIM the credit for all the laughter and joy.  I think I will be doing more of that in the future!

Thank you Jesus for the joy and laughter that we experienced in this scrapbook.  Thank you for filling our mouths with laughter and our hearts with joy.  Holy Spirit, thank you for the reminder to be ready to point people to Jesus, even when things are going great and we have lots of joy and fun.  Thank you for your Word that speaks to us in our everyday life.  Amen

Another WOW day!

Well, here is another conference update.  Yesterday was a VERY LONG BUT VERY FULL DAY!  First of all, this worship team was amazing.  Most of the morning worship was centered around His amazing grace.

This is amazing grace, this is unfailing love

that you would take my place.

Then, in the middle of worship there was this "Prophetic Song" that really stirred my heart.

Tell my enemy, if you want to find me (And you can't find me)

I'm under the grace, I'm under the grace

It's an amazing place.

The morning speaker was from Mozambique.  Jose Novela, a Senior Pastor for Iris Ministries, oversees the Iris churches in Mozambique.  We spent the entire morning laughing.  Yes, LAUGHING!  One of the best things he said was HA, HA, HA!
I guess you would have to have been there to really understand.  It was great.  (Anyone remember the Rodney Howard-Browne days? It was a lot like that!) Then, the best thing of all, my friend Matt, who has been in a wheel chair for 13 years, was dancing with Pastor Jose!  He was hanging on to his wheelchair, but he was standing and his feet were dancing!  It was amazing! And I have a video to prove it!

The afternoon speaker was Dr. Bonnie Chavda.  Bonnie Chavda along with her husband Mahesh Chavda are the co-founding Senior pastors of All Nations Church in Charlotte, North Carolina. Dr. Mahesh Chavda was the speaker both Thursday and Friday evenings.

 

 

Here are a few of the short "one liners" that I took note of from this conference!  I think that they will bless you also, as you just stop and think about them.

 

*We need more wine (The Holy Spirit) in our churches.

*Don't be miserable.  Stop and wait for the wine. Without that, you can't go on.

*Do whatever He tells you to do!

*When there is fighting and anger in the church, it's because there is no wine!

 (Pr. Jose was preaching from John 2 and the Feast of Cana when Jesus turned water into wine.  I loved his insight into this story.) 

 

*We need personal encounters of the real kind that He is present right now.

*Stretch forth your arm!

*We don't "Put ON" the Holy Spirit.  Rather He puts us on like a glove!

*Everything we do is training for reigning.

*We need to "Steward our stories" and be faithful to testify.

*When God pushes the pause button, we need to PAUSE!

*Don't waste your sorrows.  There is redemption for someone else in our suffering.

*If you set out to raise the dead, bring a sandwich!

*We need to get excited about the little things that God does!

*Get into the vibrant harmony of the Spirit's activity around you.

*We need to understand our destiny.  The movie Kung Fu Panda is an example of getting in tune with our destiny that will defeat the enemy! (Guess I'll have to watch that movie!)

*We are not defined by what is outside of us.

*Guard and steward your atmosphere.

*Pressure brings you to Principal, Principal brings you to Presence, and Presence brings you to the Promise.  In Promise there is Provision.

 

I am still absorbing everything I have heard so far, and there is more to come! 

 

Jesus, thank you again for this conference.  Bless all those who are working to make this event happen.  Thank you for the faithful people at the registration tables, at the book tables, the ushers, the runners, the sound people, the go-to people.  Bless the musicians and all those recording and video streaming this event.  Holy Spirit, let all of these people, as well as the speakers, be filled and renewed themselves in this weekend.  Give them supernatural energy and grace.  Thank you for the intercessors who continue to pray for these ministries and all the events happening around the globe.  And Holy Spirit, would you please impart the truths that I have shared to anyone reading this blog?  Help them to taste the amazing wine that I have been experiencing.  Thank you, thank you, thank you.  Amen