Lost.

 

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Lost Confidence

My friend asked me a few days ago why I haven’t blogged in a while… then told me she missed them.

I gave a few excuses and admitted that life and its punches had knocked my confidence and left me somewhat silent.

I have decided to find my words once more – or rather craft endless words of life and the precious ordinary that dance around my head. I thought 5 minute Friday would be a good place to start with the prompt ‘lost’.

Are there gifts and talents you know you need to find? Do you need to say yes to dormant gifts and promises?

Circumstances can so easily define us, if we let them. Our self-confidence often wraps us tight. Our overthinking dries us up.

Then we see the dry bones of Ezekial 37 and are reminded again to invite God into the dry and desolate. Declaring resurrection life into the barren places. I am not suggesting a positive thinking exercise or the ABC’s to super living – you know me. But, I do believe in the power of God’s word, the declaration of His promise coming together with your destiny and the reality of knowing God’s strength in the struggle.

Lost Luggage.

Mom, Dion and Charlotte arrived last night! They landed in Kelowna at 8pm minus any luggage because of a computer malfunction at Heathrow.

It’s unfortunate, it’s a first world problem… yet when the loss brings genuine upset and high anxiety – when Aspergers says ‘I need this now’ the loss becomes real. So we all sit on the sofa at 1am, jetlagged and tired and we invite God into the loss and we invite Him to be the ultimate comfort, tangible peace descends and we all sleep.

We are a family who have known much loss and we know our source of peace. We know the God of all comfort.

Lost Children.

Phil has been disturbed by the plight of Syrian children and the hideous refugee crisis. So he decided to do something. Today (Friday) He is embarking on a 32 mile peace run – a day of prayer, wilderness and endurance. He is following High Rim Trail from Kelowna to Vernon, a grueling, isolated path, known for its mountain cougars, bears and moose. He will be running through thick green pine forests, crossing numerous brooks and descending into hidden valleys. A challenging distance to achieve in a day.

It’s the first time he has run a distance with a bear banger (sounds like a gun) bear spray (looks like hairspray) A GPS alert system (black box) a life straw (for pure water)!!

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I will keep you posted of his progress but here he is 1 hour in!

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He is taking sponsors so if you feel led go ahead let me know in comments! He is running for MCC, Mennonite Central Committee, a Canadian charity who bring relief and reconciliation to the darkest areas in the world.

We face a lost generation – over 1.2 million Syrian children have fled Syria for safety, and more than 4 million children remain displaced inside the country. The situation for these children is dire. These children have lost their homes, seen their loved ones killed, their schools destroyed and their hopes eroded. They have been physically or psychologically wounded and are vulnerable to the worst types of exploitation. Please keep thinking and praying for Syria.

Gods reminds us today he is the God of the lost.

He restores,

He comforts,

He says ‘Let the little children come to Me; do not get in their way. For the kingdom of heaven belongs to children like these’.

Love, Michelle xo

Five Minute Friday

 

 

 

 

Prophetic mashup for 2014.

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I have mentioned before I have read a lot of words of destiny over 2014, and some have asked if I can summarize them. This post is basically a collation/combination/mash up of prophetic words I have read in January, words I am saying a huge YES to. You are reading a combination of the actual words of Doug Addison, Jonny Enlow, Kent Simpson, Kim Clement, Tim Sheets and Me! Most can be found in their entirety on Elijah list.

OPEN DOORS

The year 2014 is 5774 on the Hebraic calendar – Ayin Dalet. The Hebrew calendar speaks to us prophetically. The number 4 is the letter Dalet. Dalet is the word for “door,” or an open tent flap, or the opening into a new territory. 5774 is also a Leap Year in the Hebraic cycle. Ayin Dalet references a year of open doors – so you can leap forward, that is, a year of open doors so you can spring forward. Holy Spirit is going to open doors supernaturally for His people this year to surge ahead.

“Doors of new history will now be opened. A new movement will now spring forth. A new stream from My throne will begin to flow. It is a pure stream of pure Gospel; for the stream of My Gospel has been diverted and dammed up by those who wanted the benefits of reservoired blessings, but I will now blow up the dams.”

A new spiritual landscape. A place of elevation. A place of purpose.

Once this door is opened to you and you enter into this spiritual environment, you will find the pathway that leads to the fulfillment of your destiny.

God is opening a gateway into the heavenly realm in 2014 for deeper revelation and greater power. This is the start of a new season, and the drought we have been experiencing in the Kingdom over the last few years is now over. Expect an increase in your spiritual gifts, dreams, visions, and supernatural encounters. This will open the opportunity for you to step up to a new level and see results for your efforts.

The first part of this new movement of God will involve a time of refreshment for those who are weary. You will experience mini-renewals of His presence and gifts in your life. Many people have been suffering from hope deferred for so long that they need to soften up and be recharged.

For I will pour water on the thirsty land, and streams on the dry ground; I will pour out My Spirit on your offspring, and My blessing on your descendants.’ Isaiah 44:3

The second part of this movement will be a new rain of the Holy Spirit that will come upon those that are seeking all that God has for them. This movement will look very strange, as all types of people will begin to be drawn to God. In the midst of this, a new generation will begin to awaken to God’s love, power, and acceptance.

The next phase will bring God’s power like we have not experienced before. This will be a new level of God’s fiery presence and healing. This is a start of a new healing movement with miracles, signs, wonders, and deeper revelation.

See, I have set before you an open door, and no one can shut it’ Revelation 3:8

‘I am the [open] door…’ John 10:9

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CATAPULT

This year we will begin to leap forward into a new awareness of Him, and it will be transformational. This year will see the springing forward of so many into the release from their “accumulated tension.” Catapulting involves the slingshot effect of a great pulling back followed by a dramatic release. Preparing for catapulting often involves what appears to be going nowhere, or even backwards for an excruciating length of time, with an end result of great forward propulsion. When in His hands, the further you have been pulled back, the greater His desire to catapult you. Often in the pull-back, God is also going after important “character matters” as He desires you to be able to remain and occupy the place He is catapulting you to.

GIFTS

As we step into 2014, each of us should ponder these questions: What are our gifts from Heaven? Do we know what God has placed in us to fulfill His plan? Do we know what our part in that plan is? It’s important for us to identify our gifts because they are the keys that open doors and bring us into our divine destiny. Proverbs 18:16 promises us, “A man’s gift makes room for him and brings him before great men.”

We can be sure that our gifts will play an integral part to fulfilling our God-given dreams. After discovering our God-given gifts, it then becomes our responsibility to continually practice using them. God has called each of us to exercise our gifts so they become strong. God will bring other people (they are gifts themselves, and they also have various gifts) around us to connect the dots on the road to destiny. Oftentimes people get stalled in the pursuit of dreams because they’re waiting for some man or woman to open doors for them. But listen! God has a better plan for you. He has given you the keys to open doors to your future – those keys are your gifts. And the gifts inside of you are perfect because they are what God determined for you to have even before you were born.

ACCELERATION

One of the words I (Michelle) heard for 2014 was ‘acceleration’. I was excited to read this from Kim Clement.  “This is the Beginning of Acceleration” Isn’t God always ready to perform His word? The word “ready” – when He says I’m ready to perform My word, it means, “I will hasten and accelerate” My word. That’s the word for this season. You’re about to step into accelerated favor! I looked up the word “accelerate” as it is shown there. Listen to this, you’re going to love it, and then we’re going to do what God wants us to do and then celebrate and go into the New Year celebrating. Where is the God of Elijah? Listen to me quickly. The word “hasten” or “accelerate” means “to cause faster and greater activity.” How many of you are really ready for that? No more doldrums. No more passivity.

A lady wrote to me today and she was so upset. She said, “I’m sick. I’m so sick of waiting for God to show up.” I said, Let me tell you this, there’s a lot of people that feel like that. But this is a time and a season where He has caused a dynamic – not a demonic – but a dynamic that has pushed us, that has pushed us to dissatisfaction to the point where we will kill (and I’m not talking about murder) – kill demonic forces and whatever stands in our way for our promise to be fulfilled.

The word “hasten” or “accelerate” means “to cause faster and greater activity; to change the rate of motion; to reduce the time required for something.” To reduce the time required for something; to progress and to develop faster, to develop faster. God spoke to me and said there will be a fast development of these things that I’ve promised in the medical world, in the scientific world, in the religious world, in the political world – the things that have been spoken are going to progress and develop faster.

JUSTICE

We are entering a season where those who have experienced injustice are about to receive supernatural restoration.

The Lord is speaking a word of hope in the middle of injustice: “I am about to right this wrong. The injustice done to you cannot stand in the presence of My justice. The enemy came to steal, rob and destroy, but watch what I am about to do. My court has issued an official order against this work of injustice in your life. Give Me your sorrow. Give Me your despair. These are illegal orders issued from the courts of darkness. I have destined this season to be a time when My goodness and purpose will be revealed. My mercy and justice is coming. This injustice you are experiencing is about to become a place of celebration and restoration.”

Hope is a person, not a theory. He has authority over the power and imagery of despair. He has given that same authority to us. Despair cannot stand in His presence, nor can despair continue to pull us towards its place of eventual death, if we call upon God in our time of need. Lies have no power in the light of His presence.

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SPEAK LIFE

You can begin to prophesy and speak to what appears dead, hopeless, and cut-off so to witness fruitfulness and fulfillment once again. Romans 8:9-11 tells us that the same power that raised Christ from the dead is also in us because He lives in us. I believe this means that certainly we will also be resurrected from the dead, as Christ Himself was, but that also we have a divine power within us to resurrect dead situations or promises that appear completely cut off and separated from us.

I (Michelle) had a dream at the beginning of the year. I saw rows and rows of sheep who were asleep, and thought I’d leave them to it…

The Lord had me look closer I realized the sheep were not asleep but comatose. Rows and rows sheep in a coma.

I was challenged in my response. I couldn’t leave them to it… What do we do with this who are in a coma? We call them out, we call their name, we sit with them, we pray for them, we remind them of promises of who they were and are.

We stick with them. A very different response to those who are sleeping.

God showed me these sheep, his sheep, his children, in comas induced by life, decisions, accidents, illness, acts against them.

We as pray-ers – intercessors are to call them out of this state in the spirit. name them, remind them, declare, speak life.

I encourage you at this point to read the story of dry bones in Ezekial 37. When God instructs us to prophesy the word of the Lord, the future and destiny begin to come together in order to become fulfilled. Imagine your scattered prophecies, unfulfilled, being resurrected and coming together once again. God put His very breath into those bones to which Ezekiel was prophesying. Imagine life coming into your very own situations which appear dead and desolate. God is breathing life into every area of hope deferred right now! There was resurrection power released into those dry bones! You will stand! What an encouragement from the Lord He is giving us right now. We will stand and not be defeated in this season. When God resurrects something in our lives – whether it be His resurrecting dreams, vision, hope, or promises. You are no longer “cut off” from being completed – in every area! God has a plan for your life and He is watching over His words concerning you. He is promising to bring the details of your fulfillment together.

Praying you find YOUR word in this!

Love, Michelle xo

Compelled by Love.

IMG_4253How’s your January going? I have read a lot over the past two weeks of the destiny over 2014. ‘Watch closely: I am preparing something new; it’s happening now, even as I speak, and you’re about to see it. I am preparing a way through the desert; Waters will flow where there had been none.’ I am already seeing these waters and I’m jumping in…you?

My mind whirls and I want to write – but I don’t know where to start, so I start right here. Write here. Phew. They say just keep writing. Right? Write.

My poetry module is progressing, although I find it challenging, when is the piece complete? I sent an assignment to my tutor this week – so I’m sure he will let me know!

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This week was the ‘Kelowna Week of Prayer’ it kicked off at Church@33 – what a great evening of churches praying in unity.

We look forward to Searchlight theatre in Kelowna this month too. Don’t miss the world premiere of this WWII adaptation of the bestselling classic novel “The Pilgrim’s Progress” by John Bunyan. Reserve tickets here. It’s always a treat to welcome these guys to Kelowna. Don’t forget my chocolate DR!

Today’s musings are from these words from the ‘Signature of Jesus’ by Brennan Manning.

Laugh with me! Death is dead! Fear is no more! There is only life! There is only laughter! If the darkest night is upon you as you read these words, know that the risen Jesus is wild about you even if you can’t feel it. Listen beneath your pain for the voice of Abba God.

‘Make ready for the Christ, Whose smile, like lightning, Sets free the song of everlasting glory that now sleeps in your paper flesh, like dynamite.’ Thomas Merton.

There is a wonderful Saviour wild about you, with a smile like lightening. Powerful, drawing you, reassuring, loving YOU. Reaching deeper than your darkest.

Yes! I hear some say. I am in that place…Then I know for others it’s as if you are living in a constant stress dream, where you are shouting and screaming but the words just.won’t.come.out.

Be encouraged today with this.

‘The moment we get tired in the waiting, God’s Spirit is right alongside helping us along. If we don’t know how or what to pray, it doesn’t matter. He does our praying in and for us, making prayer out of our wordless sighs, our aching groans. He knows us far better than we know ourselves, knows our pregnant condition, and keeps us present before God. That’s why we can be so sure that every detail in our lives of love for God is worked into something good.’ Romans 8:26 The Message.

The relief I have found in this verse. When my deepest soul cannot find words as I think of loved ones and situations around me. Heaven goes deeper than our darkest…

CompelledCoverLogo2Back to smiles like lightening. I watched ‘Compelled by Love’ last week, this feature-length biography traces the journey of Heidi and Rolland Baker, Heidi is often described as a modern day Mother Theresa. Their pursuit of the presence of God has transformed a poverty-stricken and war torn 
Mozambique through love in action. Shot on the run over a period of 20 years, in 10 countries and on 4 continents in war zones, brothels, and Ivy League campuses, from Hollywood to Mozambique. The film chronicles the power of one life fully yielded to God and the truth that love wins: One life surrendered, one nation transformed…

The truth of one in love with Jesus, who said yes and who encourages us to step into our yes.

The pain of living through harrowing Mozambique, one of the poorest nations is clear. Heidi shares how she lets her Mozambican children inside her house to replace their “orphan spirit” with a “spirit of adoption”. Allowing them to eat her food, to celebrate being family. Unconditional love evident.

I loved this movie; a reminder of what Jesus can do in your life when you say yes. Yes to the gospel. To His love. Yes to being Him right where you are. I loved to watch Heidi – she emanates love. One of my favourite lines was this – ‘Fruitfulness flows from intimacy’ and one word I know I’m chasing in 2014 is intimacy. Jesus is calling us to intimacy. His presence.

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Our response when we see this love, is to be compelled to say ‘send me Lord’ and to know that sometimes ‘send me Lord’ starts right where you are.

Are you compelled by His love?

Love, Michelle xo

Fifteen.

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Today, January 13th 2014, Emily and Jessica are 15!

Happy Birthday beautiful girls – I remember being 15 and thinking I knew it all. Honestly, really believing it. I was so sure that I could leave school at 16 and rule the world.

I was also reminded on the way to school today that the twins are one year away from driving (*insert nervous laughter*).

Birthdays! On the way to school Jess asked me ‘Why are you so excited about our birthday Mom?’                                        I said this… give or take a few words.

“Birthdays need to be celebrated. I think it is more important to celebrate a birthday than a successful exam, a promotion, or a victory. Because to celebrate a birthday means to say to someone: ‘thank you for being you.’ Celebrating a birthday is exalting life and being glad for it. On a birthday we do not say: ‘thanks for what you did, or said, nor accomplished.’ No, we say: ‘Thanks you for being born and being among us.’ On birthdays we celebrate the present. We do not complain about what happened or speculate about what will happen, but we lift someone up and let everyone say, ‘We love you.’…Celebrating a birthday reminds us of the goodness of life, and in this spirit we really need to celebrate people’s birthdays every day, by showing gratitude, kindness, forgiveness, gentleness, and affection. These are ways of saying: ‘It’s good that you are alive; it’s good that you are walking with me on this earth. Let’s be glad and rejoice…” Henri Nouwen, Here and Now.

So girls as we enter into this important year.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                I pray you will know how much you are loved unconditionally, by us and more importantly by God. I pray you will look in the mirror of your soul and see beauty by God’s standards. I pray you will know the knowledge of God singing over you. I pray you will learn to hear His voice – and respond. Know that you are called, unique and gifted. Know that you have God given purpose and destiny. I thank you God for amazing mentors around you both. I thank God that He has entrusted us with you. I thank God for you!

And for me Lord…as you see, this parenting is not ever, I mean, not always easy. Help me to respond not react. To know daily that Emily and Jessica are not ‘teen me’ (phew). Teach me that yolo’s are a gift, and one that I could use a little more often.  That taxi-ing all over town, all the time, to many different friends, is also a gift. Lord, give me wisdom. I will be praying this a lot… Amen. Did I mention wisdom?

Love you girls,

Momma xoxo

Ps. Don’t forget the letter I wrote to here!

Baby steps to Dreams.

Day 7. 

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My husband noted that he had driven my car 3 times this week and each time 100.7 was playing. No, not Heart FM. But Country 100.7.

Then, last night I found myself enjoying the CMA Awards! What’s happening to me eh?

Country has progressed from songs entitled ‘Drop kick me, Jesus, through the goalposts of life’ and ‘Her teeth were stained but her heart was pure’ OK one more ‘How can I miss  you if you wont go away?

Last night I was a little won over as Foo Fighter Dave Grohl joined Zac Brown Band for their new song, Day for the Dead.

So what’s todays thought y’all?

My friend and I had a great exchange of dreaming together via iMessage last week.

*‘Lets open a craft shop, with a gallery, a little comfy sofa area where people can relax and read books, drink good coffee, a counseling/prayer room. Oh and also a small room where we can put donated clothes to give away. Everyone who walks in believes they are a work of art… or they believe it by the time they leave’

*‘Ah wouldn’t that be just great, a craft space too for people to come in and create their own works of art. We can have frames round the mirrors so they are really a work of art. Sounds like bliss, gorgeous coffee, lots of info, place where families can come…what a dream….’

*‘We should call the clothing room ‘wear love’.

*‘The clothing room should absolutely be called wear love….we can help dress people, we can have jewellery donated too’.

*’I can bake cakes for the cafe as well’

*‘Dreamy dreams’

We were dreaming, imagining, visualizing something that might possibly happen one day. Being on the same continent might help, until then, we take small steps to fulfill the dream. We begin to live it out where we are. Daily steps to a bigger dream.

Some of us need to backtrack though, and give ourselves permission to dream in the first place. You have to dream before your dreams can come true. Jon Acuff wrote ‘the best map in the world doesn’t matter if we don’t know where we are’.

Don’t let the lies of ‘you’re not qualified’ keep you from a place of dreaming. Have you noticed we don’t have a positive internal voice?

Our dog Sunny was on the alert during the night and Josiah woke this morning and said ‘the dogs barking sank into my dreams’  What a line! There are the negative external voices, those who say you’ll never do it, those who sink into your dreams.

‘The critics have made them impotent’ writes Hemingway, but the only way they will make you weak and effective is if you listen to them.

So, what does this mean for you, my diverse group of readers?

Jon Acuff wrote a book called Start telling us to Punch Fear in the Face, Escape Average and Do Work That Matters. Jon formed an online dreamers community around this book and the results were amazing. Thousands of us joined the experiment and received simple, step by step, instructions daily for 24 days on our set goal.

The success of the experiment was in the community of cheer leaders, pray-ers and encouragers all accountable to one another.

And you…

*Are you a carer? Your dream is to find some space for your own wellbeing. Today find out a realistic respite that you can access. This dream is reachable.

*A widower. You dream of travelling but feel it’s too late. It’s not. Today, go to the travel agent and pick up some brochures.

*A new Mom. You dream of feeling normal again. Today, put a date night in the planner. ‘What do you mean night, I’m in bed by 7’ Ok – lunch, breakfast – time for you.

*A ministry leader who dreams of setting up a homeless shelter. Today, write out your plan.

*You feel depressed. You dream of getting out of the house again one day, to go shopping even. Today, try and get out of bed, leave your room, play some music.

*You are facing the dragon of drugs. You dream of being clean and living a different life. Today, find one person who is clean, kind…one who prays. One person is all you need today. That one person will know other clean, kind, praying people who will love you. This is not an experiment, this draws you to destiny and brings you into a new community.

Be courageous, today is your day.

A promise for you:

For God did not give us a spirit of fear, but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.  2Timothy 1:7

See you tomorrow,

Love, Michelle xoxo

NaBloPoMo November 2013

TuneIn

Day 5. 

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I woke to white this morning. I was shocked – didn’t the children just go back to school? The snow didn’t stick around. I drove my car. The school stayed open. Life carried on.

I am not tuned into Winter that’s for sure – they tell me it’s 49 days until Christmas. Seriously?

My thoughts for today…

Our blood carries a distinct sound frequency. Years ago Harvard researchers were excited to discover that proteins in our DNA make sounds. Not only did they hear sounds from the protein in DNA but an organized, melodious song.

There’s more.

Inside of every person is a unique melodious song.

You are no accident, God went so much further than creating light, mountains, oceans.

He sang your DNA into being, and what’s more he continues to sing.

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‘For the LORD your God is living among you. He is a mighty savior. He will take delight in you with gladness. With his love, he will calm all your fears. He will rejoice over you with joyful songs’ Zeph 3:17

This verse speaks of singing, joy, God himself shouting with emotional excitement!

Gods heart song is YOU!

You were in Christ before the foundations of the world. Your destiny is in Him, I know that what happened to you after you were born distorts this song, walking in pain and hurt is not your destiny.

You are not what was done to you but who you were created to be. 

Jesus died on the cross. His blood speaks. It restores your song, and when you invite Jesus into your life, restoration and transformation takes place.

Imagine how this could change our lives. Comprehending this truth for ourself. Seeing others as a unique song.

Stuart Mitchell, composer says ‘We are sung musically into form. We are all part of a symphony, a choreography of a score. But we bring love to the game. That is our essence, our participation and our ultimate goal’.  This quote came from a website from the UK where you can send samples, pay 500 pounds and receive your unique DNA song. Who knew?

I can offer another option where the sounds of your song are played. The word of God. Why not pick up a bible, read some verses and hear a new song and if you don’t know where to start – message me, and if you don’t have a bible you can download the YouVersion bible from the app store for free!

Why not start with these:

Psalm 139:14 ‘You know me inside and out, you know every bone in my body;
You know exactly how I was made, bit by bit,
how I was sculpted from nothing into something.
Like an open book, you watched me grow from conception to birth;
all the stages of my life were spread out before you,
The days of my life all prepared before I’d even lived one day.’

Job 33:4 ‘The Spirit of God has made me, and the breath of the Almighty gives me life.’

Jeremiah 29:11. ‘For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope’ The Voice version adds ‘Never forget that’

Jeremiah 31:3 ‘I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with unfailing kindness.’

How will YOU hear your song? Will you listen? How will your song be played? Who will hear?

Excited to share this today!

See you tomorrow.

Love, Michelle xo

NaBloPoMo November 2013