Pro-women’s rights, Pro-life, and Pro-Refugee.

{ FEBRUARY 4, 2017 }

Breathe. 

I know that just the title of this post may make some people’s blood boil so before you read on, please take a deep breathe and know that this is written from a place of being broken hearted for America and the world in this time in history. 

I have just returned back to the states from a 12 day trip to France where I worked in a Refugee Camp in Dunkirk. I really don’t have the words to accurately describe this experience (but I urge you- if you can go overseas and serve in a Camp- GO). When we arrived we were surprised to find that most of the refugees weren’t Syrian, but Kurdish people (from Kurdistan, a people group from parts of Iran, Iraq, and Turkey) who were driven out of their countries for endless terrible reasons. 
I had the life changing experience of eating lunch, having tea, and trying to warm up by a fire with Kurdish refugees everyday. I got to hear their stories, learn about their families stuck in their homelands, hear what they are hoping is next in life, and then I saw the pain in their hearts as several told me they have no future. 

I found myself having to face my own prejudice preconceived notion’s about people from the Middle East; I was horrified when I realized what I had believed for so long. How dare I decide who these people were based on a small group of evil men? How dare I fear them becuase of something they never did? How dare I judge an entire people group without ever looking any single one of them in the eyes? 
It was late one night, after working in the Camp all day, that my friend, Hannah, tossed me her phone and told me to read the article she had pulled up. I wept as I read about President Trump’s ban. I wept as I thought about my new friends in the Camp. My new friends who I love dearly. My new friends who Christ suffered and died for. 

“For I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat; 
I was thirsty, and you gave Me something to drink;
 I was a stranger, and you invited Me in;
 I was naked, and you clothed Me; 
I was sick, and you visited Me with help and ministering care; 
I was in prison, and you came to Me ignoring personal danger.”‭‭

Matthew 25:35-36

My newsfeeds have been filled with nothing but anger and frustration the past several days; Christians defending Trump’s ban, Christians bashing the woman’s rights march, millennial bashing the prolife march saying it’s hypocritical, and many more. I realize I’m not much of an influence and that my voice may be drown out by all the others but I want to share my position in all of this. 
Hopefully by now you see that I am absolutely for the refugees. I think it’s absurd to say closing the boarders is like locking your front door at night- these people are running for their lives. They are running from evil and we as a “Christian” nation should do the most Christ like thing and love our neighbors with open arms. Love is always dangerous and risky but it’s worth it. 

Second, I want to address the idea that prolife people aren’t pro-Refugee or pro-women. I think that to truly be prolife you must be all of the above. (Since I already addressed the refugee crisis, this is more focused on the later.) I absolutely believe that life begins at the moment of conception and that life should be protected. I believe that life has value as much as my own. And I absolutely believe that women have incredible worth and bring things of the highest value to the world that men cannot. I also believe that the Church is called to love and support single moms as they raise their babies. I believe that the church needs to step up their game in adopting the babies they are fighting for and love their mothers well just as Christ does. Yes, I want your baby to have life but that doesn’t change the fact that I want you, woman, to get paid as much as a man, or to pursue your dreams, or do whatever you want. I believe both of your lives, and the lives of our hurting neighbors in the East, matter greatly. 

Women matter, are treaused by the Father and are an object of the divine love of Christ. 
Babies matter, are treaused by the Father and are an object of the divine love of Christ. 
Refugees matter, are treaused by the Father and are an object of the divine love of Christ. 

A Graceful Goodbye // A Joyful Greeting

{ DECEMBER 23, 2016 }

The past few weeks have been harder than most. About a month ago, my Gram told my mother that she wasn’t feeling well and that she wanted to go to the hospital. The next thing I knew, I was on an airplane flying to Pittsburgh because her trip to the hospital revealed very aggressive stage 4 cancer.

I remember walking into the hospital room and my grandma looked at me and said, “Don’t you worry about me, Lia! The Lord will take care of me- He always has.” I held her hand and grappled for the hope that was anchoring her  soul. In that moment, I prayed, “Lord, where are You in this room right now?” In that moment I felt His gentle presence in between my Gram and I and I heard, in my soul, “Jesus wept.”

The doctor proceeded to tell us that she had weeks, maybe months, left to live. I asked my dad later that evening if my grandmother was coherent because she had no reaction to the doctors dark words. He assured me that she understood completely but that she had already told the doctors and the family, before I arrived, that she trusted the Lord and in His will for her life.

I remember a few days later, the nurse was helping her walk to the bathroom and I heard my Gram whisper, “The Lord is my strength, the Lord is my strength” over and over again as she struggled to put one foot in front of the other. Never complaining, never saying, “Why me, God!?” Always rejoicing in Him, always trusting in who He is.

One of the last times I saw my grandmother, my family and I were sitting around her hospital bed and we began to sing some of her favorite Christmas carols. As I sang, I watched her as she raised her hands as much as she could and worshipped. When we finished singing, she left her hands raised and simply repeated, “Thank You, Jesus. Hallelujah. Thank you, Jesus.”

Later on, my mom and aunts had to ask her if they should take her off fluids because the cancer was so rough and she could no longer eat or drink anything. She looked at my mom and said, “Let me think about this… well I think I’ve done everything Jesus wanted me to do here. So, I’d say I’m ready to go.” 

She passed away a week later. In her final days, she prayed for everyone who came to visit her and called many family members to say goodbye and pray for them as well. 

I’m not writing this just to boast about how incredible my grandmother was, though she was, but to share with you what it looked like for her to face death with Jesus at her side.

I was thinking on all of this- her attitude in death, and a small quote from Harry Potter came to mind. (sorry, I’m a nerd.) When talking about the man who originally was given  the invisibility cloak, the story says in the end of his life, “He greeted Death as an old friend, and went with him gladly, and, equals, they departed this life.” I had the thought that my grandmothers passing was much like the man in the story but then I realized just how wrong I was.

My Grandmother looked death in the face, laughed fearlessly, and followed Jesus into Eternal Life. Jesus beat death. He squashed it. He did it in His own death and resurrection and when He calls us to Himself and we dedicate our lives to Him, we too share in His victory. 

This doesn’t come from typing “amen” on a special post on Facebook or by proudly shouting, “Merry Christmas!!!” In the face of someone who said, “Happy Holidays” or by using #prayfor_____ all over your social network. This type of fearlessness, in the face of death, comes from a life FULLY surrendered to the Lord and a lifelong daily relationship with Jesus. My Grandmother relied on Jesus for everything and spent hours upon hours at His feet every single day. She wasn’t perfect, but she held fast to Jesus in every season and storm. 

At the end of her life, she knew that the Lord’s never ending love for her had already gone before her. It was the most natural thing for her to go from this life to an eternity with her King, Savior, and greatest Friend. 

I will miss her for the rest of my time on earth, but her legacy echoes through my life and throughout eternity. May her life and new life prompt your heart to cling to Jesus in a fresh way because of His great love for you, as it has mine. 

To the Unsatisfied American

{ NOVEMBER 10, 2016 }

Well here we are in 2016 with our new president-elect, Donald Trump. (Let me preface this post by simply saying that this blog post is not at all about my support or lack there of towards Trump or Clinton.)

When looking back, we recall that President Obama won the election with a very simple slogan, “Change We Can Believe In.” Here we are 8 years later and Donald Trump wins the election with the slogan, “Make America Great Again.” 

Bet you’ve never seen those two side beside before, right? But lets look at them again;

Change We Can Believe In  //  Make America Great Again

When we look at both of these winning slogans we see an appeal to one direct person: the unsatisfied American.

In 2008, President Obama appealed to the people who were feeling forgotten, underprivileged, and were tired of the way President Bush ran things. Obama absolutely swept the floor in that election because people were desperate for change. They were absolutely and completely dissatisfied with the state of our country and believed that Obama would satisfy them.

But now we see that President-elect Trump has won over our country by once again, reaching out to those who are unsatisfied with the way government has run our country and our lives. His slogan basically says that America was great once, it isn’t anymore, and he can do what it takes to restore it.

Even marketing agencies have this figured out! The new iphone7 promises to have a better camera, better screen, better experience,  better EVERYTHING… because we were unsatisfied with the iphone6, right?

So why is this? Is it because Americans are greedy and nothing is ever good enough for us? Some would say, “yes” but I don’t believe that this is why we are an unsatisfied people. (I’m also not saying that other people in other countries aren’t the same way. I just don’t know them as well!)

I believe that our answer is a rather old answer. C.S. Lewis said in his book, Mere Christianity,

If I find in myself desires which nothing in this world can satisfy, the only logical explanation is that I was made for another world.

Nothing can ever satisfy the human heart. I amend that statement to say this rather: Nothing earthly can ever satisfy the human heart. We struggle and we strive to improve the world around us and to find things that can fill us up and ease the pains of this world. Be comforted to know that this is just a part of the human condition. Paul spoke of it in Romans 8:19-23 when he said,

For all creation is waiting patiently and hopefully for that future day when God will resurrect his children. For on that day thorns and thistles, sin, death, and decay—the things that overcame the world against its will at God’s command—will all disappear, and the world around us will share in the glorious freedom from sin which God’s children enjoy.

For we know that even the things of nature, like animals and plants, suffer in sickness and death as they await this great event. And even we Christians, although we have the Holy Spirit within us as a foretaste of future glory, also groan to be released from pain and suffering. We, too, wait anxiously for that day when God will give us our full rights as his children, including the new bodies he has promised us—bodies that will never be sick again and will never die.

Nothing but eternity spent with Christ can ever satisfy. In His goodness, we have that “foretaste of future glory” that Paul speaks of. We are able to rest in His presence and allow Him to fill us up with His love. Yet even that leaves us longing for more of Him. We’re filled, but not satisfied because we are still in waiting.

So, unsatisfied American, take heart! There will come a day, when the children of God will step into glory, see Jesus face-to-face and be fully satisfied. But for now, we choose love. every. single. day. We choose to pray that it will be “on earth as it is in Heaven.” We choose to look at people the way Jesus does- free of condemnation and full of mercy. We ask the Father what He’s doing in the earth right now, and we join Him. We don’t look to each other, a significant other, or a political figure to satisfy the depth of our hearts but we lock arms with one another, help each other through pain and sorrow, and we keep our eyes set on eternity.

100 Days as a Missionary ✓

{ SEPTEMBER 8, 2016 }

Today marks 100 days of living as a missionary in the city of Las Vegas

This has been the shortest and longest 100 days of my life.
It’s been the happiest and the hardest.
It’s been full of more laughter and more tears than most others.
It’s been more fun and more exhausting.
I’ve never been more romanced by Jesus, but I’ve also never been more desperate for Him.

So many people have said things like, “wow it looks like you’re having a blast out there.” to me and yes, this has absolutely been the most fun I’ve ever had- but like I said, this is the hardest thing I’ve ever done. Why?

Because it isn’t called Sin City just because of the casinos. I work at our outreach center where I sit with women and listen to their stories and see how I can help them. It’s been insane to hear so many of them tell me how everything in their lives was fine until they moved to Vegas and everything went down hill from there. This city beats people up. The forces of darkness crush people here.

People end up on the streets so easily here; there they are beat up, surrounded by drugs, threatened by gangs, and convinced to sell their bodies.

One woman was telling me that she was pregnant- right as I was about to congratulate her, she told me that the twins she’s carrying are a product of rape. But she smiled and told me that she knows that this is evidence that good can come from evil. She said that she only has love for her babies and that she isn’t angry at the man who did this to her at all. She said that she knows that you can’t be happy with un-forgiveness in your heart.

Another woman told me that she and her boyfriend were newly homeless and were trying to keep a positive attitude. “Yesterday was a pretty good day! We went for a walk and it wasn’t too hot! Besides being robbed at gun point it was a pretty good day!” …I’m sorry, what!?

Many others cry because they never thought they’d come so low. They never thought they’d be here. Their kids have been put into the foster system, they’re on the streets, they don’t have money for and ID so they can’t get a job.

After they share their story, I ask if I can pray with them, share with them what the Lord is speaking over them in that moment and in the Word, then take them in to get food and clothing.

The only way to leave those conversations without being crushed by them is knowing, truly, who Jesus is. I’ve had to cling to His nature like I never have before. I’ve had to hold so tightly to all that the Word says and all that I’ve seen in my life.

Being here, in the mud with people, has taught me so many things, but more than anything I’ve learned this:

Jesus truly is near to the brokenhearted and He is who He says He is.

Our King is one who gets in the mud with us. He doesn’t run from our mess.

He is kind.
He is faithful to us- constantly by our side.
He loves us without any conditions.

Jesus is so much greater than I’ve ever known before.

I hope after 1,000 days of being a missionary, I can look at this post and be in awe of how much more I know Him then. There is always more of Him and all His benefits!

All glory be to Christ!

Thank you to everyone who’s supported me in prayer and finance. I couldn’t do this without you!

But God

{ SEPTEMBER 1, 2016 }

I’ve been really overwhelmed lately.

Overwhelmed by this transition. Overwhelmed by the brokenness of my new city. Overwhelmed by loneliness that comes with a moving to a new city. Overwhelmed by the hatred I see every time I check any form of social networking. Overwhelmed by how corrupt the political system is here and all over the world. Overwhelmed by exhaustion- physical and emotional.
Just plain overwhelmed.

But God. 

All throughout the book of Psalms we see a very broken King David who psychologists now believe struggled with depression for much of his life. In one verse he says, “How long must I wrestle with my own thoughts and day after day have sorrow in my heart?”  (Psalm13:2) This was the same man who, as a boy, slayed Goliath! I love David because he is the victor in one of the most epic fights of all time but yet he is so incredibly honest about the condition of his heart. David never puts on a show for people. He’s overwhelmed and broken and he’s not hiding it.

But he also doesn’t just sit there. The end of Psalm 13 says, “But God, I have trusted in your steadfast love; my heart shall rejoice in your salvation. I will sing to the Lord, because he has dealt bountifully with me.”

Psalm 73:26, “My health may fail, and my heart may break, but God remains the strength of my heart; He is mine forever.”

Never once does David say, “Yeah, things are awful, but it’s ok!”- like we so often we feel pressure to do. So often we feel that to be Christian means to have it all together but scripture literally points to the opposite of that. To be a Christians means to be fully broken but FULLY dependent on Christ.

I was talking to a friend the other day about something I was struggling with and at the end of it I said, “yeah, oh well though, it’s fine!” And my wonderful friend basically rebuked me reminding me that our brokenness shouldn’t get pushed under the rug. We are to weep with one another. But more than anything, we must holdfast to the nature of the Father. I’m learning that there is so much beauty in just saying, “this isn’t fine! This is not okay. But I know the Father and I know that He is doing something for my good and His glory that I just can’t see right now. ”

Give yourself the freedom to hurt and to express that hurt. Give yourself freedom to be frustrated and overwhelmed. Emotions are real and valid and they’re okay. I truly believe that so often when we are trying to brush our brokenness off, the Lord is there beside us, weeping with us.

But then, give yourself the freedom to step into a new level of trusting the very nature of YAHWEH. He is I AM. He is anything and everything we could ever need.

I’ve been really overwhelmed lately. But God gives my heart peace and my mind rest. I’ve been really brokenhearted lately. But God is the one who gathers the broken pieces of my heart in His hands and holds them together.

What A Time To Be Alive!

{ AUGUST 11, 2016 }

If you’ve spent any time around me in the past few months, you’ve heard me say the above quote. Often people chuckle when I say it thinking that there is a hint of sarcasm in it and sometimes there can be… for example, when referring to the upcoming presidential election one could look at both candidates- both a little loopy in their own way and say, “Boy.. what a time to be alive..” (no worries, thats all I have to say about politics!!)

But I want to elaborate on this special little phrase in a more honest and serious way.

For a long time, I was mesmerized by other time periods; the Victorian era, the Roaring 20’s, the Renaissance, etc. I would dream of what it would have been like to have been alive in those times.

At the heart of this type of dreaming there is an underlying message we are relaying to the Lord, “I’m unsatisfied with the life you’ve given me. I could have had something more wonderful, but you gave me this.” 

I know that may be extreme, but it’s true. When I would sit and dream of the Victorian era, I dreamed of being royalty- of having an arranged marriage with a prince, becoming a queen and being powerful and prominent. (Now, don’t get me wrong, dreaming of those times once and a while can be delightful because, yes, they absolutely had different charms than 2016 seems to have!)

One of my absolute favorite movies, Midnight In Paris, addresses this issue in a way that really hit me. The main character finds himself in modern day Paris one moment, and back in the 20’s the next! He meets some of the greatest painters and writers of all time and even begins to fall in love with a woman there. Later in the story, he and this woman find themselves back in the 1800’s and she expresses the desire to stay there instead of return to the 20’s. It is then that he realizes that his “golden era” was her “normal” and that no one is ever content with what they have.

So, all that said, what does “what a time to be alive!” mean? Why has it become a common phrase in my day to day life?

Because High King of Heaven, Author of Time, Maker of All, looked in to time and space and said with a heart full of joy and excitement, “YES! I’m going to put her here right at this time!”  There is nothing random about it. The Father heart of God was exploding with excitement when He wrote your story.

He could have placed us in the Victorian Era or in the Renaissance or in the future- but He didn’t! He saw every single possibility for our lives and placed us right here, right now.

And honestly!? What a time to be alive!! We are living through such historic moments! People will look back on this time and dream of what it was like to live through it all! We saw the first African American president get elected! (Agree with his politics or not, that’s huge!). Technology is developing faster than ever! (Don’t even get me started on the fact that there’s a new Star Wars Trilogy!) More people are fighting against human trafficking than ever before. We’re seeing signs and wonders move through the world as they did in the early church

And truly, I believe that we are going to be able to say that we saw the Lord usher in the greatest revival of all time. We will be able to tell our children stories about the beginning of revival- the revival that they will reap the fruit of. We will be able to stand and say we say the world turn from chaos and turmoil and run straight to the Father.

What. A. Time. To. Be. ALIVE! 

Your destiny is in the here and now. So take heart! Your story was well planned out by a Father who would do anything for your good and His glory. He positioned you here and now for a grand reason. Let us look to Him with expectancy- let us LIVE with expectancy that we have been called and placed here and now for a glorious purpose.

The Process

{JULY 27, 2016}

Let me preface this post by saying that the Lord is teaching me a ton about being real with my emotions and with how I’m feeling- no longer putting on a mask… so… here we go!..

Have you ever flown on an airplane for a really long time? Like one of those six hours or long flights? I once flew from to Phili to Germany to end up in Rome with my family; a seven and a half hour flight, followed by a three hour connecting flight. There was a point on the first flight, a think around hour five, where I thought to myself, “I’m going to scream! I’m loosing my mind! I’ve gotta get out of this thing!” If you’ve ever taken one of these types of trips, you know just what I’m talking about. It hits you that you’ve been on this plane and will still be on this plane for a stupid long time and you honestly just feel trapped.

You have a moment when you ask yourself, “Why did I do this!?”

Then you remember- the destination is worth the process.

There has been a reoccurring theme in my life for the past few months: the process, the waiting season.

Nothing about this is easy. The only way I can describe what I’ve been feeling lately is to say that I feel like my heart is bleeding. I know that might sound over dramatic, but it’s honestly where I am right now. My heart is broken over so many things and not seeing direct results can be so painful. Some of these things are relational, some of them are career oriented, and some of them are big prayers for this city.

Vegas is painful at times. Driving around town seeing dozens and dozens of homeless people, tons of advertisements for strip clubs, escort companies and prostitutes, and feeling the demonic oppression here can really make you feel like you’re gonna scream. Knowing that this is a hotspot for sex trafficking and knowing that the average age for girls to enter the sex trade here is 13 will make you feel hopeless if you let it.

My heart is so broken for this city. I’m so desperate for revival here. I’m so desperate for Jesus to move here like only He can. A year ago, the Lord sealed a promise in my heart that He would send revival to this place- I’m fully confident that He will! But waiting and being someone to stir that up here can be so hard. The mass sin and corruption can seem so grand that it feels as if it would be impossible for this city to change. But the Lord is showing me that yes, He calls the masses, but He reaches out and touches the individual.

I had a moment the other day when I got into my car and screamed because it was literally 125° inside my car, I was tired and felt so pushed down by the darkness here. I thought to myself, “UGH, why do I live here!?” It was similar to my freak out moment in the airplane… But the Lord was kind in simply nudging me and reminded me that the destination is worth the process. 

So far this summer we’ve seen more fruit than we ever have before.

At least 70 people have gotten saved since the beginning of June.

We’ve seen about that many prodigals come back to the Lord.

We’ve seen dozens of healings of physical and emotional problems.

We’ve seen 2 prostitutes walk into our YWAM base and ask for help to leave the sex trade and they are now in rehab programs.

We’ve seen 5 kids found and rescued that we were looking for doing our anti-trafficking outreach.

I have to believe that this is what the beginning of revival looks like! But its a process and it takes faithfulness to see it come to pass.

The same is true for so many other things in this life; a healthy marriage, a fruitful career, good physical shape, our relationships, growing in our walk with the Father. All good things are accomplished in a process.

And can I tell you a little secret? God isn’t upset that we have to go through a process! SAY WHAAAAT!?

He’s not mad at me that I’m not writing ten songs a day. He’s not mad at me for not being perfect wife material yet. He’s not mad that I still struggle with jealousy. He’s not mad at me for still struggling with body image.

He’s not mad at you for whatever it is you’re working on. He just isn’t! He’s the God of the process! He uses the process to pull us closer to Himself and gently mold us.  He does not put pressure on His children to be perfect. If you’re feeling that pressure right now, like I so often do, know that it is not of God. It is a lie from the Liar and you can tell it to go. As we grow in our processes, we have the opportunity to cling to the Father and rely that He is working on our behalf in a way that we don’t understand.

Let me just say that the ten hours of flying it took to get me and my family to Rome was well worth it. We were there to celebrate my mom’s recovery from cancer and the Lord met us in such a sweet way on that trip- my memories are some of the best of my life.
It far exceeded every single expectation I ever had of what it would be like! I’ve rarely looked back and thought about how horribly long that flight was. (If anything I think I’m now more prepared to fly across the globe to Asia if the Lord ever calls me to!)

The destination was worth the process and the process prepared me for a new adventure. 

So, dear friends, take heart! No matter the process that you’re walking through, no matter how long your flight, keep the destination in sight and know that the Father is pulling you closer to Himself and doing things that you’ve never even dreamed of in your greatest dreams. He loves to blow our expectations out of the water! We can trust in Him and in His timing.

How He loves us!

Seeing Fruit in the Desert

{ JUNE 29, 2016 }

WOW! One month has already come and gone since I’ve moved to Las Vegas!

I’m gonna start by saying that the past few weeks have been absolutely insane. Las Vegas is a beast. It’s so stinkin’ hot here, there are honestly places here that its incredibly hard to pray, but I’ve seen the Lord do more in the past month here than I’ve ever seen before. I’d love to say its been easy, but it absolutely hasn’t been. The Lord is teaching me so so much about trusting who He is above all else.

Typically, when I’m out on the Strip, I’m reminded of the fact that the Lord is making all things new and that He is restoring and rebuilding. This weekend, however, that was not my experience.

This past Friday, my day off, my housemates and I went to a pool that is open to the public in the LINQ hotel and casino. (Its been about 110 degrees here most days, so a pool is really the place you want to be.) Now, I’m normally the person who’s runnin’ around at the pool ready to jump in and just be free in the water! (I thought I was Ariel as a kid… still kinda do;) ) But when we put our stuff down and went to walk over to the pool, social anxiety like I’ve never felt before, hit me.

“Am I pretty enough to be here?”
“Am I thin enough to be here?”
“I feel like a dork here.”
“I might be the only person in a one piece bathing suit here…”
“What if everyone here is judging me?”

I’ve felt that type of pressure before, but this literally paralyzed me. I felt myself struggle to even move forward! The Lord provided a large pool floaty that looked like a swan that I snagged and hid inside of, and I floated there trying to process what was happening in me and all around me.

First, the Lord dealt with my heart. In the kindest way, He reminded me of His thoughts towards me.

“You’re more than enough, daughter!” “I really like who you are!” “I’m proud that you are Mine!” “I made you exactly the way you are.”

When you stand firm in the truth of your true identity, in the truth of how the Father sees you, the opinions of others fall far to the side.

Then I looked around at everyone else there. Most of them were drunk, the girls all had the smallest most revealing swimwear I’ve ever seen, most look perpetually unhappy, most acting out as much as possible. Every. Single. One. Of them are looking for validation and satisfaction. They all want someone to look at them and say, “I approve. You’re enough.” They all want something to satisfy the emptiness they feel inside.

This revelation of thought left me speechless (hard to believe,eh?) and the only thing I could say was, “Jesus.” In that moment, my heart was so broken for these lost brothers and sisters that the only thing I could say was the only thing that could fill their needs- JESUS. But then a thought rushed over me– His heart is far more broken for these people than mine is. Wow. Isn’t that nuts?

At one point, my friend Hannah was lying facedown on a beach chair to get some sun. I saw two girls look over at her and I saw both of their faces change from annoyed at life to something I can’t put words to. Hannah has the most lovely tattoo going up her spine that simply says, “Jesus is Lord.” When they saw it, it was like seeing Lucy discover Narnia for the first time. Thats what the Gospel is like though. You think you have it all figured out and then something comes and changes everything you knew about life.

I honestly didnt have any meaningful conversations with people at this pool, it was just a time to see how broken people are and to be reminded of all that Jesus is to the lost. Going from small town western PA to Liberty… I’ve never been in a situation like that- it was eye opening to say the least. It was so important, though, that we were there to pray over the place and people and invite Light into a dark place. We carry the Kingdom everywhere we go! Sometimes you’ve gotta get behind enemy lines and place your stake in ground!

Then, on Sunday night, I went out with a team and some of our interns to do something we call Viva La Worship, which is worship on the Strip right outside of a casino. I was so excited to see heaven invade the las vegas strip!! But… it was super hard. I could literally feel darkness pressing down on us as we worshipped. But we did. We pressed in and proclaimed Jesus as who He is. When we got done, I wasn’t sure if we had done any good. No one began to weep as we sang! No one fell on their face! No one sobered up right in front of our eyes! I left, honestly, pretty crushed.

But the Lord is faithful and His word does not come back void. As we sang in the middle of one of the seats of darkness in this earth, we brought Heaven with us. A friend reminded me later that it isn’t about seeing the strip saved in one night or the city saved in a week, it’s about being faithful day after day after day.

Then Monday morning rolled around! (I’m sorry this is so long but it’s about to get really good, I promise!) The entire GC staff, interns, teams, and whoever wants to, meets three times a week from 9-10:30 for Word-fed, spirit-led, Worship based prayer. On Mondays, we share stories of things that happened in the past week. For the past two weeks, testimony time has taken a full hour! The Lord is healing people constantly, saving the lost, and calling prodigals back to Himself! It’s been the craziest few weeks of seeing the Lord move and do what only He can do. In my heart, I believe that this is the beginning of revival.

He is so faithful to be faithful. When we feel desperate and broken and hopeless He comes through in bigger ways than we could ask or imagine. It’s just who He is!

So I leave you with this charge- believe that He is who He says He is! There are days when you just have to look at Him and say, “I know that You are good and You are faithful- even when I don’t see it!”

His heart is so beautiful and so full of love and grace for His broken kiddos.

Pray fiercely, friends!