Definition:
las ve·gas/läs ˈvāgəs/
|
Hello everyone! How are y'all? This past week has been fantastic for me! So full of the Lord and His movements in my life and the lives of the people around me. It's fantastic to be witness to all that is going on.
Week 4: Jeff Pratt.
There is so much here to try to explain. He focused on speaking on the father heart of God. Expressing the Father's deep, passionate and longing love for us and the bricks of all sorts we allow to rest between us. It was a very stretching week of dealing with the different problems I had allowed to go unnoticed. It's like I've been soaking my life in a tub of water and tieing little weights to certain problems and parts of my life that I wanted to drown out and forget. Not to "Ignore the problem" but I thought I had it handled. Obviously, the Lord had so much more for me! Against my every fleshly will we were offered a chance to confess to the group the things the Lord was bringing up to us and to lay it before His thrown. Did I say in front of the group?! Jeff took the time to pray for each of us (he has the annointing of evoking tears) and our classmates took time to pray for us as we became desperate for the love and freedom that the Lord has to offer us. Honestly, I feel such a relief in it all. It wasn't just an "Emotional" week, where because of our situation and a good speaker we were all crying and acting like fools. It was the honest and true movement of the Lord in our hearts, cutting strings and releasing us from hidden weights and closed doors. For me, this past week has been a turning point! Not to say I won't struggle or that I won't go through times of captivity (which he also talked about). But just to say I've started the long and laborious process of renewing my mind for the purposes of my Holy God to come and renew!
This weeks ministry night was something we call "2X2's!" We went out to a certain street just a block or so away from the main strip, where allot of "Adult" focused stores, masage parlors and people lurk around. We went in groups of 2 to walk the streets and offer conversation, prayer and encouragement to anyone who would take a moment to listen. It was after the sun had gone down and we were expecting movement. I had a sour attitude all day. I don't know why, I had prayed that the Lord relieve my numbness to the situations around me... but I was just in too fowl of a mood to even wait for His blessings. We walked around and there was almost no one. So, as we walked we prayed for whatever came to mind. Las Vegas was originally a watering hole. A place where weary travelers would stop to rest and be refreshed. God is longing for this city to not be known as "Sin City" but for His people to flood these streets and bring back the original purpose of Vegas. To refresh the spirit. To bring rest and re-cooperation. No one is going to bring the pendulum swing back to restoration if God's people won't! And best part is, it's not just Las Vegas. God wants to celebrate in every city and country road! He wants His children to feel His passionate longing for their hearts and have a relationship with them.
So, in evaluating this past week, it has been exhausting! Realizing that i had so much pent up that was creating a wall between my Father's passion and myself. I cannot wait to see what the Lord will do next.
It's been almost a month that I've been here! Wow. A month. Just two more months and I'll be in India! Wow. India. Dream so close to being accomplished.
Prayer requests:
1. That the rest of my outreach fee's will be provided ($1,200 to go)
2. That the Lord would continue to minister to my soul through fellow students, staff members, Speakers and His own glorious word.
3. Energy! It's so easy to doze off when you're sitting in a florensant lit conference room for most of the day, I need energy to stay awake and absorb as much information as I can!!
4. Opportunities to pour out into the Locals while we are here in Las Vegas.
5. To find a chuch; we are required to attend a church while here in town, so I would like to find a temporary home.
I hope y'all have a great week and I hope to blog again soon!
-Jackie
Jackie - thanks for your post. It is so easy to lose the passion for Christ when we are stuck in the mundane of every day ministry. I have found myself doing alot of complaining about people and things in ministry, even my cell phone. Your post is a reminder to me that I must renew my passion for Christ regular - go before Him daily asking for His strength and His vision. We are praying for you and miss seeing you around.
ReplyDeleteGreat post, baby girl. I love to hear how God is working in your life out there in the desert. Everyone's excited to hear of your destination in India, even though you might not get into Nepal, which makes them sad :(
ReplyDeleteI've started working under the assumption that my job ISN'T going away. I find I do a much better job, and I'm in much better spirits. I figure God can keep the Lansing plant open if He's of a mind to, so why worry.
Some day I want to get out in the American desert, as it looks a lot more beautiful than the last one I experienced. Besides, I really want to see a rattlesnake out in the wild. I know, it's crazy, but what you gonna do.
Well, sending my prayers out to you, and I have my prayer group at work praying for you too. God bless you continually, and I love you very much. Love, Dad.