What God is really thinking when He's not talking

I am soooo completely intoxicated with my Master's love right now as I write this. Awe... totally wasted and totally relaxed. He can just melt you like butter.

I must say He has shown me a lot these past couple weeks. First He has taught me to just get totally lost in His glory and worship when things around me seem so shaky and crazy. Let's just say I am in some huge transitions... in 31 days I will be flying off to Africa for my first mission trip out of the country, at the end of August I will be doing full time work and full time school to get my Bachelor's in Early Childhood, about a week ago a beautiful teacher I worked with my first couple years at the preschool passed away, God helped me to finally let go of the church I've clung onto all my life and just be open to wherever He leads me, my own brain was feeling like doubts and darts were trying to fling in, He has for an undetermined amount of time pulled me away from the prayer/worship group I helped lead the past couple years, and that's just to name a few. But God in His grace and wisdom has reminded me that I have died and I am hidden with Him in Christ. (Colossians 3:3) I truly am on the other side of the cross and in the happily ever after part. And in Him I can rest and be at peace and even enjoy storms as He reveals to me how His grace has already won and covered everything. I am already living in the reality of heaven.

It has been interesting too because God has been so quiet these past couple weeks. Normally He is so talkative to me, but lately I know He is there yet He is just being so quiet and mysterious. A friend of mine told me a beautiful quote though that was definitely Jesus. He asks me,"You know the verse that says be still and know that I am God." "Yes" I respond. He replys, "Well... maybe God is being still and knowing you." Then it dawned on me again how much I could just love on God. So I just began worshiping Him with my mandolin and keyboard (and I am in the physical a very simple, new, and quite unskilled musician) and just trusting Him and continuing to talk to Him, enjoy His people, etc. Basically I was just being myself knowing I was loving Him and worshiping Him.

Well then yesterday I am reading Jesus' prayer (John 17) and Holy Spirit reminded me that Jesus' prayers have already been answered. On the cross Jesus fulfilled His own prayer. And because of that we please/glorify the Father as much as Jesus does and we share in the unity of Father and Son. Thereby we do get totally intoxicated with Jesus and because of that He in turn manifests His salvation through us and gets totally intoxicated with our love. We literally get lost in one another's love and He is the source of this through what He has done for us on the cross in killing us and then turning us into little Jesus's.

So have you ever seen those love movies (especially princess' ones) where the man is just watching the girl be herself and you can tell he is totally in love with her and quite intoxicated with her? Well in a much huger, grandeur sense that is how God views us as we actually believe we are His holy bride in Christ and just be ourselves before Him. It's quite simple... He made us, we messed up, He loved us and won us by making us perfect through Christ's death, we believe Him, and then we love Him and enjoy His love... then of course fruit just naturally happens and we shine Salvation in the world without even trying to.

And just a couple hours ago Jesus reminded me of all this. He showed me in His silence He was actually sitting back and just enjoying me and actually making His own special book of our Love story- His salvation in me. I could not help but just worship Him and He just loved me so. He is my Master, my Lover, my King. I cannot help but pour what He has accomplished in me. I must worship Him and glorify Him by just being me. Praise Jesus that He made me a holy offering for Himself and I can minister to His heart.

Enjoy loving Jesus. You are His perfect one. He only sees a unique reflection of Jesus when He looks at you. He has intoxicated you and therefore you intoxicate Him. And remember if God seems quiet just remember He adores you, He's not mad at you, and go ahead and praise Him and let Him totally enjoy the joy set before Him that He endured the cross... you. God bless you. :)

Jesus Miracle

So my brother Drew who lives in Texas taped this video. He just got back from a John Crowder conference (a totally legit Jesus guy for those of you who don't know) and during the conference Drew and some of his new buddies went to McDonalds. While at McDonalds they met this guy who couldn't hear well at all and had to have hearing aids. They prayed for him, the man got healed, went back to the conference, and even got baptized in the Spirit and fell in love with Jesus. That is my brother for yah! And that same Jesus runs in my veins and in yours too! So go love someone today whether it looks like a hug, playing tag with a kid, sharing a sweet verse, or healing someone's deaf ears!!! Glory to Jesus who took care of everything on the cross. Go super JESUS... my Jesus... and could be your Jesus. O yeah.

Peace

Well I spent a six days at Camp Carl last week as a volunteer for a cabin of 9-10 year old girls. It was a blast and I had fabulous Jesus time. It tastes sooooo good to be used as Christ's hands and feet to bless His children. I love sharing the me/Jesus mixture.

This week has been slower paced but still good. I've been having many legit God conversations at Dunkin Donuts lately and this video is the result of one of those yummy conversations. God bless yah all. And enjoy Jesus with someone today. Spread His Love too. It's deliciousness.

True Church

Today I totally enjoyed hanging out a coffee shop with my sister in law and two other girl friends. We just drank our coffees and had some good ol conversation. God's presence was so there even though we were not trying to speak on any certain topic. Later my sis in law and I hung out at a college and walked and talked some more. Jesus and all that wonderful life with Him stuff just spilled from our mouths. It was all so encouraging and refreshing. That is a true reflection of church. And this is the kind of fellowship Jesus is springing up in all His people so that when we do come together as a larger people group it's not a system or trying or honestly just boring or confusing or heavy or weird; but totally uplifting, heavenly, and fun. We will actually want to go to church.

This is a picture of a certain tree that all share the same root system. Notice how underneath they all drink and share from the same life and are connected but they branch out in different areas encompassing a very large part of land. Some of the trees are clustered in groups of twenty while others are nearer to two or three. Yet like I said before they are all still connected. So are the people of God.
See as believers we are all drinking of the same vine- Jesus- no matter where our physical connection is. And in the world we may be physically closer to a few or a whole large group. Maybe we even change locations. But we are all still connected. That's why you can meet someone for the very first time whose a little Jesus and it's like you've known them forever. The truth is... you have known them forever.

Church is not a system... it's a connection. It's drinking together of Jesus and spurring one another on in the Lord. It is truly fun and uplifting. Sometimes we do this in large groups for worship or teaching and other times maybe it's just a couple friends at a coffee shop. Maybe you are healing the crowds or maybe you are just enjoying the blessings of God together by either eating out, playing a game, or watching a movie. All of this is church. It's heaven's fellowship reflected here. The simply thing is... enjoy God drawing all His people together and discovering Jesus in one another. Let Him lead you to His sheep. He's a very good shepherd.

Happy Evangelism

Evangelism is a lot easier and a lot happier then a lot of people realize and much more powerful. Enjoy just being you and experiencing how you and Jesus change the world by just living heaven's reality here. Here's the scriptures I used in case you want to check them out for yourself. Mt. 10:8, 1 Cor. 2:12-16, Ps. 26:8, Col. 2:9-10, 1 Cor. 3:16, John 16:8-9, Gal. 5:16, Rom. 5: 6-7, Rom. 5:8, Rom. 6:10-11, Eph. 6:12, Col. 3:3, Gal. 3:27, Gal. 2:19-20, Col. 2:11, Ps. 89:15-18, Is. 61:1-3, and 2 Cor. 5: 14-16. Enjoy Jesus and enjoy being soooo shiny. :)

Singing His Song

So I just want to share something that seems to often happen when have our wee little prayer/worship meeting on Tuesday nights at my church. See we have five people who lead music to worship Jesus and between one and three people who come- my Dad being the most faithful- he's God's mouth for sure when it comes to prayer. Anyway though we may be small, that little prayer thing is a happening place. We are free to flow with whatever Holy Spirit wants. So yeah... coming from growing up in church where you always did things in routine (such as three songs and take turns praying off lists) Daddy has been slowly but surely teaching us what it means to just "be" at a prayer meeting and let heaven just flow.

Hold up... let me give you some history of this prayer meeting. For about ten years it was just my faithful Dad (human one) praying quite intensely... once in awhile a couple other people might show up. I went when I was a young teenager, quit cause quite honestly I got board, and then God pulled me back in full gusto about two years ago. When I started back we just had intercession... no worship. I would often chat with God in my own mind during prayer meeting and knew that God really cared about this but knew He wanted to make some changes. So God finally told me... you make those changes Bethany. That's when me and my friend Alanna started leading a few songs that really moved our hearts and shine heaven in the meeting. Alanna played keyboard and I sang in front of people for the first time. A few weeks later our buddy Demuth joined us with his guitar. I tell yah... don't despise small beginnings.

I will be honest, at first, outwardly we were not that good. But it wasn't about that to us... we loved the Lord and desired Him more then anything. My Dad understood this and let us continue leading and encouraged us . He could see what God was doing with our little crew.

Our little crew added another young singer and a more experienced older musician who had a kind heart and didn't mind joining with a bunch of experiential youngsters.

Now God seems to just be having fun with us. Often we break out of a song we are doing and enter into a brand new song with brand new lyrics. Sometimes we just play background as intercessory prayer flows out. Other times we just play a little bit. God is teaching us. And though we are all completely different and have different tastes in music God finds a way to unite us and make it work.

Just last week was cool. New music just erupted during our practice and God just unleashed my mouth with brand new lyrics declaring His finished work on the cross. So yah... without trying we totally made a song! Glory to God. God also decides to use my mouth and change up lyrics so He sings to us. I love it when He does that. He has sooooo many songs for us. It is such an honor to be the mouth of my Beloved Master. And praise God for our wee little prayer/worship meeting where we can experience God together and unleash His Kingdom. :)