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Well, I am humbled by the lack of updates on this thing, but I’ll try to make it up to you!  We have been super busy, and it’s been a little hard to sit down and share what’s going on.  I am currently in Pittsburgh, PA.  Through circumstances that were nothing short of divine, I find myself here with a team of 6 other girls.  Everything about this trip has been undeniable the Lord.  He has provided housing and so much more.  We will be here for 3 weeks.  We will go back to DC to join up the rest of the team for the for the final days before the election.  We feel that this is a pivotal city in the election, and are praying for the Lord’s will in this place!

Remember… this is the word that is echoing through my mind this morning, as I sit down for a moment with the Lord, before the day takes over.

Honestly, I have found myself a little weighed down lately. Trying to analyze the problem my mind goes to a thousand possible breakdowns. How did I get this way? Why do I feel this way? There are many targets the enemy brings to my attention, maybe it was this or maybe it is even that person. Oh, how he loves to play the blame game! One of his oldest tricks going all the way back to Adam in the garden… she made me do it. Adam is not alone, it creeps into my life as well.

All this to say the heaviness I feel may be more of a memory problem than a relational rift? You see somehow I forget so easily who the Lord is and what He has done for me. How different really am I than those stubborn Isrealites we learned about as kids in Sunday School. This morning, I must say I resemble them in more ways than I like to admit. I find myself looking inward more than upward. My situations and life may look very different than the deserts of Egypt, but my heart is a little too similar. I think there is something very significant in the Lord’s command in Deuteronomy to “remember.” It is the subtle things that pull my eyes off my Savior. But the effect it has on my heart and my outlook on life is anything but subtle.

Today I hope to pause for a bit from the hustle and bustle of American life, and reflect upon the goodness of the Lord. He has been infinitely kind to me. He know me better than I know myself, and is working all these things together for good. I encourage you to take a moment and remember. I am confident it won’t take long to discover the riches of His love for you.

“The LORD your God who goes before you will Himself fight on your behalf, just as He did for you in Egypt before your eyes, and in the wilderness where you saw how the LORD your God carried you, just as a man carries his son, in all the way which you have walked until you came to this place.”

Deuteronomy 1:30-31

Our corporate “Show me your glory” fast just ended on Friday. After time reflecting this weekend, I find myself very grateful. We ran an intense schedule, yet I am thankful for how much we were able to pack into it. We as a team have now read through the entire Bible together. We finished on Friday night at the World War ll memorial here in DC. We each stood representing our home states as we proclaimed the last few chapters of Revelation. “Come, Lord Jesus.” We also went to through two teaching projects during the fast.  They were super challenging. The Lord has revealed so much to us. I walk away from the fast with a greater hunger for the truth that only Jesus offers. We are preparing for The Call (a national day of fasting and prayer here in DC on Saturday) this week. Our schedule for the Fall is beginning to form, and I am looking forward to all that is to come!

“And there was a prophetess, Anna… She never left the temple, serving night and day with fastings and prayers. At that very moment she came up and began giving thanks to God, and continued to speak of Him to all those who were looking for the redemption of Jerusalem.” Luke 2:36-38

I love it when the Lord brings me back to a place of simplicity. What do you have for this Anna today thousands of years later Lord? What does it look like for me an intercessor in the 21st century? The answer draws me closer to the One who knows me best. I feel 2 things, one to simply seek Him first, and all these things will be added unto me, and second to recognize Him. Anna in the temple knew that her Savior had come. She glanced at that swaddled newborn, and knew her prophecies had been fulfilled. With this, I am asking for a heightened sensitivity. How often is He in my midst, yet I don’t even recognize Him? Thank you Lord for the privilege of seeking you daily. Open my eyes to see you!

Last week, we had a devotional set on the parable of the sower (see Matthew 13). I prayed to the Lord, “make my heart soft soil for your word to fall into.” The week following was rough. I got sick, and felt weak in every sense of the word. I found myself crying often, and feeling so frustrated. Lord what is wrong with me I thought. Late in the week, He put the mud to my eyes and the scales fell. I realized He was simply anwering my prayer. For making hard soil into soft fertile soil isn’t exactly a gentle process. It requires slamming a heavy metal shovel to break up the hard ground. Through this process the Lord showed me some of the contrasts of hard soil and fertile soil.

Fertile soil embraces the water poured upon it letting it seep deep into every dry crevice, while the water can barely penetrate hard ground. Fertile soil is vulnerable to the elements. Fertile soil is easily mixed with other soils, how well do I mix with my teammates? Fertile soil is easily transferred into other pots, do I move easily through the circumstances and situations the Lord brings me?

I challenge you to ask the Lord where the soil of your heart is today. I want to hear and understand the word as it falls onto my heart. Love and Blessings!

We as a team sense the Lord inviting us into 40 days of intense prayer and fasting. The theme of this fast is “Show me your Glory” just like Moses in Exodus 33-34. We are crying out for the presence of the Lord to fall in our personal lives, our community, and our nation. We feel called to hold the night hours, entertaining the King of Kings with our prayers and songs. Recently, I was reading through Jonah, and realized that the people of Ninevah held back the wrath of God through 40 days of prayer and fasting.  We are looking forward to all that God has for us in this time.

Recently, one of our YWAM Tyler friends came and taught our team. He shared with us about nutrition and what the Bible has to say about it. As a team we have decided to put his advice into practice for 40 days this summer. (well hopefully for the rest of our lives, but we’ll start here) So, we have stocked up on our veggies. We are going to learn how to make our own bread among other things. It is yet another way we can grow together as a community. Our friend challenged us to not only pray for life, but to eat and live in such a way that promotes life in our bodies. We are excited to experience all the Lord has to reveal to us through these lifestyle changes!

I think this may have been my favorite staff confernce so far. Each session just confirmed the things God has been showing my team and myself. One session felt like a summary of the past five months of my life. God is moving! There is no doubt in mind. I am amazed at the way He is moving in just my team, but I know that He is moving in a broader way as well. It was so great to hear testimonies as well as teachings that go right along with the journey we are on!! I look forward in anticipation to what this summer and the rest of the year will bring. Thank you Lord for the opportunities you continue to bring. Revival is coming!

What’s on the horizon for my teammates and myself? This weekend we are heading to Texas!! Is there another more bonding experience that 20 hours in a 15 passenger van? Of course, I am always excited to go home to my beautiful home state. We will be going to YWAM Tyler’s annual staff conference. It is a great time to re-connect to our family in Texas, as well as hear a fresh word from the Lord. After that, I plan on spending a few days with my family, before flying back to DC.