On FIRE!!!

Here are some amazing ministries that are on FIRE for God, it is very encouraging to see how God is ALIVE and active in our culture, check out these sites!!!

http://www.thebasementonline.com/ This one started by a 23 year old man-Matt Pitt!

http://www.ihop.org/ This is one of my fav songs by Misty Edward at the latest One Thing conference (comes from Song of Songs 8:6-7), listen to the words!



http://www.twloha.com/ This one started by a young woman on Myspace! (See her video below)

Note(s) to self

~Remember how the air begins to thicken around you as His Presence fills the atmosphere, remember what it feels like to breathe Him in.
~Remember how CLOSE to Him you feel when you fast.
~When you are overcome w/lust or desire for any earthly thing say out loud to Satan, “I have a confession, that Jesus Christ is MY Lord!!!” Ha! (Romans 10:9)
~YOU didn’t choose God Rachel, He chose you FIRST! He loved you FIRST! (John 15:16 and Ephesians 1:4)
~When you are weak, He is strong! He has experienced ALL of the emotions and temptations and sufferings we have, He was fully man, yet fully God! (Hebrews 4:15)
~God hears your prayers, they may not be answered in your timing (or at all!), but He hears-there is reassurance in that fact, look how long Zechariah waited for a child! (Luke 1:13)
~This year I plan to truly seek God in new and different ways, to continue day by day to discover His will for my life, to never become “neutralized” by society, to never become complacent in my walk with Him. I want to be a Nazirite (Numbers 6:2, and Judges 13:5,7 and 16:17) for Jesus my Love, to always have on my lips and heart and mind:

Maranatha-Come, O Lord!

Catch Me if you can.

It's been really difficult being a Christian lately. Some days I just want to quit, go back to my old sinful life-truth be told :o). I feel like that a lot, but I know I never will. God wants me...bad. He wants MORE of me, MORE time, MORE thought, MORE study, MORE dialogue, and I'm scared to give it to Him. I'm scared of what WILL happen if I do, scared that my love for Him will grow SO much that I won't be able to handle it (but He never gives us more than we can handle right?). I personally know that when I take the TIME to pray a little longer, pick apart a chapter or verse in the Bible a little harder, He always gives me revelation, but w/more revelation comes more responsibility, and w/more responsibility-more is expected from you, you are expected to perform better, I think it's just that w/God-blowing my mind w/what He has in store for me and is preparing me for is expected, and I just don't know if I'm ready for that. God has me in a very particular position, a position that is in alot of ways-very isolating-socially at times, jobwise, schoolwise, and so on. There are things that I desire, things that I truly believe were spoken to me from God that aren't happening for whatever reason, so many questions, hundreds of questions that I have for Him right now! I remember that emotions and feelings are simply emotions and feelings that dip and surge like the waves in an ocean, but God is my Rock, my solid foundation, the pillar that IS me-inside me like a white heat, He never fails, never once STOPS reassuring me-faint as it may be at times. He is my Love-always will be, and I know that if I never hear His Voice again, if He never shows me His Face again, if I never again feel His cleansing Love pour over me like a drenching rain-my Love for Him will never change, my pursuit of Him will never change, b/c what He has done for me and to me up to this point in my life, this age, is forever worth the rest of my life's service to and for Him. God DOES hide-for whatever reason, it IS our job to search Him out, and no I don't believe He will ever be "caught" (or placed in a box for that matter!), but if I can, if I allow Him TIME enough in my everyday life for this pursuit, I know in my heart I may reach out many days while running full speed toward Him and maybe touch Him (and He will certainly touch me and us), and that's all I need to know.

A 14th century prayer.

Christ be beside me, Christ be before me,
Christ be behind me, King of my heart;
Christ be within me, Christ be below me,
Christ be above me, never to part.

Christ on my right hand, Christ on my left hand,
Christ all around me, shield in the strife;
Christ in my sleeping, Christ in my sitting,
Christ in my rising, light of my life.

Christ be beside me, Christ be before me,
Christ be behind me, King of my heart;
Christ be within me, Christ be below me,
Christ be above me, never to part.

~St. Patrick's Breastplate

Overflow

In order to love others
you must first love yourself

In order to love yourself
you must first love the Author of love

To be loved by Him,
to receive His perfect love

Receive this love, know this love
be consumed by and crave this love;
through His Word
through intimacy with Him,
in prayer,
and worship

This love is deep, you have to go lower to go higher
This love is a mystery, you have to search it out

But if you seek Him with all your heart,
you will find Him-He promises,
for greater love is none than His

Once your cup is full-with His love,
it is guaranteed to overflow because His love for you
has no limits
it is only from this overflow that you will begin to really love others,
the way Jesus does,
not until then,
work on overflowing...daily.

~RLR

Good times :o)

Yesterday a bunch of us went to Busch Gardens and had a blast!!! Here is a pic of us on a rollercoaster called Apollo's Chariot-my hair looked like a red flame-ha ha!!!

Jessie, Me, Amanda, my bro Zach

My sis Tye, Jesus', and Jonathan

Jesus

"You are worthy to take the scroll

and to open it's seals,

because You were slain,

and with Your blood you purchased

men for God

from every tribe and language and

people and nation.

You have made them to be a kingdom

and priests to serve our God,

and they will reign on the earth."

~Revelation 5:9-10

Amen...