this is no ordinary LOVE.

You will set me high upon a rock; my head shall be lifted up above my enemies and i will sing praise the Lord.

(psalm 27:5 &6)

i see Jesus. He reaches to me, my head hung low and my spirit crushed. He places His hand tenderly under my chin and gently lifts my up my head while looking at me, eyes full of Love and Mercy. He raises my head up high above my enemies because i cannot muster the unction i need to do it myself. i look at Him and begin to sing the song rising up from my deep--from my soul--to His.

at first no words come, and i just sing the melody of my heart that has been changed by His beauty from sorrow unto joy. as i look at Him, feel His hands around my face, my head still raised far above adversity, His Love teaches me the words to the song: You are my shield, my exceedingly great reward (gen. 3:15); You, my God, are my Light and my Salvation; whom then shall i fear? for You are the Strength of my life (psalm 27:1). i will rejoice, my soul is filled with joy, for You have clothed me with garments of salvation (isaiah 61:10). my soul will be at rest and hold its peace for You fight for me, my Lord (exodus 14:14) and Your banner over me is Love (song of solomon 2:4).

He says to me, "just give me your burdens. cast your cares on Me, for I care for you (1 Peter 5:7). it's still My promise--and remember--My mercies are NEW every day (Lamentations 3:22-23)--because I know each day holds new challenges for you and you need Me new every morning. cast your cares on Me DAILY; it's My gift to you to receive your brokenness and give you My fullness. I LOVE you."

just one sentence like that from Him, and i am undone.

He says, "just lean into Me; I love to hear you breathe. I desire intimacy with you, just as you desire it with Me. you are My beloved and I am Yours (song of solomon 2:16); you are My beloved and My desire is toward you (song of solomon 7:10)."

overwhelmed, i say to Him, "...You're REALLY in love with me?!"

He answers, "yes! I AM Love! how can I not be in love with you?! even still, it is My choice to love you. you are not a burden to Me--even your burdens do not burden Me. I am your voluntary Lover and it ravishes My heart when you give up your entire life just to be with Me."

i am changed. i am made new. He has prepared a table for me in the presence of my enemies (psalm 23:5). i am VICTORY.

and it's all because of LOVE.

Healing :)

The RIHOP and Legacy Fellowship communities have been studying gifts of the Spirit for the past few months and recently we have found the Spirit putting a lot of emphasis on restoration ministry, particularly in the form of physical healing.

We have been listening to teachings by Curry Blake, the inheritor of the John G. Lake healing ministries (to listen to these teachings, follow this link and download:

http://spiritlessons.com/Documents/Healing/JGL/JGL_Ministries.htm)

We have had many testimonies of healing occurring within our community from backs being healed, knee injuries, even food allergies being healed (a friend of mine who had a severe allergy to eggs was prayed for and has been eating eggs almost every day since!)

In 2006 while I was doing missions work in Ecuador, I stepped on a large piece of glass that fully penetrated my right foot and tore the muscle off of the bone. There has been a load of scar tissue in my foot ever since causing me a large amount of pain every time I stepped down too hard, bent my foot at certain angles or stepped on anything that put pressure in that spot.

As Shawn and I were sitting in RIHOP this afternoon he laid his hand on my foot and commanded the muscle to re-attach and my foot to be healed. I've never felt anything like what I felt as he prayed and commanded my foot to be healed...there was a large amount of heat radiating inside my foot and a tingling feeling, not like that of pins and needles...more like a large rush of blood and life welling up within. I took my finger and put a LARGE amount of pressure directly on the spot and felt nothing...Shawn did the same and still...no pain. I rolled my foot in the manner that used to cause my foot to lock up because of the torn muscle...no pain...Jesus healed my foot!!

We are called to heal. We are called to bring life into this world because Jesus has overcome death and all sickness. He is erupting into this community with the truth of our call to heal as people are being freed from sickness, addictions and doubt daily.

right where You are, that's where i left my heart.

"it was as though he (king david) literally boasted aloud, 'look at who my Shepherd is--my Owner, my Manager!' the Lord!"

--phillip keller a shepherd's look at psalm 23

i read an article yesterday of a girl in middle school whose mother worked as a high-profile supreme court correspondent for CNN. she would say to her friends and to people she met, "MY mom works for CNN; MY mom is on t.v....who is your mom?"

she was finding her identity in who her mother was--in her mother's job. to the girl, who her mom was also defined who she was as a daughter.

the article went on to say that one evening the mother came home to tell her daughter that she had been let go from her job because the network had eliminated the position. the daughter became angry and confused and for months would say things like, "well, my mom USED to work at CNN."

she was still finding her identity in her mother, but without the label of high-profile reporter, her daughter felt she had actually lost her own identity.

i think this sort of thing happens often because we are actually made to find our identities outside of ourselves.

king david boasted in being a part of a flock--the flock of his Shepherd...his God. he found his identity in his Master, the One who cared for him, who he trusted, sought the counsel of, rested in.

the girl from the article did the same, only she found her identity in another human. so when the one she rested in suddenly lost her belonging in her field of work, so did her "flock"--her daughter.

so then, we have to find ourselves and our identities...our rest...in the One who never changes, the only One who can actually give us identity because HIS identity never fails or changes.

He is always God, always Father, always Lover, Friend, Shepherd, Provider, Healer, Counselor...........

i will walk with You in the cool of the day

Psalm 23:

"The LORD is my shepherd;
I shall not want.
He makes me to lie down in green pastures;
He leads me beside the still waters.
He restores my soul;
He leads me in the paths of righteousness
For His name’s sake.
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil;
For You are with me;
Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.
You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;
You anoint my head with oil;
My cup runs over.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
All the days of my life;
And I will dwell in the house of the LORD
Forever."

I asked Holy Spirit what He wanted to tell me about this Psalm and He said,

"hide it deep within your heart and remember My mercies are always true and endure forever. when I say that I will provide for you even in the very midst of your enemies, even in the valley of the shadow of death--it is a promise. I cannot break My promises because they are My Word--Jesus--and Jesus is ALIVE. I have bound Myself to man by my My Word and He will endure forever. lean on Me as I walk with you the paths of righteousness. I WILL keep you in perfect peace when you give yourself to Me."

James 3:17-18:

"but the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits; without partiality and without hypocrisy. now the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace."

so, i will call upon the name of my Lord and ask for peace and He shall grant it to me and i shall walk in perfect peace all the days of my life. for i have been set free by the blood of the Lamb, the Word of God Whose promise by His Word is peace. i shall not be shaken in the day of trouble for His left hand is under my head and His right hand embraces me (song of solomon 3:6) and i have become in His eyes as one who found peace (song of solomon 8:10b).

Thank You, Lover of my soul. grant us wisdom unto righteousness and restore us to the Secret Place.

I was Made to Feel Your LOVE

Lately I've really been captured by God's intimacy. The past couple of weeks I have found myself drawn so deep into finding exactly how He loves me and who He made me to be. I haven't updated in a while because I have been so overwhelmed by Him that I haven't quite been able to find the words to describe what I've been experiencing.

Tonight as I was preparing to go to sleep, Holy Spirit urged me to get out my notebook and write. I was playing around on Facebook and my first reaction was, "oh, I don't really feel like it right now. I'm just chillin' a little before bed...and besides, there's nothing in my head but a bunch of people's status updates about their weekends." Then Abba's voice came in and said, "Jamie...I want to tell you something."

...well, I've learned that when Abba tells me (or ANYONE for that matter) that He has something to say, it's ALWAYS DEFINITELY to my (or your!) benefit to LISTEN.

So I got out my notebook and stared at it for a few minutes...poised and ready for Holy Spirit to deliver me this message that interrupted Facebook creeping time haha.

He told me to just write what was on my heart. Ok....so I started writing about the day, things that bothered me, things that I liked...and then He began to reveal to me my heart.

...now, when God reveals your heart to you...it's without a veil. The WHOLE truth is exposed, good, bad AND ugly. But He's so graceful and gentle. And in the end, He places in front of you this gorgeous, new beating heart pumped full to the brim with His perfect, clean LOVE.

So I've learned to just let Him expose.

What He told me tonight was the very culmination of these past couple of weeks with Him. He wrote it thru me in a first person perspective in the form of revelation that began with THANKING Him for who I am...something I've never done before.

Below is what He told me.

"thank You for making me exactly who i am. thank You for expressing Yourself thru me the way You do! thank You so much for creating me with love and planning every part of me; my personality, my gifts, my body, my soul, my spirit, my heart, my mind--everything, Abba. thank You because You didn't carelessly create me as an after-thought. i'm not a failed mix of all the leftover, rejected parts that's only semi-pleasing if nothing better is around to choose from...like potted meat haha!

i'm Your favorite, Your very FIRST choice, that You put together carefully, thoughtfully, meticulously, lovingly, with all the best ingredients. i'm Your favorite character from Your favorite story; Your sweetest melody from Your most precious song. You never get tired of me or tell me to become something better because i'm not good enough being who i am. i'm never Your last choice. i'm not dirty or broken to You--i'm beautiful and spotless. You love me and made me on purpose and You've been madly in love with me since before the foundation of the world. it has ALWAYS been Your purpose to love me, to give me good gifts from Your heart, to USE me in Your kingdom---naturally and supernaturally. i've NEVER had to DO anything for Your love; i was created by Your love and birthed into it. i've always been surrounded by it and NEVER want to reject it. and You will NEVER reject me. You correct me when i'm wrong--but i'm never not good enough, not matter what i do.

You love me.

You love the way i pray; You love the way i ask for Your heart and break down when You reveal it to me; You love the way i love, the way i laugh, the way i smile, the way i sing, the way i say Your name, the way i dance, the way i write, the way i read, the way i cry, the way i smell, the way i dress, the way i give, the way i delight in Your gifts (which AMAZE me, by the way), the way i talk about You; the way i love YOU, the way i spend time with You and yearn for You; You love the way i want to know ALL of You."

After the last word, I had to go back and re-read what I had just written because Holy Spirit just flowed thru my hand so fast I didn't totally have time to take it in.

After I read it, I just sat in amazement...THIS is what God sees when He looks at me, who He hears when He talks with me...who He loves every second of my existence. And this is HOW He loves me. Just as I am, because it's the way He made me.

Again, I'm left speechless and overwhelmed by God's love. The things He told me are for me...but they are also for you. He loves EVERY one of us this way. Uniquely for who we are, wholly because He is perfect, and as Heidi Baker says, "we're ALL God's favorite! He looks at us and says, 'you're my favorite!' then looks at the next one and says, 'you're my favorite!'"

I encourage all of you to ask Abba, "How do You see ME? How do You love ME?"

I promise you will not be let down.

And the thing I find most amazing of ALL is that thru this whole...journey, if you will...of finding God's love, tho I'm learning more about myself...God still manages to do two more incredible things: He's teaching me more and more about Himself everyday AND He's causing me to fall SO madly and deeply in love with Him...all by telling me who I am to Him. Only a God like HIM could do such a thing.

How Deep the Father's Love for us...

God is wrecking my world and i couldn't be more happy to get rid of everything i thought was "truth" in exchange for ACTUAL truth....

i was talking with Him today about love and worth and i asked Him why so often i feel like i need to prove myself to people in almost everything i do.

the first thing He told me is that it's a lie of the enemy to make us believe we must prove ourselves worthy and worthy to be loved, even by God.

...the next thing He told me left me COMPLETELY overwhelmed and began a total shift and overhaul of my worldview, which i am now realizing has been fully corrupted from the very core and i have been blind to it.

He said that we have NOTHING to prove and we don't even realize it.

He said that we had nothing to prove to Jesus to make Him love us so much that He would become a human and allow Himself to be brutally murdered by His very creation...

Jesus did it before we were created, before we had a chance to know Him then chose to deny Him, be ashamed of Him, allow ourselves to be overcome by sin and in turn cry out for healing from the very Man we denied.

we had and HAVE nothing to prove because He decided to do this not even just before we were created, but before He laid the very foundations of this world. simply because of His unimaginable and incomparably great LOVE for us (eph. 1:3-5).

it overwhelmed me SO much because i realized that all the lies of the enemy had been exploited in my life by the way i allowed myself to be treated by broken people who were looking to prove to THEMSELVES their own worth, which had been attacked just as i had been. i didn't realize that i have nothing to prove to anyone because everything i was believing was being sifted thru a corrupted filter given to me by this world. it was all so subtle that i didn't even recognize it happening!

He also revealed to me that even as women we get attacked by this SO much in such a MESSED UP way! i think it's because the enemy tells us somewhere in there that because we were created after adam we aren't loved as much and so we must constantly assert ourselves to "become" worthy and lovable.

but we, all of us...men AND women alike, are worthy of GOD and His love. we are worthy because He has called us sons and daughters and made us worthy.

and when Jesus died, all of creation felt the Father's broken heart...over Jesus...and over US...because we are Jesus' inheritance. HE CHOSE US. we have NOTHING to prove to each other, to ourselves..not even to GOD.

i think once we understand this, we will stop allowing ourselves to be deceived by the subtle lies the enemy tells us thru the broken circumstances of this world.

"Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God. Therefore, the world does not know us, because it did not know Him." 1 John 3:1

Chad and Eddie Update

Small update and prayer request:

We got Eddie to the Ranch this afternoon! Praise God for getting him there!! Keep him in prayer for the next 12 months, but especially these coming 30 days as this will be the hardest part of the program: heavy detox, no outside contact etc. He was SO excited when he got there. We all cannot wait to see how God moves in his life this coming year. As soon as we are able, we will be visiting him often. He is truly a member of the RIHOP family, and a beautiful son of God!

Chad: the enemy SERIOUSLY does not want him at the Ranch. He was unable to enroll today because his parole officer informed him TODAY that he must be in Emporia on Monday. Chad wants to be a part of the Ranch VERY badly. Please pray that this will not scare him away from this commitment. Pray that his parole officer will allow him to join this program and that we will be able to get him enrolled next week. God is after this man and will not relent until He has His son!!

More updates as they come :)

Light in the Midst of Darkness

A recent status update on my Facebook page read: "small glimpse of yesterday at RIHOP: bailed a guy out of jail who was thrown in after being jumped, hospitalized and falsely accused and fellowshipped with a couple of now homeless ex-felons. quote from one of them, "wow, God definitely brought us here, and now i'm totally giving second thoughts to not committing to Him. I'm serious, I'm really changed after meeting you guys today. God REALLY IS all about love!"

The stories:

The man we bailed from jail is affectionately known in Shockoe Bottom as "Dancin' Pops." He's a "70-something" precious man who lives with his wife downtown. He sincerely loves the Lord and is one of the most peaceful men I've ever met...when he's sober. He frequents the streets downtown because his wife forces him to leave home on a semi-regular basis due to his addictions to alcohol and other substances. Leslie, whom I mentioned in my previous post, has had an on-going acquaintance-based relationship with Pops for several years and has connected him with several of us at RIHOP in the past 2 months. We have encountered him both in times of soberness and drunkenness and counseled him after being kicked out of restaurants for stirring up trouble. However, each time we run into him, sober or not, he is cordial, sweet and thrilled to see us. We normally see him every couple of days, however this past month we have not had the privilege of running into him.

On Monday we found out why...

That morning, Benjamin Atkinson blessed me with a donation before he and his family headed out to Kansas City. As soon as I opened the envelope, God told me two things: He asked me to give the first-fruits offering instead of a regular tithe; He also told me that I would not be keeping all of the money...that He would use it to bless someone else and I would know when to use it. I needed to break my bill to give the offering God laid on my heart to give, so Leslie and I walked down the street to the Franklin Street Market. Here we found out by a regular patron that Pops had been in jail for the past 31 days. I found the story entirely unjust: several weeks before, Pops was jumped in his sleep, beaten nearly to death, then hospitalized by two men who later accused him of assault and put a warrant out for his arrest. The police found him with an open container of alcohol and put him in jail. His bail: a mere $50. He had been beaten, falsely accused jailed for a month and unable to make the $50 bail. As soon as I heard this I knew this is what God intended my money to be used for. Leslie and I hired a bondsman and paid the $50 bail and $50 fee to have Pops freed from jail.

As we drove him to RIHOP and then home later that evening, he was full of the most profound peace...perplexing because he had just spent 31 days in jail over a crime he did not commit. As we prayed for him, God revealed that He has HEAVILY anointed Pops as an ambassador of peace and that His desire is to use Pops to bring peace to Shockoe. The enemy, however, has been severely distracting him thru this addiction to alcohol. After 40 years of addiction, 30 days of forced soberness in jail apparently were not enough to break the bondage over Pops: he was drinking again yesterday and missed his appointment in court this morning.

---Please be in prayer for this man, whose name we recently discovered is Kendall. God has an amazing assignment over him and the enemy is trying everything he can to distract Kendall. His new court date is set for June 3rd. Pray God's GRACE over him that he will appear in court and be acquitted of all accusations.

Now on to the second part of an on-going ministry/testimony we just "walked" into...haha God, You ARE relentless!

Monday (who ever said Mondays are not good days!?) in between picking Pops up from jail and getting him delivered safely home, we came back to RIHOP for a watch. I was walking Leslie out as she was taking Pops to dinner and as SOON as we stepped out of the door onto the sidewalk we were all but thrown into a conversation...

A man we now know as Eddie looked right at us, held up his cross necklace and declared, "I know Jesus too!" From there began a whirlwind of conversation that lasted the rest of the night. Eddie revealed to us that he has only been homeless for 3 months, and his buddy Chad for one. Eddie is a loner more or less, except for his companionship with Chad; Chad is separated from him wife and has three BEAUTIFUL daughters. Both have been convicted of felonies, have histories in hard drugs, and openly admit that the reason they are on the streets is because of alcohol addictions. Monday night alone, we were able to buy them dinner (which they, at their suggestion, took the leftovers of and gave to a few friends of theirs whom they were aware hadn't eaten for several days), give them a few pairs of clothes, a sack of food and a comforter and four Bibles; Tuesday we were able to give them a tent, which by God's amazing grace they will not need to use as shelter any longer...keep reading to find out why!!

The more we talked with them the more we discovered the anointings and callings God has on their lives. Chad expressed his skepticism in fully committing his life to God because he understood that it would mean sacrificing the things he has clung to for most of his life. He told us that he IS saved (an incredible story in itself: a man from the ROC led him to Christ right outside of RIHOP several years ago!!) but that he hadn't pursued his relationship with Jesus at all since then. But by the end of the night, he told us, "wow, God definitely brought us here, and now i'm totally giving second thoughts to not committing to Him. I'm serious, I'm really changed after meeting you guys today. God REALLY IS all about love!"

They came to RIHOP on Tuesday and we were able to pray for both of them a second time; which is when God began to unfold to us the reason He had us meet these two beautiful men.

Leslie is connected with New Life Outreach, a church and ministry which also hosts a center for men called The Ranch. They run a 12 month program that not only focuses on rehabilitation and freedom from addictions, but establishes a foundation for a life after Christ. In just four days we have been able to connect these men with the program, set up interviews and ultimately...they have been accepted into the 12 month program at The Ranch!!! Even cooler: they are on FULL scholarship and the entrance fee has also been waved!! Leslie and I are driving them over tomorrow morning.

In just FIVE days, God has pulled these men off of the streets and launched them into an environment of healing and encounter with Him!!

---Chad and Eddie have expressed every day this week the longing to just be the men God has made them to be. We CANNOT WAIT to watch their progress as they dive into His presence during their time at The Ranch. Please pray for TRUE encounter with God. Pray that He will restore Chad and Eddie's identities as sons of God, as men of purpose and calling and as His pure and spotless bride. Also, please pray that God will FULLY heal Chad from Hep C and restore his liver. Pray for Eddie that God will heal him of bi-polar disorder and eliminate the need for medication.

Our prayer for Kendall (Dancin' Pops), Chad and Eddie: "Stand fast, therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage" (Galatians 5:1).

The Testimony of LOVE

Wow, where do I begin? God has been...truly leaving me speechless these past few weeks. He has filled my heart with laughter and my eyes with tears for being so completely overwhelmed by His presence, and when I think He's done...He laughs and comes right back for more explosions of utter awesomeness.

To begin with, He recently fulfilled a prophecy received by Matthew and Sherrie Moore, the directors and founders of RIHOP. A while back, a man virtually unconnected with this house spoke a word to Matthew and Sherrie that there would be a "battle of the Moores" in Shockoe Bottom, the location of our House of Prayer. He prophesied that whichever house "won" would essentially inherit the land in this little corner of downtown Richmond.

...divided by the railroad tracks on main street sits a House of Prayer just several blocks from an establishment called Velvet Gentlemen's Club...owned by a man also bearing the surname "Moore."

Even before I joined the family of "RIHOPians" as Sherrie affectionately calls us, this matter was lifted up to Heaven daily. I have had the privilege of also becoming a part of this new legacy thru praying my Father's love over the situation over this past month.

All came to fruition about 2 weeks ago when we received word that Velvet had lost its liquor license, and the owner was deciding to SHUT DOWN the club! God fulfilled the prophecy He had spoken and was faithful to our prayers because we remained faithful to Him, even when it appeared that nothing was happening.

---note: now that the club has closed, there are men and women we need to keep pleading Jesus' blood over. Our prayer focus has shifted to provision for the women who have lost jobs, and a true ENCOUNTER with the LOVE of the Father, that they will not seek employment in the same line of work. We are praying restoration of brokenness and a revelation of worthiness to our Father. Also over the men who frequented Velvet, we pray repentance and healing.---

...CONTINUING with the testimonies!...

This Monday, a man walked into RIHOP looking for my dear friend, Leslie Brotherton. Leslie is an amazingly anointed evangelist...this girl can't go 10 feet down the street without telling SOMEONE about Jesus!

For privacy's sake, I will call this man Geico (inspired by the water bottle I'm looking at so graciously given to me by the provider of my car insurance :) ). Leslie had met Geico about 3 weeks ago after being told by God to go outside of RIHOP to move her car. They have since talked only a handful of times, but every time Leslie has reported more and more hunger for the knowledge of God. Monday, he walked thru the doors of RIHOP a man searching but lost. He left that afternoon as my new BROTHER IN CHRIST after Leslie had the privilege of leading him in the salvation prayer and giving him a Bible.

...don't stop now...there's MORE!!...

This Tuesday, three people who heard of RIHOP at the Awaken the Dawn (ATD) conference we attended in Fredericksburg last week, came in asking for prayer. The 6 of us from RIHOP who were here at the time had the INCREDIBLE privilege of conducting a time of personal prayer and prophecy ministry over these three. This is my favorite type of ministry, probably because this is where God has anointed me so heavily over the past several months. During my time at ATD, God told me (during a time of receiving prophecy) that He would soon begin to use me in the same type of ministry at RIHOP...I just had no idea it would begin so SOON!

It was the most beautiful thing to see planted at my Father's house here in Shockoe, and I believe this is the very beginning of God's work thru personal prophetic ministry, which He has called me out in.

...more STILL!!...

Today during Noonday Prayer Circle (every weekday from noon to one...come on by and pray with us!!) God led us to pray for the awakening in the African American community of Richmond, particularly the men. He has a VERY special and specific purpose for this group of people and the enemy is waging war heavily. God dropped the bomb into our laps and asked us to pray His heart into it. We began asking Him for inroads into this community...and what do you know, it's just like Him to PROVIDE!! As soon as we finished some of the most explosive prayer I've experienced in the Prayer Circle, an African American pastor (with whom Sherrie is acquainted) walked in the door. He told us he had no idea why he came in and was actually supposed to be somewhere else...haha, well God has His OWN plan of where we're SUPPOSED to be...

As we prayed for Him God began confirming visions and direction to this pastor and imparting and equipping him with faith. After we prayed, he shared with us that a year and a half ago he began a church called Beautiful Temple on 9 mile road. God has recently revived his heart and the hearts of the congregation to the essentiality of PRAYER in EVERY ministry....so where was he led today?? The House of Prayer. You're hilarious and amazing, God.

Next Friday afternoon, we are sending a team to pray and prophesy over his church. God, You are SO good.

In just three weeks, God has completely erupted into this House. We have asked Him to come and dwell...He has done so. We have asked Him to bring us the poor and needy, the sick and suffering, the lonely and broken...He has brought them RIGHT THRU OUR DOORS. We have asked Him for His prophets and He has delivered.

Jesus said, "You did not chose me, but I chose you, and appointed you that you should go a bear fruit and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name, He may give you." (John 15:16)

Oh Father, consume us with zeal for Your house.

i'm gona dwell in the house of the Lord, my FATHER, all the days of my life.

it’s totally cliche, but springtime DOES represent new beginnings. so then i find it totally natural that God would use this time of the year to bring me into a ministry entirely new to me.

i’ve spent the past 10 years of my life pursuing God’s calling on my life as a full-time missionary. He’s lead me to many countries in central and south america, the caribbean, and most recently south-east asia. oh my gosh i have been privileged to see and do some truly amazing and even miraculous things by His hand and leadership. and now, in the spring, nature’s annual season of starting afresh, God is bringing me into a form of ministry and missionary work that i could have NEVER imagined.

to begin with, He, in His HILARIOUS sense of humor, has called me to my own backyard...RICHMOND. it’s funny; i am completely in LOVE with richmond...its history, its land, the PEOPLE. but for years i refused to allow God to draw me into His purpose for this city. i think i was afraid of what it would look like to be a missionary so close to home. but opening my heart, letting go of MY plan and allowing Him to lead me here is turing into one of the biggest ADVENTURES of my life!

...He is calling out to richmond for REVIVAL and RENEWAL. and He is calling out to begin this REGENERATION thru prayer. hmm.

so where does that lead me?? well, God has such a funny way of talking to me sometimes. this past december thru february i was in india and nepal with ywam. near the end of our time there i naturally began wondering where God was going to lead me next. about 20 different ideas swept thru my mind and each of them involved a different country i had never been to. while my team and i were in kathmandu, the capital city of nepal near the end of february, one of my friends back at our home base (in honolulu woohoo!) sent an email to me saying she had a word from God for me. all it said was “psalm 132.” i read psalm 132 immediately.

...so now i’m sure you’re expecting to hear about the big revelation and crazy direction i got. because that’s exactly what i thought was going to happen. well, i read psalm 132...and tho it was beautiful...i had NO CLUE what it meant and even LESS of an idea of where i was going next. but i did know that God was telling me to stop planning and wait.

alright so i waited. my team and i returned to honolulu in early march, and i returned home to virginia a few weeks later. sitting in rihop (richmond international house of PRAYER) one evening, holy spirit reminded me of the word my Father had given me in nepal. i read it again and literally JUMPED up and down, definitely breaking the silence in the room (sorry everyone haha).

God revealed to me thru that psalm what it was that He had called me to next.

“surely, i will not go into the chamber of my house, or go up to the comfort of my bed; i will not give sleep to my eyes or slumber to my eyelids, until i find a place for the Lord, a dwelling place for the Mighty One of Jacob” (psalm 132:3-5)

----this is the CALL God has placed upon me. to CRY OUT DAY and NIGHT to Him to come and DWELL here. this is His RESTING place.

“for the Lord has chosen ZION; He has DESIRED it for His DWELLING place; ‘this is My resting place forever; here I will dwell, for I have desired it. I will ABUNDANTLY bless her provision, I will satisfy her poor with bread. I will also clothe her priests with salvation, and her saints shall SHOUT aloud for JOY. there I will make the horn of david grow; I will prepare a lamp for My Anointed” (psalm 132 13:-18).

----zion: RICHMOND. He is calling out to His bride to prepare the WAY of the Lord...to come and DWELL with us, where He will prepare the way for His anointed: JESUS.

so then. this is my calling. this is what i do. my Father called out to me...even as i was in nepal. He called out to me to RETURN to this city, for He is desiring to DWELL and rest here. he has asked me to give up everything; my comforts, my SLEEP, all i know, to call out His HEART here in the heart of this CITY and make a way for Him.

this is my call, this is my LIFE.

my UNDIGNIFIED life!