SERVICE!

Serving is SO good! This weekend, I've took care of the kids of 3 different families, and although it can be a little stressful, a little tiring, and I'd be lying if I said I didn't feel a little annoyed at points over the past three days, it's SO good to live for something other than yourself! It's amazing how much time and energy, how many of my thoughts, my conversations, and my actions are self-centered. Spend three days meeting almost every need of 6 people and... I'm strangely refreshed. It's true, God didn't make us to live for ourselves, and we die when we try to, but when we give our lives away we are met with life. God is a genius!

The First and Greatest Commandment

I've been going through a teaching series by Mike Bickle, leader of the International House of Prayer, and it's AMAZING! It's called the First Commandment, and it's about loving God. It will probably change your life. You can find it on www.mikebickle.org, just enter The First Commandment in the search bar. Here are a few of my favorite quotes so far. Enjoy!

"What does it look like to love God with all our heart and mind? God is Love that burns as all all consuming fire of jealousy. He wants to take over our life and to consume us from the inside out by dominating our affections, thoughts and words. This love is not passive but passionate. The more we seek to live for love, the more broken we will be with true humility and seeking to obey Him. Jesus defined the life of love in the Sermon on the Mount; Matthew 5-7"

"God's purpose is to provide an eternal companion for Jesus who would be equally yoked to Him in love. Jesus' inheritance in the MANDATORY OBEDIENCE of ALL creation and the VOLUNTARY LOVE of a people who he fully possess. As a King, Jesus will be obeyed, but as a Bridegroom, He will be loved."

Speaking of the church in Ephesus, "They became workers for God more than lovers of God. Lovers will always outwork the workers. When we work without intimacy, we work as a slave. A heart of a bride is refreshed as she labors. Service without the foundation of devotion leads to burnout, disappointment, and wounding. Thus, the service is not sustained over decades."

Taking it Back!

We’re plundering the enemy’s camp, taking back daily! I’ve learned a lot about spiritual warfare the passed few months. You can’t look in the face of a 15 year old girl who has known only drugs, violence, betrayal, manipulation, and abandonment, and remain blind to Satan who “comes to steal, kill, and destroy” her life. I’m falling in love with some young women in this city. Let me tell you about two I’ve seen this week.

Shakira is 17, her eighteenth birthday in next month. She’s been in foster care and will get kicked out on her birthday. Shakira was frantically looking for a job, and a place to live before she was booked this week after failing a drug test. It’s a common and heartbreaking story. Shakira stole my heart the first time I met her a few weeks ago, we were both waiting for a friend’s court date and she offered me Sour Patch Kids! After hanging out with her in detention this week, I’ve learned more about her, and an intense desperation has taken root in me. She has a two-year-old son, and one more on the way. She’s planning on an abortion when she gets out, I’m fighting the lies she’s believing that will lead to her baby’s death. Fight with me! Will you pray right now that God would turn her heart to Him and her baby, that He would protect that little life, and that He would bring a revelation of his love for her?

Cashmere is also 17, also in foster care, and also in desperate need of a miracle. Cashmere will laugh and smile once in a while, but after years and years of mistreatment she doesn’t have a full range of emotions, she has strategically built brick walls around her, and although she desires for them to come down, it’s too risky. Who can blame her? No person has ever protected her, so she has taken the task on herself. Cashmere has been out of detention for a few months, and we hear from her every so often. She came to a class at City Central last night and got a serious dose of truth, but I’m not sure how much snuck through those walls. Will you pray that the spirit of God would dismantle those bricks, bring healing and freedom, and restore her beautiful smile?

I moved to Parkland last weekend! I’m so excited to become more a part of the City Central community in that area. I live with a family, Adam and Jenny Narciso, 15 month old Nina, and baby who is due to arrive in April. I share a room with Veronica, who is studying education at Pacific Lutheran University and nanny’s part time. It’s a very fun house!

There are a few really fun things coming up, I can’t wait to report back on them! OneThing, a conference put on by the International House of Prayer, is coming to Tacoma next month. We are starting to plan SOZO camp for this summer, and our first ever SOZO missions trip to San Francisco, which is tentatively planned for August! And the adventure continues! I love running the race with you, you are the best teammates EVER!