One thing.

I would rather run with a couple of burning ones, than thousands of the content.

It has to be first about seeking the Kingdom. All the other things will be added. The point is, it’s HIM we so desperately, crazily, passionately pursue. It’s the fullness of the Kingdom that’s real, that’s desperately needed by the desperate, by the hungry. It’s His glory. His presence, his never-ending ever increasing presence.

I really don’t care about anything else. Athough I have a feeling that when He becomes our everything, everything else will be added. But even if it isn’t, if I get HIM in the exchange, I don’t care.

We have to get so ruined for anything else, we have to act as if we are as hungry as we are.

No price is too high, no distance too far, no shame too great to get more of God. If you’re hungry, you’ll go get food.

“There is something glorious about having no options. I only have one option: to do what He said. “But what if we lose a bunch of people?” you may ask. Well they’re not ours to keep. Our esteem is not built upon the size of the local church, it’s built by doing what He said to do. All the other stuff doesn’t last.

Numbers have to be important first for them to impact you. They don’t impact you if they are not in the value system. When you say ‘God I want more of you at any cost’ you’ve already decided that numbers don’t matter if you get Him in the exchange.”

iTunes + jesus culture

at last!!!! Jesus Culture Music is now available on itunes!! horay for us international types!!

1st album Everything

and the 2nd We Cry Out (without DVD)

buy it - you will not regret it, in fact you'll love me so much that you'll want to send me lots of presents. it's true.

grin ;)

Encounter

Well my 2nd Jesus Culture Encounter has come around and it was amazing again. I didn't get a new kidney this time (if you didn't hear about that story then you should find the blog on it below!) but God's presense deposited so much more this year. of course the worship was amazing and the stories of God breaking out in everyday lives, on the streets and on campus', were awesome. But it was the manifest presence of god that made the weekend so sweet. there is nothing worse than being in a fancy worship gig without getting touched by the king. BUT when Holy Spirit visits you - He is everything - your resolution, your soul mate, your father, your lover. HE is He is He is.

Sunny California is not so sunny, in fact life vests are advised!! all the passes are closed with snow and drowning is a real risk. But other than that it is so sweet to be back at my other home - it feels like i never left apart from the journey i have been on in the interluding time and the fact that 500 new students are strutting the halls of this revival centre. i am so proud of our new students - our ceiling from last year really is their floor - they are flying higher and its so powerful to see!

one couple have been finding many precious stones appearing in their home. the first one was valued at $10 k - but who can put a value on a piece of heaven?!! we have one in our house too - my housemate found it and it at the couple's house and it is beautiful perfect cut clear gem. god knows what a girl wants huh?!!

the miracles continue of course - we saw maybe 100 healed on saturday morning inc 2 people who HAD cancer!! It's a great time to be alive. It's a great time to be a revivalist - now all we have to do is wlk around and leak our God encounters :)

sx

You need to read this book. Seriously.

The Bible is only truth, if you get the truth from it.


The Bible is a book that we give so much power over our lives to. We use to build organizations, families, lives and ministries upon. Hadn't we better understand what it actually means - not what we've heard it means (traditions of thought) or what we think it could mean. We give it far too much power to not understand it.

'How to read the Bible for all it's worth' teaches you how to work out what the books of the Bible are actually saying. Once you've worked that out then you are equipped to apply it to life.

I had to read this book as part of a course. I started reading it thinking this was for the clueless people who totally needed a guide to the Bible. I also thought it would be boring!

But it has changed my life and my relationship with the truth i base my life upon. How scary to base a life on something that isn't necessarily there in the text! It's also scary to now see that so much of the stuff great christians get from the Bible - is not what it was saying to us. Scary!

Do yourself the biggest, most essential favour ever and learn how to read the Bible.

Jesus Culture

See more of what we got up to at www.jesusculture.org

Marriage of Ministries

On Sunday We had Roland and Heidi Baker with us for the marriage of Iris Ministries and Bethel - they aren't merging but have entered a covenent relationship. Iris already have their US offices at Bethel and Elijah & Kristalyn (their children) live here too.
Heidi spoke at the morning services and in the evening we had the marriage - it was a really good time. everyone was encouraged to lay something at thier feet - money towards the wedding pressent (a well drill for mozambique) or just a shoe lace - whatever!


They jumped down and insisted on hugging everyone - much to Bill's bewilderment! Time isn't a factor for this mozambiquan couple - we were in church 9 hours on Sunday- truelly African! (the woman on the far right lives with me and is the office manager for Bethel - she's also highly prophetic - which is great when you loose the car keys!).

leaders conference

I have loved this week. We have had a leadership conference here with pastors and leaders from all over the US and the world comming. From the 'big names' to the faithful survents qiuetly building the kingdom somewhere, they are all welcomed with such honour and such a heart to build them up and impart all that Bethel is.

They were getting truelly wacked yesturday as drunk and disorderlyness broke out over dinner! It was the crazy Bulgarian again, back after a couple of weeks! It was catching - half the servers (school of ministry students) where out with it, Bethel staff were piled up in heaps and the pastors were roaring drunk!

i loved being involved and welcoming them all to Bethel. As the overseer of our house is the office manager for Bethel we help her at conference time. From little admin jobs in the office building to doing registration, its such a privalge to serve and represent such a house.


If you want the CD's from the conference give me a shout.

xx

the crazy bulgarian and other things

So a week ago we had Georgian come speak at school. The most outragious and contagious person we've met - he is drunk, preaches drunk, gets people drunk and ministers out of drunk - its insane - but so so much fun! this guy is so overflowing with the spirit that people would get blasted just being near him - particularly if he fired his imaginary guns in your direction! He works a lot in hard to reach areas - muslim countries and enclaves and at home in the muslim ghettos of bulgaria where mny are saved by his 'hug' ministry as he passes on the touch of the Holy Spirit. He took the evening service too and we had a fire tunnle and a bit of a dance session into the late hours!

I realised that i havn't shown you the school/church. I will get an exterior shot at some point but in the meantime here's a pic of the main sanctury/ 1st year class/ christian school gym!!

It's pretty modest - they can only cram a 1000 people in at one time and with a home population of 3000 and a continual flow of visitors, its just not cutting it. There are 80 000 people in Redding, and when they all come into the kingdom (even when spread around the many great churches) there just isn't the space at the moment. It's perfect for school though - we fill it but there's still space to dance like lunitics and only occasionally knock someone out! Its such a place of freedom, naturally and supernaturally. We've had crazy swessions in this room - sometimes with the whole school dancing in the ailses, on the stage, in their seats. but my favourite session was just 2 of us with the music cranked up late at night - filling the empty space with dance and worship and prophesy. Its pretty special.

What is 'church'?

I have an inkling that Christian community is a relevant outworking of what church was, is and could be. Rather than it being exclusive – can community actually offer the base and security of acceptance and ‘good Samaritan’ style love, that reaches and importantly keeps reaching, people where they need it and where they can make sense of it?

It’s not a simple thing because nothing is where humans are involved. It takes love of community, of people, of God and a humility that says ‘not my will but yours’. It takes loving discipleship style leadership, that model and inspire the love that makes it tick. But is it all idealism. And if it is, what does that say about church.

I want to be part of something that holds people in Corinthians 13 love and not just attracts them in that way. That’s real isn’t it? Hospitality not just for the ‘seekers’ and students, but as a characteristic across the community.

I think this is worth trying – it’s what we preach but think is radical in practice!! He he! I think it’s also worth a shot in missional contexts. If we’re asking people in other cultures to be shunned by their families and communities when they choose to follow jesus, we sure as **** better have a greater community and family that they are welcomed into. Not once, but for the rest of their lives.

Bethel School of Ministry

People ask me all the time about whether they should go to Bethel. My answer? -  It's something you need to ask God about - He knows the path that is just right for us. BUT (I always quickly add) It will never be a bad decision. 

Going to Bethel was like coming home for the first time in my life. i found my tribe, more of myself, more of my God and a doorway into a life of wonders. To be in the most encouraging place on earth and one of the forerunning centres of what God is doing on the planet, is truly amazing - from here you could go anywhere.

You can follow my journey to and from Bethel on this blog, starting about here (spring 2006), whatever you do be strong and very courageous for He is with you...

Spring 2006>>>

I've been watching The Convent over the past few weeks, and though its not entirely my style, there is much to learn from the nuns and their life choice. The focus of taking a vow and living in a community helps to create a lifestyle of complete abandon and obedience to God- but isn't it how we should all be living - that focussed, that dependant?

Anyway, I'm not becoming a nun - well not in the strictest sense - but I am going away for a while. I feel God has suggested that there is something i need to do to be the person i need to be, and that Bethel is the place for it to happen. I'm not sure if I’ll turn from a bug to a butterfly but i know that the discipline of taking 9 months out to grow and learn and pray and practice and prepare and live 100% focussed on God - will allow space for God to speak and work on me.

That's not to say that going is not slightly scary, it is. I have to share my world with Americans who don't know what a kettle is. But God is good, and faithful and he will walk me through it. I've already randomly met a fab girl who's also going from the UK, but I’ve even got accommodation sorted - hurrah for God.

From September I will be sharing the journey on this blog over the nine months, so please do keep track and soak up any words of revelation i pass on. Obedience isn't always that bad either - check out the view!

Getting real and keeping the faith?

I'm looking forward to the release of Pete Greig's latest work 'God on Mute'. I've had many (many) heated discussions with Mr worthington surrounding this one - why if we are promised healing from the man that took sickness in every lashing, do friends still die of cancer. Why, if my brother is covered by the blood and is an inheritor of freedom, is he suffering month on month, and now year upon year.

I have my 'head' stance - that truth is in the word and that present circumstances are just temporary facts. I know my God is big enough. I know every theory and believe me we've covered them and tried them all. Don't tell me God brings these things to teach us and grow us. My God is the God of life and wholeness, he won't instigate this sickness and suffering. I know Him. And I have seen his power and his miricles.

That established, where I'm at does not even fit into words let alone rational thoughts. All i can do is scream at heaven: WHY? why is he still so bound? why is he not free after the first petition so many months ago? why when we tell this mountain to move does it not jump? why can't we hear your thoughts on this issue Jesus. endless whys...

And still, everyday i go home and he's not healed.

What i see conflicts with everything i believe. there aren't easy answers though everyone has one. Hello - it's not meant to be like this.

This I know, and has not been moved. Somewhere in the middle of this, Jesus is so powerful. He has not changed, his presence is more than real, his love is unshaken and I Trust Him. that's all the answer i have left. He is all I'l ever need, He is good, He never leaves and His heart is bigger and deeper and older and fresher than any of ours. It is (with)in Him that I need to be.