Debate & Prayer

It's been a busy and invigorating day today.  Alot of debate, discussion, hashing over.

We spent the morning in debate with Micah, with Layne often being the mediator as we must be speaking a different language than Micah speaks, & vice versa.  Mom doesn't like these kind of discussions so it makes her squirm a bit, and suggest we go to the park or something.  But Micah enjoys the stimulation just like we do.  Iron sharpens iron.

Then we took children for a swim, which they always love.  And Barb & Darrell Kent came over as Barb needed prayer for her back. 

We are believing for fluid to fill up those discs supernaturally.  We had a great time of testimony, about the goodness of God, about healings, and some prayer.  I always feel encouraged when visiting with them, and today was no different.  Like spirits.

Laars is feeling better, although not yet up to par.  No throw ups today, and less of a fever, and he slept most of the day away.  He ate little which is really good to give his body energy for healing.

We anticipate leaving in the morning for the Island; the last leg of our trip, but we will see how the day is lived out.  We make our plans, but let the Spirit direct us.  He brings people and circumstances into our lives to bless us in ways we hadn't imagined.  What an exciting life.

The 'Furious Love' of God

Patricia King interviews the producer of 'Furious Love', Darren Wilson.

Alot of what Darren and Patricia talk about are spoken of in books I've recently read. "The Misunderstood God" by Darin Hufford, and "He Loves Me" by Wayne Jacobsen, and even "The Shack" by Wm. Paul Young of which I am presently re-reading.

The Love of God is not just a nice cozy word and idea to think about when we consider Jesus coming as a babe to eventually give up his own life on the cross so that we can one day go to heaven.  The Love of God is soooooo wide and deep and thick and tall.  There is no way around it, or over it.  There is no figuring it out.  No way to explain it in words.

One must Experience it.

That's the cry of my heart these days.  Not to Do Anything.  Just experience Him and His love. 

To be Lost in His Love.

Question for You:  Did you have opportunity to see 'The Finger of God'?

Family Update...kinda long, cuz we're busy and there's alot of us

It's been brought to my attention that many of you don't actually know where we are, or what we are up to. So, I suppose I should give an update.

After all those years on Vancouver Island, Sept 2007 we 'temporarily' moved with the 7 youngest of our 9 dc (dear children) out to Cape Breton Island on the east coast where my sister's house had burned down. We rented a house in another town not too far away and thought we'd be here for about 4 months while we helped rebuild her house. Well, winter moved in before they got to dig for the foundation, so everything was behind schedule from get-go. All told we were here for 54 weeks. In January we were joined by our older girls. It was a great time of healing relationships, building new ones, and even getting a big house built.

God had moved in Everette's and my lives alot, brushing away alot of religiosity, and we had a desire to soak our dc in that powerful Christian lifestyle in a community of believers walking in the supernatural.

After the year was up we decided to head south to hang-out with Extreme Prophetic. We gave our old van away, and were trusting God to bring us the big white 15 passenger van Toveli had seen in a vision. I flew back to Vancouver with most of the dc (that was an experience. We saw the power of God and His peace working evidently in our lives and met so many people who witnessed it and told us about it. Incredible) Everette and Danaka drove from Nova Scotia all the way to Phoenix and located a place for us to rent. After a few weeks they met us in Vancouver where I had tracked down an excellent used van only a few miles away from my moms. Wow! We bought it the day after Everette arrived, and the next day our family was packed in the van and heading to the states.

The Lord got us across the border with stories to tell..... the keys were temporarily confiscated, the border-guard closed his bullet-proof wicket window, they shut down all the other lanes, and we were then escorted to a secure area where we were surrounded by armed guards and instructed to leave the van with slow motions and our hands visable at all times. It turned out to be 'mistaken identity' over my passport. Too many Karen Johnsons out there.

We spent 4.5 months in a community just south of Phoenix, AZ. What a time we had. At different times members of our family helped out at foodbanks, did street witnessing, volunteered at a women's shelter, took training on evangelism & healing, took in seminars on the supernatural. We had the opportunity to see the Grand Canyon (on a snowy windy day Brrr) and incredible Sedona.

We made friends with a colorful group of people for whom we will always be connected. They are woven into our hearts. They are a part of the deep work God is continuing to do in our lives. They are each a part of our wonderful time in AZ. We are forever changed.

We left Arizona the end of March. The family (minus Layne) drove across the USA, seeing the hand of God guiding us even as our route changed course unexpectedly. He is so awesome!!!

We drove thru El Paso, TX which I hadn't seen since my YWAM missions trip to Mexico back in the '80's. We got to see Dallas/Ft Worth from the highway, and I personally got to drive across the Mississippi. We spent a late night staying up talking with our friends outside of Atlanta, GA, (we miss you Daigles) then bee-lined it for Lancaster County to spend a couple of days amongst the Amish (one of my dreams come true! Thank you, Jesus!!) We went to the Liberty State National Park and got to see the Statue of Liberty (her backside, anyways) and then had a hassle getting thru NYC....but we made it!! We were about a week and a half in total, and all were thrilled to arrive safely at aunty's on Cape Breton.

This time we are staying in my sister's house. After all, its big and new!! We expect to be here for the summer and get some sailing done, then probably head back to BC for the fall. We have the older dc staying up on the 3rd floor where Everette and my sisters office is, and the family bathroom. Everette and I along with the youngest 2 girls and boys are down in the basement (its a nice
basement) which is mostly but not completely finished. There's 10+ acres to play on, plus the beach is across the street. There's a fishing wharf just across from us, and we can watch the lobster fishermen doing their thing every day.

Layne is living on the westcoast with my mom, and got a job (the first day she was looking PTL!) as a barista, which is basically what she was hoping for. She misses the family loads, but she presses on with the Lord and He sustains her.

Rauchelle is with us at least at this point, working around here and at the neighbours when she isn't away travelling or training for her air rifle. She had a great time & experience in Germany and Italy at World Cup and personally experienced the favor of God and man in her situation.

The other dc keep busy with learning to read, baking/cooking, building forts, gardening, etc.

Everette is doing ForEx, and I am the support for all that goes on around here.

We don't know how long we'll actually be here in Cape Breton. Although its a gorgeous place to visit and the lifestyle is slow the way we like, we aren't really planning to be here long-term. We have embarked on a different lifestyle since we gave up our house and most of our possessions in BC, and are living a life by faith. We can never 'go back', neither would we ever want to. But we are still 'based' out of BC.

So, that's where we are right now. A snapshot view of our family.

Question for You: Do you practice 'soaking' in the presence of the Lord?

My Frustration

I found a new blog this morning called 'the voice of one crying in suburbia' http://tinyurl.com/llndgj worth reading, which led me to an excellent article at http://tinyurl.com/nft7bt
They both have articles about having children and the quiverfull idea. In light of what I just wrote the other day, I thought they were timely.

I was particularly impressed by Dr. Voddie Baucham who is a pastor. I seldom hear pastors who 'endorse' the quiverful belief, and find it disturbing that Christians live their lives very much like the society around them. And even in 'economic downturn' times, we Christians ought to be shining beacons to those around us, marching to a heavenly beat that's not of this world, living differently.

This winter while we were away in Arizona, we often heard about God being into 'multiplication.....not addition'. But what disturbed me was that people like that idea when it comes to multiplication of their time, or resources, or their joy, or their pocketbook......but it was never about children. Never. But in reality, the very first time in Scripture that multiplication was directed at man, it was for Adam and Eve to 'be fruitful and multiply'.

Gen 1:28 And God blessed them and said to them, Be fruitful, multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it [using all its vast resources in the service of God and man]; and have dominion over the fish of the sea, the birds of the air, and over every living creature that moves upon the earth.

I have never come across a scripture that said God nullified that command. Of course, reproduction has nothing to do with salvation. I clearly know that. But He is a God of fruitfulness, abundance, multiplication. Why would we think He wants us to multiply or be abundant in all areas of our lives, but not in bearing children made in His image?

I am honestly, sincerely, questioning why the vast majority of Christians don't 'get' the quiverful idea about children. If you have some input, let me know. I just don't get it.

We were surrounded this winter by people who operate in the supernatural, but none that I am aware of, believe in letting God plan their family. It's like they have faith for limbs to grow back, they have faith for prostitutes to become new creations, they have faith to see money miraculously appear in their bank accounts, they have faith for metal-rods and cancerous tumours to dissolve out of body's. But they don't seem to have faith that if left naturally, that married couples will only produce babies that God intended for them; that the woman's body can healthily and vibrantly carry a child to term & deliver a healthy baby naturally without complications; and that all the family's 'needs' will be met not by the measure of their need but "according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus."(Phil 4:19)

I don't know if this makes sense to anyone out there. But....This is my heart, and this is my frustration.


Question for You: What things frustrate you the most?

NOTE: As of July 2011, my dh and I no longer agree with much of the QF mindset.