2016 Sounds Promising

Now, before I get into this post, I want to put out a reminder to keep praying.  I have had a few dreams since my last blog about shifting atmospheres and I am still convinced that we need to be building bridges of unity where we can through worshiping and praying together.  My church has weekly prayer meetings that I have joined in addition to a few other things.  I encourage you to continue to be proactive throughout this new year.  :-)

Now, on to the subjects at hand.  There are so many!

The most dramatic change for me has been a switch in churches.  I met with pastors Kevin and Jimmy from the Vineyard when I came out on my scouting trip in 2014.  I had been listing to Kevin's teaching via podcast for quite a while before that and really liked all that I heard.  Unfortunately, once I got here, I found I wasn't a fit for the church.  I kept trying to stick it out and try different things to make it work but I simply could not connect.  So, I decided to try out some other churches.

After visiting Southern Acres a few times and chatting a bit with the pastor there (Cameron), I decided to make the switch.  From my first visit things were different.  I already knew a couple of people and they were very proactive to introduce me to others.  When I went to introduce myself to Pastor Cameron, he had already heard of me and asked me to pray for him.  (I told Mom that was a subtle test!)  I emailed Cameron just before Christmas to tell him that I had decided to make the switch.  He emailed back and very positive response and things have taken off from there.

Starting in 2016 a new friend, Andrea, and I agreed to meet one hour before service to walk and pray over the church.  Before we even began, two people from the church heard about what we were doing and asked to join us and another few just showed up!  It is one of my favorite things to do at church and I am glad to have the opportunity.  Doors to friendship and ministry have been opening continually since making the switch.  It is amazing what being in the right place can do.  While I am still a cheerleader for the Lexington Vineyard, it was just not the right fit for what God wanted to use me to do here.

In other news, I was invited to speak at a women's retreat the first weekend in February.  I will be speaking on prayer and intercession.  How fitting, as that was the first thing I taught on when Keiger and I began captaining the Bluewater prayer team.  It is not a paying gig, but I look forward to the opportunity, all the same.  I feel honored to be a part of it.

There is a lot on my mind and heart for 2016.  I will give you a brief list and will expand on them as things solidify.

Ministry Message for 2016: To See and Be Seen

Unity Choir: Not sure when, but this is increasingly on my heart.  The vision is to pull together a choir from multiple denominations and churches.   More to come.

IVAT Conference and Hawaii Visit:  I think that stands for Institute for Violence And Trauma.  They have their Hawaii conference at the end of March.  My friend, Andrea (mentioned earlier), would like to come with me to attend the conference and meet Veronica and some of our Red Light Angels.  I still need God to open a couple of doors for this to happen.  It helps that I don't have to get a hotel and rental car - a lot!  But I will miss at least a week and a half of work so rent money will have to come from somewhere.  :-)

Germany: I have been talking about Germany for 2 years and I feel like it is time for me to go.  The idea is to take a small group of intercessors to pray over the land near the Black Forest.  So far, my friend and office mate, Allison, and a few ladies from Bluewater Mission are hoping to join me. This one will require a sizable financial miracle or fundraising of some kind.  (Have I mentioned I am available for personal and corporate Strengths coaching, workshops, and retreats??)

Enough for now!  Happy New Year!  And Blessings to you as we spur one another on toward the Goal.