The Week After...

...revival. What are we going to do with it? Some of us will put all of our notes together and package it up like a pretty scrapbook to be looked at from time to time, reminiscing about how good it was. Others will allow newer things to cover up those notes, eventually just tossing them out. Yet others may have aleady thrown them out, thinking it was good while it lasted but this is a new week. Can't stay there, gotta keep moving...

Before you decide (or, by default, fall into one of these categories), let's think again about Ryan's definition of revival.

Revival is...the extraordinary movement of the Spirit of God upon the hearts of His people that produces extraordinary results.
...a community saturated by God.
...Christ Himself seen, felt, heard, living, active, moving in and through His body on earth.

We experienced four days of 'revival' services but have we truly been revived? That is not a question that can be answered right away. You see, revival will result in changed lives and a changed church.

It will mean being obedient to the extraordinary movement of the Holy Spirit so that He can produce extraordinary results. Being willing to examine the deepest parts of ourselves and allowing God's holy light to shine on the darkness. Allowing Him to change us. Becoming that community of believers who are, indeed, saturated by God. It is not something that just happens during a few church services. It means that we are to allow Him to continue with the changes He started in each of us.

That will look a little different for each of us. I want to share a bit of my personal journey with you over the next few weeks and hope you will be encouraged to share yours as well through the comments section of each post.

There was so much good stuff to absorb. Y'all, I was just writing like crazy and still didn't get it all down. Every night I felt like I needed to go home and spend a couple of hours going over my notes and digesting all that God spoke to me through Ryan. Of course, that didn't (couldn't) happen. There were still things to get done to take care of the house, my hubby, and then ready for the next work day. It would be way too easy for me to leave my notes all stacked up with the CD copies thinking "Im going to..." and never go back to them. You know, life happens!

So here's what I am doing this week to make sure that doesn't happen. (This whole discipline thing takes some work, right?) I am taking one session at a time, going over my notes and their handouts, and then journeling about what stood out the most to me. Where did God shout the loudest? What did He reveal about me and to me that I need to confess, repent of, accept His forgiveness for and strength to overcome?

Day One, Session One - Brokeness. My concept of brokenness has always been related to tears, to falling down on knees with a heavy feeling of remorse. I am not an emotional gal. While others are tearing up or crying, most of the time I remain dry-eyed. I have often wondered if something is wrong with me. Do I just not have an ounce of compassion if I am rarely moved to tears? Then this definition of brokenness - it is not a feeling or a one time experience, but a choice-an act of my will. (This was one of those aha moments for me!) This concept of brokenness is liberating for me. Just because I don't feel broken (ie. hurting, crying) doesn't mean I'm not. I have a choice and that is to acknowledge God as Lord of my life. To admit to my sinfulness and bow to His authority in and over my life. To acknowledge my daily, hourly, moment by moment need for His help to live in obedience to Him. To change my automatic response to life and people from one arising from a proud heart to one arising from a broken heart. Broken my my realization that without Him I can never respond as He desires me to.

God had already been working on this pride thing in me. Showing me how the seed of insecurity has produced the fruit of pride, poisoning my behaviors and attitudes. Reminding me that I can't magically change simply because I see the bare naked truth of what/who I am. I need Him desperately. My heart's cry is God, I need You to change my heart. I need You to help me throw down pride and then humbly accept a mantle of brokenness so that You have free reign in my heart. Free reign to change me from a self-centered and prideful woman to a God-saturated woman who is a vessel You can use to draw others into Your kingdom.

I pray that He is doing a work in your hearts too. Please let Him. Then Christ Himself will be seen, felt, heard, living, active, and moving in and through His body of believers here at Hillcrest.

Hugs,
Molly

Revive Us Oh Lord

Revival begins in the heart and soul, but cannot be contained there, soon it blossoms into interactions with others...a fragrant gift, one that others will be impacted by in recognition, conviction, or transformation.

This week we have been blessed to have the men, women, and children of Life Action ministries sharing God's word, His love, and applications for our daily walk with God. Today the ladies had a wonderful luncheon to share, learn, and fellowship...this time is impacting lives, bringing revival...thank you Lord!

Here are a few prayers and testimonies I pulled from the web tonight:
(Thank you ladies for sharing!)

Praying for revival at Hillcrest. Humbled people, real changes. Consider fasting as you cry out to God for great things.
I was at the church all day today and the team started setting up this pm....Pray that the revival will be a huge success!
I've been praying for it here too! Someone told me the other week that for revival to happen it takes MORE than just Prayer. Those that are willing to Pray ALSO have to be willing to get up and GO! Start something, say something, BE BOLD! I have been SO convicted of that lately....I am starting the study The Way of the Master. Can't wait to see the Revival that God IS bringing to a city near you!

Invites everyone to come to revival at Hillcrest Baptist Church this week. Monday through Wednesday at 6:30 pm. Life Action has a great team!
Both services today were awesome!!!
Awesome.

Life Action Ministries... awesome revival.. awesome ladies luncheon today! Can not wait to go back tonight!

Holiness, hmmmmmmm. am i set apart or part of the world? Revival is good.

:) Revival at Hillcrest is awesome. Come tonight at 6:30.

I am loving Life Action Ministries! What a great revival we are having! Something I got from them today at the women's luncheon: If you have a little girl around around 6 through 8 yrs old, you MUST buy them the book The Princess... and The Kiss -- what a wonderful story and great parenting tool (there's a workbook for moms with girls a little older)!

We have been blessed by the Life Action team.

Women's luncheon today was GREAT. Just what I needed.

It was wonderful! Great food and great message! It was a message ALL ladies should hear!! Please tell me sometime I would love to hear more about it.
Even better! when I'm done with all the material, I will pass it on!!
Please do I would love to read it... Thanks

Praying that God will reveal to me those that I have unknowingly hurt in the past so that I can make things right....
I can't imagine you hurting a flea! But none the less, if you ask for it - you will receive. He's said so!
It is funny u r saying something about forgiveness, my Pastor just preached on that! Also having unforgiveness in our hearts about things others have done to us! Sometimes that keeps us from receiving healing and blessings.

Thankful for revival...God uses irritating sand to create a pearl, fire for pottery and times of personal reflection, evaluation, and His conviction to move us closer to His heart and within His plan.

Before Grace we cry out G-I-N-Y (God I need You)...then He fills us up and HE says to us G-I-N-Y (Grace is in you)!! Revival at Hillcrest this week with Life Action ministries filled us up, overflowing, blessed,connected...us with God's Amazing... Grace. Thank you Lord, God, for a wonderful week!!!

All of the people with the revival team are so wonderful and gracious(?) that I hate see them go. I know we have all the enjoyed the revival and wish it could last longer so that the blessings and revelations could keep coming.

Sad that this is the last night for revival.. but, we can keep it going within ourselves!.. although we go through seasons in our walks with God.. it makes it all that much sweeter when we get revived and our fires burn hotter!!!
WOW!!!!! I couldn't have said it better myself. Hasn't God done an awesome job with the message he has provided for us through this Life Action team. It has made a HUGE impact on my family.

Sad that it's the last night at revival. wish it was longer. but i am revived!! life is short people, make it right with everyone. most especially God. He longs to have a relationship with all of us. what if we spent the same amount of time ...in the Word as we do on fb? what if we really prayed instead of gossiped? what if we loved like Jesus?


What I hear above is sincere prayers for change, excitement, thankfulness. Ladies as we move into Thursday, Friday, Monday, Tuesday, etc. we must remember to remain vigilant. Take this time of God working in our lives and pray for God to give us the self-discipline, the tenacity, and the joy to continue our journey of growth with God.

Jeremiah 29:11-13 (New International Version)
"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart."

Missing in Action

Have you wondered where I am? Why it has been two weeks without a post? Did I simply disappear?

The first question only you can answer! I can tackle the other two. Why so long without writing? My all too frequent, but true, answer is that I've been busy. First with an extended weekend visit to northern Indiana to visit with family. Family that we get to see far too infrequently. Then life...back home to a compressed work week and once again I found myself to be quite exhausted by the weekend. Result? Sleeping late, napping, and generally just feeling blah. All too soon Monday rolled around and the race continued. And the stress mounted.

So you see, I didn't disappear. Just got caught up in a self imposed, too full calendar and ran until I simply ran out of me. Seems like that has become a way of life. And ya know what? I am realizing I just can't do that any more. While all of the things that take up space and time on my calendar are important and good things, I am being depleted. Depleted isn't a good place to be. 'Cause then I become either a crabby person who is not fun to be around OR I withdraw from everything and everyone, craving to be a silent hermit. You know, that 'stop the world and let me off for awhile' kind of hermit!

If you have been a reader of this blog for awhile, you may be thinking "I see a trend here." (Or you're thinking, 'get off of this subject, already!!') However, I'm thinking that there are other women out there who can relate.

The past few days found me at one of my lowest points. A place where I cried out to God to fix me, asking Him why I can't do it all without crashing. 'What is wrong with me, God?', I asked. And you know what? I am getting answers. Truthful answers from God to counter the lies that Satan would have me believe. One truth is that I simply can't do it all because I have chosen to fill my calendar with too many outside activities. I say yes too often. I attend some functions because I'll feel guilty if I don't or I'm afraid I will offend someone by not showing up or I think I am expected to be there. It's not that those functions or the people involved aren't important. Most of them are very important. But the bottom line truth is...I can't do it all. I have to choose wisely and that means I have to balance my schedule to protect my health, mental and physical.

So my new calendar is going to have more blanks in it. Fewer evenings away from home. More time to rest and recharge. More time to listen to what God is speaking to me. Above all else, I want to be fully engaged in this wonderful relationship that God has called me into. I don't want to miss even one of His whispers. I don't want to spend my time pursuing anything other than what He desires me to.

Missing in action? Not really. Just consumed by the captivity of activity. But I am choosing now, with God's help, to break free of that captivity.

I think you'll notice a difference! I know my family will.

Hugs,
Molly

What's taking a bite out of your delight?

What an awesome experience many of us shared at the Living Proof Live simulcast last weekend. Some of you were right there with me at Second B., others were in another of the 516 locations. All of us were joined together in spirit, worshipping God and hearing Him speak a word to us.

You know, I don't think I'll ever get over the amazement of how He speaks a different word to each of us out of the same message. But if we are listening, He does just that.

I was scribbling notes as fast as my fingers could make that pen move but I know there were probably things worth remembering that I didn't get down on paper. I've gone over my notes a couple of times since the weekend. I want to be sure to ponder on those things He spoke to my heart. Ponder - not to memorize, but to absorb the nuggets of truth He revealed. To allow Him to change me.

I borrowed a line from Beth Moore in titling today's post. I loved her analogy of a jaw taking a bite. Great visual! Of the three things she described as delight stealers, the one that resonated most with me was anger. Anger? Some of you may be asking yourselves, "Her angry? No way!" But when she made the statement, 'Anger can show a control issue.' she had me nailed. That control monster? Oh, she lives large and in charge in my life.

Granted, I don't usually show out with a bout of anger, at least not the raging, yelling kind of anger. But irritability? Oh yeah, I can go there in less than a heartbeat. God kinda got me thinking these past few days. Isn't irritability really anger, just packaged in a more 'polite' term? When I put my bouts of irritability up to God's litmus test, I must admit it comes out positive for the control monster nearly every time. If I am irritable it is probably because something didn't go the way I wanted it to. Plans changed without consulting me. Someone or something got the attention I wanted. I, I, I...see a trend there? My irritability (a.k.a. anger) comes out when I feel I am not able to control a situation or person.

That control issue? Well, too many times I've kinda worn it like a badge of honor. Many of us who are afflicted with it do. Put me in a room with a group of fellow control freaks and we are having our own little convention in no time. I chime in along with the rest of them, "It's just the way I am, right?" Well, not really. Can't use that excuse anymore 'cause God is revealing to me more and more about how I need to let go of that monster. She's not really my friend. And I am SO NOT in control! He is. Even when I pretend to be. Even when I try to be. Girlfriends, this chick is tired of trying to be in control. It flat wears me out, frazzles my nerves, and makes me irritable. Transferred into relationships, it just doesn't work.

So there you have it. The biggest thing I took away from LPL last weekend. The first thing that God wants me give up, once and for all. And I am ready to give it up. Why? Because I'm tired of fighting it, I'm tired of the irritable, grumpy me that too easily shows up. But most importantly, because I want to be able to truly delight in God. And that, my friends, will be much more priceless than any control I pretended to have.

Hugs,
Molly