October =)

Hey =) Happy October! =D When I was home the past one and a half weeks dad told me in a really gentle way that I need to ask God to help me out with my procrastination haha. And yeah he's right I've been all over the place this past year. He suggested that I use a planner (he said "diary" coz that's what we call them in Kenya) and write down all the things I need to do. And I used to do that, so I decided to do so... There's this 2 year planner that Diana gave me a while back so I picked it up and opened to October. And October is pretty special because IT'S MY BIRTHDAY! :D lol I actually share a birthday with my lil sis Olivia, yay! Birthday twins! hehe :D But I also wanna share some more reasons why October is special.

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IT'S TIME TO REMEMBER THE PROMISES OF GOD :D

"For no matter how many promises God has made, they are "Yes" in Christ. And so through him the "Amen" is spoken by us to the glory of God." (2 Corinthians 1:20)

On the Calendar it gave a specific flower and birthstone. So the birth flower for October is Calendula and the birthstone is Opal. And you know how I am, I decided to look up the spiritual significance of Opal and it said that the color of opal is iridescent (diffracts many colors) and that symbolizes the promises of God.

This was quite on point coz I went to the prayer shed last night for prayer and prophecy night and they told me not to forget God's promises over my life and to keep my eyes on the prize... to keep my eyes on Jesus. To be consistent and steady in my walk with Him coz that's how the promises will be fulfilled... in His Time. And this was confirmation for what God's been telling me over the past few weeks, things I already know, and also what God's been telling me through others. And all weekend this song below, "Standing on the Promises" has been playing in my head (especially in the car this past Friday with Brittany and Alexis on our way to The Call at UC Berkeley).

I also read this from this one site... but when I kept on reading I found out that it was new-age-y so all I took from it was this: "Opal is a stone of inspiration which enhances imagination and creativity. It can bring inspiration to projects and to life and Spirit. Its own spirit is at times like that of a child spontaneously playing, dashing color where ever it  pleases. ..Opal has a larger proportion of water in it than most stones and is considered a water stone. This can help ease the effort of handling change in life. Like water rolls over and past rocks and roots in its way, the energy of opal can help continue on your path regardless of obstacles... Opal is known as a stone of love." http://meanings.crystalsandjewelry.com/opal/

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OCTOBER 16TH: RELATIONSHIPS, UNITY, PUSHING FORWARD FOR VICTORY

Okay so this is really cool I just looked up calendula, the birth flower of October and saw this: Calendula means "little calendar" or "little clock" in latin and the common name, "marigold" refers to virgin Mary (Wikipedia). Sometimes called "summer bride" or "husbandmans dial" because its flower head follows the sun (Birthstone site).

That's cool confirmation for keeping the"eyes on the prize" word. Plus on our way back from Berkeley on Sunday we were singing in the car and Brittany suggested we just sing spontaneously (from our hearts, whatever the Spirit led us to sing), she begun then Alexis but I was just silent in the back seat thinking about stuff. Then Alexis was like "Charlene it's your turn, I think you have a song" but I was like "No" then a bit later Brittany was like, yeah I think you should sing a song about "Time." Which is funny coz it was related to what I was thinking/praying in my head so I decided to just sing... And I sung the prayer in my heart, "Awaken our hearts to your coming Son... [well I can't remember all the words but it was something like:] ... Awaken your bride... that we may be one... rooted in love... leaving the past behind... fill us with Your spirit... Your power... You are all we need... Give us Your heart for the harvest."

IT'S OUR TIME : CHURCH AWAKEN, UNITE AND FIGHT FOR LOVE

Something else really cool is about my birth day, October 16th, I was pretty shocked to see this post on Elijah List... it was encouraging...so honored to be born on such a significant day :-)

But before that, I saw this picture on campus the other day below the poster for "Images of Africa" and the same day the words, "The final push for victory" and "Together we go further" stood out to me from an email and in the bus respectively lol... bear with me coz it's related with this next portion. Read the whole thing at October 16th Prophecy I'll highlight some stuff and I quote:

"In this dream, the date was October 16th. I observed Kathryn Kuhlman standing on stage... she began to prophesy:"All those born on October 16th have a special anointing. And there's a special anointing being released to the Body and it's very powerful!" The scene quickly changed and I was standing outside where I observed ancient, black wrought iron gates. They were rather scary looking because of their size and age. These ancient gates were perhaps twelve feet high and thirty feet in length. They were attached to a black stonewall on either side like a fortress. The gates had been closed and locked for many, many years. As I looked closer, I could see thousands of people standing behind the closed gates. In fact I could see no end to this massive gathering of people. There were people from every tongue, tribe and nation. However in unity, as one Body, they all worked together to push open the gates. Then breaking through the darkness into the light, they all ran quickly to receive this anointing Kathryn Kuhlman prophesied and released. -End of dream. I believe this is an important date and new beginning for the Body of Christ. October 16, 2014 is a Jewish holy day called Shemini Atzeret. The Hebrew word "shemini" means eighth, and prophetically the eighth day of the Feast of Tabernacles indicates a new beginning for the coming harvest. According to Jewish tradition, Shemini is the ending of the holiday of Sukkot and the beginning of "Time of our Happiness or Joy." It's the end of one season and the beginning of another.

Recently in two separate visions, I saw the Church awakening. Where she was presumed dead, new life was breathed into her. When she awakened, immediately she humbled herself and embraced Wisdom. The evidence of striving, bitterness, unforgiveness and jealousy quickly left her body. Instead of being old and crippled she was strong, healthy and joyful. She was spiritually mature and led by the Holy Spirit of Truth. She embraced everyone with love and kindness, yet spoke with authority and everyone called her Blessed. (Photo by Linda Harris-Iorio Consuming Glory via elijahshopper.com)

I believe October 16th is a significant date this year as the harvest begins in full swing. Christ in us (the Body of Believers) the Hope of Glory, will be evident in the Church. The whole earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord (Habakkuk 2:14) as the captives are set free from bondage and the Church embraces Wisdom." -End of quote. hOW cOOl is THAT???!!! :D :D :D And there's more!

Sorry I'm just throwing different stuff at you... but last week I had watched "October Baby" on Netflix and it was all about forgiveness, letting go, healing, redemption, love, family and moving forward. Great movie! =)

 

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OCTOBER: "Come Together- Remember, Reconnect, and Unite"

Okay, so I'm at school (My first day at Antioch Uni getting my Masters) so I stopped writing to go to class and on my way to class I check my email and this is what I see: "Come Together: Remember, Reconnect, and Unite" as the subject of an email from UCSB: "On May 23rd, the Isla Vista community was stunned by a tragedy that we will never forget. On the following day however, we came together in a way that our neighborhood had never before seen. The feeling created from the candlelight vigil is a feeling that we wish to embody once again. It is a new year for Gauchos and the Isla Vista Community, and as such let us look towards the future with positivity, renewal, and resiliency. The students at AS Program Board as well as other Associated Students entities would like to invite you to, "Come Together: Remember, Reconnect, and Unite." This memorial event is made by the students and for the students, and will feature student speakers, a message from Vice Chancellor Michael Young, as well as live music and special entertainment. Please spread the word and join us once again, not only in remembering the loved ones we lost, but also in solidarity to forge a better future for Isla Vista."

So what are some of the promises I'm talking about? Well here's one of them that concerns Santa Barbara and the world... way back in 2011 when I was in InterVarsity at that Leader's Retreat when we had some unusual occurrences and my life was radically rocked and freed by the power of God's love (post: Hello Africans... ) God gave many of the students there visions that confirmed the dreams that He gave the staff over the summer that a huge revival is coming to Santa Barbara (and the prophetic word that Kathyrn Kuhlman gave in the 70's that one day a huge revival would happen in SB and spread around the world (post: Let There Be Light) In the visions there would first be a lot of conflicts and division in our midst  and even violence in our land but after that there would be unity in the body of Christ, unity in prayer and walking in love and that's when the breakthrough would happen. So it's really cool to keep track with God's promises coz NOW IS THE TIME! :D In a vision that Alex Jensen had, we were holding hands on a hill with the cross in the middle then our friends who were not yet believers were behind us climbing to the top of that hill. Right now in IV and at UCSB so many coalitions and new programs have formed after the tragedy that happened last school year... so many people are having conversations about how to better our community, living in peace and loving each other, becoming united... and all that is really great and exciting. And it's also a wake-up call for the church coz we know it is only through Jesus that we can have true and lasting transformation so we need to rise up and model that... we need to put Jesus back in the center of our lives and communities... we need to pray and wait for His Spirit to do only what He can do. We need to ARISE and SHINE! The whole world is waiting for us! Even the prison system won't be left unshaken when we awaken... post: Prison Break.

Check out the video below as well as this encouraging confirmation: "Many of you are in your third trimester. Don't abort the baby because your due date is drawing near. Get ready to push... Doors are about to open for what I have called you to do...  In the same way that Mary was impregnated supernaturally, you will also conceive supernaturally. You are also carrying something so valuable that will change the world if you submit to it...Just as Mary's cousin Elizabeth was also pregnant and the baby leaped in her womb, I will also bring others to you who are also carrying divine destiny. I will place people in your life who are also pregnant with the same vision. They are those who are in alignment with the same dream. Together you will work in unison and there will not be any disunity....You will know that you are in the third trimester as the discomfort intensifies. Don't try to induce labor before its time, but welcome My plan as it comes into existence.  This is not the time to give up but get ready to push because you will soon see the fulfillment of the promises that I have for you," says the Lord. Read the rest at:Birthing the Promises of God: "Get Ready to Push" 

DO YOU NOT PERCEIVE? IT'S TIME!:D LET'S WAKE UP CHURCH! =)

 

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October 8th Blood Moon ("Little Clock, what's the time?")

Blood moon is happening tomorrow! I saw this article on yahoo news  that says that this blood moon will be even more rare than the others, it's a selenelion: "Skygazers could witness the sun rising simultaneously with the total eclipse of the moon, a visual phenomenon known as selenelion. The rare cosmic sight, which could only happen just before dawn or right after sunrise, is marked by both the solar and lunar bodies appearing just above the horizon at almost the opposite sides of the sky.Read more: http://www.techtimes.com/articles/17243/20141006/blood-moon-on-october-8-rare-selenelion-promises-to-be-a-treat-for-skygazers.htm#ixzz3FX1fQIXH

The moon takes on a deep-red color during a lunar eclipse because of the Earth's atmosphere. If you were on the moon during a lunar eclipse, Earth would have a red ring around it as it passed between you and the sun. This red glow projects onto the moon, giving it its red hue during a total eclipse, as shown below. http://finance.yahoo.com/news/heres-see-wednesday-mornings-rare-112100679.html

I was excited to read that as it reminded me of this Saturday at The Call which was on the 50th anniversary of the Free Speech movement as well as Yom Kippur (The Day of atonement) when the high priest would offer up a sacrifice to cover the sins of the people of Israel... but now the ultimate sacrifice was that of Jesus on the cross on behalf of all the sins of the whole world, once and for all. So when I read that the earth would have a red ring around me made me think of the blood of Jesus encircling the whole earth signifying redemption through the blood of Jesus... and also the earth being baptized by the fire of the Holy Spirit . REVIVAL TIME! :D

I can hear the rhythm of the Lion of the tribe of Judah... He's doing a New thing! That's why we're singing a New Song! He's Alive!

"His eyes will be darker than wine... // These are the words of the Son of God, whose eyes are like blazing fire." (Genesis 49:12a and Revelation 1:1)

"I baptize you with water for repentance. But after me comes one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire." (John the Baptist talking about Jesus) ~ Matthew 3:11

So what the little clock says is WE ARE LIVING IN THE END-TIMES! And yes there's stuff popping up all over the place like ebola and ISIS :((, signs in the heavens, wars and rumors of wars </3... and yes Jesus gives us the signs of the end times to watch for in Matthew 24. So yeah, the darkness will increase but we shouldn't be afraid coz that's the BEST TIME FOR THE LIGHT TO SHINE BRIGHTER THAN BEFORE. God is with us and wants to empower us not just to endure but to THRIVE in these days! Go JESUS! Have Your way in us :D

The Day of the Lord (Joel 2)

²⁸ “And afterward,

    I will pour out my Spirit on all people.

Your sons and daughters will prophesy,

    your old men will dream dreams,

    your young men will see visions.

²⁹ Even on my servants, both men and women,

    I will pour out my Spirit in those days.

³⁰ I will show wonders in the heavens

    and on the earth,

    blood and fire and billows of smoke.

³¹ The sun will be turned to darkness

    and the moon to blood

    before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord.

³² And everyone who calls

    on the name of the Lord will be saved;

for on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem

    there will be deliverance,

    as the Lord has said,

even among the survivors

    whom the Lord calls."

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Sorry this post is all over the place... getting back into blogging has been tough.
K peace and love! =)
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Update: So much has happened!  GOOD IS SO GOOD!! Will share soon~!~

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WOW! :D (photo posted by Aaron Jones)

Okay here's some of the update: I couldn't make the "Come Together" event at UCSB but it was amazing to see the pictures and video clips people posted of it. And here's what was on the "Bottom Line" paper: "For the Isla Vista community, attending this event brought us together and helped us heal... There was a feeling of hope and resilience in the crowd despite the excitement over Jack Johnson, and that is what is most important. People remembered, and people celebrated, but most importantly, people cared enough to show up."



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Check it out! There's a City-wide Prayer and Outreach week this week Oct 25- Nov 1. Cool~!~

#LoveSB =)

 

 

 

GOD'S PROMISES ARE UNFOLDING! =D

Jesus, please help us fix our eyes on You and follow You Forward! To walk by Faith and not by sight. To walk in unity and love and not in strife. To let the light of Your love captivate us and guide us to our destiny - to be who You created each and every one of us to be. That each of us may bloom and flourish as we find rest in Your Love and as we RISE UP and TAKE OUR PLACE. FOR YOURS! IS THE KINGDOM, THE POWER AND THE GLORY FOREVER AND EVER AMEN!

P.S: This has been a very generalized post --- just gave the overview message (in all it's scatteredness) and it's specifically for the church -- but I am yet to address how this specifically relates to the church in Santa Barbara so stay tuned... to the Holy Spirit! (I can do nothing for you or myself so let's look to Him! Just sharing what I'm learning along the way :-) But yeah, let us PRAY. Now's the time. Related post: Time to SEEK, A Call to Prayer, A Call to Unity in the Body of Christ, Be One )

"A voice of one calling: “In the wilderness prepare the way for the Lord; make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Every valley shall be raised up, every mountain and hill made low; the rough ground shall become level, the rugged places a plain. And the glory of the Lord will be revealed, and all people will see it together. For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.." (Isaiah 40:3-5)

 

♫ Every high thing must come down! Every stronghold must be broken!

You wear the Victor's crown! You overcome! You overcome! ♫  :D



 

Ok last songs! We ARE ALIVE! Let's COME ALIVE! =D

 

 

So much POWER=> Heavy Love!...

So Let's L O V E each other NOW... Sisters and brothers N O W =)

 

 

And lastly, =)

Two Weeks

"TWO WEEKS"- That's what I said yesterday. "Two weeks" that's what she said last Spring... at Prayer and Prophecy night (on Mondays at the prayer shed behind the Jesus Burgers House. They listen and God shows them stuff about you) She asked if I like to travel coz she sensed I was going away somewhere really really soon then she said 2 weeks.... she wasn't sure what exactly it meant... Maybe that God would show me where I'd be going 2 weeks before or something but she just felt like it was significant.

Two weeks --that's what I said yesterday (and then remembered that vision) it's 2 weeks before ONE VOICE. Two weeks-- that's all I have left to get the Word out...

https://www.facebook.com/events/288394394652895/

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Update: ONE WEEK

One week down,... this week the One body team has been advertising the event on campus (digiknow, posters, flyers in the dorms and on campus and even a promo video which will be ready by Monday) and I praise God for that... now we really need help in spreading the Word to local churches and any other ministries in the area so please help us out by reaching out to your church this weekend. And please keep us and this event in your prayers. Unity is a powerful weapon against the enemy's schemes (especially unity in prayer and worship) and if you read the Scriptures that is what leads to large-scale revival and city transformation. Have Your way in our city God! =)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=umQ_-cavBa8

Chasing

"My heart says of You, “Seek His face!”
 Your face, LORD, I will seek." (Psalm 27: 8)

Lord You have my heart
And I will search for Yours
Jesus take my life and lead me on
Lord You have my heart
And I will search for Yours
Let me be to You a sacrifice
And I will praise You Lord

I will praise You Lord
And I will sing of love come down
I will sing of love come down
And as you show Your face
Show Your face
We'll see Your glory here
(Delirious)

My nephew Trevor and I. Haha he's so cute! =)

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"All of this is meaningless, a chasing after the wind."

“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?
“And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." ~Jesus :) (Matthew 6: 25-34)

"Whoever pursues righteousness and love will find

 life, righteousness, and honor." (Proverbs 21: 21)

♥ Intimacy ♥

Hide me now

Under Your wings

Cover me

within Your mighty hand

When the oceans rise and thunders roar

I will soar with You above the storm

Father You are King over the flood

I will be still and know You are God

Find rest my soul

In Christ alone 

 Know His Power

In quietness and trust

("Still" by Hillsong)

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"You will seek Me and find Me when you seek Me with all your heart." -God. (Jeremiah 29:13)

"My heart says of You, “Seek His face!” Your face, LORD, I will seek." (Psalm 27: 8)

 "...Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you... " (Read all of James 4- The Cost of Intimacy. "I am jealous for you! I'm after your whole being" -God)

"My Son died and the veil was torn so that you can find rest in My presence. Now, enter into this rest. Just come as you are" -God. (Read all of Hebrews 4- Enter in.)

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”- Jesus. (Matthew 11:28-30)

"One thing I ask from the LORD, 

   this only do I seek: 

that I may dwell in the house of the LORD 

   all the days of my life, 

to gaze on the beauty of the LORD 

   and to seek Him in His temple. 

For in the day of trouble 

   he will keep me safe in his dwelling; 

he will hide me in the shelter of his sacred tent 

   and set me high upon a rock."

(Psalm 27: 4-5)

Spring Rains

Listen! My Beloved! 
Look! Here He comes, 
leaping across the mountains, 
bounding over the hills. 
My Beloved is like a gazelle or a young stag. 

Look! There He stands behind our wall, 
gazing through the windows, 
peering through the lattice. My Beloved spoke and said to me, 
“Arise, my darling, 
my beautiful one, come with me. 
Behold! The winter is past; 
the rains are over and gone. 
Flowers appear on the earth; 
the season of singing has come, 
the cooing of doves 
is heard in our land. 
The fig tree forms its early fruit;  the blossoming vines spread their fragrance. 
Arise, come, my darling; 
 my beautiful one, come with me.” (Song of Solomon 2: 8-13)

At the beginning of this quarter God gave me a peek into this season we are now in. He told me that it is "a time to mourn and a time to dance." (Eccl. 3:4b) At first I was like, "Ohkay...Weird! What kind of bipolar season is this? How can I be both miserable and happy at the same time? lol" Then what He told me made a lot of sense. He reminded me of this Scripture: "Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus." (1 Thessalonians 5: 16-18).  He showed me that this was spiritual warfare. There's lots of the devil's strongholds in the land and a lot of people don't notice (behold) them and it for this reason He wants me to mourn (fight in the spirit: fast, pray and interceed). The whole year I've been caught up fighting ground warfare (going to endless meetings to talk about problems which just magnified them) and this wore me out and kept me from focussing on the solution, which is acknowledging God (fasting, praying, interceeding, singing, dancing). So yeah He told me to stop that (focusing on problems) in order to focus on Him, rest at His feet and have fun with Him :) because He is in control. He also told me to remember who I am. He reminded me of how in Kenya in all our gatherings we would always pray, praise and worship (singing, dancing, being, sharing). So pretty much He was telling me, it's time to be yourself. "You are free to be yourself "(Check out my Freedom album on facebook).

"Garden" by Misty Edwards: http://youtu.be/_tgTdUA0CwI

"Let us acknowledge the LORD; let us press on to acknowledge Him. As surely as the sun rises,He will appear; He will come to us like the winter rains, like the spring rains that water the earth" (Hosea 6:3) So come Holy Spirit! I'm looking forward to sowing in this season (dying to myself, taking my eyes off the world to focus on Jesus; seeking Him in all that I do) in order to reap (the fruit of the Spirit, to walk by faith/ walk by the Spirit). So let it rain! :)

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Winter Rains

"...He will come like

the winter rains..."

(Hosea 6:3)

The rains fell- Holy Spirit.

Seeds were sown- Word.

Roots grew- Faith.

Some ploughing: spirit of insecurity and inferiority dug out.

Love is NOT selfish.

"Now is the winter of our discontent. Made glorious summer by this sun of York;
And all the clouds that lour'd upon our house" (Shakespeare's Richard iii lol)

So after winter break (you can read about my experience in my post Let Go. Let Love Flow) I was excited to apply all that I had learnt. Unfortunately, a lot of things... more like everything, didn't go as I had planned :'( But lots of lessons were learnt and things could have been way worse if it wasn't for mercy, if it wasn't for Jesus :)

Alien Girl Faces Mental Oppression

So each time I would fix my eyes on God He would remind me who I am and tell me to be myself which also meant sharing my life with others. Then it would be application time and that's where the problems came in. I would face opposition in various forms but it all boiled down to spiritual warfare. (I talk about this in the post The Present in the section entitled "Worry, the joy stealer"). It was focussing on opposition that brought in confusion, worry, discouragement and weariness. You see all of those were distractions- The devil was keeping me from being myself, sharing my life with others and acting on the desires God had put on my heart (the urgency to pray, worship and fast corporately and consistently). God reminded me that being myself, who He calls me to be meant being different, meant being a light, meant being a leader, meant being a servant, meant loving ( 1 Peter 2:9). But I couldn't be who He calls me to be, a lover/giver/leader/servant if I was not okay with being different.

"Whoever decides to soar must first fight through the flatland that hangs heavy over the swamp of sameness." (Charles Swindoll)

He did some ploughing right there and dug out some deeply rooted weeds which I hadn't dealt with. Fear of standing out and fear of rejection (because being myself/being different in the past led me to face "persecution" in the form of rejection).
I was discouraged a lot last quarter but God really fed me through His Word (I was mostly in the Book of Psalms) and He led me to songs and other stuff on the internet for encouragement and confirmation like I watched this clip. God showed that guy, Steve Foss, that at the root of every sin is the spirit of insecurity and spirit of inferiority.
This made a lot of sense. God has been teaching me a lot about vision- what you see is what changes you. So He's been reminding me to watch what I'm fixing my eyes on. My eyes are meant to be on Jesus full-time. So the devil's plan is to distract me. He wants me to focus on anything/anyone other than Jesus. But God taught me that I can't love with my eyes on anything or anyone other than Him. I can't love with my eyes on the world (leads to discouragement, confusion, worry and people-pleasing) and I can't love with my eyes on myself (self-pity and false humility). So yeah Love is not selfish (1 Corinthians 13).

Love needs Vision

The song below is how I felt for most of the winter quarter (Cool fact: The singer was in my high school in Kenya! She was the leader of the dance team in our Christian Union. Now she's all famous and shining for the Lord :) The main form of opposition (barrier to love; barrier to be) I faced was brought on by cultural differences.

*On the giving end: Through a class I was taking, God showed me how I had developed social anxiety disorder (social phobia)- it started in high school in Kenya then it intensified in America. This was brought on by cultural differences- not just cultural differences between ethnicities but mostly between kingdoms (the culture of God's Kingdom vs. the culture of the world.*1 Peter*). So yeah I had to let go of my fears and insecurities if I was going to let love flow through me. Jesus told me to love like He did "with arms wide open and a heart exposed sometimes bleeding" (also a song by Misty Edwards) -to love whether or not it hurts, whether or not I'm understood. He told me not to take rejection personally and to let Him be my defense, my everything (Matthew 5:1-12).

*On the receiving end: Love is not selfish so you can't love cross-culturally with your eyes on yourself (your own cultural lens). Love needs vision. You can't love someone if you don't see them. To be unseen is to be unloved. A topic for another day lol. Other things I learnt that I'll address later: the difference between waiting and procrastinating lol.

I ran into this song at the end of the quarter and it's prophetic (spoke perfectly into my situation and what God had been teaching me). God was growing my roots (faith. being grounded in Him alone). He was reminding me my true identity and security which can only be found in Him so that meant weeding out false identities and insecurities. He reminded me that He is my loving Father and Shepherd and all I need. He is the One who sees me (always) hence fully knows me and fully loves me =)

You can check out my facebook album for the picture summary of my quarter: Winter '12.

Hosea 10:12

"Sow righteousness for yourselves,

reap the fruit of unfailing love,

and break up your unplowed ground;

for it is time to seek the LORD,

until He comes

and showers his righteousness on you."

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Practicals:

1. Sow righteousness for yourselves- Don't wait around for someone to "feed you." Yes be in community but remember that there is no substitute for seeking God for yourself in the secret place (you and Him). Please read your Bible for yourself and ask God for wisdom. Pray: "Open my eyes that I may see wonderful things in your law." (Psalm 119:18) He makes reading the Bible fun :) Haven't done this in a while? You can start with a Psalm a day. And you can get tips/resources/discipleship from your spiritual leaders.

2. Break up your unplowed ground- Also don't wait for someone to call you out. Surrender your all to God and pray this prayer in this post: Search me. Test me. Lead me. We need to surrender our insecurities and all our burdens to God so that we can love. And let's also Fast-it really helps you tune into what God is saying better (from my experience. Post: Fall Fast)

3. Seek God- No time to seek God? LIE! lol. We have time for facebook, movies, video games, and other forms of entertainment. Also, do you have time to be discouraged, angry, confused, sad, depressed, disappointed, hopeless, complain-y? Then you definitely have time to seek God, those are the times that you should seek Him even more for His peace, strength and Wisdom :)

4. Love- To love you need vision. You need to see people where they are at. That entails displacing yourself. That entails letting them lead you into their life. Yeah just fix your eyes on Jesus and He'll teach you what love is and how to love. He will give you vision. You should check out the songs I posted here: LOVE ME :) especially the last one "Arms Wide Open" by Misty Edwards.

Let's do our part. Let's seek Him. He'll do His part. He'll come. He'll rain down His Love =)

"May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The one who calls you is faithful and he will do it." (1 Thessalonians 5: 23-24) =)

*Special thanks to ivhop (IV House of Prayer). I was discouraged a lot throughout the quarter so I went there for their prayer and prophecy (words of encouragement from God) on Monday nights anytime between 7-10pm. Wanna check it out? Let me know and I'll go with you :)

The Source & Goal of Knowledge

{Last Course in the series: Reforming Education, Reforming America: Practicals}

Addressing the spiritual issues should be the first part of the renewal process because that is the root of true and lasting change. Many attempts to reform education take an external approach by trying to find new methods that would work better but I agree with Palmer that, “To find new ways of transmitting knowledge, we must find a new knowledge. To find a better medium we must find a better message.” (Palmer 30) I also agree with Palmer’s conviction that a knowledge inspired by love and striving for truth is what will bring lasting transformation to conventional education.

So, what is this spiritual renewal about? And why is it so necessary?

It is about being re-united with our God-given spiritual side that we have neglected, re-united with each other and the world we live in. We need to turn from our materialistic ways and focus on what matters most. Yes we need to focus on the true source of knowledge, the Creator, God. And we need to be reunited with the true goal of knowledge and Wisdom which is love. To love God, and to love each other as we love ourselves. To love communally.

Personally, I was brought up in a Christian family but I still had to search my spirit and decide for myself where to place my faith. I asked myself those questions hard questions “Is there an almighty Creator who has a plan and purpose for his creation or is it just by chance that all life exists? What is the reason for my existence? What is the purpose of my life? Is it just to go to school, get a good job, buy a house, start a family then die? Or is there more to life than that? What impact have I made on those around me?...” I think through asking ourselves such tough questions and searching for the answers we will all find the best place to rest our faith, much better than material things, better than science, better than ourselves, which all fail to satisfy. (Read more about my story: The Bubble)

Who is this God of Wisdom and Love?

Like I said before, He is the Source and Goal of Wisdom.

"The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding." (Proverbs 9:10)

...After I answered those questions for myself, this is the reason why I am still a Christian (follower of Jesus). Because He is the Source and Goal of Truth. Truth is a person. So to seek Truth is to be in a relationship with the Truth (God). That's why without a shadow of a doubt, I know. It's one thing to know of someone (facts about someone) and it's another to actually have a relationship with someone. Truth is known personally. God is personal but He is not private. The goal of Truth is not individualistic, it is relational, communal. God and ourselves and others.

Who is this Jesus Christ?

"Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. For the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength." (1 Corithians 1: 24a-25)

"The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth." (John 1:14)

Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." (John 14:6)

What's His purpose?

"No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son, who is himself God and is in closest relationship with the Father, has made him known." (John 1:18)

"Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel." (Isaiah 7:14)

-> Immanuel means God with us. God the Father sent Jesus (means Savior) to make Himself known to us (the source and goal of knowledge). He became flesh and dwelled among us so that we can relate with Him. He came to fill the gap and in doing so He came to overcome the enslaving systems we had bought into, He came to set us free from this world that has messed us up and that we have contributed to the mess as well. Freedom isn't free. He paid the price (He died on a cross) so that we can have freedom and He also rose from the grave (defeated death). To know Him as we are known.

So now the choice is ours. Will we accept this freedom or not? Will we seek this Wisdom, this Truth, this Jesus, this God? And when we find Him will we allow Him to transform us, to love us? That's what His love does. Will we then allow this transforming love to spread through us to others?

The choice is yours.

Blessed are those who find wisdom,

those who gain understanding,

for she is more profitable than silver

and yields better returns than gold.

She is more precious than rubies;

nothing you desire can compare with her.

Long life is in her right hand;

in her left hand are riches and honor.

Her ways are pleasant ways,

and all her paths are peace.

She is a tree of life to those who take hold of her;

those who hold her fast will be blessed.

(Proverbs 3: 13-18)

"Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you." - Jesus :) (Matthew 7:7)

"Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me." -Jesus :) (Revelation 3:20)

"You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart." -God :) (Jeremiah 29:13)

Seek the LORD while he may be found;

call on him while he is near.

Let the wicked forsake their ways

and the unrighteous their thoughts.

Let them turn to the LORD, and he will have mercy on them,

and to our God, for he will freely pardon.

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts,

neither are your ways my ways,”

declares the LORD.

“As the heavens are higher than the earth,

so are my ways higher than your ways

and my thoughts than your thoughts.

(Isaiah 55:6-9)

So that's the conclusion. ALL WE NEED IS LOVE. Take it from this professor, he used to be atheist before he died but he came back to life and shared his encounter. Check it out.

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(This was the last main course of the series but I'll have more "side dishes" in the future based on the information I've shared so far)

Feel free to share comments or questions =)