BLOG #100...The Perfect Storm

Post # 100
Wow has life been fast, full and furious lately. This last weekend, Friday through Sunday, we held an all day, all night 24/7 house of prayer at the old pink house next door to our's. All I can say is AWESOME! Our community, the Lisboa Matrix, joined up with Christian Surfer's Portugal, and Young Life Portugal to host the event. It was an amazingly powerful weekend. The Spirit of the Living God filled the house to over flowing and the people were packed into the living room area during our three different community worship times. It was really incredable. In between the nights of worship music, there were cool quiet times where people were able to connect on the heart level, flop on the pillows and cushions in the living room and chill. There was also plenty of praying going on in the 24/7 prayer room up stairs. With paints, chalk, crayons, hearts and tears poured out on the walls that were covered with paper. I would post some pictures, but my computer can't handle all the digital information right now. (Every time I try to down load them my machine crashes) Anyhow there were a number of people from all three communites there that felt we need to pursue this house as an actual ministry center. It's very much the heart of the 'Blue House' idea, if you've heard me talk about the 'Blue House', except this one is pink. I was poured out, but filled up by the end of the weekend. So you can pray with us as we move towards how this will develop.
We have also been hosting the Graf family at our house as they search for a house/ministry center here in the Lisbon area. It's been a crazy, wild, fun time having their 6, plus our 4, plus a small cat and a large black lab all living under the same roof. We are benefiting from the wonderful cooking of lovly Laina. And the visiting with them has been wonderful. Yesterday their kids visited the Corner Stone Academy and spent the day going to school there, checking out their new school. They intergrated into the student community great. It felt as if they had been their all along. The Graf kids will make a beautiful additon to CSA.
Also we have been really enjoying the sun again. We can actually dry laundry out on the line again, instead of putting it Noah's room with a dehumidifier to dry it out. We took the Graf boys to the beach the other day and Noah and Kelton spent the afternoon jumping off the pier into the ocean. Oh thank you Jesus for friends for Noah. He is having a great time.
Next week we've got a million Christian Associates International staff flying into the Lisbon area for the annual leadership summit and on the 3rd of March Dave Hall our missions pastor from EFCC in California will be coming into town and staying for a few days. And then...who knows. If there is anything else going on that I should be telling you about, right now I just can't remember it. Stay tuned to this Bat channel for more Bat information, and Be Blessed 24/7

The Pink House Next Door

This picture is two years old and doesn't really show the pink house next door very well, but it's the only picture have in my file right now. The reason I wanted to show you this house is because this house is where we are going to have our weekend of prayer this weekend. Instead of a 24/7 prayer room we are going to have a 24/7 House of Prayer. The house will have a prayer room, a worship living room, art rooms, and be open all weekend to anyone who wants to check it out.
So I have a request, will you please pray for this house and our community this weekend? We are not only going to be doing this House of Prayer, but we are also having a ton of leadership from our mission coming into town, plus we will have a couple from the USA coming to look at our community and the school to see if they might want to come teach and be a part of our team. Oh and did I mention that we have all the normal school, house, church planting stuff to do in the midst of all of this? AHHHHHH!
But let me say this, even with the big AHHHHHH!, I am expectant of what God will do in the midst of all this. There is something bubbling here and it is filled with the Holy Spirit. There is movement and I believe I am blessed to be a part of it. So please pray for us and with us, and Be Blessed

My Strength has been Faithened

I know, where the heck have I been. Well I have been here, but I've barely been keeping my nose above water for the last month. It seems like this life is never going to just stabilize. In a way I'm really glad about that because something in me hates the same old same old. But on the other hand it would be nice to figure out how thing are going to function so I could get a little rhythm going. I am hoping that we have hit a period of smoother sailing for a period of time.

This last month has been a time of being in the refiners fire. And baby did He have that thing kicked up to full blast. There were a couple of times I was sure I was just going to be completely melted away. It was intense. Having come out of the other side of it I can say my strength has been faithened. (That was a type-o but I'm gonna keep it like that because I like it.)

Here's a few thoughts I had after I cooled down:
1. I'm a mess. (I thought by 40 I would have it together.)
2. So I'm a mess, I like me.
3. Other people like too.
4. Other people don't have to like me. (But it's OK if they do.)
5. I am stronger than that stupid lying little voice in my head.
6. God is better at being faithful that I am. (Thank God)
7. Why am I amazed when prayer works?
8. Cooking's an artistic outlet and can be fun. (Does that seem random in this list? It's not for me)
9. It's one thing to know there will be trials and another to live them out.
10. Life is the whole pie, not just a slice.

So I'm back blogging (Thanks Mo and Wit) and maybe your there, or maybe not, but what ever the case, I'm going to keep on keeping on. I am going to stick my face in the pie of life and continue to be some kind of mess until He perfect me. (And you can shut-up little nasty voice that's trying to keep me from sticking my whole face in!)
Enjoy the journey, Be Blessed and get some Key Lime up your nose.