This past week has been one of challenge. With extreme revelation and walking with the Holy Spirit often comes spiritual attack. I moved out of the house I was living in due to marital issues between the couple and the Lord provided another home for me to stay in within a few hours.
My brother Tyler will be flying into Kansas City on Sunday night and from there we will drive for a few days to Seattle, WA. I'll be staying there until the March 21st when I'll be going to Chico, CA for my good friend Liz's wedding. I'm looking forward to living in Seattle and beginning to put into practice all the new things I've learned. I think that this time will be a perfect place to make serious life style changes. Please keep me in your prayers.
Friday, February 27, 2009
Sunday, February 22, 2009
Thank you to everyone who is praying for me. Your prayers are being answered in many ways. This week has been one of break through in my life. Only by God's grace has He unlocked some serious revelation that will forever change my life and walk with Him.
My previous life style was lived according to Christ and the world. I have the power to live my life anyway I choose (that is the blessing and curse of our free will). I want to live my life fully for Christ...no matter how foolish that may look to people of the world.
It is my hope that you see dramatic changes in my life style as we encounter each other. Please hold me accountable if you see no change in me...ask me, "Ali, you seem the same...didn't you say in your blog that some things were going to change in your life? Why aren't I seeing any changes?" :) (I'm smiling as I say this because I know it sounds silly but I'm okay with that.)
A couple points of revelation I'll share:
*The key to worshipping freely: (this will sound silly also) FOCUS ON JESUS. and then do whatever comes to you through that. When I focus on Jesus, him alone, everything else disappears and I'm captivated. My outward expression could be kneeling, hands folded, jumping, hands out streched, dancing, etc etc etc....but the outward expression is not what is important in worship (though it is freeing to be free do whatever the Lord prompts). The important thing in worship is focusing on the one true God...the three in one, the one in three, our magnificant King. O how I love Him!
*Singing truths of the Bible to God and then Singing them over You: Ok, this one I didn't believe until I praticed it and was amazed at what happened. Sing to God a truth, "God you are wonderful, you love truth, I delight in you." Then...using your name...sing as if you are God, "Ali, I delight in you, you are wonderful to me, you love truth also. Keep seeking me...you will find me. I love it when you search after me." Then singing back to God, "la la la>" And just keep it going. THIS is transforming my self talk and is making the voice of God and the enemy so clear in my life.
Unfortunately, I only have 4 more minutes of online time left at Starbucks so that's all I can share today. Thanks for reading. Blessings, please post prayer requests and continue to seek after the pearl of great price.
My previous life style was lived according to Christ and the world. I have the power to live my life anyway I choose (that is the blessing and curse of our free will). I want to live my life fully for Christ...no matter how foolish that may look to people of the world.
It is my hope that you see dramatic changes in my life style as we encounter each other. Please hold me accountable if you see no change in me...ask me, "Ali, you seem the same...didn't you say in your blog that some things were going to change in your life? Why aren't I seeing any changes?" :) (I'm smiling as I say this because I know it sounds silly but I'm okay with that.)
A couple points of revelation I'll share:
*The key to worshipping freely: (this will sound silly also) FOCUS ON JESUS. and then do whatever comes to you through that. When I focus on Jesus, him alone, everything else disappears and I'm captivated. My outward expression could be kneeling, hands folded, jumping, hands out streched, dancing, etc etc etc....but the outward expression is not what is important in worship (though it is freeing to be free do whatever the Lord prompts). The important thing in worship is focusing on the one true God...the three in one, the one in three, our magnificant King. O how I love Him!
*Singing truths of the Bible to God and then Singing them over You: Ok, this one I didn't believe until I praticed it and was amazed at what happened. Sing to God a truth, "God you are wonderful, you love truth, I delight in you." Then...using your name...sing as if you are God, "Ali, I delight in you, you are wonderful to me, you love truth also. Keep seeking me...you will find me. I love it when you search after me." Then singing back to God, "la la la>" And just keep it going. THIS is transforming my self talk and is making the voice of God and the enemy so clear in my life.
Unfortunately, I only have 4 more minutes of online time left at Starbucks so that's all I can share today. Thanks for reading. Blessings, please post prayer requests and continue to seek after the pearl of great price.
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Thursday, February 5, 2009
Communion in the Solitude
My stay at Little Portion Monastery was an experience that changed my relationship with the Lord forever. The experience consisted of deep silence, frequent prayer, work and sweet fellowship.
The first week I was tired, adjusting, learning the life style and had tons of questions unanswered. My assigned seat in the small adoration chapel was the very front seat on the left side (about ten inches from the altar). Praise the Lord that the one man I could see in my peripheral vision was a man eagerly after the heart of God. I watched him pray, I stood when he stood, and kneed and out-stretched my arms when he did...he taught me how to worship in our three daily prayer times, unbeknowst to him.
Working on a farm was also new to me but something that I enjoyed so much! Sister Mary Cathrine allowed me to shadow her much of the time as she took care of some sick chickens, collected eggs from the laying hens, and tended to the vegetables in the green house. She also gave lots of love to the pregnant goats who seemed to love her touch just the same. The last week being at Little Portion she was out of town and gave me the privilege of collecting, cleaning, and packing the eggs! I learned so much from washing egg after egg, tending to the laying hens gently, and doing odd jobs all around the monastery (one of my favorites was sweeping the chapel). Working in the quiet allowed me times to practice awareness of my thoughts and focus on Jesus. He began to show me glimpses of what I long to practice, praying unceasingly.
The Lord wants me to be one who does things purposefully, even the most minute of actions. All tasks, weather huge or small, are meant to be done with care, precision, love, and grace. God sees everything we do and cares about everything we do...From the way we clean dishes, to how we speak or listen to friends, to our attitude towards him in prayer. It doesn't matter if the action is great or small, that is not of importance to Him. What is important is our attitudes, our love, who we are in him when these things happen. Oh, this truth continues to be so profound for me, no matter how many times I come back to it. At Little Portion, since so few things were going on (physically, in my mind, etc), I was able to focus on doing the little things with great grace. Even being gone for five days now I can see how I have lost much awareness in my actions.
I must head off to class now. I hope to update soon and with pictures. Please keep me in your prayers.
The first week I was tired, adjusting, learning the life style and had tons of questions unanswered. My assigned seat in the small adoration chapel was the very front seat on the left side (about ten inches from the altar). Praise the Lord that the one man I could see in my peripheral vision was a man eagerly after the heart of God. I watched him pray, I stood when he stood, and kneed and out-stretched my arms when he did...he taught me how to worship in our three daily prayer times, unbeknowst to him.
Working on a farm was also new to me but something that I enjoyed so much! Sister Mary Cathrine allowed me to shadow her much of the time as she took care of some sick chickens, collected eggs from the laying hens, and tended to the vegetables in the green house. She also gave lots of love to the pregnant goats who seemed to love her touch just the same. The last week being at Little Portion she was out of town and gave me the privilege of collecting, cleaning, and packing the eggs! I learned so much from washing egg after egg, tending to the laying hens gently, and doing odd jobs all around the monastery (one of my favorites was sweeping the chapel). Working in the quiet allowed me times to practice awareness of my thoughts and focus on Jesus. He began to show me glimpses of what I long to practice, praying unceasingly.
The Lord wants me to be one who does things purposefully, even the most minute of actions. All tasks, weather huge or small, are meant to be done with care, precision, love, and grace. God sees everything we do and cares about everything we do...From the way we clean dishes, to how we speak or listen to friends, to our attitude towards him in prayer. It doesn't matter if the action is great or small, that is not of importance to Him. What is important is our attitudes, our love, who we are in him when these things happen. Oh, this truth continues to be so profound for me, no matter how many times I come back to it. At Little Portion, since so few things were going on (physically, in my mind, etc), I was able to focus on doing the little things with great grace. Even being gone for five days now I can see how I have lost much awareness in my actions.
I must head off to class now. I hope to update soon and with pictures. Please keep me in your prayers.
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