Sunday Sixteen Freewrite

Freedom through freewriting. I think there is a measure of truth in this statement. Sometimes, that is what I start off my morning with before I spend time with God. When I freewrite, I examine my life. 

The Upper Room, Broadway Commons, Salem, OR

Today, I wanted to type out some of the things that I learned during my Upper Room prayer time up in Salem. It was good to take Shannon and Nancy. It was our "field trip" from our Celebration of Discipline cohort.

So, some things I jotted down. 

Right off the bat, God brought this poem up again:

"Though my soul may set in darkness 

it will rise in perfect light 

I have loved the stars too fondly 

to be fearful of the night."

Sarah Williams (1837-1868)"The Old Astronomers"

God reminded me of this poem that He dropped in my lap at the Pastor's Prayer Summit in February of 2015. Back then, He was alluring me into a life free of fear, and Friday's reminder was that He had fulfilled that promise. My identity name is "Boldly Beloved," and prior to that point, it had been something I had to remind myself to do. Now, I feel like I am living in it. I am abiding in Him, and the fruit of that is living out my true identity. Freedom from fear is a beautiful thing.

Then, He reminded me of a promise in Daniel 12:3:

Those who are wise will shine brightly like the brightness of the expanse of heaven, and those who lead the many to righteousness like the stars forever and ever.

(Here is a an illustration of this that I cannot repost: http://www.heartlight.org/gallery/1241.html)




I guess I have not received that verse in the past because He gave it to me back in the early 80's. I knew I had a long way to go before I would be one with "wisdom," and I did not want to be a bright and shining star. But I received it fully on Friday. 

It goes along with the "SWAP SIXTEEN" for this year. SWAP stands for Strength, Wisdom, Authority, and Power. He gave me those words on New Year's Eve day, and I didn't flinch. I think those words, in the past, have been scary ones for me. They could bring on arrogance. I am not one to assign those words to myself, but I am one to assign them to God. And that is who we are glorifying here. It is HIS strength, HIS wisdom, HIS authority, His power. That makes those words palatable for me now. Who I am to reject them if God has given them to me? I don't anticipate I will go all Jim Jones on anyone as a results of having those words for 2016. :) 

He also talked about my "Season of Shalom." Best decision to leave my old church. Now, no politics, no drama. I was not the source of it because if I were, I would have brought the drama with me. None came with me. It was there, not in me. Thus why there has been peace. The two times in the last ten years where there was drama, it was a quick disengagement from the two families that were the source of it (with one woman being the center of it in both families) and peace was restored, while those people continued to have drama in their life. I thanked God so much for this season of peace, and He gave me more peace saying, "Blessed are the makers of peace." He reiterated that I was to keep the makers of "crazy at bay" and "stay away and at bay!" He has too much for me to do that I cannot have these kinds of crazy people in my life as much as I feel empathy and compassion for them. I cannot be lured in by them. He is the one "alluring" me, not those people. (Usually they are needy and want me to help them. Then they get me involved with their crazy.)

*I have reached my 16 minute limit on this freewrite, but I am going to keep on going.

There was a worker breaking up concrete in a parking lot across the street from the Upper Room. It could have been distracting because it was loud, but God said, "I am breaking up the fallow ground." Then God reminded me of the vision that Stacy got for me while we were praying for her. Our steps were going over places in a certain part of the world and greenery was growing up under our feet, and we were pulling people out of a pit. This was reiterated by one of the girls in our ministry who had the same vision (and didn't know about Stacy's). 

God indicated there were a few more laborers to train. I asked Him to drop them in our lap. Then, I got an email from Jordan when I was done from our Upper Room time with an indication that maybe this was a possibility for a person. 

I am praying that He will drop them because I certainly do NOT want to spend a bunch of time recruiting!

God told me to tell Nathan I am also not much into debating about theological things. I did it, and he wrote back that this is exactly what women need to hear! LOL! 

I heard SLOW TOAG. 

Storytelling and Simple Steps
Listen to God, each other, friends
Obey God by acting on what He tell you
Worship and World intercession (as an overflow of our intimacy with Him)

Does that mean slow it down or just have those components? Don't know. 

Then I got some stuff about another PUMP party. 

Then, I asked about this OSU job. Love it but must not stress about grades. Next year? Do not know. 

Also about M(oving more) EL (eating less) Training. I have been OK, but I want to get lower before we go to England so I can eat PUB GRUB with abandon! 

Fear factor turned to Faith Factor for me. Freedom from fear is attainable. 

Then I just felt God saying it will all fit together perfectly, and I could just carry on as usual. I have no fear that He will make it abundantly clear. He will drop it all in our lap in due time. 

Selah!

Final verses:

"The latter glory of this house will be greater than the former," says the LORD of hosts, "and in this place I will give peace," declares the LORD of hosts. (Haggai 1:9)

I do not know what all of that means, but I certainly don't need to right now. In due time, and I am so good with that.