PREGNANT:PART II

WHAT WERE THE RESULTS OF THIS PREGNANCY IN THE SPIRIT YOU ASK?

Twelve team members from the Rio Grande Valley and New Braunfels, Texas, obediently rearranged their lives to be available and travel this week, February 17-24.

Four Costa Rican pastors heard and visualized an opportunity, which was enhanced to 14 pastors who planned, worked, prayed, and made this a reality. Oldemar, Oscar, Ronald, and Juan Carlos.

A first joint evangelistic venture for churches in Atenas, Costa Rica. 

The first joint evangelistic meetings in thirty years in the city of Grecia, Costa Rica.

A first-ever public evangelistic meeting in the town of Jesus Maria, Costa Rica.

At four churches, Sunday morning messages were given by Texas pastors.

Hundreds of people responded and were saved, filled in the Holy Spirit, and healed.

Their vision and lives were changed. Blind eyes see, arthritis is gone, lumps and tumors disappeared, many other types of healings; freedom from sin, filling with the power of God.

Our vision and our lives will never be the same.

Only eternity will tell the full story.

Thank you all who prayed, gave your time, money, and talent, and inspired many to come and receive from our Heavenly Father above.

TO GOD BE THE GLORY!!!

WILL YOU? or WON'T YOU?

There are times when I do question who I am hearing from. 

"Is this really you, God? or are these just my own thoughts?"

Nowadays, I just want to test and be sure I am not running ahead of myself, and that I have the all clear with God's blessing.

I wish I could say I always get it right, but just like you, I am walking out this journey and I still am quite human. But I see in history how many examples God has in the Bible for us to see of the consequences of second guessing His plans, so I try to be eager and open to what God opens up before us.

One woman who heard very clearly from God, was the prophet, Deborah. In Judges 4 she is mentioned as one of the judges of Israel. She used to hold court under a palm tree:Deborah's Palm between Ramah and Bethel in the hills of Ephraim.

One day, she received a download from God and an order to deliver to Barak. She sent for him and when he appeared before her, she spoke God's command.

"It has become clear that God, the God of Israel, commands you: Go to Mount Tabor and prepare for battle. Take ten companies of soldiers from Naphtali and Zebulun. I'll take care of getting Sisera, the leader of Jabin's army, to the Kishon River with all his chariots and troops. And I'll make sure you win the battle."(MSG) Judges 4:6,7

Now, Deborah gave him the command from God, but Barak's response was rather off handed and smart aleck. He told the prophet Deborah, that if she would go with him, he would go. But if not, then he would not go.

Deborah's reply, "Of course I'll go with you. But understand that with an attitude like that, there'll be no glory in it for you. God will use a woman's hand to take care of Sisera." (MSG) Judges 4:9,10

 All of Sisera's chariots and troops God routed before Barak as he said he would. Sisera, the Canaanite commander, jumped from his chariot and ran, but entire remainder of the fighting force was killed entirely.

Sisera ran for hiding in the tent of Jael, the wife of Heber. She gave him refreshment and while he slept, she drove a tent peg through his temple and into the ground.

When Barak arrived in pursuit of Sisera, Jael greeted him and showed him the former commander in her tent.

On that day, God subdued Jabin king of Canaan before the People of Israel.

Jael is remembered for the death of the commander to this day, and Barak is remembered for responding with a haughty attitude to a command of God through God's prophet, Deborah.

This story is a huge reminder to me, that with me or without me, God will see his plans through. 

I desire to be a part of his plans and to follow through in humility. I want to hear his voice and respond quickly and obediently. 

I will never know how critical it is to talk with one person. I do not know the influence they hold, or the power they carry. I do not know how God wants to use each situation I am placed in, but He does... so I WILL! Yes, use me Lord! Use me!!!

JUST BREATHE

JUST BREATHE   

 

     The sun shone brightly and I wanted so badly to go outside and play, yet here I was tossing on my bed with a slight breeze stirring the sheer curtains of my room. When it rained or clouded over this ritual was no trial, but today, my active mind and body would not settle down for my nap. I briefly looked through some books to see if that might tire me, but at ten years of age, being quite active, I could not focus on reading for long. If only I could nap a bit, then I would be free to go outside and explore in the nearby wood.

     My family observed resting on the Sabbath. For us, that meant that on Sundays, we went to church, ate fried chicken for lunch, cleaned up and then took a nap. Later we could play outside, or inside play games. In the evening, mom would get a break from food preparation while dad either whipped up his deep dish apple pie, banana splits, or the aroma of popping corn flooded the house with his orange juice and Kool-Aid punch for our evening fare.

     When I married at nineteen and left home, I carried this tradition with me. Napping each Sunday afternoon was my rest for the week. Then after the babies came along, it was a necessity to recharge and have that time free with my husband helping to put the children all down for a rest.

     Yet, when I was in my twenties and a pastor’s wife we attended two services on Sunday. I attended classes at the local college, I worked part-time as a waitress, then I cleaned and baked on Saturdays. I began to feel low on energy. Where was our rest?

     As a single mom in my early thirties, I wrestled with finding my rest as I worked to complete my teaching degree and raise four children. 

     Then one summer my children and I discovered the Sabbath. 

     I worked and studied hard in school while the kids had their favorite teenager, Charlie, short for Charlotte, who played with them, took them for rides, and in between her mom’s swim classes taught in their backyard pool, my children splashed and played until we all converged in the early afternoon.

     On Fridays I packed up a lunch with drinks, straw mats rolled up, towels, changes of clothing, and then with a shirt and shorts pulled over top their swimsuits, my four children scurried down the porch steps and into the waiting car for our day together at South Padre Island, only forty-five minutes away. Freed from studies and chores, our laughter, conversation, and play revived. No budget problems to solve or facts from volumes of textbooks that waited to cram into my mind crowded my thoughts.

     Carefree, I listened to the soothing regularity of the waves. I breathed in deeply fresh air from the constant offshore breezes.

     Here in my sandy cathedral, I would give my confession of my fears and weaknesses. When I encountered this great God who created vast oceans and this Gulf of Mexico my problems shrank in comparison. He put my fears to rest with a sweet peace that could not be manufactured. This was his preliminary answer to my prayers. 

     So much anticipation and joy came from this summer tradition. Sundays were busy with two services, then a big Sunday dinner; but Fridays were holy.

     Once I started teaching, I became exhausted and it dawned on me that I had violated the Sabbath rest that God commanded for my good. I still got a nap in on Sundays, but I neglected to take a total day to gain the rest that my body, soul, and spirit required.

     I asked God what I could do for a Sabbath and he gave me a strategy. I began to take Saturday as my day to restrain from work. I would throw laundry in the washer before school and do loads in the evenings and we would clean during the week, but I read books, went on walks, played tennis, took naps, and enjoyed my family on Saturdays. 

     Now that I am retired, I have a busy schedule with children, grandchildren, my husband, substituting, and volunteer work. But, I take the liberty to rest one day during the week and to just follow the leading of the Holy Spirit.

     Sometimes my nose is in a book, sometimes I share time at lunch with a family member or a friend. I go for a swim. I spend a day with family. Sometimes I browse through photos daydreaming about pleasant memories from the past. I thank God for this command of rest, just to bless me. I contentedly sit and just breathe. 

     

Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy. Exodus 20:8

The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. So the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath. Mark 2:27,28

PREGNANT: Part I

And Yeshua spoke with them and he said to them, “All authority has been given to me in Heaven and in the earth; in the manner in which my Father has sent me, I am sending you.” (Aramaic Bible in Plain English)

(No Mom, I am not pregnant with another child! Six is enough!)

Checking over tickets, schedules, speakers, lodging, menus, wrapping gifts, and connecting with our local Costa Rican pastors to finalize details before our departure for 8 total meetings of ministry in Costa Rica, it hardly seemed possible that I was organizing and figuring what all we could fit in carry-ons and luggage already. It seems just a couple months have passed since we last stepped foot into our Central American destination for a worship conference, men's, pastor's and women's conference this past summer of 2016.

Since June 2016, when James Keller first proposed the possibility of bringing a P.U.S.H. (Pray Until Something Happens) team down to Costa Rica, I have felt like a mother who was in awe as I anticipated the development and the future arrival of my firstborn child. These meetings God was saying to me, are much more than just a date and a word spoken. He had told us through many others who confirmed God's word to us that God was piercing the Heavens over nations and opening the floodgates of his glory on all of the earth. Costa Rica was our assignment, but not to take it lightly.


Much prayer has surrounded these months, preparation, fundraising, taking time off work for all on the team, getting paperwork and documents in order and seeking God about messages and words for this coming venture February 2017.

On the other end, much intercessory prayer, organizations, collaboration among churches, their pastors, musicians, laypeople and our driver on the ground. Miraculous labors of love and cooperation in communities.

We are so thankful for the desire of the expanse of the Kingdom of God that each pastor has had as each prayed and planned with a large vision in their hearts to do great things to see many lives impacted and changed for our wonderful God. He desires that none should perish without knowing the good news that Jesus, the son of God, came to earth to teach us himself all that was important for us to know. He came to pay the price for sin on the earth so that he could redeem us back into our rightful place to take dominion over the earth, rule over evil, and to bring God's glory wherever we go.

The PUSH team came with the blessing of Chuck Pierce, who ordained James Keller and Diana Longwell as ministers accountable to him.

James has a tender heart for all people and a lion's heart for God. There is not much he has not been through in his 35 years of ministry and 50 years of business, Humility though, and a heart that knows that God is always with him is what he carries as his treasures in life.

Diana, who has led worship and intercessory teams for over 35 years is a warrior princess in her own merit. As a former member of her worship team at Abundant Grace, I can say that she walks in purity toward her team and her leadership and taking her team and congregations with her as she worships in spirit and in truth is a rare gifting that does not go to one's head. She discerns God's direction before and during services, she is sensitive to the changes in the atmosphere and runs with it. But, she also allows others to shine when God inspires a drummer, guitarist, or a soloist to play or sing in the spirit.

The musicians- Jesse Adkins on the drums; John Walker on guitar and vocals; Dustin Wilhite on guitar; Selena Solano vocals; Diana Longwell, acoustic guitar and vocals.

Our five ministers who went out Sunday morning to four different locations were:

Eddie Luna, who ministers in prisons in South Texas, went to Jesus Maria; Doug Mears, who ministers in a half-way house and prisons in South Texas, went to a church in Grecia; Donald Williams, who has started 18 churches and pastors in South Texas, went to Grecia; and Jerry Linebarger, evangelist and Christie Krull, blogger and retired teacher, spoke at Atenas.

Part II will follow with a report about the results of this spiritual pregnancy!


INFORMATION ABOUT OUR MINISTRY:
Jerry Linebarger, my husband, a former pastor and now a missionary evangelist, and myself, a retired teacher, blogger, and speaker are known as Mission Costa Rica-TX.