Open Doors Education/Training As I wrote in our previous update, we felt moving into our friend's house was an open door we couldn't refuse.  It has been a great decision. Another door that opened wide was for me (Tammy).  Coincidentally less then 30 minutes away is the headquarters for a prestigious and well renown pilates academy.  I have thoroughly appreciated pilates in the midst of my dance training over the years and have been looking into Pilates Instructor training for roughly a year now.  A course started near downtown LA that worked perfectly with our upcoming travel dates.  Then a location I could do my training hours turned out to be a pilates studio that I had already been attending since we arrived to LA, not to mention the nearby headquarters.  Was all this a coincidence?  Or yet another open door begging to be walked through! 72 hours of lecture + X amount of hours of study + 500 of practical hours = I will be aBASI trained pilates instructor.   Ministry Another open door has come in the form of a Ministry opportunity/offer from our dear friend, director Maria Jackson of HeartBridge.  I will not go into the details but would like to ask for you to join us in prayer while we decide about several amazing roles we are considering taking on with YWAM and HeartBridge.

Three Things Not To Forget Today I was reminded.  Reminded not only for the sake of being reminded, but also because these are all things that are absolutely vital for us right now here in L.A.  So as I prepared our newsletter today, I had an "inkling" that maybe you too could use the encouragement from these reminders. The Vision of the Lord In the past the Lord has spoken to me, nudged me to ask and intercede for certain things, people, places. He has nudged me in certain directions.  I believe this is true for all of us.  We all have felt that nudging, whether it has been a little "inkling" or more like an unmistakable billboard in yo' face!  He gives us vision, drive, and direction.  He is not a dictator forcing us into a certain direction, but He is a good Father who has good gifts in store for each of us - not forgetting that there will be difficulty and strengthening in the midst of those good gifts.   It is not something we have to beg Him for or try to create on our own strength.  Instead it is direction he has sewn into the fiber of our beings to be fulfilled by us.  It excites Him just as much as it excites us when we are in the wondrous stages of discovering the gifts and the mature stages of finding stride in our calling.  Don't forget the visions and the nudges He has pressed upon your heart in your past, because they were meant to fuel the journey of your future. The Provision of the Lord In 2005 I was just getting my bearings as an 18 year old "living on my own" as a full-time missionary in Kona, Hawaii.  I had staff fee's due each month that covered housing and food.  I had no source of income and my savings was spent on the missions training school before becoming a staff member.  Some months I would get donations, some months my awesome parents would help out their "independent" daughter.  (Keep in mind online banking in 2005 was a thing of the future.)  I will never forget one month I was clueless where my monthly support was coming from or how much money I had in the bank at that moment.  Regardless, I faithfully went to the ATM to pull out my staff fee that was due.  It was all there.  The exact amount I needed.  Maybe it was a mom-intervention that she never told me about...or maybe it was God.  Either way, in my mind, it was God.  Don't forget the moments of provision big or small!  In the midst of our changing circumstances and fluctuating needs, He is an unchanging God who will continue to be: Jehovah Jireh: Provider. The Collaboration of the Lord Ironically, I think that it was while I was a kid that I best understood this idea that there was a One True God who was/is a Master Creator, and this Master Creator wanted to create with little-o-me!  All those scribbles, out-of-the-line colorings, chalk all over my face, the road, a paper that resembled something...what?  No one knew, but it resembled something!  In my mind it was a master piece, and obviously one God would be framing on His wall.  In some ways I think "Man!  How naive or prideful or stupid or..."  But NO!  How amazing it is to have child like faith and know the truth, even if it is messy.  The truth that there is a Master Creator who we must have reverence for, but who extends to us an invitation to enter His Kingdom like a child and bring it/create it here on earth together with Him. How can we color outside the lines here in L.A.? Co-creating with the Lord is a very real expedition for us, one that we need His vision and His provision for.  We are so excited for our move-in date: November 1st.  To move into our Work/Live apartment, a space in the middle of the Artsy area of L.A., a space we are saying "God, this space is Yours, do what you want."

Be encouraged!

...A Time To Give Up.

( CLICK ON THE YOUTUBE VIDEO ABOVE TO JOIN IN AND WATCH OUR DRIVE XCOUNTRY!  )

...A Time to Give Up We are three weeks away from needing to move into an apartment we actually, currently can't afford.  We have a car whose dashboard has been lit up like a Christmas tree since mid-trip across country.  We have no promise of jobs here in Los Angeles, and honestly feel under equipped for most work outside of missions/ministry. To be very honest: every time we relocate it's as if I go through the same motions.  Dance One - is full of excitement, wonder-lust, and hope-filled.  Dance Two - is called the "Arrival": full of movement that communicates a searching, a looking, a hoping.  Then enters the Third Dance.  Which I would artistically call something like: "Faith Fettered".  It's the third dance that gives in and listens to all the doubts, "Did God really say...?"  "Maybe He has abandoned you..."  It's the time when I do the disservice to the Lord and I place all His clear words, faithfulness, the gifts and support of family and friends in a box marked: "Distant Past" (mentally I know this is not  truth, but the emotions can be tragically dissuasive).  I become so tempted to lock away the promises, the vision, the faith, and become ungrateful.  I'm reminded of the wise teacher who could have written endless books with instructions, including: "There is a time for everything, a season for every activity under the heavens: ...A time to search and a time to give up." (Ecclesiastes 3) Thankfully I'm stubborn.  No, really, I'm very stubborn when I set my mind to something.  Especially when I feel it's under the conviction of the Lord, I become quite stubborn to"Never give up, never surrender!!!".  (Ask my parents...ask my brother...ask my husband!) Thankfully I serve a God who when I am faithless, He remains Faithful beause He cannot deny who He is. (2 Timothy 2:13) Thankfully I am not alone. I have a husband - who regardless of my emotional and spiritual hills, he can be an anchor (and vice versa). Thankfully I have supporters who not only give monthly to our journey, but supporters who have us on their weekly prayer lists!  And you! Who keep us close to your heart and thoughts by receiving this weekly update. Thankfully we have a place to stay in the midst of the waters settling, with our friend Jordan who has been so generous in sharing his house, food, and support! Thankfully we have parents who are prayer warriors and advocates for their crazy kids. Thankfully we are learning deeper things of the Lord than we would ever learn apart from testing and trials.

Highlights A Handy Resource When I did my Biblical Studies course with YWAM in 2006, we studied through Daniel but we didn't have a teaching on that book like we did the other books.  I was thankful this past week when I found a teaching series by Mike Bickle on the book of Daniel.  Click on the picture above to go to the teachings of Daniel for yourself, or go tohttp://www.ihopkc.org/resources/ for other various teachings from the International House of Prayer. Andreas' 30th Birthday On October 2nd, we had a quiet day of celebrating.  Met a friend for lunch, saw a movie and had dinner.  The highlight was Andreas nearly in tears because of the gift and thoughts from his friends and family in Norway who put money together to purchase him a new phone, as Andreas' phone is dying.  Not just any new phone, but an iPhone 6!  Thank you to my parents as well as our family and friends in Norway! ( Email me to find out how to give to The2Lock's! )

Los Angeles Expanding There is a weightiness as we enter this new season.  I hesitate to say new, because I don't feel the old has passed away...completely.  Of course there is change, however there is especially a sense of expanding.  Taking a piece from every place we've walked through with us from both of our histories growing up in Virginia and Haugesund, Norway.  To missions through Hawaii to the Nations.  To sharpening tools and perspective in Brooklyn, New York.  To discipling and equipping other young people who came to Hawaii to share the gospel through the arts.  To observing an established dance company do ministry in Houston, Texas. As we expand our location, our experiences, we are forced to expand our FAITH. According to CNN's Cost of Living Calculator Los Angeles, California's Cost of Living compared to Houston, Texas there is an 85% increase in LA.  Groceries are a 26% increase and Utilities are a 10% increase, and our faith levels - not calculated by CNN - must be a 100% increase.  Plans? We know we will take classes at local studios. We have aspirations to network with local artist-believers. We are certain we will spend time establishing a prayer space for artists. We have plans to choreograph & produce more ourselves. We think we will do some additional training, study in other areas (TBD). ...Other than that we have some serious strategizing to do of how to fund this all.

Highlights

Where are you living? This is our friend Jordan.  In 2005 I staffed his DTS, and in 2006 we staffed the same DTS.  Then he returned back to his hometown LA, where he has continued in his music career.  In fact the night after we arrived to LA he was hosting a concert at his home as a part of singer/songwriter Charmaine's Living Room Tour, he was not only the host but also the opener for the concert.  He is also so gracious to host us as we get settled here in LA.

My House : A House of Prayer No really.  We want the space we move into to be a House of Prayer for the nations (Isaiah 56:6-8).  We have put down a holding deposit on a work/live studio apartment in North Hollywood (pictured above), with HOPE to move into it in November - as we still have financial preparations to make this move in possible.  We want this SPACE to be our prayer closet to dance, worship, and intercede in, but also would like to open it up to other artist-believers in LA to have SPACE to worship, pray, intercede, create.

Vision Statement: Lead by the wisdom of the Lord, my desire is to see the Kingdom of Heaven released and moving on earth in a radical, relevant, supernatural way, through the performing arts and through performing artists who choose excellence in their relationship with God and excellence in the skills God has given them.

Always Have Enough

"You will always have enough, you won't always have plenty."

Sweat drips down his forehead as he prays this vital final prayer before they lead him off to his quickly dealt death-penalty sentence.  Not a man who has lead a criminal lifestyle, but just the opposite - the only innocent & righteous man who has walked the earth.  The One who is, who was, and will set things into proper alignment:  The Man of the hour: Jesus.

What was this vital prayer He had to get out of his mouth before being taken away?  I mean if it were ME, and I was the only innocent & righteous person on earth, and it was nearing my last few moments as a free person on earth...  Sorry my friends but I doubt that my prayer would be consumed with asking God to bring greater unity with you & me!

However looking over the final few sentences of his prayer, those were His words!  (Jn 17)
"I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity."
"...in order that the love you have for me may be in them...I myself in them."

What?!

How about something more like,
"Tear open those heavens, come down here, and take me up!"
 Yeah I would've been asking God to save the one righteous person - which was only Jesus - and all those unrighteous - forgetta 'bout it.  The typical prayer of a human: it's all about me!

This morning when I woke up I felt a small nudge from the Lord saying,

"You will always have enough, you won't always have plenty."

On the upside, it doesn't say "you will never have plenty"...just not always......But, OK first of all, a true Christian would right away thank God for saying that they would always have enough....not what what I did.  (Note sarcasm here): Oh, get ready for my response.  It is pretty profound, most humans only start asking these type of questions when they hit two-years of age.  Oh, and obviously with me being so righteous my reply is, "But why can't I always have plenty?" 

And with such a mature reply from me, God met me at where I am at.  The next thing I hear is the Rolling Stones:
"You can't always get want, you can't always get what you want, you can't always get what you want...you get what you need."

In which I laughed, and thought OK....touché.

So for what purpose is it that God won't always give us more than enough, always running over from the start?

I think of all the good I could do for God - of course ;) :-P   Why wouldn't he just give me exceedingly bountiful resources and STUFF.

There in lies the problem.  Stuff is stuff.  In the end it does nothing for you.  Stuff is not the purpose of your existence.  The purpose was for relationship, with the only Way (Jn 14:6) to be complete, satisfied, filled, and running over inside to the outside.  Part of the answer: we have to learn to be filled by Him to therefore desire HIM.  Desire Him more than all the stuff, because walking in Unity with the Lord is the only way to truly be fulfilled.  If we don't learn this we will never actually be satisfied, because once you feel that fulfilling of Him in you, you will be wrecked and desire more of Him, you will realize that actually nothing else satisfies.  If He didn't teach us this - that nothing else satisfies - if instead He always just gave us an overflow of stuff, we wouldn't learn until a very late age that HE IS ALL THAT SATISFIES.  If He didn't teach us this - to the One's He loves - that wouldn't be love at all...that would actually be truly with-holding.

Just to flip the whole question on the head: NOT with-holding this vital lesson is not with-holding at all!
Let me say it again: NOT with-holding this vital lesson, is not with-holding at all!

In other words God is actually doing the opposite of with-holding and giving us much more by teaching us to depend on him for our daily needs (Matt. 6:11), then if He would just give us the years supply or the lifetime supply of stuff.  It's so vital that with the last prayer He prays out, Jesus is asking for UNITY with us, that's His heart's cry: our TRUE fulfillment.  Walking in step with him, walking in relationship with Him, a two way dialogue, a step with with Him and step from you.  It is vital to our true fulfillment, not whether or not we have enough money to get Starbucks today or for the year or for a lifetime....that is not so vital.

Taking it deeper:
John 17 - Jesus' prayer for unity
Eccl 4 - A three threaded cord not easily broken
Genesis 1-3 - God creates man
Rolling Stones : You Can't Always Get What You Want :

Hillsong : This Is The Air I Breath :

XCountry: week FIVE

XCountry: week FIVE

Story Time

As we drove through the deserts of this country, we listened to Mike Bickle sharing about the richness and abundance of the Lord. We were blessed, encouraged, and challenged by this particular story Mike shares in his series about Encountering Jesus during IHOPKC's history.

Here's the story:
THE MULTIPLICATION OF $550
"You know, I love to tell this story. I was about twenty-six to twenty-seven years old, and there was a woman who was in real need. She needed this huge amount—$550, but I think our salary was $2,000 or $3,000 a month. I mean it was pretty small; so for us $550 was a huge amount. We were making $2,000-$3,000 a month. I don’t really remember the exact amount, but I know she needed about $550. And I said, “I’ll give you the money,” even though we could not afford it.

So what happened was, a day or two later, I was at the church service on the front row. A guy came up to me. He put his arm around me as they were worshiping and said, “The Lord told me to give this to you.”

I said, “What?” He put this money in my pocket. I looked at it; it was exactly $550 dollars: not 540 exactly—$550.

I said, “Lord, this is so intense because if it would have been $570, I would have been disappointed.” It was exactly the right amount, and it was this wink from heaven.

So I was sitting there. I was so happy. I said, “You know that I know that You know that I know. Oh, this is so cool. Your eyes are on me.” It wasn’t the money; His eyes are watching.

So then we had a ministry time, and I went to pray for someone.
I said, “What is the deal?”
He said, “Oh, I am in crisis.”
I said, “What?”
He said, “It’s financial.”
I said, “What happened?”
He said, “Well, today I need $550, and there’s no way I can obtain it.”
I said, “Oh! I know how to do that. I know a way.” I put my hand in my pocket. I said, “Here
      it is.”
He said, “You have $550 in your pocket?”
I said, “Yes. Here.” It was the exact amount.
He asked, “It is rolled up exactly in the right amount? Do you package your money in
     550s?”

Well, I was back to minus $550. It was fun, though. When I was walking out the door, a guy came and stopped me.
He said, “Hi. Mike. I cannot believe you are still here. The Lord told me to give you money.
       Here it is — $550! I know that is a strange amount.”
I said, “Unbelievable.” I looked at Him [pointing to heaven] and I said, “Oh. I love you, but I love Him more.”

(listen to it, download it, or read the full script here: http://mikebickle.org/resources/resource/1647?return_url=http%3A%2F%2Fmikebickle.org%2Fresources%2Fseries%2F38
He tells this story around minute 36)

In Summary:

If you missed any previous updates from XCountry you can see them here:
- XCountry: week ONE - Virginia to Tennessee - Blasted By His Faithfulness
- XCountry: week TWO - Kentucky to Michigan - Seek The Lord
- XCountry: week THREE - Missouri to Kansas - Who Knew!?
- XCountry: week FOUR - Kansas to Utah - Grace & Truth

XCountry: week FOUR

 

XCountry: week FOUR

Grace & Truth

We can't completely stand on the side of the river with our fingers in our ears stubbornly pretending like nothing is happening and ignore the hot topics being addressed today.  Yet we can't jump in any boat and float down the river with someone, just because that boat looked so comfortable and kind.

We were surprised and grateful when we found that Speaker and Radio Host Dr. Michael L. Brown would be teaching the last three days of our visit at IHOP (International House of Prayer).  Call us crazy, but we enjoy our fingers out of our ears and not just jumping in the "coziest" boat that comes along the river.  We like to hear the discussion, hear from "elders" (people who have gone before us or have done more in depth research then us), and most importantly hear from the Lord.

We were also very impressed by Dr. Michael Brown's raw commitment and proclamation to Biblical Truth, as well as his genuine care and compassion for people.  Sharing how there have been many a time he has listened to someone share their story and be in tears over their struggle.

The Hot Topics that Dr. Michael Brown spoke on:
- Cessationism or Charismania
- Should Christians Be Zionist?
- Debate: Monster God or Monster Man
- Hyper-Grace
- Can You Be Gay and a Christian?
- Mordechai Will Not Bow (challenge to the church)
- Write the Vision Down (challenge to the church)



Dr. Brown was sharing/reminding us how when Jesus came, he came with absolute Grace and absolute Truth.  His Grace does not compromise the fullness  of Truth, and his Truth is still operating out of His perfect Grace.  There is no compromise on the Word of the Lord while there is a heart of Love that should compel us.  We should be compelled to bring people into God's Truth, because when walking in a life of Truth by His Grace it is so freeing!  During his talk on "Can You Be Gay and A Christian?", I liked his quote when sharing about Grace & Truth, he said, "We must have hearts of compassion, yet backbones of steel."

If any of the above topics leap out to you - as they are all hot topics today - I would highly recommend listening to them on the website.  I would especially recommend: "Can You Be Gay and a Christian?" & "Mordecai Will Not Bow"

Listen free here: www.ihopkc.org/resources/asset/2014_09_12_1800_MSG_FCF/auto/true/

Status Update:

 

                 

We are so GRATEFUL for each person that made our 8 night stop at Kansas City International House of Prayer possible!  The number we felt to ask for with the Lord, we saw every dollar come in!  Thank you for partnering with us.