Christmas

So today is Christmas and although I'm in a on the other side of the world from my family I was very blessed to spend it with beautiful people here who are my family here, The Adams clan. I called my parents at midnight here (3pm in Australia) and got to talk to all of my family and to here my neice for the first time (1 1/2 months) although it was only wimpers it still made me cry. Then we all opened up presents and Rob and Heather had even left me a socking packed full of stuff. We had lunch at a chineese buffet and it was the best I had ever had in my life (so many different kinds of chicken which is my favourite food). Then we all slept for a bit (eating a lot can make you tired). Then Phil, Chris and I went to pick up Pooh Bear (a friend of mine) and we all went to see Black Christmas at the movies. Just letting you know, save your money. AVERAGE MOVIE!!!!!! Now we have just got home after dropping Pooh Bear home and I'm looking around this house and am realising how blessed I am to have friends like these guys and with a time that could have been really sad for me here was turned into an awesome day. God is so good

DD's tears

There is this little girl who just moved to this neighbourhood with her Mum and Grandmother. She would have to be only about 2 years old and we call her DD. She is beautiful. All she ever does when she comes over to the community house is hug and plays with my hair (it's weird for her because is soft and is not a fro).

Travis and I were walking by her house to go to see someone and her Grandmother stopped me to ask me a few questions and DD saw me and started to hug me. Eventually I went to go because I still had business to attend to and as I walked off she started to cry and it broke my heart. I almost started to cry.

This arvo I was pondering on it and I started to think how that is like my relationship with God. He is crying out for us all to love him and we are often to busy that our daily bread can be passed as a quick 1 minute prayer. I challenge you all to really eat the word. Actually have a relationship not treating God like he is an acquaintance

I don't want my God to cry any longer

Moving

Over the weekend I moved house. I now live with the other students which share be very interesting. I love them don't get me but I'm intrigued to see how we mesh after spending so much time together. I believe that God will teach me a lot within this process especially. I feel sorry for them really because the will see me grumpy, sleepy, sad, sick and mental (all the fun sides of me)

It will be awesome. I'm can't hide the real me now. I'm going to grow through Jesus. Please pray that the real Jesse will stick to be shown at all times and that it'll be continually being more like Christ.

Something that has really stuck with me this week in the book I'm reading (Intercessory Prayer) is when he talks about his trips to Calcutta and he gives examples of us being a go between for those who need healing. A he tell this story of a little girl who everyone there says is crazy, so crazy in fact, that they tie her to a tree in their back yard. So Dutch feels the Spirit tell him to do what Jesus would do, so half way through his message he go over to her to pray for healing and she was healed. And that's what I want to do. Not just the healing of people (but that would be pretty sweet) but to honestly and whole heartedly do what Holy Spirit leads me to do and to not just do what I want to do. I'm here to re-present Jesus not present Jesse

Always pray

Last night I tried to do a good thing for a family that lives a couple of streets over who don't have power at the moment, well they do but it is done by a extension cord running from someone else's house so they can only really use that for lights. They hadn't had a hot meal for a good few weeks so I did what Jesus would do and made the family a good cooked meal with two of the children that live there helping me because they wanted to do something for their family.

So I was almost finished cooking and my power went to. One of the fuses died so the lights that are attached to a ceiling all went out. So the boys and I continued to mash the potatoes in the dark with one torch (flash light) between us and I was able to feel what it would be like for them at their house and I was over come with sadness. I was going crazy within the first few hours and this family has been doing it for way longer than that and their ages range from 4 to about 40 with 6 of them living in this house.

So last night I was thinking about the last time my power went out and that was when I was cooking for my cell group and I realized that both times that it has happened I didn't pray before hand. I was doing what God would want me to do in the situations but I need to make sure He's right in the middle of it because the demons around here want to keep these kids in the dark and not to feel good enough to have a hot meal but Jesus does and as his Re-presenter we're to do his work but we must always remember to bring the task at hand to Jesus first so He will have our back and so we can have authority over demons through Jesus to tell them to ping off.

Fast results?

I am currently reading a book by Dutch Sheets called "Intercessory Prayer" and I really liked this statement in it. It is "We don't wait well. We're into microwaving; God, on the other hand, is usually into marinating"

I often find with myself that I am trying to make God speed things up and it's totally not my place to do that (as if I have any authority over God) It's sometimes easy to forget that God's concept of time is nothing like ours. An example would be praying to see my family come to have a relationship with Jesus. I pray about it regularly and am wait on God to make it happen and I can sometimes get frustrated because you never know what could happen tomorrow and I want to see them all in Heaven and so I'll cry out to God for him to do something now but it is all to happen in God's time not my own. Now don't get me wrong God wants you to cry out to him and He's not just sitting back in his recliner chair just sitting back watching but he knows what time is best and we just need to trust him with it all.

A new mission statement

I woke up the other night to find that God wanted to talk to me and give me a new mission statement. One that is not of me but is from my Redeemer.

"Not only made for warfare but ready to fight it."

I have always been told that we are all made for the war that God wants us to fight (and we all are) but God told me that not many Christians actually fight in the war although they know that it is part of their calling and that God has equipped them to win the battle, they don't even fight in it.

He said "I want you to fight in this war with all you have not just know about it. So this is my new mission statement with the intention of living up to it as God has called me to.

My kids

Today I lead the cell group for the kids under 5 at my house and although they can be noisy and want to throw fits (I proved that I could throw fits them better) I realized that in 9 months I'm going to have to leave them just as Jaime had to today (she moved back to Florida). I loves these children as if they were my own and I know I'm going to miss them incredibly but I still have 9 whole months with them that I am going to enjoy. I wish they could all come back home with me.

Thanksgiving

So today was my first thanksgiving and I don't really understand what it's all about. Like I get that there was something about the native Americans and that but I don't get why we need to have a day set aside to be thankful. Shouldn't we be giving thanks to God all the time anyway and I'm not talking about saying grace before a meal (that can be more of a religious spirit than actually being thankful) but for everything. I'm from a country that is rather wealthy were if I can get money the government will help out till I can sort myself out. I don't have to sleep in a cardboard box, I don't have to rummage through the trash to find food. My sister's baby girl came into this world healthy although there were complications throughout the pregnancy. My parents support what I'm doing here although they don't have the same beliefs as me. I have people in this country supporting me and being a friend although I'm an alien to this place. I have a God that looks out for me ad loves me. A God who knows me by name.

there is so much stuff that God has blessed me with so why do we here only have one day put aside to be thankful?

We should be thanking God with every breath in our bodies.

Praise and glory be to God

Martin Luther King Jr

'A man who won't die for something is not fit to live.'

'Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.'

I love both of these quotes from Martin Luther King Jr. I'm enjoying quotes lately. It's good to know that others think the same as I.

Why?

"I have but one passion - it is He, it is He alone. The world is the field and the field is the world; and henceforth that country shall be my home where I can be most used in winning souls for Christ."
Zinzindorf, Count

Tornado

Well apparently there was a tornado here in Charlotte last night. All we got from it here was a lot of rain and lightening. But as usual I like to apply stuff from my surroundings to my walk with God.

I didn't know that there even a tornado (kind of a big thing to miss) but it is like what I do. There could be something really huge go on with me, some thing that I keep inside that is literally tearing me apart, but if I don't let people see it it's not so bad for those around me.

But now I'm saying I need to kill the tornado and clean up the mess it has made.

Email

The ministry that is going on here can I can so easily just dwell on the things I've done wrong, but then I get an email from on of the kids here (I've showed him how to email)

'you rock to. i love you.you is like a big sister'

Then you look back on where this kid was 2 months ago and you can see how God is moving in this place. I love these kids

My Birthday

Well today is my 20th birthday and I'm am very blessed. Yesterday my sister Holly had a baby girl and her name is Mya Phoebe. I also received a phone call from my church family back home in Australia but I missed it because I was on the phone but they left me a beautiful loud message singing Happy Birthday. I got to speak to my family. I also got to go out with some of my friends from here (we went out and had Indian for lunch). Acacia made me a really nice cake (from scratch). I got to have a lot of fun and today I'm really grateful for everything that I have. I have so much. God has blessed me more than I deserve (that's for sure)

God you are so awesome and I can't thank you enough for all that you have done.

I'm going to go now. I'm so overwhelmed but it all that I can't stop crying right now

I love you all

The Cost of Following Jesus

Luke 9:57-62

57 As they were walking along the road, a man said to him, "I will
follow you wherever you go."
58 Jesus replied, "Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests,
but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head."
59 He said to another man, "Follow me." But the man replied,
"Lord, first let me go and bury my father."
60 Jesus said to him, "Let the dead bury their own dead, but you
go and proclaim the kingdom of God."
61 Still another said, "I will follow you, Lord; but first let me go back
and say good bye to my family."
62 Jesus replied, "No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks
back is fit for service in the kingdom of God."


I'm have counted the cost and I wouldn't change any of it.
The cost is nothing in comparison to the riches that I have received in Christ.
It's totally worth it.

You'd think I'd take the hint

Okay get this. We have two new people her in Charlotte as part of 614 firecrest (Tal and Acacia) and Acacia gave me a word from God (keep in mind she doesn't know what other things God has been talking to me about). She gave me Psalm 57

1 Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me,
for in you my soul takes refuge.
I will take refuge in the shadow of your wings
until the disaster has passed.
2 I cry out to God Most High,
to God, who fulfills {his purpose} for me.
3 He sends from heaven and saves me,
rebuking those who hotly pursue me;
Selah
God sends his love and his faithfulness.
4 I am in the midst of lions;
I lie among ravenous beasts—
men whose teeth are spears and arrows,
whose tongues are sharp swords.
5 Be exalted, O God, above the heavens;
let your glory be over all the earth.
6 They spread a net for my feet—
I was bowed down in distress.
They dug a pit in my path—
but they have fallen into it themselves.
Selah
7 My heart is steadfast, O God,
my heart is steadfast;
I will sing and make music.
8 Awake, my soul!
Awake, harp and lyre!
I will awaken the dawn.
9 I will praise you, O Lord, among the nations;
I will sing of you among the peoples.
10 For great is your love, reaching to the heavens;
your faithfulness reaches to the skies.
11 Be exalted, O God, above the heavens;
let your glory be over all the earth.

Did you catch verse 4

4 I am in the midst of lions;
I lie among ravenous beasts—
men whose teeth are spears and arrows,
whose tongues are sharp swords.

How awesome is that. It totally ties in with the 2 Timothy scripture I got from God the other day. I love the way that God works and the fact that he is using confirmation also so I will really get the hint

2 Timothy 4:17-18

God latest scripture that God has given to me

"But the Lord stood at my side and gave me strength, so that through me the message might be fully proclaimed and all the Gentiles might hear it. And I was delivered from the lion's mouth. The Lord will rescue me from every evil attack and will bring me safely to his heavenly kingdom. To him be glory for ever and ever. Amen."
2 Timothy 4:17-18

Which goes with a prophetic word that was given to me 2 months ago which is Job 29. And this particular verse from it came back to me.

"I broke the fangs of the wicked and snatched the victims from their teeth."
Job 29:17

So in Job God is giving me authority to back the fangs of the devil to release his people. But how can I do that if I am in the mouth of the lion. First I need to be released before I can let God use me to release others and God is doing that now in my life. It's so awesome. God is washing me over in Holy Spirit and showing me some of my calling.

Praise be to God who is releasing the captives

Giving sight to the blind

Today we are so awesome. I got to do practical minisrty when we got to take a girl in our community to the optometrist. Which is so awesome because this girl is like seriously almost blind. She will be getting her glasses next week sometime. She got to pick whichever frames she wanted and got every freature she could get for the lenses. Now that my friends, is justice

Praise be to God that he is bringing sight to the blind

What gets me up in the morning?

Today I was talking to a new friend and now is my next door neighbour and she asked me
"What makes you get up in the morning?"
And I started to think what is making me get up in the morning? I could easily have just been a bludger but instead I am here as an alien to this country.

My answer was "I get up because of the children here, because where I am now all I want to do is grow in Christ and see them grow in Christ also. You can't help but love them and I want to see them in Heaven with me."

So I ask you this question, WHAT IS IT THAT YOU ARE REALLY WAKING UP FOR?
Would God be smiling on you right now with what you are doing with your time and resources?

Just think about it please.

Blessings

Confirmation

Yesterday in class we started to talk about the this idea of confirmation by John Wesley (AKA the Wesleyan Quadrilateral)

It's broken into four parts


Experience / History
-----------------------------
Scripture / Holy Spirit


Which really makes sense when you think about it but I had never really thought about it before. Well I have with most on various occasions but never comparing them and processing all these aspects.

I'm really going to start trying to do this now as much as possible. I need to really grow in this area and I'm ready to. Please pray that this will stick with me because some of these points of confirmation I do struggle with.

Blessings

DROPS

'The works that we do are only a drop in the ocean but if we don't do it the drop will be lost forever'

Mother Teresa

Lets not waste one drop

One smile

Today I found helping at the community house very challenging because kids were listening and back chatting (just making it more difficult than usual). I went to Rob and Heathers to prepare for our cell group in not the best mood and I also had in mind that the kids who would be coming would be a handful and run wild (sometimes when they get together they try to out do each other) but to my surprise the kids that came to this cell group (5 boys between 6-8 years old) were really well behaved really. We had alot of fun and enjoyed laughing with each other. When Heather and I were debreifing I was praying and I just remember seeing the smiles on these kids faces and that has totally made my day feel worth while. I just pray that I'll be reminded of the kids smiling faces the next time they are challenging so that they will smile at them at all times so they know that I love them all.

Standing firm

God has given me a new promise this week. It's found in Job 11:14-15 (NIV)

if you put away the sin that is in your hand
and allow no evil to dwell in your tent,
then you will lift up your face without shame;
you will stand firm and without fear.

Over the past few days during my quite time with God I've been handing over to him the sins that I've been holding onto. It is a hard process because they have been apart of me for so long and have sometimes even been used as a security blanket but not anymore.

Since doing this I have found that I have been able to stand up for myself more (which I've been struggling with lately) and I'm become less and less scared of what people are going to think when I voice my opinions.

It's hard I'm not going to lie but it's what God wants so I'm not going to hold out on him what he wants.

Miss Diamond

There is this little girl named Diamond in our neighbourhood who just loves to hang out with us at the comunity house every afternoon. Just to see her smiling is awesome and such a blessing.

Any the point of me telling you about her is that she came over yesterday went back home for a little bit then came back over in tears. So she came over to me on the couch and gave me the biggest hug and just stayed wrapped up on me in this hug where she could just have someone love her. When I asked her what was the matter it turned out to be that her Mum wouldn't give her candy (no big drama) but she just stayed in my arms listening to my heart beat for like 5 minutes. It was really beautiful for two really awesome reason, 1 she new that I loved her enough to hug her for as long as she needed no matter how big or small her problem was and that she loves me enough to trust me enough to hug me.

I love our kids

Tickets

Well today I rebooked my tickets back home (the one from LA to NZ to Autsralia) and I will be returning back to Australia on the 17th of September 2007. It seems so far away but I know that it will go past really fast. Lots is happening here. I'm loving every minute of it. I building awesome and last relationships with the students, the leaders and the kids in the community.

Warning to those back home in the land of Oz I'm not the same. I'm growing in Christ. I love it.

Finding rest

Well yesterday and today I have not been feeling so good (Tummy and head aches and bringing up food.) I can't say that it has been the best time since being here but it has given me time to rest in the LORD. For those of you that know me from back in Australia you would know that I am a bit of a work freak and haven't really had a break in a long time. It's been good just to lay down in silence and actually take time to listen to what God wants to say to me, to bad I had to get sick to really figure it out.

Blessing

A song from God

From Monday to Thursday this week Leo, Heather, Rob and I have been at a conference and on Tuesday God gave me a new song which I always enjoy because I love to sing a new song to the Lord (makes sense hey?) I was really excited about this song because it's about the tribe of Judah (Judah means praise) and then on Wednesday morning the speaker was talking about the tribe of Judah. I love that God is using me and music to worship him and them to have it reaffirmed by someone else was so cool.

Helping hands

Yesterday we took the kids from our neighbourhood to one of the local Salvation Army Corps (as we do every Sunday) but it was a little different this week because it had been raining. Usually after church we take them all back home and then feed lunch outside but because of the rain we chose to make up the food at church and serve it up there in the gym. I was asked to cook the food (macaroni and cheese) which I was totally happy to do because serving is one of my spiritual gifts and I get to feed the kids (it's really a blessing and I can not understand how some people could see it as a chore).

I was cooking in the kitchen and on of our newer kids came into the kitchen and was so keenness on helping that although there really wasn't anything for him to do, I welcomed him and his heart that wanted to bless his friends by helping feed them. So he helped me by putting cold water on the pasta (which could have just sat under a tap) and putting the powdered cheese in the pot (more ended up on the floor than in the pot) but it was just such a blessing to see his smile and his willingness to help and try to express his love to those who were eating and without even telling people that he helped cook it.

I just wanted to share with you all the blessing that I experienced when I was able to see a 7 year olds heart wanting to humbly serve his peers and leaders. Helping hands brought a blessing to many. Myself as an observer and the 30 kids that he helped feed.

Beauty in the smallest things

Well yesterday I was hanging out with this kid named Poo at the community house and he would have to be one of the most beautiful people I know and it is such a blessing that God has let him come into my life and that he trusts me with his precious children (it's pretty amazing). But with yesterday I really got to see more beauty in Poo. It was so simple but his smile just stayed in my mind all day. All that happened was he had asked me to help him make a rubber band ball (it's a piece of paper with lots of rubber bands all around it and it eventually becomes bouncy) Poo had the biggest smile on his face only because someone cared enough about him that they wanted to help him with it and not only help but enjoy spending time with him. He ended up giving me the biggest cuddle afterwards and all for a rubber band ball and that's how yesterday I found beauty (through Poo) in a rubber band ball.

Poverty

Today I decided to look up quotes from Mother Teresa today and I found this one that really stood out to me and I thought that other people needed to here it to so I'm sharing it with you all.

"We think sometimes that poverty is only being hungry, naked and homeless. The poverty of being unwanted, unloved and uncared for is the greatest poverty. We must start in our own homes to remedy this kind of poverty."

Wow. What a slap in the face, hey? That's what community is really about.

What to say?

Do you ever find that sometimes you want to say stuff but the words just don't make it out of your mouth? That would be called wisdom. Do you ever want to say something really profound and inspiring but you end up just backspacing it all? That would probably be God intervening. I think that this is one of those situations that God is wanting me to really say nothing that is of me but all of him.

So all that needs saying is

"God is so awesome"

Dragon Slayer

I was looking over the letters and cards that people had given me because I was leaving (feeling a little homesick) and a very wise woman wrote something very special on a card that she had given me. It reads "A princess never slays the dragon and you wonderful Jesse are a dragon slayer". Don't get me wrong, I am a princess in the sense that I'm God's child and because he is the King I am automatically a princess but it was in reference to me wanting to be wrapped in a bubble sometimes.

A large part of me has always loved the Disney princess' because I wanted to live in a fantasy world where you only go through a few little bumps on the road but evrything works out fine in the end and they live happily ever after. But I was talking to this woman about not just being a princess that is going to sit back and let other people around me save the day and slay the dragons for me but for me to be the dragon slayer.

So with where I am now, I don't really even have the choice to have other people slay the dragon because if I was waiting for others to slay the issues/problems/demons for me' I'd be waiting a very long time. So as I arm myself with the armour of God (Ephesians 6:12-18) I will slay the dragons that surround me and the dragons that are even over the oceans. We must fight.

I pray that God would use you as a slayer and that you would be accepting to God's calling. So take up you sword and defeat those dragons in your lives and others.

May the LORD bless you more than you can contain. To the point of overflowing onto others

Made for God

What was I made for?

Well that is an easy answer but sometimes we forget. The answer is for God's pleasure but we can sometimes think it is for our own pleasure. We abuse the creation of God (which is ourselves and others) with things such as drug, pre-marital sex, fighting, drinking, lying and just not using our bodies in a way that would be pleasing to God.

We have all been created for God's pleasure so what does that entale. Well that is worship and serving to future his kingdom and doing what ever it is that he calls you to. Just listen to what he's saying and I mean really listen take an hour out of your busy week at least and just wait on the Lord. He may not call you to what you had in mind but that's where his heart is at and he knows best because lets face it, he is God and he knows all. So will you answer the calling that he has put on your life to furture his kingdom, for his pleasure?

So many you be bless in receiving a word from the Lord your saviour, one that will impact you to the point of stirring you up so much that you can not keep still because you can not contain the call God has put on your life.

Bless you all.

Love you sister in Christ
Jesse Green


Save one more for Jesus