Thoughts From a Smoke Filled Room

To God be the Glory!

**Okay, to understand the full part of how amazing this is, you might want to go to http://www.bayareafellowship.com/bafweb/ and view Bil's sermon (which wasn't really a sermon at all... it was just him telling us what God has done this past weekend). Once you've done that, you'll be able to see that God is truly doing amazing things for those who are willing to obey.**

Wow. Last night was amazing, to say the least. God works in awesome ways and there are no words to display His glory!
I went to my Astronomy class at 530 dressed and ready for Capoeira... I was planning on going to class, church, and then practice... God obviously had other plans.
Class lasted a whole 15 minutes, if that, so I went to the UC to check my mail and then decided to just go over to church early. I get there and hang out and chill until the praise and worship starts and then its freakin awesome praise for a good while. Then Bil comes out and starts talking about communion and stuff. So we're doing this and he just keeps reiterating that when God calls you to do something, do it. No questions asked. It doesn't matter how stupid it makes you look, just go right then. I knew God was telling me to go back in the Element room and finish out praise and worship with them, but I didn't get up. By the time Bil finished speaking, I was ready to get up and go back there, but God was like, "No. You missed what I wanted to give you there. That opportunity is gone now." I have no idea what God wanted to show me or give me, but it really hit me at that point: How many times do I miss out on what God is trying to do for me simply because I don't act exactly when He tells me to. I mean, He's never let me down before, so why don't I just trust Him?
I felt the prompting to just start writing next, so I did, and God revealed a lot of things to me as I did. First of all, He is doing something HUGE here in Corpus and if I don't make time to tap into Him and His will and His power I'm going to miss it. He told me that that night was about him. To turn my phone off and not go to practice after church and not to get online when I got home; to simply do whatever it was He needed me to do. I debated that for a while... I had no problem skipping practice for him, but I wanted to let someone know. But if I turned my phone off and didn't get online, there was no way I could. After taking out my phone, about to send a txt message so ppl would know I wasn't going to be there, I finally just stopped and was like, "This is stupid. Either I trust God, or I don't. If I trust Him, I realize He will take care of everything and me not sending a txt message will not be the end of the world." So I put my phone away and kept writing for a while longer. The band played another song or two (I don't remember, I wasn't singing; I was writing) and then Bil came back on and told the band that they weren't going to follow the program anymore...God had something else He wanted done.
He said it was time for the offering, but this wasn't an offering of monetary things. This was an offering of obedience. Whatever it was that God was calling each person to offer as a sacrifice for him, that's what each person should give. It didn't matter what it was; relationship, cars, drugs, money, whatever. There are no limits. He also explained that there would be no passing of plates. This was a time of offering and that's exactly what people were going to do: come up to the front and lay it down, offering it up as sacrifice. As he was speaking a guy walked up and threw a pack of cigarettes down and then walked back to his seat. After that it was crazy! There were thousands of people there and people just started coming up to the front, leaving behind whatever it was God called them to give up. People were kneeling down where ever there was room and crying out to God for whatever it was they needed. Bil stood up once more with his kids up there and told them, "This is what it looks like when God moves." He then told anyone who was in need of a job to stand up and raise their hands. People came to them and started praying for them and others who were managers of companies offered them jobs. (I now work at the Great American Cookie in the mall.... not necessarily what I would have chosen, but that is nothing more than my pride talking. I have no doubts that God will use this to humble me in ways I didn't know I needed to be humbled in and it will def. be all to the glory of Him!).  Then Bil asked those who didn't have a bed to sleep in tonight to stand... no one left there homeless anymore. Individuals who needed strength and follow-through in decisions they've made.... they left with thousands of prayers on their behalf. (I am now fully confidant that God will bring me through my year of no physical relationships and it will be all to His glory and honor and ONLY because of His power!) Those who had lost loved ones recently...they were comforted.
I have never seen anything like this. For those of you who went to Kadesh... you remember the night where we nailed it all to the cross? Merely a shadow compared to what God was doing last night. Lives were changed drastically and all of the credit went to God!
We'll never know what all was given last night because Bil said they're going to stop printing the budget in the bulletin...because that makes it based on math, and not on faith and obedience.
*Sigh* There are just not words to describe how awesome it is to be a part of something that is literally going to change history. It's like living through the book of Acts.... and this is just the beginning.
Glory, praise, honor and power to God in the highest!!!!!!

A Work in Progress

-She- The Into: Kyrie

So you've messed up. What now?

What do you do when you've set your limits based on what God has told you to do, and then you throw them away at the first challenge? How do you confront someone and apologize for being hypocritcal when you enjoyed what made you hypocritical?

He ran to me
Took me in His arms, held my head to His chest
Said, "My child's come home again"
Lifted my face, wiped the tears from my eyes
With forgiveness in His voice
He said, "Child, do you know I still love you?"

Is His love and grace big enough to cover your mistakes? Of course! Is His plan adaptable enough to encompass your mistake and use it for His glory? Without a doubt.