Birthing

For the ones forging new things by heart and will and strength:

BIRTHING

At the time of birthing we do not sit back but we engage more than we have ever engaged before.

BIRTHING

We KNOW there is a new life about to arrive. And we give that new life a hand.

BIRTHING

It’s a uniquely personal journey. Though there may be help all around. It is still and uniquely the momma’s job to do the work.

No one else will do it for her.

No one.

BIRTHING

And so, she rises to the task. Even when she doesn’t think she can. As we all know though – she can do it.

BIRTHING

Everything will be okay. But it iiil take work to get there. Much effort. A lot of focus. Some tears.

BIRTHING

A profound privilege for the one chosen to bear new life. Don’t shirk back. Give it all you’ve got. You are doing great.

Crossing Thresholds

A prayer for those in the birthing canal:

“God I come to you this day in the name of Jesus. Oh God, I cannot tell what way is up. Everything feels disoriented and uncertain.

Yet, I entrust my days and my life to you Lord. I enter today, into your trust, your love, and your great goodness.

Thank You for loving me. Thank you for keeping me in the palm of your hands. And oh how blessed to be at home in your heart.

This, makes all the difference to my life.

By your love, I am at home with you. And you are welcome to be at home with me.

Give me all the love I need for my own life and as I engage the lives of others. Make me better than I would ever be on my own.

I give you my worries. I am okay with all that is unknown. Because I trust you God.”

Have You Experienced Trauma and Loss?

For those who have experienced trauma and loss and to whom this world feels unsafe; join this prayer:

“God I come before you today in the name and the blood of our Lord Jesus Christ. I bring to you God my sense of being unsafe.

In my life I have experienced loss and the trauma of that loss. It has been so, so difficult. My heart has broken.

But I know God that loss and trauma and ‘unsafeness’, has never been your heart or intent for my life.

And so today I come bringing all this trouble to you. I forgive you God all this trouble, (I have wondered if you have had it out for me).

I forgive all the interwoven tragedy and sin of this world by which I too have been caught by loss and trauma and a deep sense of lostness, of being unsafe.

Today, I turn to you God. I invite you to make my life a different kind of experience. I say yes and amen to a shift in my heart and spirit, a new awareness of being safe. Not because of the world per se, but because of you. May I hide myself in the folds of your garment and of your heart?

Today, I renounce ‘unsafeness’ and loss and trauma in the name and the blood (ie: life) of our Lord Jesus Christ. I say no more this day! Enough. Enough.

I reach with the strong arm of Jesus, into my past and even into my generations past, and where loss and trauma have had their day, every instance where there has been a profound sense of being unsafe, I touch these places and times with the touch of the true Lord Jesus Christ.

I declare that all these things that have been against me, that have taken advantage of me, and that have deliberately broken me down, must, MUST, submit to the healing touch of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Every moment, every loss, every trauma, every hurt and harm, I bring into the life of Jesus today. And I declare the life of Jesus, the healing and wholeness of God, over every single of these times and moments.

All of these things I uproot carefully but completely, with no ill effects, from the fabric of my life in the name and the life of my Lord Jesus Christ.

I unwind the chains of loss and trauma and unsafeness from around my being, declaring every link severed, in the name and the life of the true Lord Jesus Christ. No more!

I declare that all assignments, all curses, and all authority of darkness that has been in and over and through my life because of this loss and trauma and unsafeness must go right now to the place where the true Lord Jesus Christ would have it go. Be done! In the name of Jesus.

I enter into you God. Into your care. Your concern. Your great love for me. God, I trust you, I love you, and I know you to be good. God, be my life.

I remit from my life this day, all the sins, the evil, the tragedies, the losses, and the ‘unsafeness’ that have marked me. May I be marked by you God, instead, by your life and by your son Jesus Christ. Heal me. Restore me. Renew me.

I receive from you God all your great goodness poured in and over and through my life and days, my heart, mind, spirit and body, and to all my family and the generations past, present, and future.

I declare this work for the glory of God alone and for my own future and delight. All mucking of darkness in the midst of this, I say no, in the name of Jesus. It won’t happen.

I receive from you God, safety. May I know that I am safe in you. I enter into safety because you God, love me. Yes Jesus, be my safety and my peace and my joy this day and all the days of my life.

I hide my life in you God by the power of the one true Lord Jesus Christ. Thank you for your great love and goodness. I bless you this day. Amen.”

 

NOTE: All of the work I do is freely offered to the Body of Christ around the world. If you have been blessed by our work around the world, head over to Capturing Courage International Ministries website and contribute your DONATION impacting thousands around the world.

“I Never Said You Could Go!”

This lovely lady is married to Henry. I have been hosted at their home a couple of times. They are in Uganda in the greater Pallisa region. Each time being there we have had CCIM Teacher Training with some fifty folks and pastors in attendance.

Here is another pic from one of our times there:

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What tickles me pink the most is the morning I was to be heading off and away to another pastor and conference in another district.

It is never a good idea to arrange the schedule so that I must get up, prep for the day, eat breakfast and visit, and then head off trying to be timely as I arrive in another location.

This time was the same!

I had wakened early per usual and was ready and dressed and my bag packed in plenty of time for breakfast and to leave as needed.

In good responsible and efficient form I took by packed bag out the front door of their home and set it beside the front of the house, ready to be loaded onto our transport once it was time to leave.

This lovely lady (and oh I cannot recall her name!), sees my bag outside her home and exclaims, “I HAVE NOT GIVEN YOU PERMISSION TO GO YET!” and heaves the bag back into her home.

I love this memory.

The biggest problem we have at CCIM is that no one ever wants us to go. The invites and welcomes and open doors are precious, deep, and true. What an amazing thing.

We continue to collaborate and fellowship with Henry and his wife. He along with another is teaching our CCIM College Course to a number of classes. Moses, our CCIM College Co-Ordinator in East Africa was with Henry and his family just a few months ago.

One day I will get back there myself. And next time I won’t arrange the schedule in such a way that I must take off in the morning!

Here is one more pic from my days there:

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Nearly 100 children had come across the small valley from the nearby school to say Hi. so we interrupted the session to step outside and give each a handshake and a greeting. This is one of my favourite things to do; we love children and delight to honour them.

Thanks for listening to my story about Henry’s wife and the day I was barely allowed to leave! It is one of my favourites.

By the way, I have some videos with some of my favourite stories. You may enjoy this one:

 

NOTE: All of the work I do is freely offered to the Body of Christ around the world. If you have been blessed by our work around the world, head over to Capturing Courage International Ministries website and contribute your DONATION impacting thousands around the world.

Born Again

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Expectation plays a big part in our lives. Often, we may struggle with fears. I know I do! Maybe you do as well. I have found though that I can bring my fears to God.

“God, today I am afraid.”

But I have also found that I do not need to live according to fear. In fact, as we bring fear to the Lord it is loosed off of us.

Technically speaking, how this works, is that fear is replaced with expectation.

For instance, I may be afraid of a blessing or a tangible gift of some sort going; meaning being lost or consumed or spent in some way.

If I recognize this fear within my heart and mind I can catch it, so to speak, and I can bring it to Jesus, “Jesus, take my fear. I give it to you.”

Then, I can voice expectation. It is an exchange of fear for hope, of reticence for trust, and of doom-and-gloom for all of what might be and can be. For instance,

“Jesus, today I declare that this gift

(provision, blessing, ability, etc)

will not go, but will grow.”

Declaration that stems from anticipation is powerful. And it is challenging.

Challenging because this kind of an exercise forces us to confront our beliefs, our biases, what we believe about God, ourselves, each other, and how the world works.

Declaration comes from the bulk of our sensing and knowings, that of emotions, will, thinking, belief, and of our experiences from all the years gone by.

Fear compiles the past and determines the future as bereft.

Expectation puts fears down and takes on hope, deliberately and specifically.

In expectation we take ourselves by the hand and we put ourselves into the hand of God. Literally and figuratively. This, we cannot do unless we trust the Lord.

And so we are challenged. It is hard work, this challenging (we do not always really believe that God is for us!). But it is good work.

Personally, I don’t know how to go forward into all the Lord has for me unless I allow challenge, unless I take on challenge, poking at my inner being, exposing the lies, scaring out the cockroaches, chasing away the spiders and cleaning up the webs.

We can come honest before the Lord with whatever we find within the depths of our hearts. This is the point of the gospel in so many ways. God loves you. Be transformed in him by the renewing of your mind. Be born again.

A Constant Gentleness of the Lord that We Can Trust

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There is a gentleness with the Lord that surprises me every now and again. Lately, for myself, I have been regenerating, resting, restoring, refreshing. I have been home from my latest overseas ministry trip nearly 9 weeks (the same length of time that I am most often on the ground there), and this renewing is gentle; a slowly unfolding thing.

There is no drama around this work (of restoring). It cannot be rushed. It needs no fanfare nor introduction, but a simple washing of grit and grime and weariness. It cannot be rushed. Did I say that already?

I realize that I can trust this process. While I don’t feel all the way back to full strength and vitality yet, it will come. I trust the Lord to restore and renew me. I trust the time ahead to do a quiet work within me. I trust silence and introspection, of writing and of gentle work, of reading and of contemplation, to both leave and create cracks and burbling where anything I have taken on these years not meant to be carried, can wash away and off.

And when I think back on the years with the Lord, when I consider the journey’s of the many I have done prayer ministry alongside, I see this same gentleness of God that takes us in hand and feeds us, cleans us, waters us, breathes life into us; it is the picture of a small fragile bird in the hand of a loving person intent on growing and then setting that one free. This is the God that I know.

Often though, we would want a little more fanfare, a little more speed and increased development; but the Lord is in no rush. And certainly no rush with us. All is in good timing so it would seem. This, I will trust.

In sync with God we find a holy rhythm to all things. Nothing too soon. Nothing late. Not always as we would envision! This is for sure. But good nonetheless. Gentle and strong and true, this is the Lord’s care of us. Thank You Lord. May you mightily be blessed.

Satisfied

The work is solid, expansive, and true, due to the heart and will of the Lord. At Capturing Courage International Ministries we have been faithful with a little for a very long time. Faithful with the intent and heart of God as we have understood, and then faithful with the work, with the invites and fellowships, in bringing what we are mandated to bring; establishing a safe culture that precipitates deep healing and transformation of hearts and lives.

It appears, from the over 250 villages churches that I’ve been to in the last years, that unforgiveness and bitterness have locked up hearts and minds and lives, and nations. We simply cannot move forward if we are gripped to the past in heart hatreds, profound disappointments and a waiting for God to make it right. In this we are stuck.

Continue reading Satisfied