Acclimatization

Acclimatization:
Becoming accustomed to a new climate or to new conditions.
Responding physiologically or behaviorally to a change in a single environmental factor.
This is my life.

From camp to city, from Winnipeg to Kansas City, from IHOP to Christmas, from family to moving out, from time away to intense schedules, from solitude to social calendars, meetings, deadlines, activities, and catching up. Six months feels more like a year or two. Transition is the norm. Constantly adjusting, changing, moving, shifting, altering. It is the state of my life. The place of my soul.

A box of books and a suitcase are a beautiful picture of freedom and adventure to me and I am more than content to be able to carry my life. I feel kind of like turtle. My home is with me wherever I go. For wherever I find myself at this moment, if feels like home as it is the place where I am seeking God and learning to pursue Him with all my heart, soul, mind and strength. "For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also" (Mt. 6:21). Obviously, I'm not totally there yet, but that's the goal and aim - to abide in Christ. To be at home in Jesus.

Every time I am somewhere new or come back from something, there is a season of transition and becoming accustomed to the conditions around me again. Since returning from IHOP to be with the family for Christmas and then moving out into a house on Langside Ave, I was bracing myself for the difficult and stressful transition. Surprisingly, it did not happen! Miraculously, and by the sovereign grace of God, it was smooth and enjoyable! I have been known to have rocky and emotional transitions, even if just going from camp to the city for a week, but this time it was quite the opposite. I felt renewed vision and excitement about being in Winnipeg and to once again engage in the work and friendships in the city, fellowshiping with my family and Christian communities. I was excited to pray and intercede for my city, friends, family, work and country.

With this unbelievable gift of quick and pleasant adjustment also came a peace in my spirit about not worrying about my future. Whatever I might try to plan or imagine I know would suck in the face of what God's mighty and sovereign plan for my life looks like. I don't want to stand in the way, but instead to be fully ready, willing and trusting to simply say "yes" and step out into whatever it is. My plan is to depend on God, to wait on Him for direction, and become more deeply rooted in Him, so that no matter what comes my way, I will be able to stand unshakable and unmovable in the knowledge of who He is and who I am in Him. So, I have a general idea of what my life might be like until the end of September, and then.....?

This blog post has been sitting in my postings section unfinished for over a month now, and I find it more true then even when I first began typing it. The only difference is that I feel an increased urgency to live a life worthy of His calling (Eph 4:1) and to "throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us" (Heb.12:1)...to go to the place of prayer and sit in the presence of the Father so that the light of His countenance would burn away all that hinders love, to be transformed and made more into His likeness, and to daily acclimatize to the moving of the Spirit, and the beauty of Jesus Christ. I want know God more. I want to be Christ-like.

Loving with all our HEART

It is November already. It is almost a month that I have been here at the International House of Prayer. It is profoundly a different place that I am at emotionally and spiritually than when I left.

I have intentionally refrained from posting an update on my blog because I am so often focused on processing everything, debriefing, wrapping things up into pithy statements and conclusions, and articulating my experiences and new revelations. However, with the amount that the Lord is working in me, and the ways that He is teaching me and revealing His Beauty, Love, Righteousness, Excellency, I want to just sit in it for awhile and let it go deep into my heart and my spirit and not try to figure it all out. I think that I sometimes miss the point by trying to state it. So, I'm not going to!

There has been so much going on, from EGS (Encountering God Services) on Friday and Saturdays, to prophetic ministry time, conferences, 40+ hours in the prayer room a week, parties with new friends, church services, and today I began classes as part of the Commission program which continues until the end of the month. It has all been very wonderful and I know that God is transforming my heart to receive more of His love and to love Him in return.

I will share one thing that has really impacted me: This past Friday, we had Stephen Venable speak at EGS and it was one of the most life-changing messages that I have ever heard on the Greatest Commandment and loving the Lord with our whole hearts. I was totally wrecked by the truth that he spoke and God has used it to effect everything in my life! The way that I think and live has been radically touched and changed by this paradigm of setting all of our affection on Jesus so that He can give us the ability to love Him in return with everything!!! I would recommend everyone download the notes (http://ihop.org ...right at the bottom of the home page is a list of the latest notes, or go to the notes section in the top menu bar), and I purchased an mp3 copy if anyone would like to hear it. They encourage the copying and distribution of their notes and material, which I think is very cool.

Here are some more pictures from my latest adventures this weekend. It has been absolutely beautiful here and I am trying to make the most of it.

May you be blessed and may God touch your heart.

November 3: Stopping to smell the roses. It reached +28 today.

A very calm street corner. The elections are tomorrow and it is crazy how big a deal it is.

A huge tree ring

My Canadian Friends! Funny enough, the are migrating south from Kansas City right now and the sound of their honking over the house makes me feel like I am back home.

A beautiful forest path.

It was such a beautiful day, I walked and explored for about two hours.

A real life praying mantis!!! Very appropriate.