Its amazing what you can actually do if you just do it. I was running the other day, and I hit the point where I routinly stop and start walking before I continue on the jog. But this day I was like, why stop, why not keep going...so I did and ended up adding an additional kilometer on.

This is the same spiritually. You never know what will happen untill you do it.

Healing, pray for someone, worst that will happen, they wont get healed, which wouldnt happen if you didnt pray anyways, best that can happen, they get healed, repent and beleive, and others get saved via there testimony.

Salvation, talk to someone, worst taht will happen they dont get saves, which wouldnt haveppen if you didnt talk to them anyways, best that can happen, they get saved and revolutionise the world.

Different note - NOW is the time.

I am an expert at the classic Ill start tomorow, Ill quit next week. I kinda want this rounded off offical stoping or starting time. Thats not an option, now is the time. Its like dieting - Ill start dieting tomorow (which means, i can eat whatever i want today), smoking - Ill quit smoking on the weekend so that my week starts off fresh (which means I can smoke as much as i can till them). In reality, this doesnt really work all that well. What works is now. Just make the choice now. The choice is Now. Does this make sence? I can eleaborate more later, but my computer is giving me the "I-only-have-two-minutes-left" signal, so I have to publish this before it shuts down.

God is here.

I was reading Haggai yesterday. So they are rebuilding the temple and he askes a couple hypothetical questions to get them thinking, and it sure got me thinking.

1. If you touch something holy are you then holy? No
2. If you are unclean and touch something holy, is that now defiled? Yes

If we are rebuilding a temple, and in the case of Isaiah 61:4 where our corps is based in, we aim to rebuild, restore and renew. We gotta be holy, or we will defile the Lords temple. We will not be holy simply because we are working on the house of the Lord, infact if our personal lives are not holy our involvement in the temples construction will actually desecrate the holy sanctuary. Wow, its time to either lay down sin and walk in holiness or stop working on the temple.

God is here.

Many of my conversations with people I love lately have been about pain and suffering.

Intamacy with the Lord seems to be the answer to everything.

When things are tough. When you are lonely. When recieving love from people is hard. When feeling rejected. When caught up in habitual sin. When past pain surfaces. When there seems to be no hope.

Intamacy with the Lord is the answer to the above whens.

What does that look like? Well, what does it look like in any other relationship. Spending time with one another, letting the other in to your most painful feelings, having the other be the first person you want to talk to in tough times or in joyful times, knowing the other is there, and being ther for the other. Its the same with Jesus. Spend time with Him. He will make the tough things easy. He will place the lonely into his family. He loves you with an unconditional love. He accepts you. He is the deliever. He is the healer and refiner. He is hope.

Oh how much He wants to spend time with you. He sits there and he waits.

When you see a friend in pain. When you see a friend hurting. How much do you care? How much do you want to see this person okay? How much do you pray for, love on, help this person? Then how much more does the Lord???

God is here.

This has been/is going to be a week of cops. Today I got off work and headed right to the local cop shop where I was meeting a friend of mind who was recently arrested. She has a meeting with a probation officer tomorow aswell, that will be a whole new adventure...and then of course I have my very exciting court trial in Vancouver on Thursday! Woohoo. If you wouldnt mind praying me up in favor that would be great...its at 9:30am Thursday morning.

Today I got yelled and sweared at by a bus driver...it made me cry...really. Now granted I have alot going on right now, and Im sure I didnt burst into tears simply becuase some big guy yelled at me (allthough he was very mean!)...but still!!!! He accused me of using an expiried transfer. Now maybe if I was trying to scam my way on (and based on my upcoming trial, this wouldnt be the first time) I would have no reason to be upset...but he yelled and swore at me for no reason, my transfer was still totally okay to use. I am still traumitized from this. Im not one to really care about swearing, heck I do it all the time. But I do think swearing inst always okay. I dont think its okay when its directed at someone, when speaking to children and grandmas, or when you are a busdriver yelling at a young innocent girl.

Well I will be in Vancouver for the next few days, and thus will likely not have access to blogging but I do have a few Birthday shoutoutz to give.

Happy Birthday Aaron White for Thursday
and
Happy Birthday Jaime Riefer for Friday.

Dont forget to check out yesterdays post and see my new tattoo!!

God is here.

I was recently in Vancouver, rocking it up with the Revolution Session students, and seeking some refuge myself, and as excited as I was for my return to Victoria, I was also really fearing the return to an empty house, lack of community and fellowship...etc etc etc. I figured I would get home, mope around and pout because in comparison to Vancouver I dont have many friends here. Yet I was wrong! I was home less then 5 minutes when I got a phone call from a friend of mine. There was no time for mopeing and pouting. Off to her house I went, and it was then I realised, yup, I sure am home. The visit was short lived as I had to head off to work a few hours later.

Today was an excellent day. I got off work this morning, and expected to go home, sleep for a bit, maybe call a friend to chill, but if not then mope and pout. Why do I keep thinking this...my thoughts proved wrong again. Today was a day full of adventures. It involved an AA meeting for young people - it was so fun...I got to give a bit of my testimony (this was unplanned, they kinda just picked me out of some people to talk...and we all know I love to talk!) The day also involved making a new friend. She is awesome (shes the one I went to the meeting with). And it also involved me getting another tattoo...(sorry mom!)...check it out below...




Yup, it is a tattoo on the inside of my lip! I know, I am so cool! It says "RHEMA" which is greek for the spoken word [of God]. Our words have the ability to bring life or to bring death. Job 27:4a says "my lips will speak no wickedness". May that be true in my life "My lips will speak no wickedness."

Psalm 34:1 "I will extol the Lord always, His praise will be on my lips"

I could list of hundreds of verses partaning to lips, words, speach etc. But I wont.

I am wanting to get the Ehpesians 6 Armor tattooed on me...I supose this is the first step. The sword of the spirit which is the [rhema] word of God....maybe there will be more to come!

I was with my friend, and she wanted a tattoo aswell, but had to call her mother for parental concent....her mothers words to me were "Nicole, you are suposed to be a good influence on her!" and then said "Dont let her do something stupid like getting her tounge pierced." The result....

Yup, she did it, got it peirced. In my defence, I did my best to stop it. Really I did!

God is here.

I was reading James this morning and came accross these common verses. Its not that Ive never read them before, but reading them in the place I am currently in was beauty.

When troubles come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your enduance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.

WOW.

If you have been keeping up with my life and blogs you will know that I am in a season of these so called troubles. And with this I have two options. 1) Stop enduring, backslide, and get defeated or 2)Let my endurance grow and become perfect and complete. I think I will go with the latter.

That perfect and complete, needing nothing is quite enticing I must say.

I was talking to a friend today and he said that my lack of faith worries him. At first I was somewhat offended but then I began to think about it. Ya, I am doubting Gods might and power. I am looking at the trouble and hardship, more then I am looking at the Lords faithful promises. Promises of salvation and promises of deliverance and promises of victory. So rather then getting all down and negitive at the recent troubles thrown my way I will consider them as great joy.

May my faith be tested, may I pass with high marks, and may I be perfect and complete.

God is here.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO BERACAH WALTERS-WULFING!!!

Sorry its been a while since I have had blogging access. Man, and what alot I have to blog about too. Lets see if I can remember it all.

Well Ive been out in Vancouver for the past week and I have gotten to meet the new Revolution Session of the War College. Great session it is too...things are getting better and better. Why not sign up today to be part of the Incinuaries class of 2008 (i totally probally spelt that wrong) at www.thewarcollege.com.

One student had said she applied and was accepted to War College in 2005, but last minute chickened out, so she went to Africa instead. Africa, the soft choice! But the Lords calling is never reversed, and here she is fighting hard in the downtown eastside.

I am currently learning the beauty of suffereing. I know sounds somewhat like an oxymoron. But really. I have been quite overwhelmed lately with friends getting saved and others laying down idols (PTL) who now need discipleship and I am overwhelmed becuase I dont know how I can do that. Ive been overwhelmed with the outpost and with ministry in Victoria, doing it alone while my friends sort of Visas and other stuff in other countries. I have been overwhelmed with friends of mine choosign death, choosing sex, choosing drugs, choosing cutting over choosing life, life they have tasted and seen. Ive been overwhelmed with unfinished business and with the struggles of my flesh. And I dont even know how to process it all...BUT! There is Joy within the suffering. Crazy I know. But I am in a really sweet place with the Lord, that during all this, I have been able to know that Jesus is right beside me, holding me and loving me, and that Im not alone. During this season I am learning to praise the Lord in suffering, to be joyful in the mist of pain. I dont understand it, but Im loving it.

God is here.

So I didnt make it home once yesterday. I left my house at like 5pm Monday and the next time I walked in the door was like 730am this morning (by this morning I mean wednesday morning - incase you read this post after today - which will be more likely then not for the current time is tommorrow). During this crazy busy day of mine, I did not get a chance to charge my phone, and thus it died at aproximetly 5:38 pm. Well, I periodically was checking my voicemail. I checked my messages one last time before going to bed, and a message from a friend of mine saying "It is ten to ten, could you call me as soon as you get this"...I got the message at 1am, and I didnt wanna call that late...so I waited till the morning. Turns out people love me lots, I had a search crew out for me. My friend called and couldnt get a hold of me so called people who live near me, they called and actually came a knocking at my door, allthough clearly I wasnt home, and they called people I could possibly be with. I had search and rescue going for me, within 5 hours. Thanks guys for loving me!

Actually thanks everyone for loving me. Things have been somewhat tough lately, and I appriciate your encouragement and prayers and friendships. Please keep praying for me.

As tough as things have been there has been much goodness. I am seeing yet again the Lords faithfullness. He is faithful in His promises. He cannot lie. He promises love doenst fail...I am seeing that fruit, I am tasting that fruit and it is sooo good...soo juicy...soo satisfing. He promises we reap what we sow...I am seeing that fruit, I am tasting that fruit...and man is it good!

This great tasting fruit leaves me wanting more. I am seeing fruit in one persons life, a life I had in my flesh lost hope for, a life that in my flesh was doubting the Lords faithfullness to His promises, yet in His grace I have been able to taste and see that the Lord is good.

There are more lifes out there where in my flesh I have lost hope, and in my flesh I am doubting the Lords faithfullness to His promises, yet this fruit I am biting into now is what keeps me going. I am left wanting more.

So I went to the bar with my mom the other night, oh man good times. Haha. (For the record, neither of us drink). I had a blast. We played a few rounds of darts, sang a little kariokee and enjoyed a $3 flat diet coke with lime! One thing I liked about it, was it got me excited about pub ministry...something I have NEVER been excited for, infact I have avoided it at all costs prior. Perhaps it is becuase I have been for lack of better words, burnt by it. My visions of this ministry involve going in full uniform, with old people, selling war crys...sure great in theory...not my cup of tea though. This night with my mom has changed my views on it. And we didnt even go in with the agenda of ministry, we simply went in for a good time. But I learned a few things while doing this...

1. When doing PM, play darts (or pool, but darts is more fun)...you start talking to the people playing next to you, and soon find out that they play every thursday at 9pm, and bam! you now show up every thursday at 9pm, making friends

2. When doing PM, sing Kariokee. I discoverd the joy of this on my last street combat in Vancouver with the Melissa Wight. ( I love you M ) we were walking the streets, evangelising to our neighbors, when we went into this one restaruant, not knowing there was Kariokee, we were goign to leave when the guys there asked us to sing...so we pulled out some Amazing Grace...and then I got to thinking...what a fantastic way to shine light into the darkness. Kariokee (i know im spelling it wrong!) Bars always have Amazing Grace, and the one I went to with my mom also had some mercyme, Jars of Clay, Delerious, HillSong etc. And, besides most people are too drunk to even notice how badly you are singing!

3. When Andy and Beracah come back they will be 19 and we can do some PM, play some darts, sing some songs, and make soem friends.

Speaking of Andy and Beracah...man I have some good friends. I love you guys. So I have been somewhat stressed and burdened these days (please pray for me) and my friends, allthough came up not just for me, they did have other stuff too, came up to see me in Victoria and pray with me....allthough in my defeat I rejected the love, yet I am receiveing it now...timings just a tad off. I love you guys! Be blessed.

I had a great day Saturday. I spent it alone. Which, becuase I am currently battling with some lonliness might not have been completly wise, but it was really great. I spent it entirely with the LORD. Turned my phone off, turned the lights off, locked the door, lit some candles and insence, played some Andy Hunter. This is not something I often do...for I love ansewring phones and haiving people over. But the Lord has been speaking rest to me lately, so I thought I would try it out. I am not one to firmly beleive in or take a "Sabbeth" because I think if you are walking continually with Yahweh, and in continual obedience then you are in continual rest. Anyways, I had a great time on Saturday...untill it was time for bed. I have managed to spend the last 21 years of my life with people, and last night was the first night that I can remember where I had to fall asleep alone, knowing I would wake up alone aswell. Beracah...how do you do it???....I was excited to go to bed early too, but at 3am still found myself awake thinking way too much...finly fell asleep after singing some praises.

And today I went to the most redneck fair I have ever been too!! (Hope noone is offended by this.!) But hey, you know you are at a redneck fair when...the main attraction is a potatoe dig, when there are more pie judging contests, egg judging contests and farm animal contests then there are rides...haha, good times none the less...my head is still spinning from some of the crazy rides. gotta love it.

wow...congrats the those of you who succesfully read this post in its entiretry. This is what happenes when internet access is limited...Ive gotta shove it all into one post!

Doctrine #3
We beleive in the Godhead. The Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost. Undivied in essence and co-equal in power and glory.

(yikes, I need to re read some of the doctrines if I plan on memorizing them verbatem!)

God Bless You Alls, heaps and heaps.