Hillsong United

Here are just a few pics from the Hillsong United concert in Springfield the other night.....

Hillsong United seemed very led by the Spirit in their worship; segways were worshipful and there was lots of spontaneous praise; it was very natural; I love that kind of freedom in worship. Musically they were very talented as well. they did tons of songs I dont know all of their titles but they did a lot of songs from the 'united we stand' cd including Came to the Rescue, None but Jesus, Fire fall down, the Stand, from the inside out. It was really good and I'm glad I went... a great night of worship :)

God-incidence power outage :)

well the coolest 'God' thing happened tonight!
my power went out.
as in no electricity.
pretty much right after I got home, took care of the dog, nuked my supper and got on line.
I know what you are thinking.
('I thought kimmer didnt really enjoy to the fullest those power outages from earlier this year')
but having learned so much (haha) from the ice storm(s) this past winter..... I sat here patiently waiting for it to come back on. Seemed like it should come back on any moment.... the power seems to go off here alot in this little suburb... like at least once a week I come home the clocks are all flashing. So I waited..... and waited..... and finally thought well... maybe I should go listen to one of the podcasts I've downloaded and not had time to listen to yet. I have my laptop battery, just no internet.... it seemed like a good thing to do...So I started up itunes..... and while it usually goes right into the podcast section, for some reason tonight it went into the music section, to a speaking series I had purchased from itunes a long time ago and then forgot about because it is sitting over here in the music section rather than with the podcasts. It is a 4 part series of Q&A with Beth Moore and Christy Nockels and one of Beth's daughters with college women.... so I started listening to all 4 parts which lasted just exactly long as the power outage (how's that for a God-incidince). There were a lot good things in there questions on purity but three things really hit me like a ton of bricks were:

1. What is the one thing you wish you would have known at 23? Beth said that the church she grew up in avoided talking about anything to do with the Holy Spirit because they seemed scared to death of talking about it and so at that point in her Christian walk she didnt understand how we are to daily be filled with the HS to empower us to live our lives for him (Christ in you, the hope of glory) How we every day should say Lord fill me with your Holy Spirit and help me live for You this day. that we have 'an all surpassing power in your jar of clay' to help you live a life pleasing to Him.
Christy said - That God uses seasons in our lives. As we grow older things come and go. that we need to learn to savor each moment, even times of pain,sorrow, and lonliness-- as He comforts you in those times he teaches you to comfort other and to relate to others in away that you never would have been able to before you went thru those times. that we are never arriving we are on the journey...still producing. To learn to Bloom where you are at this moment.
(Christy's answer really landed with me it seems like I theme I keep encountering lately, so it resonated.)

2. Someone asked a question about wanting to be a worship leader and how Christy knew it was a calling on her life... she said again about learning to Bloom where you are planted at the time. That He will lobby your interest to the world. He will promote whatever is going on in your heart because He put it there. She used to wonder why God have you put songs in my head when you haven’t given me opportunity to share them? and she said as Nathan & I stayed faithful where God had put us in the jobs we were in at a school (she was a teacher and I think she said he was something like maintenance) they waited before the Lord, and bloomed where we were planted. He, in His time opened the doors for them one by one... and He will open the doors in your calling one by one – He’ll even put you in position to minister where you’ll say Lord I cant do this, it's beyond me and He’ll say yes you can. Waiting before God and blooming where you are. Beth added - you see this concept over and over in scripture - It starts clear back with Abraham – there is a time period you go thru and you can wonder if this is ever going to happen. But God will use that time of waiting to develop you. Also Beth added that God will use others to tell you what your spiritual gifts are and use people to confirm that with you. Like if you have the gift of encouragement, people will come up to you and say, I want to thank you for what you said to me last week, it has so encouraged me.
(I thought this was interesting for two reasons - the first part is another theme I've heard repeated many times the past months waiting (also translated 'expectantly hoping') in the Lord patiently to bring about His will in your life) But also what Beth said about people saying to you what your gifts are - how the Lord is using you - I have had that happen a few times recently and was wondering about it, so that was interesting. So whatever your gift is, be encouraged to know that God is using it through you, when you are sensitive to His prompting. that you are shining forth Him in you, when you follow the promptings of the HS, in whatever small or big way He desires in His story.

3. the question How does prayer and god’s sovereignty work out – why spend much time in prayer asking Him for something if He knows what He's going to do anyway- does prayer really affect the outcome of anything?
Beth answered Phil 4:6
Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.
That means everything can be affected by prayer. (this is something my pastor has also been stressing over and over the past year and again last night - he says - there are some things in the will of God that you must pray for them to happen. Here was pastor saying it again last night and then tonight Beth with the same thing) Beth said the enemy wants you to think the prayer is not effective, and it doesnt really do much, that it doesnt matter. the enemy would much rather for you to study and disconnect from praying and from intimate fellowship with God. He wants you to think prayer doesnt make any difference but in James 5:16-18 – we read about Elijah --he was just a man like us - emotional, got mad, sad, got depressed he had our same feelings and yet he perservered in prayer (my pastor says the translation is 'he prayed in his praying' meaning he was sincerley praying with all he had, not just going thru the motions and mouthing prayers). Back to Beth - the prayers of the righteous availeth much (those who desire to walk in obedience to him) In John 11 when Jesus prayed - Jesus looked up and said, "Father, I thank you that you have heard me. – Christ always prayed as one who knew his Father was listening. How differently would you pray if he just showed up before your eyes across the table and said "oh, go right ahead keep on praying"– if you could only see that He was that close- how would it change your prayer life? We pray weakly because we just hope He hears us. You have to remember there is just a veil before our eyes-- but He is right there. Start praying as one who knows – Lord I know you hear me and your throne is right before and so I’ll ask as one who knows you hear me.
Remember that Christ still intercedes for us even as a member of the Trininty He continues to pray and boy does that show that the importance of prayer!
Sometimes we can become remote from our prayer life and it is such a beautiful thing when we do get back into that fellowship with Him. being in an attitude of prayer. Like a conversation all day with Him. sometimes what shows intimacy is not just that we bring him the big things but that we bring up the small things that happen each day.
Ok so this whole power outage thing was on Thursday night -- yet the night before Wednesday night My pastor only used one scripture passage during the prayer meeting, it was James 5:16 B -18 The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working. Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed fervently that it might not rain, and for three years and six months it did not rain on the earth. Then he prayed again, and heaven gave rain, and the earth bore its fruit.
and here tonight I 'stumble' across Beth using the same passage, with the same message. Ok what are the odds of that? So I cant really believe it is all a co-incidence - - this hour plus long power outage (with no storm of any kind around) this thought of why dont I listen to a podcast- my itunes opening up right on a long forgotten purchased teaching, filed away mistakenly under music --- and the re-iteration of several themes I've heard in sermons the past few months... God- incidence! He is so good to us!
blessings :)

It's Friday.....but Sunday is Coming!!!

My friend Lisa has been journaling quite an increbible 40 day Lenten Journey on her blog..... it has been a tremendous blessing and it is obvious God has given her a gift in writing. Please feel free to visit her blog and take in some of her Lenten Journey. Yesterday (Good Friday) she added this video that she found on youtube which I loved. It is called, it's Friday, but Sunday is coming!...




Thank You Jesus that Sunday is coming!!

Passion 07 videos

two of the best things I've seen on youtube: