11.19.10 Gracious and Compassionate....

Greetings all! Everyone gearing up with Thanksgiving plans? I will be heading down to mom's to enjoy the day with her and David. Will be a short trip as nothing closes at IHOP....will just have to miss a couple of days of class/prayer room. It will be good just to get in the car and drive for 6 hours, out of the schedule/routine that has been life!

Needless to say there is so much I could update you all on but neither you nor I have time to write or read that novel right now. I can say that I am pretty floored at God's graciousness, tenderness and compassion as He is ever so gently revealing His heart for me. This week the Intro Track II interns (I am in Intro Track I at the moment and will start Intro Track II in January) have been doing a prophetic practicum and pulling people out of the prayer room who are interested in receiving prophetic ministry. Tuesday I got blessed with this opportunity. Two of the women both saw the same thing. They saw me at the ocean enjoying the sunset...relishing it as His handiwork; His painting. They both shared His heart's response to me in that place of delighting in His creativity, it's beauty. It so ministered to my heart to realize that He sees that part of me that does see Him in nature, sees parts of His heart revealed in it and that I enjoy Him through those things.....He delights in me that I delight in Him! It seems relatively simple but that particular day it ministered to a wounding of my heart where I had been mocked in the past for this very aspect of my personality. It was as if God was taking back that ground for me....totally validated who He had made me to be. It was awesome. When I returned to the prayer room I was just marveling at how He would bother to speak through two different women...just to make this point clear to me...a particle of dust! (We were formed from the dust of the earth; Genesis 1!) As soon as I had spoken that thought to Him, the Holy Spirit immediately whispered, "You know that when the dust of the earth mingles with the Light of the Son....that's how I paint the sky!" I was speechless as He then downloaded His delight to use us to display the colors and shades of His glory in the earth as we sit before Him....mingling with Him...the Light! He will reflect out of our lives, revealing Himself to those around us in His beauty and splendor. Wow. So next time you feel like a dirt clod...nothing special, a failure....go and watch the sunset! Oh what He can do with a little dust....

Love you all much! Know that you are in my heart and prayers. Have a blessed Thanksgiving and safe travels to those who will be on the road.

His,
Heather

11.01.10 "The Time of Singing is come..."

Greetings on this first day of November. As I was sitting here pondering where to begin or what to share, Song of Solomon 2:11, 12 came to mind immediately. "Behold, the winter is past, the rain is over and gone. The flowers appear on the earth; the time of singing is come..." That is how I feel this evening....as though a long, rainy, cold winter has given way to the new life of the next season. I stand amazed at what God can do with a heart!

This Intro to IHOP internship has been described as trying to drink from a fire hydrant and I think that is a completely accurate picture of my life right now. Our schedules remain packed and everywhere you turn there is more of the word spoken to you, written to you (I have a huge collection of notes from classes and church services full of scripture that will take me a year to really study out for myself already!) or being sung over you in the prayer room. Almost daily I am having a significant God encounter....those places where He just lifts up His voice in whatever manner He chooses that day that let's me know He is intricately involved with me, my heart and my life in this season.

There is so much I could try to share, but no way to even record all that is being touched in my heart these days. I do want to tell you that this past week was life changing...at least to this life! Proverbs 29:18 says, "Where there is no revelation (vision), the people cast off restraint...." This week God took opportunity daily to bring me further revelation of my identity in Him. With fuller revelation and understanding of what my function or assignment is within that identity, I just found a freedom rise up within me.....and somehow the winter I have been in for some time now, just gave way to spring!

Let me explain a bit. Many of you have heard the term "forerunner" before. For those who may not be familiar, it is a term used in the Bible to describe John the Baptist, as he prepared the way for Jesus and then also a description of Jesus Himself. A forerunner, by Websters, is simply one that precedes and indicates the approach of another. I have known for about 20 years that I was a forerunner, though I have had little understanding of what that really means. I only know I have been an odd one that seemed to see things coming or have some understanding before the general church population. This has mostly been an irritant, to be honest! You learn something in the word or the Holy Spirit shows you something and you excitedly try to share it with others...but you just get this deer in the headlights response. It took me some time, but I finally understood that it might not be time for everyone to be looking into what I was seeing/hearing. And this in no way is to imply that I thought I was better, smarter or more special than anyone else. I mean, seriously, God used a donkey to talk to Baalam and He says He uses the foolish things to confound the wise! The other major irritation of being a forerunner is that 5 or 10 years later those very same deer in the headlights people are now seeing/hearing what you were talking about....and they step into it and everyone thinks they are the best thing since sliced bread....and no one remembers that you even talked about such matters! And so you grow in humility!

This week God has downloaded to me a fuller understanding of a forerunner. It coincides with what I was seeing for myself here at IHOP-KC, which involved pouring into the younger generation here....those who will have to contend with what is coming to our nation and to the world in the years ahead. I was given this facet of a definition by one of our instructors this week, Craig Cook: "Forerunners prepare the way for the Lord by preparing people to respond rightly to Jesus in the End-Times by making known His plan and will. Forerunners are the "mercy strategy" of the Father." So just as John the Baptist went ahead of Jesus with His first coming, "indicating the approach of another", so God is raising up those messengers with the same calling to prepare the way for Jesus second coming to the earth.

Again, there is so much to this for me that would require me to write a small novel here to explain but it boils down to I received some clarification this week to my identity in Jesus and my destiny as I follow and obey Him. Though I do not know what this will all look like, I felt the focus or "restraint" that Proverbs 29 talked about. I feel very focused and settled, which is a huge relief from the wrestlings I have walked through with all the different facets of this move to KC! I am eager to put the time in the word and in His Presence that will be necessary to truly have the word of the Lord in me....thus it will be what comes out of me!

Thank you all for your prayers, your love and support during this transition. I would not have kept my head above water had it not been for you all! Do continue to pray that I have the stamina to finish out this intense schedule, with health and I am also needing to actively develop my partners team and need wisdom and favor for that. Do feel free to contact me with any prayer needs you might have; it would be my pleasure to pray! Blessings and grace to you all!

His

10.09.10 "Please lower the safety bar....

and keep your arms in the vehicle at all times!" We have just completed our first week of this internship and looking back at it I am reminded of the myriad of times I found myself sitting on the Scream Machine in Six Flags over Georgia with my youth group when I was in high school. The Scream Machine is an awesome old fashioned, wooden roller coaster. That's how this week has been.....anticipation meeting with the experience, breath taking at times, fun, touch of danger (will you actually live through it?!).

It has been a full week of 50+ hours of class, prayer room, worship, services, fellowship and training. It has been awesome! We are getting so much teaching, much like trying to drink from a fire hydrant and it has been rich.

One of the first classes we had this week was on Psalm 133:1-3 "Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity! It is like the precious oil upon the head, running down on the beard of Aaron, running down on the edge of his garments. It is like the dew of Hermon, descending upon the mountains of Zion; for there (unity) the Lord commanded the blessing....life forevermore."

God so met me in the midst of this class on several things within this verse and in the ministry of the leadership team to each of us new interns afterwards but I wanted to share one point in particular as I think it will be life to you guys too. God describes the unity of the saints as "precious oil". The reference of the oil running down Aaron's (a priest unto God) beard talks of anointing oil. In Exodus 30:22-25 tells of the instructions God gave Moses for the making of the holy anointing oil. The oil is to be made from quality spices by a skilled perfumer. Those spices have to be ground to powder and are blended together with olive oil, which unifies the spices and presents them in a useful form together. That olive oil speaks of the Holy Spirit that dwells within each of us. The crushing and grinding of the spices? That speaks of the circumstances, places of difficulty......utter breaking in our lives. As we corporate, by the grace of God, with His workings within each of our lives, we become ground to powder (can anyone else relate to this?!) but as that powder is mixed with His Holy Spirit, as we cry out and bring our brokenness to Him, He brings together an altogether, beautiful fragrance.

Is it not in our dealing with other people that much of our crushing, grinding and breaking occurs and yet that is the very process by which we must go through in order for our "spices" to truly release their fragrance and actually prepares the spice to be mixed and blended with others to become a part of the anointing oil. What a paradox! Unity brings a commanded blessing and yet that unity is compared to anointing oil....with the whole process of crushing, often through the means of our brothers and sisters! Aaron is a picture of Jesus. The anointing oil is a blessing that touches Him, as the Head of the church, and then flows to His body, the church. This oil is "precious".

My heart is challenged to lend my heart to His hand in the midst of my difficult places. He is good in all His ways and He knows what He is doing in my life and yours! May we all have the grace to embrace His processes because He really is answering the cry of my heart and yours. Seriously, is He not just doing what I have asked for? To be like Jesus, to be made useful in His hand? Have you prayed something like that too? We asked for this! And He is being faithful, in the fulness of His love for us. So let us rejoice......

Thank you, again, to all of you who are praying for me. It is strength! May you be blessed with more revelation of His heart over you this week. Much love in Him......

10.03.10 So It Begins!

Greetings from KC everyone! I hope this finds you all well as Autumn finally decided to show up this week. This is my favorite time of the year!

The past few weeks have continued to be a time of searching my heart and preparation for this new leg of my journey. I headed back to Alabama to close out my accounts and get a few more of my things I will need for the colder months. It was good to see familiar faces and I was greatly blessed by the outpouring of love and the generosity of everyone's hospitality....those I stayed with and those that offered! Thank you! And it was a special blessing to get to have Mac and Sophie with me for a few days......miss them much as they just make me smile.

Intro to IHOP-KC began this past Friday at 8:00 a.m. and it was good to find myself in the company of about 100 others from all over the States and several other nations who have set aside these months to go after God's Presence and dive into His Word. Needless to say it has been good to get this internship underway! I so appreciate all of your prayers on my behalf through this transition....I have so needed them and I have been strengthened by you guys.

Many of you have asked regarding my housing now. Prior to heading back to 'Bama I had moved my things out of the first house and into the garage of another home that rents out rooms. (The room I am in now was not yet vacant when I left.) My new housemates are two women, both in their fifties and the atmosphere is completely different than the initial house I was in. Oh, and this bed is not only much better than the previous, it's actually a pillow top! You would have had to have slept a night in the previous mattress to know the fulness of the wonder of this! Again, thank you for praying. The schedule is packed and good rest will be of much value!

Know that you all are in my heart and in my prayers these days. Now that I have my feet on the ground here, these blog updates should be more regular and have more of what God is up to in this little walk I am on. Blessings and grace.....

08.31.10 First Week

Whew.....what a course has been run over this week! I pulled out of my Alabama home about 2:45 last Tuesday afternoon and headed north towards KC. I am still amazed at how one person who does not own a lot of stuff could have so much stuff to get rid of, sort through, throw away....and still have so much to "store". Again, I can not say a big enough thank you to my dear friends who jumped in on the labor! As I drove and reflected, I just wept at the love and care you guys showed to me, both those who came and sweated and those who have given in prayer and financially. Know that I love you all and am missing "home"....which is made up of you all!

As I was coming into the KC city limits I heard the Lord tell me that I was coming into a "greenhouse" season. I immediately saw a little glass greenhouse I took refuge in while in Drum, Ireland out of the cutting wind that was blowing that day. That greenhouse was HOT! The sense I had was that the right nutrients and elements were going to be in place for rapid growth. That sounded positive, right? Well, I met up with my landlord when I arrived and he took me to the house where I had rented a room. From the moment the door opened, the "greenhouse" materialized before my eyes! Both spiritually and in the natural (the thermostat is locked at 79 literally!) the house is not a place of rest or peacefulness. One of my first responses was to cop attitudes; mix that with where my heart was at when I arrived in KC....having left everyone and everything behind, grief, complete exhaustion physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually and I was set for a crash and burn!

Thursday I spent the morning with a friend who I had completed my previous internship with. That afternoon, I simply kept driving around, again just exhausted. I suddenly found myself with the strongest urge just to drive right back out of KC. I did not want to finish unloading my car, did not want to get the PO Box I need or open a bank account here. I was completely undone! If I could have thought of somewhere I would have wanted to be....I would have just left. But then I was struck with I have no place to go! I have burned the bridges to Alabama....my old place no longer exists, nor my "stuff". That brought on a whole new depth of tears as I felt that strange emptiness. So about 4:30 that afternoon, I just went to the prayer room. If God had brought me here to be in that room, then ok, I would go and sit in it! Though I had no strength, no prayers and was completely broken....I sat. For over 5 hours. Through that time, my spirit started to breath somewhere along the line. I walked out peaceful.....not real happy but I no longer had the urge to bolt!

The next morning I woke up and felt directed to head to my mom's house in Arkansas for the weekend. IHOP had a special National Prayer Conference going on, which took things out of the norm here and I was going to need to go see her before the internship started anyway. This gave me a chance to sleep a few nights in AC, rest up, get my clothes washed and ironed and just re-group. I knew this transition would be tough but I had not anticipated the degree of the challenge nor the warfare! As I was preparing to leave, I stopped by the bookstore to pick up a book for my mom. On the display table near the front my eye caught a teaching CD that was actually recorded in 06. I grabbed it too as it was stirring in my spirit. As I drove and listened, God started revealing my heart to myself. I would not identify myself as an angry person. Anger is just not something I have identified about myself. But in this teaching it was stated that for some people anger manifests in the outburst; for others it manifests in depression! What?! I have never heard that one before! And immediately, the light was shining on places in my heart revealing anger. Anger towards people, myself and at God.....I mean, I had just walked through some of the toughest terrain in my life, given up everything and now that I am here.....I can't even have a place to "rest" for awhile?

What God has given me is truly a greenhouse that quickly pulled to the surface those things hidden in my heart...which is allowing me to deal with what I did not know was there. You see, anger has some friends like pride, ambition, jealousy, etc. So I am grateful for His wisdom and lovingkindness to me in the midst of all of this. Do be praying for me, as though this place I have rented has severed this purpose, I do not feel compelled that I must stay in it. I knew coming into it that it would be temporary, as did my landlord. I am in the process of searching a new place that would be more suitable and conducive.....perhaps a bit sooner than I would have but none the less!

I am now back in KC and plan to spend much of this week in the prayer room, just allowing the Holy Spirit to work on this heart of mine and get on board with what is on His heart! I am holding off on getting my PO Box until I get a different address. Where I am located right now requires me to use a post office that is less than optimal and my physical location could change which post office I will be using. I will be sure to let you all know my new info as it comes available. Would love to hear from you all! Blessings and grace to your day.

His,
Heather

08.19.10 5 Days and Counting!

"Wow" comes to mind when I look back over the past few weeks. Two yard sales in July and August....in the South....need I say more? Much thanks to Wally and Gina Whitmore who let me fill their front yard with most of my earthly belongings. And also to Bill Everett and Greg Godfrey, without whom I would never had been able to get the furniture out the apartment! God blessed both days of sales and I am grateful.

The women of the Rock Scottsboro had a dinner for me during our regular Mentoring Moments monthly meeting. There was a prayer time for me, which totally messed me up.....that was a multiple Kleenex time....and they had a "Blessing Jar" in which they left notes and money to help me take this next step forward. The notes caused another major need of Kleenex! It was all a huge blessing. The night was capped off when Pastor Jennifer taught on Hannah. She had no idea but Hannah had been a word that Pastor Greg had taught on a number of years earlier regarding intercession. It was a very direct word that spoke into and over my life. To have Hannah brought up on this particular night in preparation for my move to the house of prayer was just a God thing. It stirred afresh those things He had planted in the prior years......yea, some foundation for what I am walking into. Much thanks to the ladies of the Rock! I love you guys and will so miss you all.

It has been pretty amazing watching God work out the details. And yet it has been a challenge to try to keep in that place of rest knowing He has me in His hand, just to be honest. As I have sold, given away or thrown away the "things" that make up my day to day life, as I say good-bye to the people in my life, and the unknown fate of my dogs as of yet, Mac and Sophie, the emotions have run high. It does not take much for the tears to be rolling! And yet I know once the "tasks" of moving are done, I am heading into a great adventure that will be putting me in the middle of His will, doing what I am anointed for. As I have heard it preached....there is no better place to be than that!

And so I attack the next 4 days to finish washing, packing, cleaning, delivering items to friends that don't belong to me, and finishing up making rounds to some folks I need to see before I head out on Monday. I look forward to arriving in KC to have time to process these changes! Thank you to all of you, again, for the encouragement you have given in words, prayer and financially. Can't help but think of Steven Curtis Chapman's song "Great Adventure" at this point in time! "Saddle up your horses, we've got a trail to blaze. Through the wild blue yonder of God's amazing grace. We'll follow our Leader into the glorious unknown, this is life like none other (whoa whoa) THIS IS THE GREAT ADVENTURE! To quote David Vest, "Giddy up!"

Love you all much.

August 23.....the day!

Hey ya'll!

Thought I would use the true southern terminology while I am still truly in the south! Well, it looks like August 23 will be the day I pull out of Alabama and head to Kansas City. It occurred to me that if I didn't just set a date that I would be here till Christmas! Can any body relate to procrastination? So looking at the calendar I made the decision based on how much time I thought I would need to get things together. What I thought was random had turned out to be so orchestrated! A few days later it occurred to me that I would be arriving in KC way before my internship starts and that thought excited me because that would give me a chunk of time to just sit before the Lord in the prayer room, dive into the Word and just fellowship with Him outside of the hectic schedule of IHOP itself. A day or two later that thought returned to me and it slowly dawned on me that I would be in a great position to add fasting to this time of sitting before the Lord.....and then I had this sense of "Uh-oh.....I have been set up!" The 23 will be a travel day. I pulled out a calendar and started counting! My first full day in KC until the first day of the internship is 40 days. There is such an anticipation as I am seeing such divine weavings! So do be praying for me as I do not have the details of what kind of fast yet but I do want to be faithful to it and all that He has for me during those 6 weeks.

This past weekend I witnessed God working out details that I have been unsuccessful at resolving for myself. IHOP will be having 700 students arrive on base for this Fall = no room in the inn! I have had several leads on places/rooms to rent with nothing being available. Saturday morning I came across a posting on FB from the previous manager of the internship I was in at IHOP in 08 and he had just got his new website up and wanted everyone to check it out....it connects those needing housing with those with space available near IHOP! Within an hour I had a room on Myrtle Ave, within walking distance of the prayer room. Praise God for provision!

I have also had my old Saturn that I needed to sell before I leave. It has been a thorn in my flesh, to say the least. Saturday I finally just made myself finish cleaning it up and arrangements finally came through to park it in a friends yard on a busy street in Scottsboro. I finally got it parked there about 4 o'clock Saturday afternoon. I was awakened by a phone call Sunday morning by a guy who wanted to check it out. It was sold before church that morning! That required a big "Praise God"!!! It was interesting prophetically speaking. That morning Chris Mitchell from the Florence area was speaking at church. Before he started preaching he had tossed a bunch of white paper on the floor in front of the alter. As he was finishing the sermon he picked one up and though it was totally perfect for what he preached, as he explained what was on them, I just wanted to go grab it out of his hands because it was for me! It had simply two things on it: the date which was 08.08.10 and "My last day". In the prophetic world you always hear that the number 8 stands for new beginnings and 10 is for divine order. So Chris was sharing that it was a day of "double portion new beginnings" and God's order being set......I had just written that date myself and could see it in my mind's eye....as I was selling the Saturn. Again, in prophetic terms, I have always heard that your vehicle represents your ministry. So on the day of double portion of new beginnings and God setting things in His order, my old ministry/season were literally released and gone! Pretty sweet prophetic picture and confirmation that I am stepping in the correct direction!

Thank you for your prayers and the kind, encouraging words that many of you have expressed. I need you guys! This is a big, scary step I am making and I can sense the strength of your intercession over my life.....what a gift! This week I am facing another yard sale Saturday.....I need to get rid of all the "stuff". Two weeks is looking pretty short for finishing up closing my apartment, packing, storing, etc. I am also about to send out a "clarification" letter to those of you who received a hard copy of my letter explaining this move. I have had several people asking questions that were not clear in the first letter, so I hope to have that out in the next day or two. Blessings and grace to you all. May His favor be evident over you and your families. Much love in Him.....

End of a Chapter

07.20.10

Hello my friends,

As I sit here preparing to write I am amazed that July is more than half over! I trust this finds you and your families well this summer.

I have some news I want to share with you all. It seems I am ending one chapter in my life in order to begin another! After much prayer and wrestling of my soul, I will be returning to the International House of Prayer KC, as I sense the Lord’s leading. While I was in my IHOP internship Fall ’08, there was a day the Lord encountered my heart extending over most of that day. It started with me “just happening” to find the cassette recording of the first prophetic word God spoke to me through Greg DeVries which talked of me pouring myself into a younger generation with the fruit being that they would not only overcome by the word of their testimonies but they would not love their lives unto death (Revelation 12:11). It was at that point that I began to weep at the intensity of the anointing on those words and the witness I had of its truth in my spirit. That particular day in KC unfolded vision for my future days!

As I shared with my mom, it is obvious God has not designed my life in the usual, expected pattern of life and I have known there is purpose in His workmanship. What I saw that day in ’08 was me having a house in which I could board young women from all over the world for the 3 -6 months while they were in their internships at IHOP-KC. I would have opportunity to speak into these young ones and minister to them while they are in their season of going hard after God. There is a burn in me to see a generation rise up who will not shrink back from truth and righteousness, nor from their passion and love for Jesus. My intent is to go on staff with IHOP myself as in intercessory missionary, as I know I am called to the place of intercession for my family, friends, the church, leadership, my nation, yea, the nations of the world, as the fullness of time brings the culmination of the end of this age and sees the return of Jesus Christ and the establishment of His Kingdom. I have heard and I am responding to His call!

What a chapter I have just walked through! I have learned much over this last decade with Expectation Ministries, i.e. Greg, Gretchen, Cara and those connected with EM across the globe, and The Rock Scottsboro. The people God has brought into my life are precious, even becoming family to me. It is with sadness of heart that I prepare to leave Alabama though I know what has been gained here will just be part of the foundation of what God establishes in the days ahead for His kingdom and in my life. I treasure the gifts I have been given here!

I feel a bit like Luke 9:3 where Jesus sent His disciples out and told them to take nothing with them! I am not sure what this is going to look like but I know He is sending me. Just as any missionary heading to foreign soil, I am in need of raising my own support. I covet your prayers as I seek His game plan and provision. I will be pulling out of Woodville on 8/23, as my goal. Please see below my contact information as the Lord may lead you to assist with His plan for my life in this season. Visit the blog.spot I have developed: Bridesmaidinvitation. I will be using this as a “web journal” and you will be able to hear more of my heart, as well as receive updates here. Please know that I am excited to be positioning myself to literally be in the place of night and day prayer because I believe His heart and hands move when we pray. “For such a time as this” I will be in a place to pray for you all individually, your families, your churches and as special needs arise. Grace and peace to you all! Much love in Him.

PO Box 30
Gurley, AL 35748

ecc3hisglory@hotmail.com

His,

Heather