Monday, May 26, 2008

Soaking it all in........

Wow!! I just got back from an awesome weekend...hanging with some awesome old friends, and some dear new friends, as well as having the privilege of attending an amazing church filled with freedom and liberty and on top of that, was able to be a part of Bill Johnson ministering.....!!!

On Friday afternoon I traveled by myself, a free woman (remember I have 4 young boys!) to my friends, Mark and Amy DeVita's house to stay and hang out, catch up and be able to go hear Bill Johnson at their church. There are numerous awesome intricate details that were so clearly the Lord, simply weaving together before our eyes, that it would take a small book to include....so I will simply just hit the highlights for me personally.

On Friday night, we arrived and got seated and waited for worship to kick off.....as we sat their I told Amy how I kept thinking something was on my head, I kept reaching up thinking it was my sunglasses but they weren't there and the feeling I was experiencing was like something encircling the top of my head and was really real. It was like a weight but I felt no uncomfortable pressure.... Amy and I concluded that it was my crown...!!! How sweet!!

Worship started and was wonderful...I can't remember a single song we sang and ended up just singing my own praises to the Lord from my heart, along with a sea of other voices worshipping our High and Mighty King and Father in Heaven....all the while I experienced such a weighty thick manifest Presence of the Lord, so real and so on me, I felt it difficult to stay standing and eventually had to go down to the floor, and spend some time before the Lord worshipping Him on my knees, just laughing and crying and soaking......there was a point in the worship that I could see a clear picture while I had my eyes closed worshipping, it was while we were singing the words, let your fire fall, let your wind blow let your glory come down and then sang ..let it rain down, over and over......I saw a picture of people holding up umbrellas.....I had never seen a clear picture like that before while worshipping.....awesome.....!! Worship went on for quite a long time and it truly was wonderful.....I was so grateful to be in a place of such hunger with no agendas to finish at a certain time, just go with the flow of the Spirit's leading......at some point during the worship we were lead to put our hand on the person's shoulder's next to us and pray, I honestly can't remember what we prayed for, sorry...fuzzy here, but the Lord met me in a way I honestly had been longing for, for quite some time.....I burst into hysterical ridiculous laughter, gut wrenching, snorting the whole works....it was so fun!!! Who says being a Christian isn't fun!!! It's just so amazing to me that the Holy Spirit really ministers to us in such random ways....but, it is so kind of God to give us the gift of spontaneous laughter, as laughter does one good like medicine....!!

Bill came to speak and to minister to us and it was like a friend walked up to the platform to preach. I have been listening to the podcast for some time now and have grown accustomed to him in a way I feel like I know him. But when he got up to speak I was so affected by how real and approachable he seemed...simple, no airs about him, no sense of hierarchy or fame whatsoever, just a real man, in love with God and passionate to bless others with the amazing gift to teach and unpack Scripture in a mind boggling manner.....it was simply refreshing!!!
I won't attempt to share on the message he brought, unfortunately I forgot to bring a notebook to take notes....but it was amazing, and maybe someday I will listen again and type up some notes. What I really loved was being able to firsthand be a part of his healing ministry. At the end of his message he began to prophesy healings that the Lord wanted to heal....he would call out the illness, disease or infirmity and have folks get involved, lay hands on the person and pray ..... this was very cool to be a part of....
I have never been in the midst of such ministry....anyway, a woman next to me needed prayer for her back from the base of her head to her tailbone she had experienced discomfort, and I am not sure of the reason, but several ladies, including myself all prayed over her.....we stayed with her for quite some time, praying everything we felt led and massaging her back for her while she tried to stretch it out and check it out....it was so precious to me to be a part of this....to me it felt like there was so much love and compassion in all the people in the room to see people set free from their afflictions...what a joy to see God's people operating in this way....she eventually was able to touch her toes without any pain and felt free....Hallelujah!! She said to me, "I feel awesome, isn't God so good, do you feel awesome too!!" Wow folks, if only church could always be like this.....at least it should be.....Jesus healed them all....he preached and healed!!!

Well, all this went on for some time and as it sort of officially ended, Amy, Toni, Chrissy and I spent some more time just praying for each other for different things......it was very precious to speak life and pray and encourage one another in the Presence of our Daddy! The unity we experienced was powerful!! This was only day one of an awesome weekend...so I will save Saturday's testimonies for another post. My heart is to share my life, my testimony....I believe in the power of testimony.....and I hope and pray to stir up hunger for others, as others have done and are doing still for me!! Grace and peace to all who read this!!! And God is Awesome and He Loves You more than you know!!!!!



(the photos above from left to right..Toni, Chrissy, Me, Amy.)

4 comments:

Dan Bowen said...

WONDERFULLLLLLLLL!!!!!!!!!!

Oooh wow I just felt like I was basking in every word, every encounter you enjoyed!! It really is a time and an atmosphere (NOT Seasons!) of encounters for us all isn't it?! Julie and Aaron in Hong Kong, Pete, me and Scott in Eastbourne and now you with Bill JOhnson!! God is so abundantly lavishly awesome!! And He loves us soo much!!

Praying you would just rest in every iota of what happened and the glory wouldn't leave you but grow and grow and grow until signs and wonders are following YOUR ministry too!

Peter Day said...

This is wonderful. Heaven is invading earth, and heaven is invading your life!! More, Lord!

lydia said...

Yay, thanks you two, it really was wonderful.....I often feel my crown still resting on my head just when I talk to others about it...so Dan the glory is still hanging around....!!!

jul said...

ooooohhh pictures, and great ones too!!!