Ring out wild bells...

This is one of my favorite passages of poetry.... Thank you Alfred Lloyd Tennyson. Ring in all that Jesus is and desires to be this year here in the middle of Sudan. It has special meaning this night as we welcome 2009. Much love to all of you from a building in the bush. Happy new year!

Ring out, wild bells, to the wild sky,
The flying cloud, the frosty light:
The year is dying in the night;
Ring out, wild bells, and let him die.

Ring out the old, ring in the new,
Ring, happy bells, across the snow:
The year is going, let him go;
Ring out the false, ring in the true.

Ring out the grief that saps the mind,
For those that here we see no more;
Ring out the feud of rich and poor,
Ring in redress to all mankind.

Ring out a slowly dying cause,
And ancient forms of party strife;
Ring in the nobler modes of life,
With sweeter manners, purer laws.

Ring out the want, the care, the sin,
The faithless coldness of the times;
Ring out, ring out my mournful rhymes,
But ring the fuller minstrel in.

Ring out false pride in place and blood,
The civic slander and the spite;
Ring in the love of truth and right,
Ring in the common love of good.

Ring out old shapes of foul disease;
Ring out the narrowing lust of gold;
Ring out the thousand wars of old,
Ring in the thousand years of peace.

Ring in the valiant man and free,
The larger heart, the kindlier hand;
Ring out the darkness of the land,
Ring in the Christ that is to be.

-- from “In Memoriam”

Papa's Gifts

Last night at about 10 pm excited voices could be heard echoing through the compound- jena suker, jena fi, jena fi wen (a baby? a baby is here- where?). Funny- Jennie and I were just pondering the gift of Jesus and Anna in the temple who recognized the messiah
who was still in nappies (diapers for our American friends). God does have such a sense of timing.

Seconds later a knock on my door came and we hurried out to the gate to see a precious little baby wrapped in cloths lying in a plastic bucket crying very loudly to announce his arrival. At first we thought he might be the baby girl we were admitting to our in community care program, but we checked and found out it was indeed a mystery baby. Some of our older boys went off to the police to report our find.

Meanwhile we all settled in to the hard task of oooohing and aaaahing and taking lots of pictures and praying over this little guy. Of course he did not come with a name tag so the honor for the time being fell to us. Our team gathered round and one of our newer members suggested Josiah and since it is cultural for the second name to be in local language we named him ‘Doga or one who is a gift in Kawkwa.

When I can back to my room hours later I looked up Josiah to find it means Jehovah heals. So in the middle of our season of crying out for healing in the place of needing a miracle for one we love so much- Papa brings us little 2 month old Gift of God’s Healing. He is an awesome reminder that regardless of what our natural eyes see in any circumstance God’s heals and it is His gift nothing we strain and strive to earn. It comes at times as mysteriously and unexpectedly as a baby appearing on our doorstep in the middle of night. On this we will stand. Our penchant for prophetic infants continues.



Here is the updated roll call:

• Immanuel came to us 3 weeks old in our first few weeks in 2006 when I needed to know God was with us
• Esther Aba came at 4 months to show us the power of love that is needed to set an Esther generation free
• Akish became Azeezah Adanna: Orphan became cherished one of her father who went to grow up in Papa’s house
• Victoria Joy came as a chubby 3 month old the day before Azeezah died and reminds us always of God’s victorious joy
• Danieli came at 3 days old without a name and reminds us of a nameless generation who will have destiny and identity imparted to them to change nations
• Noora Aba (Light of the Father) came at 6 months when Papa was speaking to me about light and how it belongs in places of darkness and storms.
  

And now Josiah 'Doga came in a time when we need Papa’s gift of healing like never before. In the middle of standing for healing and not see any visible change my heart was crying out even in silence for more confirmation from Papa about His promises for those I love, and also for my life. This little bundle came as a promise from heaven that God’s gift of healing may be abandoned by some but has now found a home at our house.

Josiah 'Doga

Priceless treasures!

Look how small he is Mama!

Out on our land-one of our completed YCV houses:
We are SO ready to move in!

Blessed New Year to all from Sudan!

Joy to the World

Milestones and Miracles: 2008

Beloved it has been a year of incredible growth. In looking ahead to 09, it is often helpful to remember ALL that God has done. So this post is to brag on Papa God and His goodness. When we recover the eyes of a child, seeing the miraculous happen becomes normal. Here are some highlights:

January: Found our family growing and expanding.

February: A blind woman in Uganda was healed...

March: We measured the land and staked out our first house; our leaders began to see more of the power of God's love in action. We also continued to reach out to our community with healing prayer meetings.

April: We started construction on the first children's house on our land. I had a trip to the US to speak.

May: We began our In Community Care Program (ICCP) where we care for children in their extended family structures by providing baby's formula, small medical expenses and for older children scholarships to attend our school.

June: My first time to minister in Ghana.

July: We found our first bar child on the streets here; we took in two children brought to us from the other side of the country on the Kenyan border and started the relationship that has led to the adoption of our second center, this one in Eastern Equatoria. We were able to put in the borehole for our community as a part of our land usage agreement. I went to Mozambique to meet with Iris family and share in the missions and pastors schools.

August: Iris Harvest School outreaches saw the blind see and the deaf hear around Yei as we were welcomed into many regional villages. Ongoing construction on the land! We received our first long term missionary team member, Jennie-Joy, who is now part of my personal admin team.

September: We began our first discipleship course: The Journey. A five week journey through the Bible and discipleship foundations for new believers that came to us through our outreaches. We took a scouting trip to Juba and ministered on the garbage dump.

October: The whirlwind tour de America began... it took me through roughly 12 stops in 10 states in less than six weeks... it was a wonderful time of reconnecting with family and friends and sharing God's heart.

November: Our staff did a fabulous job of manning the ship while we were away. I arrived home to progress in action. We officially launched ISRA (Iris Sudan Revival Alliance)- our network for identifying and partnering with life-giving churches in Sudan for leadership development, prayer and the pursuit of God's dreams.

December:

• My first book is finished and is with Chosen/Baker Books for publication in the fall of 2009
  
• Our primary school finished with top ranking scores in county exams; one of our older boys scored a #2 overall rank in his grade!
• God brought us a professional web designer to do a redesign and take over maintenance of our site. Yay!
  
• We found a good contractor-finally! By middle January 6 children's houses will be almost complete as will my house. Soon to come: temporary primary school structures, house of prayer, 2 more children's houses and office.
• We have reached 70% of our Bricks of Hope Goal with 140k raised and 60k needed by Dec 31, 2008 to take advantage of matching funds.
• We welcomed 2 more potential long term team members
• We had our first ISRA meeting with 4 churches represented from Yei to plan for a month of prayer in Jan 09.
• We opened our first church in Menyori- it is the first time the fueding clans there have come together and is a miracle of reconciliation in progress.
  
• We got our official governmental registration certificate from the government of Southern Sudan
• We had a fabulous Christmas celebration!

We now have:
76 children who call YCV home
40 more children in our In Community Care Program
190 students roughly who studied in our Dream School in 2008
10 children in our Kikilai Eastern Center
24 Fulltime Sudanese staff
4 Missionaries




What does 2009 look like?

In January we will move on to the land and coordinate a month long prayer initiative of daily prayer for the nation through ISRA. February finds me ministering in S Africa and Australia. March will be filled with a tentative road trip to Bahar Gazal and areas to our north as well as attending a two week peace building seminar. April/Oct-Nov I return to minister in the USA (schedule TBA). September my book is scheduled for release.

We will continue church planting, discipleship and expanding our In Community Care Program where children are cared for in their own communities as those communities are empowered to do so mostly through the churches we plant or partner with. We will also begin looking at concerted outreach efforts in the area primary schools with Bible type clubs as well as possible ministries to those affect by HIV-AIDS. And of course we will continue taking in each child that God brings us who has no other options. 2009 will also see the launch of our child sponsorship program in Australia and we pray in the USA as soon as the right team can be identified.

We are considering several village agricultural schemes, microenterprise and a village savings and loan prototype that sows into the economy and dignity of those we love on a very practical and sustainable level. As these programs are implemented and proven we will be prayerfully integrating them with our church planting to show love at every level to the communities we are involved with.

Iris has standing invites and is exploring expansion into Nuba mountains, Torit, Bahar Gazal and several local villages. We also are in the process of securing land for our third center just outside of Juba. We are also beginning to make steps toward some significant pre-election prayer initiatives in Juba in the first half of the year.

So 2009 looks to be an exciting year all around. We cherish your prayers and on going relationship. May Jesus draw you ever deeper into His huge heart of love.

Much love in Him- Michele

Happy Anniversary Iris Sudan!

Exciting news! Along with the birth of Jesus we also celebrated our second anniversary! So much has happened in a little over two years, I am undone by God's faithfulness.

We started from nothing and now are caring for over 140 children, providing schooling for nearly 200 children, have seen thousands pray to receive Jesus, have planted or networked with nearly 10 churches, operate 2 centers and have one big ever growing family focused on living in the never failing love of God.

And these little guys (Vicki, Aba and Ima) have been with us since the beginning as infants. Now they are fat and happy toddlers reminding us everyday of the miracle God is working in the dirt all around us.

We just got our registration officially with the government and are celebrating all that God has done in each of children and staffs lives over the last 24 months. Thank You Jesus. Shukran Yesua. Eiatea Yesu.

Twinkling Reflections

WHAT a Christmas it has been!

It started on Christmas Eve with a great hair experiment ala the bush. I wound up with red hair and while not my intended color, it fits the season. At least it has flair! So I am not too concerned… Then wrapping gifts for our little family of 100+ was an all day affair. Our Christmas dinner of lamb and goat met its demise. At 12 am sharp the singing on compound began… echoes of songs from the cooking fire rose with the smoke.

We sang in the Christmas' arrival:

Alela de faraha kebiri faraha kebiri Rabuna ma nina
Today is a day of great joy, great joy for God is with us!

Christmas started with an 11 am package opening celebration. I so love to be able to look into each of our children's eyes and tell them how precious they are as I hand them their gifts. Each of them get a new Christmas dress and were all decked out in style. All except for baby Danieli who decided to come in his birthday suit (ala nada). We had some neighbor kids show up as well and it was a joy to be able to offer them a small gift as well.

Then Christmas lunch of goat intestine stew, meat, greens, lamb, chicken, rice and salad was served. In the afternoon we had prayers together with lots of happy singing and dancing. There was much time to sit in between events and share heart to heart with our family as well. And Christmas dinner was more meat and potatoes. We had an all day celebratory feast.

I am so grateful to all who sowed into this day coming to pass. THANK YOU! We are beyond blessed. Above all the best gifts this Christmas was looking into the eyes of our kids and seeing the transformation in their hearts!

I'll Be Home for Christmas

I would love to invite all of my friends over for Christmas at our house... but I realize for most it is too far to come! So we thought we would bring a few glimpses of our house to yours! More musings on Christmas in these parts to come. But for now please fadil ini, marhab (sit here, you are welcome) and enjoy the show!

(If you would like to pause the show or continue at your own pace, place the mouse over the pictures and the control bar will appear at the bottom. Select the middle button to pause and/or the arrows to navigate through the pictures.)

Christmas Prayers from Sudan

I have been struck in the recent days about the cultural context of so many of our Christmas songs. I'm dreaming of a White Christmas and Silver Bells seem humorously out of place in a mud thatch metropolis teetering on the brink of war. But as I have been listening to many of the lesser remembered verses of more historical Christmas carols (and a few recent ones) this season they seem so much closer to home here. In preparation for Christmas Eve and in celebration of our Jesus, I wanted to share with you a few verses that have captured my heart in days like these. I improvised a few of the words.... but only a few.

May you be blessed as you are drawn into the Christmas story all year long. A time of carrying promises from heaven to full term, that Jesus may be again born, incarnate through our lives of love in the situations around us. These verses just seem to fit well where we are at....

O little town of Yei Sudan:
How still we see thee lie.
Above thy deep and dreamless sleep
The silent stars go by;
Yet in thy dark streets shineth
The everlasting Light;
The hopes and fears of all the years
Be met in thee tonight.

How silently, how silently
The wondrous gift is given!
So God imparts to human hearts
The blessings of His heaven.
No ear may hear His coming;
But in this world of sin,
Where meek souls will receive Him,
still The dear Christ enters in.
---
O come, Thou Rod of Jesse, free
Thine own from Satan's tyranny
From depths of Hell Thy people save
And give them victory o'er the grave
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel.

O come, Thou Day-Spring, come and cheer
Our spirits by Thine advent here
Disperse the gloomy clouds of night
And death's dark shadows put to flight.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel.

O come, Thou Key of David, come,
And open wide our heavenly home;
Make safe the way that leads on high,
And close the path to misery.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel.

O come, O come, Emmanuel
And ransom captive Israel
That mourns in lonely exile here
Until the Son of God appear
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel.
------
Silent night, Holy night!
Son of God, love's pure light
Radiant beams from Thy holy face,
with the dawn of redeeming grace,
Jesus Lord at thy birth;
Jesus Lord at thy birth.
---
Hail! the heaven-born Prince of Peace!
Hail! the Son of Righteousness!
Light and life to all He brings,
risen with healing in His wings.
Mild He lays His glory by,
born that man no more may die;
Born to raise the sons of earth,
born to give them second birth
Hark! the herald angels sing,
"Glory to the newborn King"
---
Still through the cloven skies they come,
Love's banner all unfurled;
And still their heavenly music floats
Over all the weary world.

Yet with the woes of sin and strife
The world has suffered long;
Beneath the Angel-strain have rolled
Two thousand years of wrong;
And man at war with man hears not
The love-song which they bring;
O! hush the noise, ye men of strife,
And hear the Angels sing.
---
Said the king to the people everywhere,
listen to what I say
Pray for peace, people everywhere!
listen to what I say
The Child, the Child, sleeping in the night
He will bring us goodness and light
He will bring us goodness and light
---
No more will sin and sorrow grow,
Nor thorns infest the ground;
He'll come and make the blessings flow
Far as the curse was found,
Far as the curse was found,
Far as, far as the curse was found.

He rules the world with truth and grace,
And gives to nations proof
The glories of His righteousness,
And wonders of His love;
And wonders of His love;
And wonders, wonders of His love.
---
Truly He taught us
to love one another;
His law is love and
His gospel is peace.
Chains shall He break
for the slave is our brother
And in His name
all oppression shall cease.

Sweet hymns of joy in
grateful chorus raise we,
Let all within us
praise His holy name!

Christ is the Lord,
Oh praise His name forever,
His pow'r and glory evermore proclaim
His pow'r and glory
evermore proclaim.
---
Breath of heaven,
Hold me together,
Be forever near me,
Breath of heaven.
Breath of heaven,
Lighten my darkness,
Pour over me your holiness,
For you are holy.
Breath of heaven.

Do you wonder as you watch my face,
If a wiser one should have had my place,
But I offer all I am
For the mercy of your plan.
Help me be strong.
Help me be.
Help me.

Breath of heaven,
Hold me together,
Be forever near me,
Breath of heaven.

O Holy Night

Truly He taught us to love one another,
His law is love and His gospel is peace.
Chains He shall break, for the slave is our brother.
And in His name all oppression shall cease.

The words have unique significance in a land in need of love, peace and an end to oppression. In HIS name, ALL oppression shall cease. This beautiful Jesus who was born in a stable, who was a refugee fleeing for his life even as a baby, who gave His life for us: His coming changed everything.

In the last few days of advent we look forward to holy nights astounding even warzones with angelic songs and an end to slavery on every level. May the carols of this season be punctuated with chains breaking and true freedom being found. Merry Christmas from Sudan.

We are at war...

Hi friends and family- well our Christmas season is especially unique here this year. Three international armies are going after the LRA virtually in our backyard. Please keep us in prayer.

Security levels are up again. What a time to remember angels songs of glory to God and peace to men... we could use some of that about now. In the place of war and instability, as we plan to move out to our land in a few weeks: we have decided on a name. Village of Peace. That is our continued declaration as we live under the shadow of God's wings. We pray more than ever for Silent Nights and Joy to the World. Truly there is no place like home for the holidays...

Jennie-Joy explains it all so well. Enjoy. Read her update here.

Love Is Stronger

Love is stronger than hate. Recent carvings of the name Jesus take over our walls once only adorned by a left over spray of bullet holes. Our rented building has character... I'll give it that. Our children have left their mark because He has marked them as His own.

Jesus is stronger than bullets. God is bigger than war. Perfect love really does drive out all fear. I have been thinking about that today as three countries go to war all around us to drive out locally one of the most hated and feared people of our current times, Joseph Kony (leader of the LRA).

It is a strange time to be in Yei. It is the right time to be here. Love wins. Always.

Christmas Update

Here is our Christmas update!!!

Click here to read our latest...

Christmas Blessings

Beloved, one of our greatest joys here is the privilege to journey together with our family from all over the world. Thank you for standing with us to see God's wildest dreams come to pass here for our children and in the nation of Sudan. You are true gifts from Jesus to us. May He richly bless you with His Presence and His Peace at Christmas and all year long. Much love, Michele

Echoes No Longer

It is so good to be home in Sudan after a little more than a month of the tour de whirlwind in the USA through more than 11 locations. But the greatest journey has been internal, not external.

I have discovered more of who I am and who I am not. I have found my voice in the process and I have learned some very valuable lessons.

Religion is adept and building boxes for our hearts and selling them as subprime real estate deals. Even well-intentioned expectations and comparisons can put us at risk of becoming an echo of someone else's song and never releasing the sound God has created us to carry. Jesus desires a choir of voices each singing their own parts in harmony not a company of people trying to echo one another.

This time my coming home to Sudan has been filled with challenges. I am realizing that my being here is joy, but it is only possible through grace. We really are in primitive conditions and it is difficult. And that it is ok to be real about that with myself and with others. I don't have to secretly hope a wonder woman suit will appear in my cupboard. ;-) I am not sure I could pull that fashion statement off even if I wanted to!

It has also been a time of milestones. My first book is finished and sent in to my publisher! It will likely be coming out in Sept 2009, but more to come on that in a bit. It was a fabulous journey of finding my own expression and remembering all God has done!

Jesus has confirmed moving ahead with Converge International (please click on the link to learn more!) and many things are in transition. We are in process of preparations to move out onto our land after Christmas. Building is moving ahead there. My 2009 travel schedule is shaping up. It is a wonderful time of being free to embrace who I am fully without feeling like I need to receive the expectations I have so frequently encountered in the last few years. The only garment I need to wear is the one Papa has specially fit for this His daughter.

There is so much to share in my heart, but power is almost going off and I need to be heading to bed soon. So here I am home above with my preaching girls ;-) learning what it means to walk in such a way heaven converges with earth as I live in His love that knows no limit.

2009 A Year of Water Into Wine

Beloved--

Some things to look for in 2009 have been highlighted in my heart the last few days. This is simply a prophetic sense of the times suggesting what we might focus on and pray into for the upcoming (or present) year (depending on your calendar). I am not claiming it is a thus-saith-the-Lord word about 09-if He speaks to your heart in certain areas, I will leave that for you to determine.

I would love and appreciate your comments and healthy discussion if any points are of interest to do so to anyone...

I sense 09 is a year that holds great transition for many as God begins to bring to birth the promises in new ways that He has given and we have held on to for the last 8 years.

As I have been praying about 09 and what it holds for me on personal and ministerial levels, some general understandings also emerged which is what I am sharing here. Here is what I gather… this are just some things I feel will be significant to keep in mind this coming year as we journey deeper into His heart. Each of these things could be true in any year, but I sense they may have particular relevance for the year we are about to enter (or have just entered).

WATER 2 WINE

John 2:9 …and the master of the banquet tasted the water that had been turned into wine. He did not realize where it had come from, though the servants who had drawn the water knew. Then he called the bridegroom aside…

I sense it will be a year of Jesus displaying His glory through unexpected miracles. Yet many of these will happen behind the scenes and not necessarily on stages. It will be a time that those who are servant lovers get to participate in the glory realm of the miraculous with Jesus. The banquet master did not know where the best wine came from, but the servants did! It will also be a choice of which wine will we drink- the supernatural provision from Jesus or that of the world system. And will we see mere water pots or potentials for miracles to come? Will we step out to fill water pots with water when we need wine or will we reason such instruction away… I sense Jesus is going to be really creative in some of his instructions that lead to provision this year- as we have ears to hear and eyes to see water pots a new way with hearts of servant love for our King.

GLORY OUTSHINES

Luke 2:9 An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified.

A time for shepherds in the fields (servant leaders in the fields) to expect overwhelming glory realm, supernatural encounters that lead them to find Jesus in unexpected places.

Hag 2:9 'The glory of this present house will be greater than the glory of the former house,' says the LORD Almighty. 'And in this place I will grant peace,' declares the LORD Almighty."

God is building His house of living stones into a place where His glory dwells. In this passage God, says the gold and silver are His. In the place of shaking, Jesus is going to fill His house with glory. In the place of His Presence filling His house, even in the middle of shaking, He brings provision and peace.

1 Cor 2:9 However, as it is written: "No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him"—

And it goes on to say BUT God has revealed it to us by His Spirit. I sense God desires to greatly increase the revelations of His secret wisdom in the secret place as we wait and spend time with Him. He has many, many creative, innovative, inventive, unique, never before imagined ideas, concepts and solutions to give us- if we will wait on Him and not lean to our own understanding.

ALIGNED

Hab 2:9 "Woe to him who builds his realm by unjust gain to set his nest on high, to escape the clutches of ruin!

Ezek 37:7-10 So I prophesied as I was commanded. And as I was prophesying, there was a noise, a rattling sound, and the bones came together, bone to bone. I looked, and tendons and flesh appeared on them and skin covered them, but there was no breath in them. Then he said to me, "Prophesy to the breath; prophesy, son of man, and say to it, 'This is what the Sovereign LORD says: Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe into these slain, that they may live.'" So I prophesied as he commanded me, and breath entered them; they came to life and stood up on their feet — a vast army.

I heard aligned and defined in 09 back in June of this year. A day of convergence- alignment heaven to earth AS WELL AS alignment one to another individually and corporately in the Body of Christ. There will be an increased shifting into place. There will be major shifts happening even in the natural and political realms of nations. It is a day of revealing empires built on unjust gain and the continued fallout from that. It is a season of holy adjustment for mobilization. It is a greater call to TRUE unity that celebrates the identity of each part of the Body. It is a day where the leg bone is going to stop trying to connect to the shoulder socket and be connected to the hip. In being rightly aligned in love and truth, it means agreement with lies will be need to be broken- which is in fact a wrong alignment. We need to be especially aware of strife and comparison in this time and allow Jesus to deal with it so our eyes are on Him. It is a day of God calling forth peaceMAKERS not merely peaceKEEPERS (Mt 5:9)

DEFINED

Ps 29 in 2009!!!

It is a season of God causing us to redefine our terms and perspectives so they line up with HIS voice. The voice of the Lord will shake our wildernesses and bring increased understanding of our identity as His Bride. It is a time where character is being emphasized as what will define us in the days and months ahead.

Our situations will not be defined by natural vision but by looking with our spiritual eyes as never before. Then we will define the reality we operate from by choosing to speak in agreement with the voice of the Lord and what HE is saying- not by leaning to our own understandings or simply repeating what we hear around us. Key understandings are in process of being redefined by the Word and Character of God-especially of what God’s Kingdom and revival mean as applied truths in each our individual and corporate journeys.

ASSIGNED

1 Chron 12:32 men of Issachar , who understood the times and knew what Israel should do…

As people are aligned and situations are defined, heaven will be assigned to places it finds agreement. It is a season calling for us to understand the times and out of relationship with Jesus (not fear of circumstances or the future) know what to do. This is critical because much of what happens and is assigned in 09 will not be fully seen or revealed until 2010-11-12.

It is a year of transition and shifting into place for a new authority based on humility and a greater release of the upside down inside out Kingdom in 2010.

I sense there will be new routes assigned. Jesus took me into a vision a few days ago of many highways and streams with people on them leading to and converging in His heart. And with each beat of His heart these people were launched out as arrows into the darkness carrying the substance of His heart that they had been submerged in. Our routes must lead to His heart. From there HE will launch us out to the harvest.

GRACE DESIGNED

Eph 2:6-10 And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, 7 in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. 8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith — and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works, so that no one can boast. 10 For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

It is a day where GRACE is the word. Jesus is calling us into a greater revelation of what living in grace means. It is a day where OUR works will begin to be uncovered and dismantled to make way for His… It is a day where grace is the design and the result in a Enoch company coming forth that understands their placement in Jesus in the heavenly realms. We are to show forth the riches of His grace not the proficiency of our performance.

What country we live in determines what law we are under. The law of the Spirit of life set us free from the law of sin and death. Jesus fully met the need for justice to be fulfilled on the cross allowing us to live in the realm of His grace. When we give our lives to Jesus we go and live in His Grace land BUT the enemy just like he lied to Eve comes and lies to us. When we have thoughts that are not the truth of what God says, it is often the devil knocking on our door to offer us a trip in that area back to the land of justice unfulfilled to subject us to the fear-control-shame-condemn

ation cycle. We have a choice to live in Justice land (in a place Jesus already paid to set us free from; under the control of sin and death) or in Grace land (the place of Justice fulfilled and life released- seated in heavenly places in Jesus).

TIME TO DECIDE

Gen 2:9 And the LORD God made all kinds of trees grow out of the ground — trees that were pleasing to the eye and good for food. In the middle of the garden were the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

I sense 2009 is going to be a time filled with decisions- which wine will you drink? Which tree will you eat from? Which realm will you live in? Which land (grace or justice) will you operate from?

It is a time where Jesus wants to free us from the fear cycle that comes from eating the tree of knowledge of good and evil and living in a place less than the fullness of what He purchased for us on the cross. The fear – control – shame – condemnation cycle is being rooted out so we can live in the freedom that is truly free in His love. His perfect love is driving out ALL fear- even the fear than masks itself in good works, religious performance and even at times what appears to be ministry “success”.

It is a time to let Papa ask us questions so we can find out where we are living and if need be let Him move us into a greater place of freedom.

We also will be faced with increasing opportunities to respond in love to a fearful world. But we can’t give away what we don’t have. It will be a time not to be moved by what we see in the natural governmental or political realms but be focused on bringing the supernatural Kingdom that is among us and within us through living lives of love in action filled with Holy Spirit every day.

It is a time to decide to point fingers or become part of the answer in our life choices and attitudes. It is a time to decide not in the realm of politics but of Presence. It is a time for seeking and finding hidden treasures God has hidden for us, not from us Prov 25:2 It is God's privilege and glory to conceal and hide things and the king's privilege and honor to discover and seek them out. So in 2009, seek and you will find!

A new day dawned in 08. In 09 it is time to step into the promises released and a time to revisit promises yet unfulfilled that they may be carried to full term. 2009 is a critical transition year for 2010-12. Much will be happening in the unseen that will come out in the days and years to come. It is time for the Bride to shake slumber from her eyes. And above all Jesus wants to draw us every day deeper into His heart of love so in the face of fear we can become the face of love and only be moved by what is found in the love we see in His gaze.

Much love in Jesus-Michele