Fire on the Altar, OHIO

It's always awesome hanging out with our team on our trips.
More then a team, we are a family.
We live in covenant with God and we have covenant with each other.

And the worship was incredible. I felt a lot of team had break-through in this area!

Josh, Ami & Kelley have been committed to obeying God since we began Burn in 2009.

Here's our squad on lunch break :-)
I love traveling with these guys!

Our heart is Acts 1 and 2,
our mission is COVENANT.

Salem, MA!

Halloween weekend: Our Burn Tribe came into Salem, MA this Halloween for one purpose! To show Salem that the power and love of God super-seeds any dark supernatural power outside of Jesus. Welcome to some of the most hardest spiritual warfare yet. We faced great opposition, but we also experienced the supernatural power of God like never before!

Here's an intro to some of things happening in Salem:

Our team didn't know what to expect coming into Salem. we spent a lot of time in prayer the week beforehand, covering ourselves before entering such unknown territory to ourselves. But it really was one of the best trips yet. God brought break-through through many of us individually, as well a group.

We have a friend in Campbridge who feels called to the college campuses there. If you're in the area you should check out there GATHERING times. It's called Journey Church and there a great community of people there.

My highlight was one of the first nights we got there. Our team did a drum circle in the middle of this non-running fountain. We had rain sticks and flags and were just declaring, decreeing and prophesying over Salem's streets. You could feel the shift happening. It was literally exhilarating because you just felt your flesh surrendering and dying so that Jesus could have His inheritance in you! Glory!

Here's where we did dream interpretation, life readings and healing prayers on the streets Halloween night. 100% of those who got prayed for were healed. And When people would ask who our meduim was we would reply Jesus! And He loves you and has a purpose for your life. It was so awesome see how much God loves his people. God loves witches, pagan, warlocks, sorcerers just as much as you and I!


There's a group of believers there from The Gathering who were doing a small teaching on dream interpretation.

We also had worship and intercession happening around the clock at a local church while we were on the streets.

Jamie Dickson, who also over sees the Northeast side of Burn 24-7 lead the group to Salem. Next year they are looking for 300 believers to come and join.

We'll be in again so let us know if your up for the challenge! ;)

our humble home..

....every week :-)

Acts 1 and 2

Detriot!!!

This blog is called Jackel Journeys, but I feel I have been doing a very poor job keeping up with all the journeying we've been doing. Traveling a lot is an under statement for the past few months. Its been a lot of fun, along with challenging as well. We have been EXTREMELY thankful for our Burn Tribe, where a consistent group of core people are committed to seeing people hearts ignite with a firey love for the Lord and a passion for His presence.

~ Some of our Burn Fam ~

The two oldest girls have only gone a half of the trips, while the baby, Arista, has been on all them. By the time we hit January, when we go to Israel, she would have been on 5 missions' trips since being born (she's only 4 months old!). There is an incredible amount of grace upon our lives right now to obey God with everything we have.

So I'm committed to staying connected in this blog with our travels. The more we've been connecting with people and seeing others jump on board both physically and in spirit, prayerfully and financially with us, we want to be able to share the experiences, break-throughs, encounters and even challenges we have had along the way. What makes the pilgrimage a glorious journey?! That what this blog is about :^D

Our last trip was DETRIOT, where we went to The CALL and ministered at both Life in Christ Fellowship and Blue Water Christian. Check out what we taught HERE! It's a powerful message and a "now" word for the Body of Christ. In the evening we set ablaze in worship and intercession, desperate for more of His presence and for strategy for God to revive the Blue Water area with His heart and to see complete radical love pouring out of His Bride.

Everywhere we go we are meeting other believers who are praying and seeking God with all they have to see Him move and shake their city for His purpose. It's so encouraging seeing so many like-hearted, like-minded people, seeking after the same things. We even met a young family with three young boys who sold everything, bought an RV, and hit the road as the Lord leads. And they're inspiring other families to do the same! God is not asking for luke-warm, He is asking us for all. I've never seen children talk about Jesus the way these three young boys did! I was inspired, challenged and encouraged all together!

from great commandment to great commission

I'm extremely hungry for the things of God these days. It's a fiery zealous love, and its growing in intensity. Its goes from my heart and then to my belly, and when it reaches my mouth I can't help but to worship, to kiss Him with the praise of my lips. His love has become this consuming fire, and I'm lost in it. And more and more each day, not looking back at the past, I'm looking full-speed ahead, recognizing this is what I've been called to. This is my high calling. This is what I was created for.

As a lover of Jesus since the age of seventeen, I never really grasped the reality of His love quite like I am now. Many times I felt like I needed to do more. To somehow earn His love by doing good things, being a nice person, and reading the Bible. And though I never directly said it, my actions indirectly performed these tasks out of obligation rather than out of desire. In a lot of ways I thought if I read my Bible enough, treated people with enough kindness and stayed away from sinful things then maybe He would love me more and bring favor in my life. I somehow thought my obligation to christian duty would make me an acceptable sacrifice. My life became more about fulfilling the Great Commission in order to fulfill the Great Commandment. Then it hit me hard when there was a season in my life where God stripped me of everything. He asked my husband and I to lay down all ministry, all commitments for a season. And everything that I used to define my worth by was removed....in an instant.

We're now 2 years out of that season and its been a completely new, fresh and wholesome year for us. God has done a lot of healing. And we've decided it was better to obey than to choose to live the way we thought we should live. It's been a tremendously hard year, but extremely victorious as well. I would dare to call it our year of jubilee. Jesus has truly made His love more real to me than I have ever ever known before in my walk with Him.

And as I meditated on His goodness, I whispered to Him, "Lord, I could do this forever." I was speaking in reference to being in His presence. Worshipping and praying, never stopping, ever increasing in my life. And He responded, "then do it forever." {sigh} Then revelation came like an unstoppable force, like a mighty river that could not be contained - oh my Lord! I was meant to do this forever! It would be out of this love that I fulfill your joy! It would be out of this love that I receive my destiny! It would be out of this love that I touch the nations. The switch came. I no longer tried to strive to accomplish His Word in my life. I would love Him and in His presence I would thrive in what He has called me to! It's through His love for us and our love for Him (great commandment) that we fulfill the great commission. (It's never the other way around.)

"May the people praise You, O God; may all the peoples praise You. Then the land will yield its harvest, and God, our God, will bless us. God will bless us, and all the ends of the earth will fear Him. " (Psalm 67:5-7)

"The largest global harvest in history will come directly on the heels of the extravagant sound of love, adoration, and praise that is released form the blazing Bride.......We are going to witness firsthand the beautiful correlation between the fire ignited in our hearts and the release of the fragrance and aroma of Christ on the earth. " Fire and Fragrance by Sean Feucht

rainy days

nothing like playing in the rain!

maximize your mornings

So I've recently started something new that I've probably been feeling that I should start while I was pregnant with Arista.

If any you ma's and pa's out there are as busy as I am with three little ones then I'm sure you'll be able to relate to this post! You know you're a mother when showers are commodity, solitude is when your going to the bathroom, and sleep depravation becomes the least of your health concerns. Life demands so much in motherhood. We're the family nurse, teacher, caretaker, cleaning lady, accountant and pastor. Bored with life? Add children to the picture and guantee you'll never get bored again! But in the mist of all that life demands, when does God get HIS time? Is it that God gets put on the back-burner until the children are grown? I dunno, but if my husband decided to do that to me while he took care of the demands of life, I KNOW I would have a LARGE problem with it. But how often do we do that to God?

Simply, when God said we should pray without ceasing I think it meant that it would be as constant as breathing. We stop breathing, we die. We stop praying.....well, we die. One is physical, the other is spiritual. But just because it's simple doesn't mean it's easy. How do we get to a lifestyle where praying becomes like breathing? How do we choose to live by the Spirit and not by the flesh? I am convinced that its my morning hours with the Lord, when the sun is about to rise, that is critical to my day and my lifestyle of breathing prayers.

My voice shall You hear in the morning, O Lord; in the morning will I direct my prayer unto You, and will look up! Psalm 5:3

What does this mean to me? It's God drawing my heart in the morning hours, before my children awake the dawn, to draw near to Him! And there is a longing in my heart to walk with God. I know I can't be the mother God has called me to be without Him living His life through me. But I found every excuse in the book to not get up any earlier than I was. But then I came across this mom's youtube video and was inspired to action!

So I started getting up a couple hours before my children awake since last Monday. And apart from my Sabbath day, I've done ok. Not all days have worked out as planned but I've certainly seen fruit in my own thoughts and heart during my day, both toward God and my children. So this has inspired me even more to encourage other moms who feel this draw from the Holy Spirit to help them start as well. I'm starting an accountability group on FACEBOOK. So if you're a MOM looking for some extra inspiration in this area I encourage you to join this group! HERE we'll be able to check in during the morning hours, share about how are mornings are going, and share prayer requests with one another. Simply, its a place we can inspire one another to grow into all God has called us to be as mothers. Certainly if you are not a mother, the group is not limited to only moms. Its for ANYONE who wants the encouragement to MAXIMIZE THEIR MORNINGS, so we can consciously choose God first in our day. Let's maximize our mornings together!

a note from my sweetheart

Baby and I had a rough night last night, pretty much consisting of Arista not wanting to sleep AT ALL. Right around 6AM I had a break-down from the lack of sleep. So I've been a little lethargic jumping into my day. But I just received this note from my husband and I wanted to share it because it sweetly enriched my day! I feel strengthened and encouraged. In sharing it I too will hope you will be inspired. That even though sometimes our little ones cannot communicate how much our love means to them, that what we give matters. That you too are called to be a Proverbs 31 woman and to recognize that what you do everyday makes a difference.

"Sweetheart!

Want to tell you I love you this morning. You mean the world to me. I'm blessed, honored, and favored to have you as my wife and the mother of our children. Remember that virtue has over taken you today and ladies look upon your life and call you blessed. Read Proverbs 31 and let the truth of who you are soak into your soul and spirit.

Even though last night may have been rough, Arista is rejoicing inside. She may not be able to communicate it, but she would say, "mommy, thank you so much for staying up with me last night. It meant so much that you were willing to comfort me and love on me even though you wanted to sleep. Thank you for laying down your life in meeting my needs. One day, when I'm older, I'll be able to really articulate how much your love and life means to me. But for now, know that every cue is full of I love you's. You amaze me and I'm so thankful I have you to be my mommy."

I love you honey. Know that there is a fresh reserve to tap into. A reserve of strength, joy, peace, and love. As you wait on Jesus your strength will be renewed. You will mount up like an eagle. You will run and not grow weary. You will walk and not be faint.

Love you more than I really ever know how to express. You mean everything to me.

Brandon xoxoxoxoxo"

camping with a newborn ......and some

We went camping for Labor Day weekend and it was ....um....fun.

I guess as fun as it gets with a newborn and two children whose curiosity still keep daddy and mommy at the "top of their game" when it comes to hide-and-go-seek. Our little Israel is the most curious. One minute she'll be coloring, but don't dare look the other way cuz the next minute she'll be half a mile down the road on her own little adventure.

But with a newborn things can't get complicated when it comes to family vacations and outings. But does that mean we shouldn't do them? From my personal experience the answer is "no". Outings with the fam are healthy for EVERYONE....all for different reasons. No one likes being cooped up in the house all day. Both my girls go a little crazy when they're in the house all day. And post-pardum mothers really should try to get out every once in a while {its healthy}. You'd be amazed at how going out on an outing can aid in keeping the post-pardum blues at bay and re-energize your ability to care for your children. And its always good for Daddy to get himself into the wild for alittle outlet as well during our baby-raising days. But I know it sometimes can be scary, especially for new young families, to take the children into unfamiliar territory.

Having a loose plan can help your outing be a lot less chaotic and stressful.

1. We normally use clothe, but having two in diapers, out in the wild....um, yeah.....disposables it is!

2. Communicate! Yes, as often as we know this is vital in marriage, its so easy to go on a trip and not communicate your needs to one another beforehand and during crisis. (And yes, all to often there will be AT LEAST one crisis on a elongated family venture with little ones! - The point is....don't be scared of them.)

3. Purpose yourself that no matter how much fun you're having....go to bed at a decent hour! There is nothing worse then what ruins family vaca is that you're exhausted the next morning because you stayed up late the night before.

4. And with a newborn....prepare yourself for NO PRIVACY. All to often when leaving the home, they'll be none. I can't tell you the countless times I had to nurse the baby while sitting on a toilet because there was no where else to go. So....that means, nursing covers, changing pads, back-packs and sun hats. :D

5. Don't freak out just cuz your little one is not getting his/her nap. Come on people. Just let them stay up and go to bed earlier. Essentially BE FLEXIBLE, and allow for adjustments in your normal routine. Trust me, it's a lot less stressful if you just forget about all that, at least for momentary get-away from home.

6. Lastly, don't be scared to ask others for help. If family is around, ask them to fetch the child who just ran off while you're nursing the baby. As mommy, its hard to break the pattern of doing it all, (cuz thats what we're use to at home), but know when you're out of the home we can ask others (including the hubby) to help do their share. Doesn't the proverb go "....it takes a village to raise a child...." - just sayin'.

Love you all! Have fun venturing!

inside look: home birth video!

So just like I promised, we put together a short video so you could have an "inside look" of our home birth. I did end up having a water-birth as well so you can see the tub we used :-) I wish we had more actual video footage for you, but maybe in the future when there's more time for editing. For right now it's mostly pictures.

I want to say thank you to my husband, who was AMAZING! Brandon was all-around super mid-wife. He even delivered Arista (with aid from the mid-wife), getting right along with me in the tub. Certainly after an incredible birth as we had with this baby, it will be VERY difficult for us ever to return to hospital birth. Birthing in our home brought us closer together in ways that other circumstances would have not otherwise.

I recommend home birth to EVERY couple who remains low-risk during their pregnancy. I really believe pregnancy is meant to be a journey, not something we try to "survive" and just get-through. But God can really use it to bring a family together. God really showed me how pregnancy is a foreshadow of what He desires to do through us. Love produces marriage. Marriage brings covenant. Covenant produces children (fruit). It's the same way in the Kingdom of God as well. We love God because He first loved us. After love transformation, there's a covenant commitment to God (the same we make to our spouse when we say "I do"). And out of that relationship, we begin to birth life in everything we do, say and touch, and even birthing spiritual children through discipleship. Pregnancy, labor and birth are meant to be a transforming spiritual experience for us all. And now I see why God led us to have the home birth this time around.....and to think, only because of a dream. {smiles}

3 under 3: my new normal

Hey Everyone! You'll have to excuse my absence from blogging these last couple weeks! With the adjustment of having three under three, blogging hasn't been exactly at the top of todum poll of priorities right now. But I'm hoping to get back in the groove here soon! And I know I promised an "inside look" at how the homebirth went....and I want to remind you it's a comin'. I just want to be able to provide footage and pictures as well.

Baby has had thrush for the past week, which has developed also into a yeast infection, so things have been not so pleasant for Mama and Miss Arista. But I'm hoping as it clears up to share in the future how this nursing experience has been very different than my last two.

So apart from trying to find a "new normal" by having an addition to our little family, we've still continued to press into God and be a growing family that grows into our God-given destinies. Abigail has been an amazing encouragement to me lately. She prayed for a friend of mine's back pain, and to my own doubting heart, was put to shame when God healed her! Though times are not always easy in the season my family is in, I'm always encouraged and strengthened when I see God use us in supernatural ways. It's really all about Him anyways!

And just for fun, here's some recent pics of the girls

What in your lunch box?

Today we enjoyed carrots, cucumbers dipped in hummus and pine nuts.

Along with cut sharp cheddar cheese and organic strawberry yogurt. Yum!

And sweet Arista is pretty happy on mama's milk =D
She's 4 weeks today!

World breastfeeding week

I didn't even know there was such a thing! But its true....its World's Breastfeeding Week! And I must say....I'm really excited about it!

Why? may you ask. It's not just because I've been a nursing mom for the last 3 years. But I'm also a breast-feeding advocate, willing to fight for our rights to nurse our children everywhere and anywhere. that's right. Did you know that our nursing rights are at stake? that is, if you're in a public place. Here's a mom who was almost arrested in Target for nursing her child publicly. But to assume a mother has to find a "secret" place everytime she has to feed her child is absolutely ludricious to me.....but none-the-less, many are advocating to "close-up-shop" for public nursing. It's sad, but true. Here's some tips on how to discreetly nurse in public.

Apart from how incredibly good nursing is for you and your baby, it's what is normal and natural. God's design was for us to breastfeed. I know not every mother has the physical capabiliy to nurse their babies. I know many mothers who who long for it, but just can't produce milk. But even for their sakes, I choose to exercise my own freedom, knowing that if I'm capable to offer this gift to my baby, then I should absolutely take it!

So Happy Breastfeeding Week to all mommies out there who are advocating our God-given freedom to feed our children naturally! And when you get a chance check out WABA's (World Alliance for Breastfeeding) website to help protect, promote and support breastfeeding world-wide. AND if your in the Rochester area feel free to come out for Little Darling's Breastfeeding week's gathering happening right here at Cobb's Hill tomorrow!

our newest addition

to our lovely home....

Arista Jasmine (4 days old)

July 22nd

7 lbs. 10 oz.

21 inches

song of the Bride (maternity shots)

The Lord gave me a vision on what to do for my maternity photos and I am absolutely stunned at how beautiful they turned out. As i was coming home from work one day I heard the Lord whisper ".....the song of the Bride" and i saw a picture of myself all dressed in white, pregnant, worshipping on the beach's horizon. Thanks to LOVELIKETHIS PHOTOGRAPHY we were able to bring to life the vision I had.......

fifteen facts

1. I prefer pictures with my husband if I can help it. We're one.

2. My favorite thing to talk about is my love for Jesus. If your uncomfortable talking about God, then you'll probably be uncomfortable talking to me.

3. I absolutely LOVE people. Though I'm not completely extroverted all the time. I have a real genuine desire to see people know they are loved, accepted and have purpose.

4. A passion, and somewhat hobby of mine is "back to the basics" simple living through natural parenting, green living and eating whole foods. It's a spiritual journey of sorts and i share a lot of experiences with it on my blog.

5. I have a real respect and honor for children. I believe in the next generation. My own children have made me a better person and given me an incredible amount of freedom in my own walk with God.

6. I grew up in Port Huron, MI where my family still resides. I moved to Rochester, NY on pure faith because God told me to.

7. I'm in the middle of recording a CD, named "the Song of the Bride", which I'm hoping will be ready by Christmas.

8. I'm an honest and loyal person. I live out what I believe and I back up what I say with action. Hypocrisy and apathy really grieves me.

9. I use to give piano and voice lessons before I had children.....maybe one day I'll pick up again :-)

10. I'm also a licensed cosmetologist. I currently still work one day a week at a salon and spa as a hair stylist.

11. I was a figure skater for 12 years and then my last two years on the ice I played women's hockey. LOL. I mostly left figure skating because of the politics involved (even though I loved it). And hockey just met a love I had to be on the ice. I'm really a non-violent person ;)

12. I'm a hippy at heart. I would love to live in a commute with a bunch of God-loving, radical-living, purpose-driven families and share everything. But then I wake up and realize not everyone's like that hahahaha.

13. I don't get offended very easily. I learned how to not take things personally, especially these last few years being in ministry.

14. I love love love coffee!!! I really have tried to stop. But the taste and smell are just too much. Nothing like a good book and a hot cup of coffee.

15. If I were to leave the earth today to be with the Lord the one thing I would want people to remember me by is that I was real and genuine in my love for people and my love for Jesus. To have the confidence of knowing you lived your life to its greatest potential in God is most gratifying for me.

3 documentaries in 3 days ...video blog!

I must say I don't recommend watching three documentaries in three days.....it can get a little overwhelming. But I was so hungry to learn. And being that I'm expecting any day now I couldn't help myself to just want to soak up as much information as possible before the BIG DAY!

All three were certainly biased documentaries advocating for home-birth, but also very good, educational and informative resources for women who desire something more for their birthing experiences.

My favorite of the three by far was The Business of Being Born. The other two, also good, were Pregnant in America and Orgasmic Birth.

.....I apologize for the loud music at one point that covers my voice. I noticed after it was uploaded. I'll get better at this video blogging thing......I promise :-)

Day 14

So I'm on the second week of eating no processed foods. And things have been, yes, difficult, but also really refreshing. Check out DAY 1 to see why I'm doing a no-processed foods fast.

But I do have a confession. I have tweaked it alittle :-)

I had some friends/family make me dinner in the last week or two of being pregnant. And I always think that is so thoughtful, so I decided that my dinners would be flexible. Although now I know its possible to eat an unprocessed diet, it still is a lot of work.

The hardest part has been my breakfast. I've really given into the whole cereal and milk thing every morning. Mainly cuz its fast, easily assessable and provided for me by WIC. My mornings now have mainly consisted of organic yogurt and fruit, and occasionally oatmeal with natural peanut butter (also WIC provided) and raw sugar. I did attempt home-made wheat bread last week...which turned out just "ok". Bread makers I find are not usually the best way to make your bread. Though they do a great job on the dough its best just to use your own oven when it comes to the baking. The bread I made was hearty so it tasted more bagel like than bread like....still none-the-less, great for toasting. I really wanted to make my granola this week, but things have been just getting plain hard awaiting the coming of the baby.

BUT I'm super excited. It can be any day now as I am 39 weeks and 1 day today. And God has been extremely faithful in extending grace to my body and this new diet. I was surprised to find I had actually dropped 2 pounds from my last mid-wife appt, and I think its the unprocessed foods for sure.....baby bump at this point is only growing! And God has been speaking really clear to Brandon a lot lately on strategic ways on going about prayer for this city. This has been a huge break-through for us and those involved in the BURN. We first recognize the importance of our roles as intercessors, but it never stops there. We must also continue to ask God to teach us how to pray, and how to ultimately be purposeful in our prayers so they carry out long-lasting fruit.

So overall, we have found this fast to be really incredible for our family. Brandon's been talking long-term goals as well since we both have felt extremely healthy while on this diet. Lord knows! :-)

Thanks everyone...for those who stand with us, pray with us and love us. We really have been blessed with an amazing family of God...both here locally and those who stand with us over distance. We have such a high honor for those whom we are relationship with. We believe covenant is certainly the "breaking" anointing that brings about Christ's transformed love in us and others. Love IS where it's at!

Come away

~ received during Sunday morning worship ~

Whom did you come to see?

What have you come seeking?

Do you know I am every good thing?

I am faithful.

I am the I AM who brings life to your being.

Does your heart ache?

Does your belly hunger?

Is your soul thirsty?

Is it Me you want?

This is what I desire....that you would not be a double-minded people.

That you would forsake all other lovers.

That you would say "yes" in your heart to Me and abandon yourself.

Follow Me, lose yourself in Me.

Come unto Me, and I will come unto you

and I will reign in your hearts and bring living rain to all the dead and dry places.

Taste and see my goodness.

I will feed your bellies with truth.

I will satisfy your thirst with water.

I will fill your souls with my healing Spirit.

Your worship is like honey.

Your praise is like a life-bringing harvest.

Your promises to Me are like a river that never ceases to dance.

Come, Come away with Me.....

Choose Me.

I have already chosen you.....

home-birth 101

We finally have everything in order for the BIG day!

So....I thought I'd share alittle on what we've done to prepare for our little mama to gracefully enter this world.

But first, here's what is going to help big mama relax during labor....

I will most likely be birthing in the tub. There's lots of great reasons why birthing in water can be ideal. Most women have a far less chance of tearing and requiring stitches after water birth. This is because the warmth and water work together to keep mama's muscles relaxed and aiding in softening and opening your cervix. Also for me, I found that water birth was far easier to clean up. Less mess is best :-) All your tubs come with a lining. Everything is drained through an electric pump and then the lining is rolled up and thrown out. Clean up is barely 15 minutes.

But there's still chance I won't be able to birth in the tub. If the tub seems like its hindering labor we also prepared bed linens as a back up:

here's what we have -

2 sets of sheets (one for laboring, fresh set for after birth)

several pillows and are covering them with garbage bags under the bases

warm blankets

6 towels and 2 wash clothes to have on hand

plastic cover for bed and drop cloth (using a shower curtain liner) in front on bed.

for baby:

6 cotton receiving blankets

winter weight baby blanket

diapers and clothing :-)

and look what my friend is letting me borrow!!!

so happy to have my moses' basket :-)

for the birth:

iodine skin cleanser

24 gauze pads

gallon of distilled water

fever therometer

40 disposable under pads

sanitary napkins

bowl for placenta

clean squeeze bottle for rinsing if there are stitches

large black trash bags

flexible drinking straws

clean, comfortable clothing for nursing and after birth

herb teas and organic ginger beer for drinking during labor

simple foods for people in my home.

and as a SWEET extra -

an herb bath:

1/2 c sea salt

1 oz shepherds purse

1 oz uva ursi

1 oz witch hazel bark

2 oz comfrey leaf or root

1 large garlic bulb

cheese cloth to hold it all in :-)

And we finally have a "birthing room" that we temporarily set up in the house. It's not completely together, but almost. It worked out well since we were transitioning the girls into this room anyways once the baby moves into their old room. So we have a little twin bed in there for birthing with a large open space for the tub. It's directly across from our bathroom so the indoor hose will fit nicely from our bathroom sink into the tub in the room. This will make things a little easier for birthing since I can enjoy myself all in one location.

Some additional things we'll be doing to make it a better experience and as intimate as possible is adding some dim lighting by using lamps and soy candles. And we have a CD player that will be playing worship music in the background. There's a tv if I am in labor for a long time....but I suspect I won't be watching any movies....lol.

So there you have it. My home-birth 101....

I'm just about 38 weeks, so it could be any day now (yah!)

....looking forward to sharing more as this experience is all too new!

church

why i believe sunday service shouldn't be catered to unbelievers....

i have a friend, whom we'll name Stacy. Stacy has a relationship with Jesus and really desires to know Him more. In fact, she's been searching for a church now for the past couple months that offers a real authentic, passionate love for God in everything they do. Burnt by religion, she aggressively began a search to find something supernatural - something that would offer her more than what the rest of the world offers. And as she searched she noticed her heart growing hard and bitter, not really understanding why. Stacy hasn't been to church now in 3 weeks. She deeply desires to be a part of a family but everything just seems too political, too structured, too big and too organized.

A lot of people would categorize Stacy as someone who was not mature in their faith enough to look past the faults of the church to get to Jesus. But as you get to know her you see there is a deep longing and burning in her heart to learn, grow and excel more than anyone who've ever met. In fact, at her last church she helped service the worship team, but as things became more dry and boxed in, she decided to inquiry of the pastor of why things have become so ordered. her answer? "If we lose order in the worship- we lose control of the people." What did this say to Stacy? It said we care more about manipulating people through organized religion so they behave the way we want them to than we do about the people encountering and be transformed by the presence of God. ouch.

So why do we even gather on Sunday mornings? What's the purpose of it all, really? Hebrews 10:25 asks us to not forsake the fellowship or the gathering of believers (the saints) and even to come together singing spiritual songs, worshipping with one another (Ephesians 5:19). But the Bible seems really clear, we cannot have fellowship with one another if we don't first have fellowship with Him. "But if we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin." (1 John 1:7)

So what is this really saying about when we come together? The focus isn't AT ALL on unbelievers. Not one bit. Nowhere can you find one scripture that supports a "service" even catered to unbelievers, or by definition "seekers". So does this mean being "seeker sensitive" is unbiblical? I would dare to say, yes! Jesus didn't even talk about such things. In fact, He tried to mess organized religion up in His 3 years of ministry. He told us that the ekklesia, the Church, was called to "go out" and make disciples, to persuade men by our good works so they can see Jesus glorified (Matthew 5:16). Go out from where? Well from our gatherings of course.

But what about people like Stacy? How will she know how to live, to persuade men with her life that Jesus is real to her? What about others who only know how to preach organized religion but not live their life in radicall real relationship with Jesus? What's different in what we offer from the rest of the world if we have no authenticity?

Ephesians 4 says, "And Christ Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ". This is what empowers us to out from where we gather to be light to the rest of the world. And though most of our "churches" and "services" operate like an monarchy - one leader with elders under him, then service hosts under them, then congregants under them....and even children considered to be under them :( I really don't see that system really displaying what Jesus asked us to do. But we're asked to each bring our gifts when we gather - that we were each called to His service, for His glory. (1 Peter 4:10-11) I think by man's definition, being the Church could look pretty messy.

Think about this for a moment. "The wind blows where it wants to. You hear its sound, but you don't know where it comes from or where it is going. That's the way it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit." (John 3:8) Wind usually messes things up alittle and sometimes there's no explanation for it. Why does man feel the need to explain every move of God? We are so uncomfortable with messy supernatural things! We have such a need to feel comfortable in a "controlled" atmosphere. I'm not saying lets forsake all order and do as the Corinthians did, walking in the supernatural power with no wisdom or love - but does that mean we lose that raw and radical realness in our services for the sake of that order? Ultimately what brings greater satisfaction?

If the church doesn't wake up soon to this reality, our gatherings will get smaller and smaller. The unchurched will not be fooled (in fact you don't see unbelievers coming to church anymore, new members are usually old members somewhere else). And now even the churched are leaving, in hope to find a people radically pursuing God. It may just mean we let go of our agenda, our programs set for the day, or lose ourselves in worship. Actually it changes the whole face of things...it changes the whole force behind why we gather. We no longer come to get, but to give. And we leave EVERYTIME transformed, ready to take the world on as our inheritance because we know we can and there's an undeniable trust in who Jesus is in us. Isn't that what we're all really seeking? If that's what "seeker sensitive" means, then I want that! - But nothing less.

day 1

Hey Everyone. So I figured I'd share on something that my husband and I are recently starting. In fact, it starts today. So this marks day 1. Brandon recently really felt like the Lord was calling him to fast for a elongated period of time and wasn't sure what the fast may look like. But we both wanted to seek God pertaining to strategy.....a God-given blue print for the city of Rochester. Vision is a wonderful and powerful thing, but where's the steps to put it in action? And when we try to do things in our own way, our own time, most times the plan fails. So we're asking God for HIS strategy.

It then dawned on us as we were sharing about how sick the food industry makes us feel. That it is as if they have set people up to fail. And as the words came from my mouth...."is it even possible to eat a completely unprocessed diet?" and it hit us both. That's what our fast was suppose to be. No processed foods, no not one. The hard part about it all is even some "organic" foods are still processed so this changes things for us a lot. No cereals, no pasteurized dairy or juices, nothing prepared by someone else's hands, just simply foods....back to the basics of basics. I'll be honest I don't know if i can do it. But I'm asking God for grace and creativity. I'm VERY pregnant right now, but I'll be needing to make my own bread, prepare my own dairy (yogurt, butter, cheese), and prepare all my meals from scratch with no aid of a processed food. It's a lot to think about, but I think thats the point of the fast.

I really feel as we eat food that has been undefiled and untouched by man, that it is a prophetic act of God revealing a plan, a strategy that is also undefiled, untouched by man....a heavenly blue-print.

Also there are some things happening today that I think are really timely to everything. My mother (in-law) is coming into town to help me. Lately I have been in a lot of pain from the baby and how low she is sitting. I've had severe sciatic never pinching causing numbing and pain in my back and legs, along with LOTS of pressure of my pelvic bone, which has been making things difficult for bending and going up and down stairs. I've been been going to the chiropractor with some relief, but only for a couple days. So she's come to help, so focusing on simple things (like what i should eat) should be more of a joyful process than strenuous one :-) I'm really excited to have the extra help. I'm just not able to do what I normally do at this point.

I'll be sharing any new recipes I try on here. This is all pretty new to me and I never really found a good enough reason to try this, so now that I have I'm super excited. I plan to try quite a few recipes as well from Covenant Health's website....they have lots of great recipes from simple raw foods that look delicious.

so here's to day 1!

Joy of the Redeemed

The desert and the parched land will be glad;

the wilderness will rejoice and blossom.

Like the crocus, it will burst into bloom;

it will rejoice greatly and shout for joy.

The glory of Lebanon will be given to it,

the splendor of Carmel and Sharon;

they will see the glory of the LORD,

the splendor of our God.

Strengthen the feeble hands,

steady the knees that give way;

say to those with fearful hearts,

“Be strong, do not fear;

your God will come,

he will come with vengeance;

with divine retribution

he will come to save you.”

Then will the eyes of the blind be opened

and the ears of the deaf unstopped.

Then will the lame leap like a deer,

and the mute tongue shout for joy.

Water will gush forth in the wilderness

and streams in the desert.

The burning sand will become a pool,

the thirsty ground bubbling springs.

In the haunts where jackals once lay,

grass and reeds and papyrus will grow.

And a highway will be there;

it will be called the Way of Holiness;

it will be for those who walk on that Way.

The unclean will not journey on it;

wicked fools will not go about on it.

No lion will be there,

nor any ravenous beast;

they will not be found there.

But only the redeemed will walk there,

and those the LORD has rescued will return.

They will enter Zion with singing;

everlasting joy will crown their heads.

Gladness and joy will overtake them,

and sorrow and sighing will flee away.

Isaiah 35