Pray For One Another

Therefore, confess your sins to one another [your false steps, your offenses], and pray for one another, that you may be healed and restored. The heartfelt an persistent prayer of a righteous man [believer] can accomplish much [when put into action and made effective by God—it is dynamic and can have tremendous power.
James 5:16 AMP

What a powerful revival weekend.   The Fire Conference ’18 was out of this world. God truly poured out His spirit upon all flesh.  From the youngest to the eldest.  Lives were touched. Lives were changed.  Lives were healed. Lives were encountered by the King of all kings and the Lord of lords! 

What an experience to be free.  

What an experience to see different things.  

Awakening!

Revival Fire!!!

When the services were over—many people stood behind.  They didn’t leave the sanctuary right away.  They stood praying at the altar. They stood praying over each other.  There was this pair in prayer—the other was singing a prayer over the other. How rich.  How real.  How necessary. There was no hesitation.  Just action and the followed obedience in that prompt for prayer.

We ought to LOVE to pray for one another.

Can I pray for you?

Can you pray for me?

Simple questions that we may hold back from asking but we want it so much!

When you ask a person, “Can you pray for me?”  Don’t feel bad or awkward.  This is what God is TELLING us to do.  To pray for each other.  Alone, in groups or over each other. That is OK! Please do so.

I asked a stranger—“Can you pray for me?”

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He looked at me and smiled! He put his iPad to the side and said a big, “SURE!” It was like that was what he lived and breathed for.  The excitement and readiness in his eyes.  What a kind man. I spoke for a bit. Then he prayed for me. It was so nice—just a beautiful exchange with another believer in Christ. I felt so encouraged in that moment. There was so much of hugging strangers. Dancing with them and seeing their radiant and smily faces. What an environment.

Want to do all that I can to do the same in my sphere. I apologize for missing the mark on this time and time again.  Some times I get it but other times not so much.  I have to be so much more intentional about this and do it then and there.  An active prayer….thriving…heartfelt.

I will start by sharing this link here where you can put your prayer requests.

Let’s pray! ❤

Prayer Wall


Fragile Seasons

Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to Me. Get away with Me and you’ll discover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with Me and work with Me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhymes of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with Me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.

Matthew 11:28-30 The Message Translation

So my answers:

TIRED—YES

WORN OUT—YES

Burned out on religion—uhh YES!

And so He reaffirms His everlasting nearness in the embrace of His arms!

How do you get there if you are weary all the time with work and pressing activities?

It’s tiring!

I am TIRED!

Just tired. Can I just openly state that and it be accepted?

I have been working nonstop since my first job at 18.

Full-time!

I am now 42 and completely worn out in pure exhaustion. Shaving off all forms of anxiety and depression.

During all that there is always an assignment, a task, a meeting. Then another meeting about the meeting and a few loads of emails to follow all that up!

It’s just madness. Insane work. Busyness. Planning. More work. When can I rest FOR REAL!

Like enough rest to say, “OK here is what I can do and what I can’t.”

A weekend doesn’t do it for you.

A quick vacation…week here or a week there doesn’t do it for you.

The long 3 day or 4 day weekends also don’t do it for you.

You know what does it for you?

DETACHMENT! Enough to find yourself.

That does it for you. Especially when you hit those unexpected life-altering fragile seasons of life. That is what I found myself in once again.

How about a break Chris?

Sounds good!

That is OKAY!

So that is what I chose to do for the betterment of my overall health. Body, soul and spirit.

I am ready for this journey. But never could I be further exhausting myself in a fragile season.

Being fragile doesn’t help the fragile moments.

But being well rested, rooted and grounded IN Christ does help through the fragile seasons and unexpected changing moments of life.

Sincerely,

Chrizzy ♥️


Season Of Simplicity

Hmmm.

Unarmed.

A season of simplicity.

I think this is very much what I have been in deep radical search for.

Inside my mind is screaming most days.

I feel like a crazy person.

Like where’s my balance?

Where is the quiet piece of me????

Anywhere?

I feel like most times I’m so riled up inside.

Does that make any sense?

I wanna yell at myself like…. “Shhhhhhhhh! Be quiet! Shut up! Be still sister! Relax!”

But it’s so funny because the moment someone else tells me to relax I go completely insane and pull out a more unrestricted version of Chrizzy!!! Lol

Ughhh what’s my problem??

This is definitely unarmed!

Unsafe. Unrealistic behavior.

Good thing is that I am learning…. I AM NOT THE ONLY ONE!!!!!

I thank God for all the transparent women I am discovering along this “quiet” season I forced myself to take! I don’t even know how I mustered up the courage or strength.

I definitely didn’t get much buy-in on this one.

But you know who KNEW I needed it more?

Yes. God. My Father.

My loving caregiver. Protector. Mentor. Counselor. Friend. He really pulled me, prompted me and pushed me to a place to calm the soul down even though I was screaming inside all the way through.

Go figure!

Is it okay to say I need to focus on me right now?

At the same time of having the highest calling to be there for others, how was I going to take care of me?

BREAK!

Take a break before you BREAK!!!

Get armed again. Prepare for a greater armor because right now I am unarmed!!!!

And that is alarming. An alarm that only my Father can handle. I’m too much!!! You are too much!!!! We are these wild beings inside with a huge drive to DO! Then He finds a way to make us sit. 🙂

See I am not the only one ☝️.

Whew!

Thank God for the Shauna Niequist writer.

For the Nicki Koziarz author.

For the Julie Winter expert.

I’m not the only one.

I just finished my second book yesterday and now I read. It’s my haven.

I write one, read one. Then I realize even more why we have these hyper and overactive thoughts.

Because we are writers!!!! Articulators.

Our own intriguing and authentic version of an artist.

I’m going to absorb this “simple season” and find the best ways to internally process and prepare for this next stage of life.

Read

Pray

Write

I like that!

I like that a whole lot!!! ♥️

“Be still and know (recognize, understand) that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations! I will be exalted in the earth.” PSALM‬ ‭46:10‬ ‭AMP‬‬

“Behold, God is my helper and ally; The Lord is the sustainer of my soul [my upholder].” PSALM‬ ‭54:4‬ ‭AMP‬‬


Broken Places

Did you know that often times the broken places in our lives can be the BEST places?  How you may say?  It gives God a way to show forth His power, His grace, His favor and His strength in us.  Yes– so you may be shedding uncontrollable tears in this moment but just know that every tear you sow is not to tear you down or weaken you, but it is to build you up and strengthen you…

Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me. But He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.
2 Corinthians 12:8-9 English Standard Version (ESV)

And the Word declares for us:

For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.
2 Corinthians 4:17-18 English Standard Version (ESV)

I think about this family and what we are facing and know that God is IN IT! He is the Author and the Finisher.  He is the Alpha and the Omega.  He is the beginning and the end.  And as much as this tries to weigh us down we are still fighting, still smiling, still laughing, still praising God, still ministering and still working through as many raw emotions that try to surface.  What is deeper inside us is bigger than our circumstances.

We have faced hurt repeatedly.

Death repeatedly.

Loss– oh a lot more than one can tell.  But in and through it all, God has managed to sustain us and pull out of us the best.  In feeling broken, tattered and torn He has us building a terrific testimony.  Our faith will rise above our fear in the most adverse situations.

This will all pass as Nicki Koziarz states in “5 Habits of a Woman who Doesn’t Quit,”  Victory is often found in the most unfamiliar and uncomfortable places–we will find the treasure in the trial.

We may find ourselves in broken places often–but it is here that God makes it the BEST places where we encounter His peace, love, power, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, victory and triumph.

So February, we welcome you as we have now been brought quickly to the 2nd chapter of the 12th within Twenty-Eighteen and we see Your power emerging in us, through us and for us every day!