08/31/10

What a wonderful evening this was. These people uptown really look forward to our fellowship!! More are coming each week !!! I am amazed at what the Lord is doing with this group !!!

This evening I spoke with a lady from New York. She lives in Athens now right down from uptown. She said her name was Carman. We talked and she began to open up about how God allowed some of those closest to her to die. I told her that that was not God and He is all loving. I went into this just a little. As she was able to talk more about things she told me that she rolled her cigs up with her little NT Bible. She asked me what I thought about that. I did not make a big deal about it but asked her if she could read each page of both sides that she tore out to roll her cigs with. She stated that she would feel guilty then. I then commented that she should think about that more !!! I believe she will. She is looking forward to our return on next Tuesday and I sure am looking forward to seeing her too.

I believe we should reach people at their levels without being negitive and let them think more and give them something to think about , especially in this paticular situation.
They need love and some guidence because they don't realize what they are doing.
Just as Jesus said "Forgive them for they know not what they do". So we should do the same.

Many blessings to all that came out to be there for the needy. Those that need Love. I love you all in Christ.

Your friend and sister in Christ,
Bonnie

Can you feel it coming in the air tonight?

I love that song. But even more I love the feeling leading up to Tuesday night Siege! Something is shaking and breaking. God is on the move. This past Sunday we had our first person that we connected with on the streets come to church! And that is just the tip of the iceberg. God is doing far more than we can think or imagine! When we started this deal we had just three people going out. Now, we regularly have 10 or more! Can't wait to see what King Jesus does tonight. ~Pastor Anthony

I Stand Amazed

All I can say is God wants to use His people, but many times we often find excuses to block what God really desires for us. He wants our best, and our best is when we serve Him. We are designed, created to be empty vessels cleansed and filled with the Holy Spirit, so that whoever interacts with us may find Him, may see Him. When we as believers choose to move and seek the Lord’s face, we find Him and finally begin to understand that He is so worth it; He is more than enough. My Lord is alive, He is not dead. He is the Living God and those who desire to search out what is worth living for, find true life. When that happens, there is nothing more than anything else in the world we would rather do than bring Glory to God and to share with others who is I AM. Those living on the streets in downtown Athens, outside of, and around need to see Him. They need to know Him. Over the years, I have seen many evils penetrate the city, but one thing that always brings me to deep sorrow is seeing the pain. Pain defines the city. People are hurting and even worse some cannot even see they hurt. Deeply hurt. They try to dull the pain with a plethora of drugs, alcohol, one-night stands, anger, bitterness, self-mutilation. Along with the pain, beauty has been hidden. Beauty has been distorted, corrupted, misused, abused, and stepped on. Beauty, in its all encompassing true definition must be restored and upheld. The Lord is Beauty. The city needs the Lord. The lost need to see hope. They need love—True Love. When we as believers are willing to step out of the comfort zone we so often linger in and finally begin to rely upon the Lord for the words to say to someone who has a completely different lifestyle, moral conduct, or belief about God, we find…God’s desires. God desires the lost to know Him. If we are willing, God will use us for His work and Glory. But what is crazy about it all, is that when we step out of our comfort zone, we step into God’s comfort zone. What usually stops me from hearing God’s voice in my life is my fear, my reliance on my own ability instead of reliance on my Father who is infinitely capable and qualified to accomplish His work. And Him, who is infinitely capable and qualified to share Himself with those who are lost, lives in me. Wow! I am without excuse. I stand amazed. May I eternally remain humbled by that true foundation.
-Anna

Street Ministry

What a wonderful blessing to be a part of such a wonderful group of people that are so on fire for the Lord and willing to step out and reach those in need of the truth !!! I have a so many wonderful testimonies that I could write all day about what the Lord is doing !!

I will speak of the most recent....we met together and prayed for the Lords guidance. He spoke with me about the mall. Did not see a face but he showed me the exact spot. I and two others that volenteered went to that spot. The Lord then told me to sit and just relax. I told the Lord that I will wait for what He was to do next. He then told me that He would lead them to me. So I waited. There were many places to sit and He lead two ladies to sit very close to me. So I stood and began a conversation with them. They were from Mexico. One spoke english and the other spoke no english. The remarkable thing was that one of the volenteers did speak some spanish. Wow !!! See the Lord laid it upon his heart to be there too !!! We all had a wonderful conversation about the weather there in Mexico vs. Athens, GA. As they decided they must move on I asked if there were anything that we could pray with them about. I could see in her eyes that there was. She asked for my phone # and I reached in my Bible and wow I had a card that I had already had my name and phone # on. That was so amazing. So we exchanged phone #'s so that we could contact one another God is so good and wants us to be His hands and feet .... It feels so wonderful to know we serve a mighty and the most mighty God !!!
Bonnie

The Lord Will Be My Strength!

What an awesome night our team had last night in downtown Athens! So much happened but unfortunately I am only going to share one story!! Like always when we're downtown we hand out water and worship. I asked some guy, walking down the street, if he needed some water. So he came on over to where we were and got some water and began to talk to us about his farmers tan! It was pretty funny but then Anna (The team mate who was with me) asked him if he was a christian? He said yes, but reluctantly. He began to tell us he had been going threw alot of junk. I'm not going to go into details cause I want to honor him, but I will say he had began to walk away from the Lord due to addictions! Anna and I began to share with him about the love of God and how God will always love him no matter what he is struggling with! We shared about an hour he was very open to what we said, I could tell he wanted to be free of his addictions but didn't think God could help him through it! I really felt like the Lord wanted the whole team to pray for him! We prayed and shared the pictures and words we received from the Lord! After we got done praying he looked at us and said that he never walks down that street we were on, but he felt like he should for some reason! He found out why he was supposed to walk down the street, just because the Lord loves him and wanted him to know that! The Lord never stops chasing after us. He created us, He wants to know He loves us!



-Kendall

He's Alive Now Im Alive!

I thought I would share this awesome story of God's love that happened a couple of weeks ago! After visiting The International House of Prayer ATL, the group I was with went to Ihop for some pancakes. After eating and laughing about old movies, I felt the Lord tell me to talk to our waitress and ask her if she needed prayer for anything! After I asked her she looked at me almost with a stunned look and said "you guys want to pray for me?" and we all said yeah we would love to pray for you. So as she was getting our bills ready she looked over at us and began to cry! We were her last table for the night, so after we paid we all walked outside and started to pray! We asked her if we could pray for her without her telling us what she wanted prayer for so she would know what we said was from the Lord and not anything we would make up! As we prayed we received some awesome pictures and words we all shared what we saw and she began to cry again. Later after we were done praying she told us that our pictures were perfect and just what she needed! She later told us she just moved to the ATL and she was struggling with some addictions- mostly alcohol! We prayed for her addiction and said goodbye! In the car ride home I was talking with some of my friends and we all agreed that God moved in the coolest ways! He wanted our waitress to see how much He loved her! And something that always makes me happy is that He will use me! He doesn't have to but He wants too! If God can use me in Ihop He can use anyone anywhere! I encourage you stop and listen for God's little whisper!

-Kendall

Revival

I have thought a lot over the years about the subject of revival. Some people in the church view it as nothing more that a series of services held in the church building that get the people all excited for a while. Others have simply given up on the idea all together. Still others run from place to place desperately searching for it. When I was showering this morning the Lord showed me a picture of a mighty rushing river and all sorts of life in and around the river. The Mississippi comes to mind with all of the towns and traffic it has. Then I saw barren rock up on the shore but occasionally the water would rise and shoot up through a hole in the rock, kind of like the blow holes on cliffs at the coast. People would run from hole to hole thirsty and waiting for the next burst of water. I felt that the Lord say, I am not here. I am in the river. I believe that the Lord does indeed pour out His Spirit in special ways in church services but true revival come in the river. The river is where the people are at. Its where the cities are at. Its on the streets. Am I claiming to have something perfected or completely figured out? Absolutely not! I am still seeking and striving to serve Him. Oh for the day when the Church in unity doesn't simply run to a revival but boldly proclaims with the authority of the Spirit we are bring revival to the people, to our city, to the streets. ~Pastor Anthony