Glorious arches of prayer!

If you are familiar with Athens and UGA at all you know that the arches are one of the major icons for our city.  Other that may be the elliptical "G" there isn't a more recognizable symbol for our area.  For this reason and others the Lord has led the Siege Team the past few weeks to stand in front of the arches to pray with people.  It has been incredible!  We have been holding up some small signs; "Mighty to Save," "Free Prayer," and "Need Healing?"  We also greet people and ask them if they would like prayer.  Some people look away, some smile, some ask us to pray for them but EVERYONE takes notice.  We've seen people stopping at the red light in their car just stop and stare at the signs.  One lady actually rolled down her window and asked what we were doing.  Before the light turned green she had yelled out her prayer request!  Every more encouraging is the fact that we have seen several other people from different ministries downtown sharing the love and truth of Christ!  Now that's truly the beginning of a SIEGE on the city. ~Pastor Anthony

Ready?

Hi everyone! And the good news is.... (drum roll please)...

THE SIEGE TEAM IS BACK!!!

Well, almost. The first official siege team outing of the year will be Monday night, February 7th.

Here are three things you can do to be a part...

1. Join us! 

Go here and sign up for the Siege Team small group (we're group 22-G). We'll be meeting on Monday nights starting at 7:00pm.

2. Follow our blog. 

Just click the little "Follow" button off to your right and keep up with what the Lord does every week.

3. Pray for us. 

We need this most of all. Check out this verse.

If you're new to the Siege Team or our blog, take a glance at some of our previous blog posts to see what the Lord has done in 2010. We can't wait to see what's in store for 2011!

We Have the Ball!

Wow! Its 2011. I still can't believe it. Even though our Siege Team is taking a break I thought I would post about what the Lord has revealed to me during the break! I know most of the time when I went with the team downtown I would feel overwhelmed by all the sin that was surrounding me. I would go downtown ready to see what the Lord was going to do but when I got there I felt weak. I constantly asked myself, "Am I really making a difference?"  I often felt weak until a few weeks ago when I began reading a book called Jesus Culture by Banning Liebscher and in the book he talks about revival, healing, and sharing God's love with others! I began to read a chapter about God's love and sharing it with others and again I asked myself the question, "But am I really making a difference?" The book talked about how just one can affect the world. That answered my question with a better answer than I was expecting! The book confronted my attitude of "I'm weak and I can't do it" with a football analogy! Let me point out 1st of all that I do not like football I don't think its entertaining at all, but that didn't mean God couldn't use football to speak to me! Anywho, the book began to say if life is like football, there's 2 teams, God vs. satan! When people become Christians we get the football!! That's the part that's the most important to understand is we have the ball. We're in control of the game! We're always in control of the game because we have Jesus! Satan never gets the ball. He thought he had the ball when Jesus was crucified, but Jesus rose again! So satan never had or has the ball! We have the ball, all we have to do is listen to Jesus, the coach of the team. He calls the plays and we run them! We're never on defense! If the Lord is calling the plays and we listen, then the outcome is, of course, we win! We win our towns, schools, cities, government, and even the world to Christ! The Lord really showed me I'm not weak. I have the ball and with His Holy Spirit I can win the game! The next time you think "I cant do that" just ask Jesus, "Do you want me to run that play?" We have the ball, now its time to get a touchdown!

Isaiah 61-
¹ The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me,
   because the LORD has anointed me
   to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
   to proclaim freedom for the captives
   and release from darkness for the prisoners,^[a]
2 to proclaim the year of the LORD’s favor
   and the day of vengeance of our God,
to comfort all who mourn,
 ³ and provide for those who grieve in Zion—
to bestow on them a crown of beauty
   instead of ashes,
the oil of joy
   instead of mourning,
and a garment of praise
   instead of a spirit of despair.
They will be called oaks of righteousness,
   a planting of the LORD
   for the display of his splendor.

-Kendall

Our last official Siege Team outing for the year

Wipe your tears from your eyes!  I promise it will be OK but yes its true.  Last night was our last official outing for the Siege Team this year.  We've got a lot of events coming up with the holiday season upon us so we felt it was wise to take the next 2 months off.  We will start meeting again in January.

Our last night, went really well!  When we were praying in the prayer room before going out we reflected on all the people that the Lord has allowed us to touch over the past 6 months.  WOW!  What a privilege to partner with Him in sharing His love and truth!  I think one of the best stories that we remembered was that of our dear friend Barry.  We meet Barry several months back.  He was basically homeless and unemployed- only a few odd jobs here and there.  He was very appreciative of our prayers and encouragement.  Barry was also surprisingly perceptive. (A lot of people on the streets have been beat down by life for so long that they are often very hard to clearly communicate with)  When we prayed for him one of the team members asked Barry to really be open to the Holy Spirit speaking to him.  Barry is a believer so he said he would.  After we prayed we asked him what the Lord told him.  He said that the Lord told him that these people he had met would help him and that he would find a job soon.  Barry asked after we first meet him if he could come to church.  Some of the team that lived near downtown offer to pick him up the following Sunday.  I am ashamed to say that I honestly didn't think he would come.  Boy was I wrong!  He came for almost every Sunday the next month!  Well we haven't seen him in a few weeks.  We had confirmed last night from some of his friends that he has gotten a job on a farm and it seems that this job includes housing!  Praise God!  We finished the night with a prayer walking stopping at the Statue of Athena in front of the Classic Center and then the Court House.

May the Lord continue to lead us all to take this city for Christ in our everyday lives! ~ Pastor Anthony  

Saturday Night Fever!

This past Saturday night Central Station joined with the Siege Team and hit the streets.  It was about 40 degrees and the Georgia game had been over for about 4 hrs when we got downtown.  We had the Astounding Alan join us performing some great illusions.  He drew quite a crowd.  We also had hot coco and some great cup cakes.

  Three testimonies that stand out- 1) there were two guys that hesitatingly took cups of hot coco and then said, "Why are y'all doing this?"  We smiled and replied "To show the love of God because God's love is free just like this coco!"
2)  I talked with an employee of the Grill and he asked who we were.  I told him and started asking about him.  Turns out he is a Christian who wants to be a missionary to Nicaragua!  This is a country that our church has been involved with for years.  In fact this guy had worked with Amigos for Christ whom we have worked with a lot in the past!

3)  A very intoxicated guy came stumbling down the street and then sat down right in front of the people leading worship in our group.  It was literally like he got sober for a few seconds.  He suddenly replied as the worship was enveloping him, "This feels so right!"  The lady leading worship was standing on a ledge over him and leaned down over him.  The worship song was basically saying glory to God in the highest.  The guy then abruptly stood up and said "I've got to go."  It was if the love of God and conviction of the Holy Spirit hit him both at the same time!

I pray that this man and all we touched would be drawn closer to Christ this week and reminded of His kindness, grace and love for them.  -Pastor Anthony

Sandwiches, Suicide and Hope

When we went out this past week we made up a bunch of sandwiches to hand out.  We also had to jugs of hot chocolate.  We have had several people ask us for food and its always difficult to say yes to one but not another.  Well we had plenty this time for any one who wanted something.  One of our regulars can up when we arrived and we found out that he was really struggling.  Apparently he had just been released from a mental hospital.  He was feeling very down and said he had been having a lot of suicidal thoughts.  We asked him if we could pray for him.  As we prayed for him I noticed that he pulled his hat down over his eyes and began to quietly weep.  When we finished praying for him he said that he felt so much better.  Please remember this man in your prayers.  I am reminded of what a pastor friend (www.rescueatlanta.com) that works with the homeless in Atlanta says when asked what his ministry does.  "Quite simply, we give people hope."  May we continue to give people hope in Christ Jesus- the source of True hope. 

~ Pastor Anthony

Are You Ready?

The Lord is most definitely taking the world in a new direction! Every week I see it as I go downtown, as I go to the mall, as I go to the grocery store, or even as I sit at home!  The Lord is pouring out His Spirit on the dry ground, as He said He would do in the end times! There's a cloud on the horizon and its about to rain! Christians will never be the same. We will only get a taste of Gods glory! But His glory will be the only thing that satisfies our lovesick heart! We will never go back to the way things were! Hes about to move, Hes about to shine His light brighter than ever before, Hes coming! Are you ready for the rain?

Glory To God Forever! Receive His Wind, Receive His Holy Spirit!

-Kendall-

The Home Front

Sometimes you need to storm the gates of the city.  Other times you need to support the home front.  Last night was one of those nights for me.  My wife could have taken care of things at home but I knew I was needed at home.  She didn't whine or complain.  She was supportive and strong as always.  Here's the thing- awesome ministry happen with the siege team last night (hopefully some one will post on this) The love, truth and light of Christ went forth into the city last night without me but the ministry of a dad would NOT have happened at my house unless I had stayed home.  Praise God for His leadings and timing.

On a side note- someone that called the church a few weeks ago needing assistance (we were not able to help her with that particular need) called me back today.  I had prayed with her that the Lord would provide for her and make a way.  She said she knows the Lord worked on her behalf.  The need was meet!  We rarely get calls BACK from people who call needing help.

His Kingdom come, His will be done on Earth as it is in Heaven. ~ Pastor Anthony

God cares about what we care about.

This past week has been bad. The oppression of the enemy has been weighing heavily upon me, and it's taken a lot of strength to get through. The Lord has more than gotten me through it, though.

The Lord has put one friend of mine (I'll name him Spencer) on my heart. This particular friend is agnostic lean athiest, and has been struggling with depression and oppression in his family. Because of parents and the fact that he lives far away, he's been put in solitude. He is a firm believer in tolerance, and doesn't like to discuss things that will cause a disagreement. I was always very careful when talking to him, because I knew that even the smallest thing could harden his heart towards the Lord.

The past few weeks, the Lord has opened some doors for me to witness to him. He asked me what I lived for the other day, and I obviously told him I lived for Jesus.

A while later, he was asking me what I thought about the existence of the soul and what it was, and we got into a conversation about our conscience. He was basically saying that right and wrong was relative based on your conscience. I explained to him my belief of moral absolutes, and he said that he thought I was right!

I've invited him to this Blitz, and he says that he's coming. I was really surprised that he agreed to come, but I'm thinking that the Lord put him in solitude for this very reason!

I'm praying and believing that the Lord is going to save him tomorrow night. I cannot wait!

I'm beginning to see the power of prayer more and more, and I can't tell you how many times prayer has shifted things in my life. I don't even have to put on the sackcloth and roll around in the dirt crying out, I can just say a few simple words, and if it's in line with His will, He will move heaven and earth to answer. I say all this to encourage us that God is hearing our prayers for Athens and He will bring revival in His timing. I can feel it brewing even now, and I believe that it's coming in the next few weeks. I realize that's daring of me, but I'm not claiming that it's necessarily a prophetic word, but I am saying that in faith that it will happen!

Come, Lord Jesus, come!

Ears to Hear

To echo Pastor Anthony's comments about our time of ministry last night, it really was an awesome night of worship, prayer, and testimonies!

There are Tuesdays that seem to be a little more difficult than others... If we look at it from our human perspective, that is. Some nights, the Lord moves in a very tangible way. Other nights, we may not have any known evidence of what the Lord is doing, we just have faith that He moves even when we don't see it with our physical eyes. Last night was a night for both. We saw the Lord physically touch a man's foot, which was awesome! But my thoughts mainly rest on the almost 2 hours we spent listening to those around us. One of the team prayed before we went downtown that the Lord would give us ears to hear the stories of the people around us. There are so many times we ask people questions such as "How are you?", but don't really take the time to listen to their honest response. Hearing that prayer being prayed, it was definitely a challenge to commit to listening to people, especially the ones that we know can talk for hours. Literally. 

I find it funny that usually the very things we pray for (without even really knowing what exactly it is we're praying for) end up happening. You know, kinda like praying for patience. When we ask for it, the Lord seems to find plenty of opportunities for us to exercise it! Sure enough, last night turned out to be one of the nights that we spent mostly listening to people. For hours. A group of 4 of us listened to a man share his life story with us. How the Lord had shown him so much kindness and favor, yet he still has a hard time choosing the right thing. He was so honest about seeking to only satisfy the flesh. I think back on our conversation, remembering the many times I wanted to interrupt and tell him we needed to go back to the group, or say in a nice way that we had someone else to pray for. But weren't we doing the very thing we went downtown to do in the first place? I really have no idea what the Lord might have done in that hour that we listened to him. Not saying a word. Just nodding our heads. But maybe that was the very thing he needed in that moment. Four listening ears that said non-verbally that someone loved him, cared about him, and would actually take the time to listen.  

I am challenged. And humbled.

Lord, give us ears to hear. To hear Your voice. To hear the voices of others.

The Lame Will Walk Again!

We had an incredible night downtown yesterday! God did so much. I talked with two young guys for about an hour and got to pray for them. Both were in search of jobs. One of the guys also asked for prayer for his foot. He had a very large piece of wood stuck in the bottom of it. His foot did not look good! He said it was very painful and that he was having trouble walking. What is cool about this is that in the prayer room the Lord had spoke to us that He wanted to straighten a leg and to help someone walk. So this definitely related! I gathered most of the team together to join me in prayer for this man's foot. We prayed twice and he said it felt better and that he could move it more. He said he wasn't able to move it much at all before. Praise God! Please believe with us that the Lord will completely heal his foot! To God alone be the glory! We concluded the night with an intense time of prayer and worship in front of a strip club. May God continue to move in our city! ~ Pastor Anthony

I Have A Testimony About Jesus!

What a amazing night our team had at our last street ministry night! Our group was small to start with and got even smaller before the night was over but the Lord only needs one to touch peoples hearts! There really are a lot of testimonies to share but I will only share 1 for now! That night we had decided to do something different than we had ever done before. We decided to walk up and down the streets of downtown Athens (GA) worshipping and praying! As we did this I saw some people look at us in confusion, some with laughing, some with shock, and others with smiles! As we worshipped and prayed I noticed a girl across the street; she was walking in the same direction we were and she was watching us with that confused look I was talking about! As we continued to walk she eventually had to come over to are side of the street and she began to talk to Sharla ( Team mate) and I! She asked what we were doing, we told her and we began to strike up a conversation with her. After a couple minutes we asked her if she needed prayer for anything! She said yeah that would be great! She then began to tell us about her grandfather who had just had heart surgery. She told us he was still in the hospital and they didn't know if he would make it yet! We began to pray healing over her grandfather and also receive pictures the Lord gave us to encourage her! After we were done she thanked us and said she was very happy we were downtown! We may never know what happens to her grandfather but it says in Matthew 10:8 "Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out demons. Freely you have received, so freely give." So I believe he's healed!!!

God bless -Kendall

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

Representin'

This is the way people in an urban culture would describe someone who is staying true to a group they are part of. I.E. "He was representin' on the football field for Clarke Central High School" Unfortunately, a lot of Christians settle for simply sittin' and being entertained (we like to call it being 'fed'- that makes it sound more spiritual) Paul wrote to the ENTIRE church located at Corinth and said you are ambassadors (representatives) of Christ as though God Himself were making His appeal through you for people to come back to Him. The incredible thing is that God can do this through us in so many ways. So as we live our lives, in our jobs, organized outreaches, church services, leisure activities... everything! May we truly REPRESENT His priceless love & truth to a dying world. ~Pastor Anthony