I could feel God's Presence

So at our Student Leadership Team meeting the other night, something powerful happened when we were meeting together. We were praying for the future of the youth ministry and laying a foundation of prayer for the years to come when we split up in groups and prayed in twos. After Isaiah and I were done praying, I felt such a desire inside to lay my hands on each of the heads of the students and pray for them outloud. When I started to pray, I felt God leading me in what to pray. After I finished praying for all of them, I lifted my hand off of Isaiah's head and my hand was tingly and a little numb. I really felt the presence of God in the room also as we continued to meet together. Pretty cool experience!

Amy Enters HEAVEN...

So an amazing thing happened on Sunday. Outside of all the amazing testimonies, my wife Amy had an awesome moment! She has been sick with Strep throat, and has had a hard time talking not to mention sing. I have felt impressed lately to push her out in worship at SRNC, and this week felt like God was going to use her. She was not seeing that because of her voice and when I told her in practice that I wanted her to lead a song- Revelation Song, she said no, but everyone encouraged her to.

Donna Bassett was praying with her during Sunday school and Amy felt like she was somewhat healed. Before she stepped up on stage to sing, she noticed that her voice was really scratchy and was really doubting singing but pressed in and walked up front. In her words, "I walked up on the stage and stepped up to the mic. When I stepped in, I litterally felt like I stepped into a different relm. I sang like there was nothing wrong with my voice, I felt like I was singing in Heaven!" After the set, she sat down and said a few words to me with a totally scratchy voice! I was also experiencing a lot of God's glory because when I sat down, I was physically shacking and Donna kept saying to me, "More God, More God!!!" It was as if we were all anointed with God's presence and when we sat down, we were coming off a "anointing high..."

Awesome moment!

"Prayer has a cumulative effect"

In staff meeting today, it was like a ton of Revelation to me and insight into scripture! Serriously, it was like everyone was annointed by God to say something today that God was going to speak powerfully into my life...

Revelation 8:3-5

"Another angel, who had a golden censer, came and stood at the altar. He was given much incense to offer, with the prayers of all the saints, on the golden altar before the throne. The smoke of the incense, together with the prayers of the saints, went up before God from the angel's hand. Then the angel took the censer, filled it with fire from the altar, and hurled it on the earth; and there came peals of thunder, rumblings, flashes of lightning and an earthquake."

When we pray, it has a cumulative effect. I used to wonder why I prayed and prayed and it looked as if nothing was happening... Something was though and things that we pray for years, not the prayers where we ramble on, but the prayers that are continuous are as the text says rising like incense before God. Those jars of prayers eventually fill up and overflow!

So keep praying. When it looks like nothing is happening, there is. It will have a cumulative effect. We were talking about how the prayers of all the saints before us in the "Strickland" years are being seen and felt today. So, who is praying the prayers to prepare to future? Our prayers are laying a foundation for future generations and as soon as "I" wake up and realize that, I can be a HISTORY MAKER!

More Later...

Church today was off the hook!

WOW, all I can say! But I'll say more to journal. Today, Chris Keys and Dave Arnald were baptized in our church. When Chris shared his testimony of God redeeming him from the bondage of sin, I was totally and physically taken back! His testimony was powerful (I will try to load it on to the sight). When we sang together in worship, it was amazing to hear everyone sing. It felt like we were singing in heaven! When we got to our last song AMAZING GRACE, I had about 18 mission guys (redwood gospel mission) stand up and sing. I think Molly Bassett said it best, "I had goosebumps all over!" When Pastor Rick got up and spoke the Word, he said, "If we all left right now, that would be enough!"

I will really try to learn how to post videos on here so you can see.

headaches for 4 weeks- possible movement of God

Ok, so today I might have seen another connection of God wanting me to intervine in something. I have had headaches for 4 weeks now and I get them when I read. I am reading about 10x more than I normally do right now because of a class I am taking online for Church History... Today, I was reading some posts that I missed and about 3 weeks ago, a lady named Korlia in my class posted a prayer request saying that she needs prayer. She has been getting migrain headaches and might have to stop taking our class as a result of the migranes.

I just emailed her and shared with her what God is doing in my life these last 6 months, and I am waiting to hear back from her if she wants me to pray for/with her. I will keep all you posted in what happens.

Book- Celebration of Discipline by Richard Foster

I am reading a book right now that I want to encourage all readers to pick up. It is called Celebration of Discipline by Richard Foster.

It practically walks people through Spiritual Disciplines. He explains that they are not for just the high intelectuals or the eliet, but it is for the avarage Joe. Any person who wants to go DEEP with God. Funny, that is what I have been praying for myself, and it is everywhere in the book...

Pick it up and lets talk through this blog