Child Brides
We need to pray. Pray for renewal of mind, for Jesus to reign in the hearts of men, and for revival to happen in the earth. Pray for the Holy Spirit to change hearts, attitudes and culture. For people of influence in Yemen to be radically changed by the Holy Spirit.
I love that our prayers don't fall on deaf ears of an uncompassionate god. But that they are precious to the Lord and they move his heart of compassion and moves his Spirit to action. I love that when we come into agreement with the Lord’s heart in prayer over something that grieves the Spirit that there is power and invitation for heaven to come to earth and change the atmosphere. We are promised that when we ask we will receive.
A 3 Cord Strand Not Easily Broken
Shut Up In My Bones
We are at the core made up of bones. It is the foundation of our frames.
They are the things that allow us to move, and have our being. They are the launching pad of every possibility in our physical world.
But, what is at the core of those bones?
What is it that makes them up, composes them?
What is the foundation?
What are you and I? What is the Foundation of who we are?
What am I composed of? At the core of me, what is there?
Tonight I'm haunted by the Love of the Creator.
I'm tripping hard core on that Love. THE Love.
You see there is a fire shut up in my bones. Ignited from my very beginning. Even before I was knit together in my mother's womb. In the design plans of me, the essence of who I am, my Creator made me out of the fire of PASSION. His deep, deep passionate love. I was birthed, cut from the fabric of LOVE.
There is a fire shut up in these bones. It is a fire of passion. Born out of love!
In You we live and move and have our being. (Acts 17:28) Apart from you I cannot understand me, I cannot understand the foundation of me, the fire shut up in my bones. Or perhaps the fire is only lit when we encounter The Love, You, and begin to understand the fabric of our beings. All I know is that when I'm far from you I feel cold, stony, uninspired, dead. But when I'm near you everything ignites. I come alive, I gulp the fresh air of life. I am revived. I am reminded, like a tree in spring, how to bloom, and flourish and be what I was created to be. AND I SING, my heart soars, the rivers of joy rush to the low places and once again I am swept away. With the waves of who you are crashing over me, again and again. Covering me, shaping me, and spinning me round and round until I'm pulled in deep, and deeper still. Melting back into You, the fabric from which I was cut. I was created out of Love, for Love, to Love, to be Loved.
This is the Fire Shut Up In My Bones, this is the anthem that they sing:
The Sun's Still Shining
Who was crazy enough to fly out on a day so stormy and dangerous? Well, this girl but not by choice more by default! Yesterday Walda came barreling through the mid-west and my dear city Minneapolis was hit pretty hard and while the rest of the city hunkered down to take it on I took off for Atlanta. Did I mention that the weather service deemed travel "hazardous" on this particular day?
I've flown more times than I can count but yesterday was the first time I actually felt nervous and hesitant. If I didn't have plans I really wanted to make that evening I probably would have re-booked for today, but as it was I pushed through and did the "brave" thing and boarded the plane. My plane was initially on time but after waiting in line to be de-iced it was our turn and the captain came on the loudspeaker to inform us that the de-icing was underway and that they were looking at the numbers to see if we could make this whole take-off thing a reality today. Oh boy. That was not what I needed to hear. What if they miscalculated the numbers. As I pondered the last announcement I gazed out my window at the snowplow clearing off the snow covered runway...not a confidence booster.
About a couple minutes later the pilot came back on the loud speaker to announce that a take-off was in our near future. So into line we went and as we waited our turn for our delayed take-off I watch the planes in front of us take -off, for as far as I could watch, which wasn't far. Visibility? Oh it was VERY limited that day. I noticed that as the planes tried to gain speed down the runway that they kicked up so much snow it created its own mini blizzard in its wake.
After waiting a few minutes it was our turn to head down the snowy runway. I let go of all control I was holding onto and gave into the plane as it hurled down the snowy runway. As we lifted off the ground and jerked our way up, up, and away I watched the airport and precious ground get smaller and smaller and cloudier and cloudier. And then there was nothing but grey clouds. We were in the storm, surrounded completely. But yet we climbed, bumpy, and dipping, we kept going up, and up, to meet our goal.
And then through the hazy grey I saw it. The sun. At first it was an obscured circle and then within seconds it was a brilliant ball of light against a blue sky with a carpet of white clouds.
"Hello sun, you really are still here! I'm so glad you woke up this morning. I'm glad you are here even though I couldn't see you through the storm. I'm sorry that I let my circumstances question your existence, and your presence, your loyalty in that moment. I'm sorry I called you lazy, I'm sorry that I grumbled, and complained about you forgetting about me, accusing you of leaving me for a season. You are always here. You never change, you stay the same. Thank you for being here. No matter what." And at the sight of the sun, clear blue skies and smooth ride all fears of the raging storm below are gone. Just. Like. That.
Hello metaphor! Hello revelation! Thank you God, you are more faithful than the sun.
Seasons of Our Life
Seasons...the word doesn't seem like it translates into real life. I know that our life is constantly changing like seasons, but really what this life is, is a constant molding process.
Have you ever felt like you are actually going backwards? Like the very ground underneath you is being pulled out, crumbling beneath you? Do ever have moments when you look in the mirror and wonder who the person is that stares back at you? Not because your outward appearance has morphed, but that your inward man is going through so much change its hard to keep up?
I get you, I'm there. Here is where the word season doesn't actually fit into whats happening in these times. Season in this moment of deep refinement that includes deep searing wounds that are painful is an insult to what God is up to in my life. This isn't about a "season" this is about a process, its not buying into a "season of time" but rather a life long process. It's not about learning something and moving into the next unit or season. Life isn't a video game of levels passed and dangers over-come and put away. No life looks different, and the process when going well looks like the biggest mess, the biggest failure to us. How strange is that? When its going the way its supposed to, it often doesn't feel like it is!
I have believed the lie these past few months that I am a big fat failure. That I am not good enough. That I'm not doing enough for the kingdom. That I am a fake, a fraud. That I'm the worst _______ .
Here's why: God spent the last year, the World Race building my identity as a daughter. Growing me in walking in that identity, operating out of that identity, thinking and loving out of that identity. Now I'm looking in the mirror asking who is that? I get offended when someone doesn't see that value, when I'm rejected. HOW CAN THIS BE?? I already know who I am, we spent a year stripping off labels, and identities. I am a Daughter! I am a princess! Why am I struggling with these lies?? Why can't I just be already who I am??
My conclusion: I have failed at understanding my sonship. I don't really know who I am. I'm a failure. I'm obviously not as close to Jesus as I thought. I obviously didn't get the lesson the first time, what a waste of a year. Repeat last season....
Hold the phone...wait...who is that? Where is that coming from?? hmmm...that doesn't sound like my Daddy.
Some food for thought...Immediately following his baptism, after heaven opening and the Father saying "This is my Son, whom I love, with him I am well pleased." What was the first thing the devil attacked in Jesus in the desert?? His identity. (Matthew 4:1-4)
- "Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil." Ok, whoa...the Spirit led him into a place knowing he would be tempted there. The Spirit was allowing the attack...
- "After fasting forty days and forty nights he was hungry" Jesus would have been weak at this point, the Spirit actually let him be vulnerable and weak, open to attack. In a sense the Spirit left him out to dry in our eyes. We would think what a cruel exercise! How can that be loving?
- "The tempter came to him and said 'If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread' Jesus answered 'It is written: "Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God'" When his identity was attacked even though he hadn't eaten and was weak Jesus battled it with truth the tempter could not combat. Truth always conquers.
Maybe instead of it being a season of learning and walking its a process that is tested and tried over and over no matter how old we are, or how long we have known the Father? What if its actually the Love of a Father that drives us into circumstances where our identities are challenged? What if those weak times, those times of desperation, those desert circumstances were orchestrated because of the things his has already spoken and worked in us, that he needs to set as steel in our hearts? What if the moments when we felt the most distant from the Lord, those moments when we felt dry, we were actually closest to him, that we were actually delighting his heart most?
There is no shame in the process, in the confusion, in the WEAKNESS. NO SHAME! It is a beautiful thing to feel weak, to be weak, to struggle! STRUGGLE IS OK! haha! It is! God LOVES struggle, he's ok with MESS!
I hear the Father speaking to Jesus and the Holy Spirit over me tonight. And you know what? FAILURE is NEVER mentioned. MESS UP is not a phrase even alluded to. NOT GOOD ENOUGH is not associated with my name. NOT DOING ENOUGH for the kingdom is never brought up!
They say, "There is our little princess, isn't she incredible? She is perfect, exactly what I want her to be today. How is she doing? Ohhh I am SO proud of her, she is rooted in truth, in the things we've taught her. You know something else? She looks like me, and she sounds like me more and more. I overheard her the other day saying something to herself that I say to her all the time. She hears me, she knows my voice, she understands. She is my baby girl and I'm so delighted in her. She's so cute, she doesn't always believe she's pleasing me, or that she is doing good enough, but oh that girl, she is my FAVORITE! Oh she brings so much pleasure to my heart. This time of testing has been hard for her, harder than I intended, but she doesn't have to worry, because I'm not worried. I believe in her, she will be just fine, she'll get through it just fine. I know her. I trust her COMPLETELY. Oh how I love this one. Oh I wish she knew just how much I love and delight in her! She is beautiful just as she is."
You know what? They are speaking that over you tonight too. If we only knew how the God of the Universe loves us and is moved by us. Oh if we only knew the fullness of his affections!
Surrendering Singlehood
Little girls dream about their futures'. They dream about what they are going to be when they grow up, which school they want to go to (or maybe this was just me), and due to a spike in the popularity of a game called MASH when I was in elementary/junior high school(if you don't know what this is, email me I'll explain it to you) who you are going to marry, where you are going to live, what your wedding colors are going to be and who was going to be in your wedding. Most of us have an expectation of marriage when we are young and one that we bring into adulthood.
I was no exception to the above rule, I played MASH willingly throughout my elementary/junior high years (and maybe for fun a couple times since then) inserting my crushes' names into the husband spot, I dreamed of my "prince charming", I prayed for my husband, and I wondered when he would come sweeping into my life and rescue me from ho-dum singleness. I remember half heartedly "giving" my desire for marriage to the Lord, but secretly winking inside as if to say, this is just a formality, a part of the formula to finding my perfect mate, right God? I mean after-all according to my 12 year old self I was supposed to be married by 22 and on my way to starting a family.
I did everything right, I didn't date around, and I was convinced, or maybe the word is determined that the first man I dated seriously, AKA the first man I called my "boyfriend" was going to be my husband. I just needed to wait for the "right one" to come around. The thing is while I waited I saw my friends start getting into serious relationships and/or getting married, and the rose colored glasses came off. I started to see how hard relationships really were, I started to see how much time they took up, I started to see how distracting they were, and I started to see how they changed people or how people lost who they were in the relationship. Relationships started looking less desirable to me.
Then a couple years ago I had a friend go through a tough divorce. It was a couple I never would have guessed would split a part, and he wasn't the type of guy I would ever guess to change as drastically as he did. My concept of marriage was shaken, to the core. I'm not a person that trusts easily, and I had a hard time trusting men as it was and this only added to that. Now I was battling in my mind; how could I ever trust someone so much as to allow them in so intimately as marriage allows, how will I ever know that they won't betray me, that they won't change years down the road? Satan was having a hay-day in my head, and I was allowing him to burrow lies deep in my heart.
Then I had my first relationship and experienced first hand all of the disenchanting things as listed above. That sealed it in my heart that marriage was not for me. After all I had given it a chance and surprise, surprise, everything that I thought would happen, happened. The thing is looking back on it all now, I had no business being in a relationship when I hadn't dealt with the issues brewing in my heart. Of course I experienced all the negative things in that first relationship because I had a tape inside my head that played the lies about marriage and men over and over and over again. Words are powerful things and they bring one of two things: life or death. There is no grey area here, just life or death. When you speak lies even if they are just inside your head they bring death, and I'm convinced that because I had that track of lies in my head I prophesied those negative things into my relationship and over that guy. No wonder they came to fruition!
After that relationship I found a deeper more intimate relationship with the Lord and was fixated on the concept of the marriage relationship between God and His church the bride. I had no problem getting on board with that type of marriage, after all God was dependable and unchanging. Perfect, no problems there. Unfortunately, during this time of intense depth and closeness with the Father, my fear of commitment and hatred of marriage also deepened. During this time I was definitely at the place of "Oh Lord I surrender marriage to you and I don't want to ever see it again, give me a release from marriage". Gone were the days of tight fisting my desire for marriage I was at the other extreme of "You're gonna have to pry singleness from my cold dead hands."
The thing was during this whole time I never felt a "release" from marriage. In fact God wouldn't let marriage go, and every year around Fall he would seem to bring it up in some way. I came to the point of drawing up lists of things that he would have to give me in a man before I would consider marriage, and they weren't easy lists, I mean they had great detail. I would have yelling matches in the car with the Lord and would throw a lot of "Paul says that singleness is better anyway, so lets move on from this marriage sillyness", "lets be honest singleness is way more fun than marriage" and "think of the freedom singleness offers a missionary!." Oh yes I played the missionary card. I was trying to convince God that I was right to desire singleness and I was justified in my dislike for marriage. I was trying to convince Him to get on board with granting me "single" status for life and a "release" from marriage forever.
I started this past year out with 2 prayers: 1. To be committed to an organization for a significant amount of time by the end of the year, and 2. Be done with the marriage status thing either way by the end of the year, because I'm sick of dealing with it! Plus for a person who never enjoyed "playing the field" the idea of being off the market by either being in a relationship or having the excuse of "Oh I'm sorry I can't go on a date with you, because I'm never getting married" was very attractive to me. Wow, I had no idea that that prayer would fuel God's enthusiasm for this topic. I have to say as of November neither of those prayers have been answered in the way I was expecting, but God is working on them both I honestly believe, it just might not be my timing and the way I thought it would look.
God went into marriage over drive with me this past year, the sheer number of weddings I was invited to should have given me a clue that God was going to deal with me on this issue (15 in all thank you very much!). Then my pastor decided to do a series on 1Corinthians. Oh I thought the Sunday on 1Corinthians 7 was going to validate me and my view on my singleness. I thought for sure the only interpretation of this passage was to say singleness is better than marriage. I had a smug smile on my face that sunday sitting in the pew, waiting for the words I knew were coming. But then my validation never came, and my pastor didn't commend the single for staying single, and I was a little disappointed, but God had been working on me and the timing of this particular slap on the face was spot on. I was able to receive the revelation my pastor was offering on this subject because God had already done the work to make me ready for it. I never noticed before that Paul actually says in verse 25 "I have no word from the Lord about women or men who have never been married". The Lord never says that singleness is better than marriage or marriage better than singleness. The fact is God loves marriage, that's why he uses it to describe His relationship with us. What my pastor did stress about this passage is that life is a gift and how we live it determines if it is a blessing or a curse. I walked away slightly stunned, but desiring to live my life as a blessing. I came away with a new thought: Honor Marriage, marriage is a blessing, just as much as singleness (don't laugh seriously this is break through for me).
I am still a work in progress, but here are some things I have learned so far:
- It is possible to be on the other extreme and hold tightly onto singleness. This was a concept that was hard for me to grasp at first. I thought that it was a good thing because I was content in my singleness, but God wants complete surrender and trust in all things including our marriage status and that means holding loosely onto our life situation and trusting that the Lord knows what he's doing when he changes it or if he doesn't. Of course, it is important to be content with your "status" but really that content comes when you are content in Him, and trust Him fully. I have to admit I'm not there, yet. I can't say with all conviction that I hold my singleness loosely and am willing and trust the Lord if he decides marriage is right for me, but I'm getting there and feel close. I cherish my singleness, but I now realize there is a fine line between cherish and idolize and I try to remember the line.
- I'm learning to love marriage, and this will be a continuing journey for me, but I'm stomping out one lie at a time. My hope is to be completely pro marriage for myself and for all that are around me, and if the Lord decides to change my "status" that I will be able to fully be present in that status, just as content, but just as willing to trust and hold it loosely, surrendering it to the Lord.
- Lastly, I can't say this universally, but for me there will probably never be a "release from marriage", that being said I am called to be single right now and so I will live fully in that calling. I think this is what the Lord asks from all of us, he doesn't want us living in the future or the past and I think that's exactly what 1Cor 7 is all about. He asks us to be present in our calling for today and not worry about tomorrow, because tomorrow will worry about itself (Mtt 6:34).
Is the World Race For You?
So what about you? Do you think that you might be called to step out of your comfort zone? Do you think the Lord is calling you to minister to the orphan, widow, captive, etc., but you are unsure how to do that, or what that looks like? Maybe, just maybe you should be going on this trip too. Check out the following taken from their media kit (If you click on the images they will enlarge) and see if maybe the Lord is calling you to take this trip or one like it. Blessings!
Sexual Toll
We pretend sex isn't something deeper than the physical. After all, TV tells us that we should be having sex with as many people as we can, love 'em and leave 'em. But the truth is God made sex so we could be intimate and intertwined with another person, one other person, our mate. It isn't just physical ties that happens during sex its soul ties as well. Sex was never meant to be purely physical, it is also a joining, or tieing together of souls whether you'd like to admit that or not. Our hyper-sexualized society has brought us nothing but sorrow, pain and baggage. It's about time we respected sex and treated it as something sacred and beautiful, but recognize that when it is taken out if the context it was meant for it can be destructive and dangerous.
Watch this. This is some good truth right here:
Power in the Name of Jesus to Break Every Chain
The Lord is raising up an army to go out and set the captives free and heal the broken hearted. Through the power of Jesus' name they will break every chain. It's not a hope, it's a promise, it's prophetic. Walk in this truth, break chains, heal broken hearts, set the captives free. Freedom Lord!
Shrek is that you?
Oh I love God's sense of humor. Did you know that he the funniest practical joker, ever? Well he is and I know that I have been involved or at the center of some of those jokes and all I can do is laugh. Here is a story of one of those "practical jokes".
It all started about a year ago when I was training for my first 5K and had my Zune (for those unfamiliar, this is the Microsoft version of the iPod) working overtime. Every time I would go for a run I would put my player on shuffle to experience some music I hadn't heard for awhile in the far reaches of my library. One such day I was in my cool down walking back to my house when I heard a man's voice with a heavy Irish, or was it Scottish accent come through my ear buds. My first thought was "why is Shrek on my Zune", I immediately looked at my player to find out who this was and found I was listening to some guy named Graham Cooke. I was perplexed since I had no clue who he was and how he got on my Zune. I assumed that someone must have given me a bunch of his sermons/meditations and I unknowingly downloaded them onto my Zune. Regardless of how he got there I was blessed through his words that day and really enjoyed the truth he was speaking into me. Since that first day I have tried to figure out how he got on my Zune I tried tracking down free pod casts from Graham at my usual haunts but come up empty handed. I've asked people I suspect would have given me his sermons/Way of the Warrior, and they aren't even familiar with him. If you gave this to me do me a favor and don't tell me, I like the mystery, and the inside joke between me and the Father, well and you now too. The other funny thing is I cannot even find Graham Cooke on my Zune when I go to artist look up, and I've noticed that when he does come on, the artist and the song are obscure names, different every time. Hahaha! Crazy, and every time all I can do is laugh.
I had no idea then what the Lord would teach me through Graham Cooke and where he would bring me because of a man I've never met. This past year it seemed every time I put my player on shuffle Graham Cooke had something to say, and he had a word that was exactly what I needed to hear at the moment it was delivered. He has a series (that I apparently have) called Way of the Warrior. It's a collection of meditations, exhortations and prophetic words that he speaks out over the listener. This particular series has been affecting for me and I find myself repeating the tracks several times allowing the words to sink in and their meaning to go down deep. This dude is intense, spirit filled and gifted with prophetic words. Graham is big into identity, our identity in Christ, our unique identities. This is significant, because this past year God has been sealing my unique identity in Him. He has been refining my perception of how He has created me to become more like His perception of who I am to Him. Actually his sermon on identity is the only one I can find without fail on my player. I think God knew I would need to reference this sermon several times. Here are a couple points I really appreciated:
- When you know who you are then you know how you're supposed to live, both within yourself and towards the people around you.
- What you think about Jesus is the most important thing in the world.
- True identity is who we are on earth and how we are known in heaven. (personality (who we are on earth (shaped by upbringing, learned behavior), persona how we are known in heaven) Your persona known in heaven must be established on earth, it's who you are in the Kingdom. Your persona is an expression of God's image, it's the place of your acceptance, its the place where you are beloved and favored. It's how you are perceived perpetually in God and it becomes your adopted roll on earth.
- Your persona gives you legal authority over the enemy. Quit swanning around in the shallows and get into deep water because that's where your persona says you're supposed to be.
- When God shows up in our life and he calls us to a specific task he is introducing us to our persona as He defines it and that persona gives us and elevated status in the situation where we find ourselves.
- God loves your true identity, He loves to tell you who you are. When he introduces you to your true self he then relates to you in that way, always. From that time on he will only relate to your persona not your personality.
- Our personality is never equal to the task that you are called to. God hasn't called you to do something that is possible, reasonable or obtainable. The calling of God always makes you feel at odds with yourself (personality). You can carry on whining about your task, and you can make up all the lists of reasons why you can't do it and God needs to pick someone else, but all the things you think disqualify you do the opposite.
- Once God reveals to you your identity, your persona he will talk to you that way for the rest of your life. WE have some alignment to do. We have to embrace in full the persona of God, otherwise we will do nothing.
That's some good revelation right there. After almost a year of Graham Cooke's thoughts, words of revelation, and meditations, I decided that I wanted to hear him live. I thought to myself surely he will be coming through MN sometime, so I googled Graham Cooke+Minneapolis. Turns out he was here last spring for a conference and I'm not sure when he will be back, but there was a result for a book study, so I clicked on it. The book study was on Graham's book "Approaching the heart of prophecy" so I emailed and joined the group on a whim.
The first night of the study I went to this lady's apartment not really knowing what to expect. I didn't know these people, I had never met them, but I did know Graham Cooke (well sort of) and I was eager to read his thoughts and insight into prophecy and see what the Lord had for me. This was becoming a scavenger hunt and the key word seemed to be Graham Cooke. I was the second youngest woman there and as I sat there listening to the other women introduce themselves and share their hearts I felt right at home. I love that, the community that we have instantly with other believers. After that first night I was able to chat with the 2 leaders a mother and a daughter, and we found out that I actually went to high school with the daughter. Small world eh? I also got to share with them a little about my upcoming trip with the World Race, and they were very encouraging. In fact 2 weeks later (the next time we met) the mother of the duo wrote me a letter with some unknowing prophetic and strategic prayer. We each drew a name of someone else in the group before we left that night, to pray for and ask the Lord to reveal any words he might have for them. She had my name and her prayers for me we spot on. I love how God uses his church to edify one another and encourage one another and intercede for one another. It's incredible.
It's only been about a month now and we've only gotten a couple chapters into the book but God is already using this group and Graham Cooke once more to grow my faith and grow me in the prophetic.
Graham Cooke isn't the point of this past year, he was and is only the messenger and a strategic mouth piece for the Lord in my life. The Lord had his agenda with me and Graham Cooke was an unknowing player in His plan to teach me some pretty amazing things. So thanks Graham Cooke for allowing the Lord to speak through you, and God thanks for the laughs. Keep 'em coming. I can't wait to see what you have in store for me next!
Jesus You're Beautiful
Last year at onething Jon Thurlow sang this song and I haven't been able to get it out of my head since. Recently I've been meditating on it and thought I would share the powerful words with you all. SOAK IT UP!
I know your love is written on my heart and there is not a flood that could quench this love. Jesus you are indeed BEAUTIFUL! BEAUTIFUL! BEAUTIFUL! FAITHFUL! FAITHFUL!
Here We Go Again!
Nefarious: Merchant of Souls
It's finally done!! Check out the trailer below:
Nefarious: Merchant of Souls Official Trailer from Exodus Cry on Vimeo.
There's a Chupacabra in my backyard?
Ok, so I had never even heard of this mysterious creature called a "chupacabra" until I lived in Mexico, but now it seems like every other day there is a headline on my AOL homepage about this mythical creature. This thing is probably the ugliest thing I have ever seen, but it never seems to look the same when I pull up the picture. Maybe the creature varies in appearance across the regions it's found? Strange. However, I recently came across a report and picture of one that was found here in Minnesota and I have to say its probably the ugliest of all the chupacabras I have seen. Well Minnesota I guess we drew the short end of the stick when it comes to chupacabra species.
When There's a Burning in Your Heart...
Build it bigger than the sun. Let it grow, let it grow.
When there's a burning in your heart don't be alarmed
When there's a doubt in your mind, and you're thinking all the time. Framing rights into wrongs. Move along, move along.
When there's a burning in your heart, and you think it'll burst apart. Oh there's nothing to fear. Save the tears, save the tears.
And if you feel just like a tourist in the city you were born then it's time to go and define your destination. There's so many different places to call home.
Simply Be With Me
Love on Me a little longer. This moment is too sweet. You don't have to do a thing. Simply be with me. Because I'm in love with you.
Demand Change Project
I have been working these past few months with 2 great organizations to put on a fantastic historic event: Demand Change Project. I respect MATTOO and Breaking Free for the way they are blazing new trails in abolishing human trafficking.
MATTOO which stands for Men Against The Trafficking Of Others, is an organization that is monumental and hitting this issue where it will damage it the most: the demand. I know that may sound harsh, but to be honest men comprise the majority of those who are driving the demand. MATTOO is educating, sounding the alarm and rallying men to come together and come against this issue. They are asking men to step out and promise not to agree with sex trafficking or human trafficking on any level. This means not participating on any level from pornography, which is a gateway activity, all the way to purchasing a woman for sex. I am blown away by their work and I am so grateful for them and for the men who are taking a stand. Bravo to you.
Breaking Free. I can't say enough about this organization, they are so committed to those who society turns their backs on. They love those who are the broken, the bitter, the numb, ...the prostituted. They know most of these women and children do not choose to do the activities they are doing. They know these women are slaves to those who "own" them, they know that these women and children don't have a voice to speak up about what is happening to them. They are their advocates and arms that hold them loveingly when no one else will.
Anyway, these two organizations have come together to put on a "never-been-done-before" event here in St.Paul Minnesota, May 13-14. The first annual Demand Change Project is a groundbreaking event for the purpose of educating and engaging men to decrease the demand for commercial sex and unite the women’s and men’s anti-human trafficking movements, to come together as a united front against the selling of human beings.
The weekend will include an Abolitionist Seminar (where Melissa Farley will be speaking), a VIP launch party with leading national and international abolitionists, panel discussions with survivors and public officials/law enforcement, a men’s march/walk at the Capital with MATTOO, a women’s marketplace and rally to greet the men on the march, and for the finale – the Breaking Free Benefit Victory Concert with Nicole C. Mullen.
Watch the video for more information.
Or visit the wesite: http://www.demandchangeproject.org/home.html
Minnesoootah Girl
- As a U of M alumni, I will always be a Golden Gopher. Ski-U-Mah!
- I will always have a weakness for hockey players and men in plaid flannel wielding an ax
- The smell of campfire and pine on a warm breeze off the lake, or on a cool wind in mid December will forever be one of my favorite scents.
- The eerie call of the loon from across the lake as the sun sinks low in the sky.
- The brilliant and surreal phenomenon of the Northern Lights (aurora borealis)
- "The North Shore" will always be for me a unique oasis of memories, and delightful exploration of Lake Superior.
- Camping in the north woods, huddled under blankets and hooded sweatshirts next to the campfire while listening to stories of summers past and plans for tomorrow to a soundtrack of owls, coyotes and crickets.
- The Boundary Waters. A place of pure wilderness where your child's heart can once again be revived and your dream of adventure and discovery become realities as you step back in time and paddle and hike your way through a vast forest and chain of lakes.
- The story of Paul Bunyan and his blue ox Babe will always bring a smile to my face.
- Nordic skiing on a moon-lit trail
- Sitting on the dock at a north woods cabin watching a summer storm roll in over the lake
- Finding an isolated lake with waters as stills as glass, half expecting to see a moose wade in for a lazy soak.
- Snow angels in my bathing suit, with a hot tub close at hand.
- Uptown lakes. rollerblading, food discovery, and coffee sipping.
- Hockey games
- The Mississippi (I can't count how many times while crossing the famous river I've spelled that word forwards and backwards) :)
- Potlucks
- Paddling of any kind (canoe, kayak, etc.)
- The endless system of bike trails through downtown Minneapolis, over the river, through the leafy neighborhoods, around the lakes and into the forest.
- A summer afternoon next to the lake, shades on magazine open and a friend to chat with.
- Hotdish
- I can't say that snow and I have a love love relationship, but I cannot deny the beauty of a freshly fallen snow, or the peace of a snowfall especially at night. It seems the whole world is muffled as the white flakes drift daintily down. In the morning the whole world is transformed.
- Boat rides on the lake, maybe a little tubing, and for those that are more coordinated than me: water skiing.
- Fall in Minnesota is the best, hands down. If you are thinking of coming for a visit you definitely should stop over at the end of September beginning of October. The world is transformed into brilliant reds, golds, oranges and yellows.
- The Minnesota State Fair. 12 days of bliss, eating anything you could desire on a stick, watching the Princess Kay of the Milky Way's likeness be carved into butter, the barns, the art, the shows, the preserves, the rickety rides, and the grease! My mouth is watering just typing this.
- The Holidazle Parade. A night parade in the middle of November/December comprised of thousands of lights. Yes its cold, but totally worth it!
- St. Paul Winter Carnival. Yep a carnival in the middle of winter, its great.
- Aquatennial. Minneapolis' summer celebration.
- Seeing a black bear with her cub in the wild and the hope that someday I will see my moose in the wild. Really, seeing any animal roaming free in the woods, is a real joy.
- The miles and miles of hiking trails, next to rivers, waterfalls, lakes, and through the tall trees.
- My family history.
- My family, my friends, Faith Baptist Church.
