Ready for an update? There's MUCH to tell!

Hey Family and Friends! I hope you haven't all lost interest in this blog since I've been quite terrible at keeping it up to date over these past few months! I apologize for not keeping my priorities in order when it came to letting you know what God's doing in my life! I love you all SO dearly, and cherish your support and encouragment more than I could ever say.

On to the update! Gosh, I honestly don't even know where to begin... For those of you who haven't heard from me in LONG time, I'm now in a 3rd year internship at the Bethel School of Supernatural Ministry in Redding, CA, and I'm LOVING every moment of it! I'm serving an incredible woman who is the head of the Prophetic Arts department and an overseer in the 2nd year program, and I couldn't have asked for a more empowering, encouraging, wild and crazy, passionate person to pour my life into this year. My leader is one of the boldest risk-takers I know when it comes to pursuing the things of God... She is radical when it comes to the arts, LOVES people, and releases identity and freedom to all she touches. It's SO much fun to serve her, and I am being stretched in all kinds of new ways.

In fact, one of the most significant things about this new season is that it has been one of great promotion for me. Spiritually, relationally, emotionally, and creatively, God has been cultivating so much growth in me, giving me TONS of direction and vision for my future, connecting me with some of the most amazing people in arts realm, and ever increasing my love for Him and what He's doing in the earth :). In fact, the painting with the gem in the center and the two flows of color coming out totally represents where I'm at and what God's doing right now! The gem represents me - He told me for years that I'm called to walk in purity in a very significant way but only recently has He begun to unfold more of what that means. It's not just about having a moral standard of purity (though that's part of it). It's about walking in unity and partnership with His nature at all times... One passage of scripture He's rocked me with over and over is from Matthew 5, "Blessed are the pure in heart for they will see God." There's something about radical purity of heart that ushers us into encounters with God! God has told me that I am to be that standard of purity in such a way that through my life and artwork, people are awakened and brought into the revelation of the relationship and encounters that are available to them - they will see God face to face. That is SO my heart's desire! Do it, Lord!

Haha, but that's just part of my painting :). Another thing God's been answering for me in this season is the desire of my heart to walk both in LOVE and in POWER. I'm convinced that the only way for Him to be FULLY seen through my life is if BOTH of those aspects of His nature flow freely, in partnership, through me. My journey started with the pursuit of love - genuinely, purposefully asking Him to show me what REAL LOVE looks like. 1 Corinthians 13 cannot be just words on a page. Not if He is to be truly known. Not if we want revival. Not if the intimate knowledge of His glory is to cover the earth like the waters cover the sea. We aren't called simply to understand His love - we're called to be love. On my journey of Him unfolding this revelation (over the summer and during these past couple of months), He wrecked me with 1 John 4:16 as well - "And we have known and believed the love that God has for us. God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God and God in him." Wow, that wrecked me, and still wrecks me now!! I was pursuing THAT, that unity with Him and receiving from Him is such powerful ways throughout the summer, and then finally, He surprised me with something. A little girl named Erica who I'd been teaching art to at my church, came up to me with this sweet little card, thanking me for teaching her. But at the bottom of the card, inside a handrawn heart she wrote something that meant THE WORLD to me. Instead of saying "i love you", she wrote "You are love." And it was the word of the Lord straight into my heart! He was telling me that I had become the very thing I'd been pursuing with all my heart, soul, mind, and strength! Ah, He is SO good!

After that day, He began to tell me that it was time for the season to shift - it was time to learn about walking in power. The funny thing was, after eating drinking breathing love love LOVE for so long, it took a bit for me to shift my focus :). One day I was spending time with Him, and was reading through the same passage in 1 John 4 that I'd been pouring over for months. But it wasn't resonating in my heart like it had been. And silly me, was wondering WHY. And then He spoke to me VERY clearly , "Why are you reading that when I said you are love, and that this season's about power?" Eeps, He was SO right, and I LOVE it when He speaks to me that way, and brings me back into alignment with what He's doing. Thank You, Jesus :). So that has been my recent pursuit, learning what it looks like to combine the love that is at the core of my very being with the power that I know I'm called to release into the world. Recently He's been reminding me that the source of that power is the PERSON of the Holy Spirit. So many people talk about "power" or His "presence" like an inanimate object... and for a long time, I didn't know how to describe Holy Spirit or relate to Him like I could with Jesus or Father God. But He's a person. The anointing is a person. The power flows from partnership with a person, and that makes so much sense to me. Love and power are the fruit of intimacy with God. It is only through real, open, face to face relationship with Him that we take on His very nature - the radical love and raw power that will transform this world. There is no pursuit more worthy than to KNOW HIM...

Well, there's an update on my journey, and just a glimpse of what's been happening in my heart :). I love you all so much, and my prayer is that God would release you into a season of greater revelation of Himself - that you would know Him more than you've ever known Him before!

I appreciate all your covering and prayer as I continue my internship this year! Though my life is INCREDIBLY busy, I will do my best to keep this thing updated in a more timely fashion! Please pray that God will continue to stretch and grow me, and that I will STEWARD well all the increase, favor, and connections that He's bringing me.

Love and blessings,

Melissa