We also look forward to releasing a new piano CD for the curing of autism, as well as  posting a new music link to release spontaneous healing music by September 2012!

Seven years ago this week, we moved to our current location in obedience to the Lord, even though we truly wanted to remain where He had previously moved us three years prior. This move was confirmed by our pastors, friends, Bible Study members & at a Graham Cooke conference we were led to attend. Last weekend, I again attended a Graham Cooke conference at the Lord’s leading. The message was a kairos word for the Body of Christ to rise up & out of judgment & negativity, fully maturing into the identity Christ purchased for our journey as the Father’s Beloved, & the Son’s Betrothed, on Earth as it is in Heaven.

Seven years ago this summer I was seeking the Lord as to His purpose for our move & I clearly got ‘Jonah.’ I promised Him at that time I wouldn’t run or complain. Little did I know how difficult keeping that promise was going to be. Following that word, our two youngest children received visions from the Lord clearly revealing this journey being about the rebuilding our foundations. (I have every detail documented in journals, with dates, interpretations, etc., however, they are as clear to me now as I write this, as on the days they were received.)

We recently attended a service where the message again was ‘Jonah.’ My spiritual antennas were on high alert, as I’ve had several confirmations about the seven year season we’ve been in coming to fruition, & a new season being upon us. I have accumulated twelve years of prophetic words, inheritance Scriptures, & prayers on behalf of our family & our nation, all contained within journal pages, digital documents, & the tablet of my heart, standing & waiting in faith to manifest.

The recent Jonah message in a nutshell was, “America, bow your knee to God or suffer the consequences of His wrath.” Any message pertaining to the nation we live in penetrates the core of my being, as the Lord has burdened my heart deeply for America, for this generation, & for raising our family to walk wholeheartedly in His ways. I was moved to tears during the message concerning our culture, our freedoms, pushing God out of our nation, false teachings, intolerance, aligning with Israel, etc.. Although I agreed with many of the facts the speaker was addressing, much of it Scriptural, my gift of discernment was stirring. I knew something was different about this Old Testament message I have known intimately.

The presence of the Lord was all-consuming that night as I lay in bed praying until sleep finally overtook me. In a sudden jolt, I was awakened at 3:16 a.m. (I immediately looked at the clock). I assured the Lord I would search all of the 3:16 passages in the morning in order to gain clarification about what He was speaking. He had other plans, however, as the sun arose, I was immediately awakened by ‘John 3:16-17, focus on 17, “This is how much God loved the world: He gave his Son, his one and only Son. And this is why: so that no one need be destroyed; by believing in him, anyone can have a whole and lasting life. God didn’t go to all the trouble of sending his Son merely to point an accusing finger, telling the world how bad it was. He came to help, to put the world right again. Anyone who trusts in him is acquitted; anyone who refuses to trust him has long since been under the death sentence without knowing it. And why? Because of that person’s failure to believe in the one-of-a-kind Son of God when introduced to him” (The Message (MSG)).’

The Lord began to download the past seven year journey & His rebuilding of our foundations. I have been on a zealous journey with God since I first encountered Him at age 14. Along the way, I took a few detours, which by the age of 30, impacted for good, the training up of our children in this culture for the Lord & His Kingdom. When we arrived in our current location seven years ago, my experience included 34 years of ministering in numerous denominational, nondenominational & charismatic churches, having stewarded my teaching & worship ministry, discovered/developed my own prophetic gifting, serving in worship, family, children’s, house of prayer ministries, & traveling as a family ministering at camps & conferences. I had studied to show myself approved with a Master’s in Music & a Doctorate in Theology. I was all about being separate from the world, because “a little dog poop in the brownies ruins the entire batch”. (*See P.S. Note at the end of this post.)

Through our hearts being steadfast & teachable over the past seven years, however, the Lord has transformed much of what our lives used to be about. We have encountered a revelation of the Father’s love & the identity His Son purchased on our behalf in an entirely new dimension. The enemy’s attempts at invading my thoughts negatively or critically no longer impact. Because I know I am extravagantly loved by my Heavenly Father, offense or being defined by what someone does/doesn’t say/do no longer matters. The new foundation we’ve been given is not conditional on what we do/don’t do, but rather on believing His Son did it perfectly on our behalf, & as His Beloved sons & daughters, that’s how our Father sees us & it’s all good. I’ve learned that the sacrifice of punishment, judgment & wrath for ALL sin & all sickness was perfectly satisfied/accomplished at the Cross, therefore ALL judgment has been suspended (GRACE) until the opening of the Lamb’s Book of Life (Revelations 13:8), contingent on whether our names are written on its pages because we believed, received & confessed Jesus as Lord. I’ve learned that in order for people to be drawn into this amazing relationship of love, they must encounter His presence, which happens through people who are in continuous encounter with Him, relating to Him in Spirit & Truth…people who have cooperated with His transforming power to become His ambassadors, carrying His nature (the fruits of His Spirit) to a world desperately in need of knowing Him.

My heart is deeply burdened for our nation & it’s people. We are in a critical hour of choosing whether to place God on the throne of our nation, as our founding fathers so wisely & humbly did, or continuing the path of the past 50+ years in turning our backs on Him, pushing Him & His ways out of our culture. The truth of the Good News of the Gospel of Jesus Christ in this hour remains & has never been more needed. Jesus Christ took upon Himself the full wrath & judgment of God at Calvary. He is the only way we can truly & eternally be restored to our Father & saved from all the future holds. However, we have until our final breath in this life on Earth to choose Jesus without judgment or wrath, simply because of God’s mercy & grace in Christ. When we truly understand the love of the Father & the love of the Son, both for one another & for all mankind, why would we refuse or run from it? Why wouldn’t we want to encounter the One who first loved us beyond anything we can describe or imagine, having sacrificed His only Son to take on the punishment of all sin for all mankind until the fullness of time; having willingly laid down His own life in the most agonizing of punishments for the healing & forgiveness of all mankind? Many have refused or ran because of religion. Religion & relationship are two very different realities, & our nation needs a revelation of relationship with its Heavenly Father through the only Way, the only Truth, & the only Life, Jesus.

The Jonah message for me is not the same message it was seven years ago. Jonah was an Old Testament prophet whose message was ‘repent or be destroyed.’ John the Baptist was last of the Old Testament prophets whose message was, ‘Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.’ Jesus Christ was the first of the New Testament prophets & His message was, ‘Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.’ If we are in Jesus, then we are in New Testament covenant with the Father, & our message is, ‘Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.’ The Kingdom’s greatest commandments are to love God & to love others. The Kingdom’s message is wholeheartedly: “God’s Spirit is on me; he’s chosen me to preach the Message of good news to the poor, Sent me to announce pardon to prisoners and recovery of sight to the blind, To set the burdened and battered free, to announce, “This is God’s year to act!” – Luke 4:18-19 (MSG). Being in Jesus is the only path to freedom & it’s the freedom to carry a message of life, hope & blessing. Being in Christ keeps us as the Father’s delight, walking out His good plans & purposes for us, which always encompass the good plans & purposes He has for others. That’s good news! It’s that very news that draws us out of a lifestyle of sin, into one of complete, continuous forgiveness & restoration in the love of our Heavenly Father. It’s really that simple. We believe & receive with childlike faith & delight. He who the Son sets free is free indeed!

Sons & daughters of the Kingdom carry the light of Christ into their world. The wrath & fear message has not drawn this generation into the Body of Christ. Who wants to be in relationship with someone we’re incredibly afraid of because they’re angry with us? A true revelation of the Spirit of the fear of the Lord manifests as reverential, holy awe by His Spirit alone; one we embrace when we truly know & are known by the One who loves us unconditionally & incredibly. When Jesus walked this Earth, His life was a demonstration of kindness that drew people to the Father. The only people that angered Jesus were the religious people who tried to bind people up with rules, regulations, shame & condemnation, & those who tried to exploit others through what they’d been given to steward for good. It is the kindness of God that will lead the nations to repentance: ”Those people are on a dark spiral downward. But if you think that leaves you on the high ground where you can point your finger at others, think again. Every time you criticize someone, you condemn yourself. It takes one to know one. Judgmental criticism of others is a well-known way of escaping detection in your own crimes and misdemeanors. But God isn’t so easily diverted. He sees right through all such smoke screens and holds you to what you’ve done. You didn’t think, did you, that just by pointing your finger at others you would distract God from seeing all your misdoings and from coming down on you hard? Or did you think that because he’s such a nice God, he’d let you off the hook? Better think this one through from the beginning. God is kind, but he’s not soft. In kindness he takes us firmly by the hand and leads us into a radical life-change (Romans 2:1-4, The Message (MSG)).

This is the message of the new wine (Matthew 9:17). The goodness of God & His grace is not a license to live however we want, it’s not religion with all of its rules & regulations, it’s not condemnation, guilt, fear & wrath, but rather, it’s LIBERTY of Biblical proportions, as never seen before in every nation. Liberty through identity in Christ & a love relationship in the love of the Father & the Son beyond all description, in preparation for an amazing eternal journey that has already begun in this life on this Earth for those who have chosen to say, ‘yes,’  to Jesus & His Kingdom being at hand. Liberty that is completely available as an open invitation to all who have not chosen Jesus until the fullness of time (Romans 11:25-27).

In this journey of having our foundations rebuilt, I continuously encounter & enter into the knowledge of the truth of this infinite & intimate Love. The light of Christ shines brightest in the darkness. Sons & daughters of the Most High God, the Bride of the King of Kings & Lord of Lords must be in the world, in relationship with people in the darkness, yet not of it, or how else do those in captivity to the darkness ever experience the freedom available only through the Light of the world (John 8:12)? The Good News of the Gospel of Jesus Christ is about a Kingdom that is not of this world, in which we are His ambassadors on this Earth, representing His higher ways: ‘Jesus, undeterred, went right ahead and gave his charge: “God authorized and commanded me to commission you: Go out and train everyone you meet, far and near, in this way of life, marking them by baptism in the threefold name: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Then instruct them in the practice of all I have commanded you. I’ll be with you as you do this, day after day after day, right up to the end of the age (Matthew 28:18-19, The Message (MSG)).

In this hour, we must be people of Spirit, Word, Truth, & Love through our identity in Christ. There is a message of Good News that must be released in our nation which desperately needs revival. Revival, however, lies within the Body of Christ awakening to their identity in Him & being in an intimate love relationship with Father, Son & Holy Spirit, releasing His love to a world in need of demonstration through us, His Body, in action. This is the first & greatest commandment, that we love God & love others with the love of the Father & the Son. America, God loves you. This is the message that will set the captives free. America, when you truly receive the revelation & encounter His love, revival will come, restoration will come, & you will bow your knee because of love & holy, reverential fear/awe of how incredibly amazing His Story is. The end of the age will come & it will come according to the truth of His Word, as revealed in Scripture. Awaken Church! Awaken Bride of Christ! Awaken Beloved of the Father, to the truth of being extravagantly loved. Receive the love of Jesus Christ, positioned before Your Heavenly Father in righteousness. Be released to move forward in power Holy Spirit! We, Your sons & daughters, Your Bride in preparation, believe it, receive it, & by revelation understand & surrender to it. Let the Kingdom advance on the Earth as it is in Heaven in every tongue, tribe & nation, in every generation, for such a time as this!

P.S.: ONE FINAL ‘JONAH’ NOTE:

We can’t be lights in the darkness if we’re going to be influenced by it or look just like it. The Lord purposefully hid our family away during the past seven critical years when our kids needed/wanted friends most. He protected our children from the journey that goes along with being immersed/influence by the culture, to some extent, like Jonah being swallowed up & protected in the belly of the whale, until they could mature in their sonship. I have prayed fervently throughout the years for Him to be kept as their focus (parents must be their children’s intercessors/prayer warriors); for them to be wholehearted in Him as they were trained up in His ways, letting Him & our family BE the very things they were needing/missing/desiring socially. During those years, instead of running around filling their minds/hearts/time with worldly activities, they were honing their God-given gifts & talents for the Kingdom (practicing their musical instruments & voice, art, dance, writing, worship, prayer life, studying His Word, etc. for hours upon hours). Praise God not one child had to journey off to find what they didn’t need. By the time they began PSEO as juniors in High School, they were far more mature in so many character/virtuous ways than many who were years older. Our family was their strong covering, & being grounded in Him, the Lord used each one mightily in their two-year journeys of High School/College, carrying His light into a dark, unChristlike atmosphere. None of our children ever went through the prodigal teen/college years because of the training, covering & hiddenness of their earlier years in our family. I have a pastor early in our journey to thank, as the Lord used him to cast this exact vision, & He used us to walk it out as a family.

The Scripture that comes to mind is: Matthew 23:37-39, “Jerusalem! Jerusalem! Murderer of prophets! Killer of the ones who brought you God’s news! How often I’ve ached to embrace your children, the way a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you wouldn’t let me. And now you’re so desolate, nothing but a ghost town. What is there left to say? Only this: I’m out of here soon. The next time you see me you’ll say, ‘Oh, God has blessed him! He’s come, bringing God’s rule!’”

I received the following prophetic word several years ago, in the midst of the hiddenness, amongst a group of individuals who did not know me. Note the similarity to the Scripture passage above, not really even realizing it at the time:

‘You’re making a difference, you ARE causing change. You’re shooting for the sky, and YOU’RE MAKING IT! Dove’s eyes, that she wouldn’t look to the right or the left sowing in tears. Birthing new sons and daughters of God. We’re asking that others would receive the vision. God wants you to know that you’re not alone. In the next four years, a shift in your ministry you aren’t aware of it yet. It will be your time to be sent out. You’re like a mother hen – snakes, rats, hawks didn’t see you with all your little chicks. God, continue to hide her in your feathers (Psalm 91). How high, and wide, and long and deep is Your love. Well done, My good and faithful servant. He will move you out to be a mother of many. Not so different from a Moses calling…He is bearing this burden. YOU ARE NOT ALONE. This is a testing so that your heart will be planted and that when the time to go out comes, there will be no turning back. “I have appointed you to be that green pasture and safe haven for many. These times are times of preparation.” Don’t forget that time to worship, between just you and Him. o Jesus, we pray that You would meet her every longing…’

If you are reading this, receive this very prophetic word for yourselves & for your children, as He drew you to it for His very purposes. Throughout our children’s training up years (birth to 16-18), we must gather them under our wings/under His wings, until His love & identity are firmly rooted & grounded in them as His sons, daughters, & ambassadors of the Good News of the Kingdom. His Light will shine ever so brightly in the darkness through His children, as depicted by this iPad artwork, just released through our daughter Jenna this past week. Adopted into our family at the age of ten from Guatemala, along with her two younger two siblings, she has most definitely been on a journey of becoming a living picture of this very truth. She is graduating from both high school & college in May, as did three siblings before her, to begin a new season in her journey with our King.

Jesus knew His identity as the Son of God, and He knew that through His obedience to His Father’s call on His life He was about to receive the keys to His eternal Kingdom, as King of Kings, in order to make restoration with His Father available to all mankind. Jesus knew His identity as: 1) a Son (Prophet giving testimony of His Father), 2) a Priest making intercession on behalf of all, and 3) a King ruling and reigning for eternity. He knew He was about to possess the Keys to the house of David – His eternal Kingdom (Isaiah 22:22), and to the Key of David/to the heart of man after God’s own heart (Revelation 3:7).

Through His obedience to His Father, that is exactly who He has made us to be when we say yes, believe, receive, and confess our position in Him: our identity. In Matthew 16:19, Jesus gives us these very keys to His Kingdom to bind and loose here on earth according to the will of Heaven. The Bible says that faith comes by hearing (Rom. 10:17), therefore, just like Jesus, we release our faith in Jesus and His Kingdom  through the words we speak. This is a spiritual law works for or against us every day. It begs the question during this significant time of year, when the entire world is aware of who we celebrate and who we live for: ‘Who’s words/identity are we establishing here on earth?’

This truth has been available to all mankind since Jesus poured out His blood at Calvary for the restoration of abundant life: be fruitful, multiply and have dominion on the earth. (This mandate (Gen. 1:28) may be Old Testament, but Jesus, fully New Testament, fulfilled the Law (Matt. 5:17) and made restoration available to everything God fully intended in His relationship and purpose for mankind on earth.)

The nation we live in, however, has been/is going through an identity crisis, and prayerfully an awakening to an identity theft that has gone on for far too many years. If Satan, who is truly real, roaring and seeking to devour, lie, kill, steal & destroy (Job 1:7, 1 Peter 5:8, John 10:10), can keep people focused on speaking/thinking about all of the negative/lack/critical/perverse/all that’s wrong, he can hold our identities in captivity/bondage, especially when we profess Christ. If he can get us to live in a place of speaking negative confessions, rather than the Word of Truth, he knows he has us in a place of doubting/fearing, and that he’s controlling our identity through our very own tongues. The power of life/death is truly in our own tongues (Prov. 18:21). If the enemy of our souls can keep those who profess Christ divided by buildings, doctrine, denomination, theology, political agendas, rights, entitlements, offense, rejection, depression, hopelessness and the entire spectrum of self, he again, knows we are rendered powerless. Satan has been stealing the identity of those who walk with God since the Garden of Eden, and he’s very good at it.

Satan is also fully aware of the power contained in the revelation of our identity being restored through Jesus, when professed and decreed through our mouths. For such a time as this,“Get out of bed, Jerusalem! Wake up. Put your face in the sunlight. God’s bright glory has risen for you.  The whole earth is wrapped in darkness, all people sunk in deep darkness, But God rises on you, his sunrise glory breaks over you.’-Isaiah 60:1-2 (MSG)

When the people of God really possess His Kingdom, (Dan. 7:22), who we are in Christ and the true freedom/liberty He brings, then what someone else thinks or speaks to/over/about us doesn’t matter. The world does not define us when we are positioned in Christ: the media, schools, denominations, co-workers/peers, even our families/extended families, etc. don’t define us. The Father alone defines us, and we become alive in the revelation that we are integral members of His Body – His pure/spotless Bride He is making ready – the Church He is building on Earth that the gates of hell cannot prevail against. We take hold of the revelation that we are one Body in Him and in that foundation/position we are free…truly liberated, as ‘He who the Son sets free is free indeed’ (John 8:36). This is the praise He has perfected in the mouths of His children!

The true identity of the Body of Christ is in His perfect timing of being restored, no longer stolen by the enemy to keep us oppressed or divided. This generation of  adults, along with our children – our legacies – are not to be defined by what anyone speaks to/about us except the Word of God. No longer are any of us to receive lies or identity theft. The children of God, from the youngest (the unborn) to the oldest, are solely defined by our Heavenly Father in our true identity in Christ by the Word of God. We are priceless treasures and containers of amazing Kingdom purpose. We are sons, daughters, kings and priests (Romans 8:1, Rev. 1:6, 5:10), as this is how we are known and perceived in Heaven because of Jesus. In that position, we have nothing to be prideful about, because there’s nothing we did to earn this incredible identity except to receive it and walk in it as a gift of grace because we are abundantly loved.

When we possess the revelation of our true identity in Christ:

• we are free to love God and others without fear of not being loved back, simply because we know the truth: WE ARE LOVED!
• we are free to be joyful in all things, especially when we don’t feel like it!
• we are free to experience peace, even in the midst of turbulent circumstances!
• we are free to be patient with others regardless of impatient responses toward us!
• we are free to be kind when treated unkindly!
• we are free to demonstrate goodness in the midst of evil!
• we are free to be faithful in the midst of unfaithfulness!
• we are free to be gentle when being treated rough!
• we are free to demonstrate self-control as lights in the midst of a culture walking in self-indulgence and self-gratification!

As Believers, we need to awaken to an entire new way of living life: the life Jesus knew He was riding into Jerusalem that day to establish. Our focus must be Him – on who He is, who He has made us to be, who He says we are, and what He speaks over and into our lives.

In 2010, I had a three- part dream that entailed a huge bell with a major crack in it. I knew when I woke up the Lord was speaking to me about the Liberty Bell (Lev. 25:10). Everywhere I went the following week the word ‘liberty’ was there: Liberty Mutual, Liberty Ave., Liberty Bank, etc.. Through seeking, research, and much confirmation, I have come to understand my dream as pertaining to the freedoms in our nation, and even more so, the freedom our identity in Christ releases when possessed in His Truth (the crack in the bell represented the identity theft in the preceeding paragraphs). Jesus came to set the captives free (Isaiah 61, Luke 4:18). It is only when we embrace, walk in, and speak the true identity He purchased on our behalf, which is always on behalf of His Kingdom and the love He has for ALL mankind, that we will change the sound of our nation, currently manifesting the major crack in the bell that is in desperate need of restoration, as depicted by the Liberty Bell in my dream.

I also have a bell that was given to me as a gift that says, ‘A Teacher’s Work Lasts A Lifetime.’ Holy Spirit is our Teacher, and He promises to guide us into ALL truth throughout eternity. We need to intimately know His Word and His Spirit to walk in true liberty – our true identities. When we walk and speak through our true identity, with Jesus Christ as King of our hearts – Hosanna in the Highest – we change the sound of the very nation we dwell in. When we speak His Word from our hearts, as led by Holy Spirit, we reflect and release the liberty eternally ours in Heaven now on earth! We release His liberty everywhere He sends us on behalf of others. The Word is Truth. Jesus is the Word. When we walk in the Word, ‘we shall know the truth, & the truth shall make us free’ (John 8:31, 32). When we walk by the leading of the Holy Spirit there is liberty (2 Cor. 3:17)

Let’s purpose to not let any rock cry out in our place…ever! We have every reason to shout His praises continually, rejoicing in His freedom in us! We are free and nothing’s going to hold us back, especially from worshiping Him in Spirit and in Truth: the One who first loved us…the One who gave everything for us.

HOLDING NOTHING BACK
copyright 2009 Jesus Culture/Kim Walker

I’M FREE TO LIVE
FREE TO GIVE
FREE TO BE
I’M FREE TO LOVE YOU

I AM CHOSEN, I AM FREE
I AM LIVING FOR ETERNITY
FREE NOW FOREVER

NOTHING’S GONNA HOLD ME BACK

MY CHAINS FELL OFF, MY HEART WAS FREE
I’M ALIVE TO LIVE FOR YOU
AMAZING LOVE, HOW CAN IT BE?
YOU GAVE EVERYTHING FOR ME

YOU WASHED MY SIN AND SHAME AWAY
THE SLATE IS CLEAN: A BRAND NEW DAY,
FREE NOW FOREVER
NOW BOLDLY I APPROACH YOUR THRONE
TO CLAIM THIS CROWN THROUGH CHRIST MY OWN
YOURS NOW FOREVER

I’M FREE TO LIVE
FREE TO GIVE
FREE TO BE
I’M FREE TO LOVE YOU

Contact us for questions or specific details.

I see the world through the lens of the Kingdom of Heaven, therefore, the prophetic symbolism of the hummingbird is the first thought that comes to mind. I get my resources in order to delve further into the wonder of what I have been so privileged to witness. One of my sources (www.barbiebreathitt.com) reads: “rapid success from a small beginning will be as sweet as honey; ‘flying jewels’; compact, strong muscles: tiniest of all birds, small ideas or concepts may possess much potential and power; high maneuverability to hover; travels at 65 mph then comes to a complete stop; flying forward, straight up and down, sideways, and backwards, obtain nectar and the sweet treasures of life and eat insects. Focus on the good, beauty and joy in people.”

Another states that hummingbirds symbolize freedom, energy, tireless joy, and accomplishing things that are said to be impossible. Also, as a side-note, hummingbirds are the ONLY birds that can fly backwards (http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_is_the_symbolic_meaning_of_hummingbirds#ixzz1UAHlxJKV).

Finally, (I am unable to locate my source, therefore I won’t quote, but rather, restate), one writes about the tongue of the hummingbird being able to bypass the tough, bitter outer layers of the plant in order to find hidden treasure beneath. (The essence of my book, “I Am A Good Idea,” is all about finding the hidden treasures within each individual!) I also note that these are baby hummingbirds, which always represent birthing; “something new and delicate that is totally dependent upon you taking care of it: a ministry, business in infancy stage; fruitfulness; reproduction (www.barbiebreathitt.com).”

For me, personally, this all has significance, as I have been praying, fasting, and waiting on a number of promises/prophetic prayers and words spoken over me/my family for years. The hummingbirds symbolize both reflecting back, and the ‘suddenlies’ that will take place in my life and in my family moving forward (I believe this for many prayers covering this nation and this generation as well). My eyes well up with tears as I think about the precious way the Holy Spirit chooses to so intimately and personally reveal my Heavenly Father’s answer to heartfelt cries for being His vessel in bringing His Kingdom to come and His will to be done. In the stillness, He clarifies His desires for the season that is at hand.

Years ago, the Lord instructed me to write the vision down, and though it tarried, to wait for it (Habakkuk 2:2-3). He was also clear that I was not to despise small beginnings (Zechariah 4:10). I have spent much of my adult life walking out this vision with the children the Lord has so richly blessed my husband and me with: all six…three biological, including a set of twins, and an adopted sibling group of three (all at once, older and non-English speaking ! I have focused on teaching each one their identity in Christ through His Word, their homeschool curriculum, and through a daily journey called life. This journey has centered around intimately knowing the voice/presence of the Holy Spirit and a desire to live their lives and use their giftings for the Kingdom of Heaven on Earth. I have also focused on identifying and nurturing the specific and unique giftings the Father has placed within each one. We have a drummer/studio musician/audio production specialist, a guitar/bass/graphic designer artist, a vocalist/hip hop dancer/keyboardist/photographer, a gift of helps/creative artist/missionary heart/writer/worshiper, a lyrical dancer/writer/gift of helps/worshiper, and a finder of the lost/gifts of helps/kairos Word from Scripture child…each one unique, each one special, and each one a gift from Heaven sent to Earth to be expression of His nature through their assigned giftings.

The Arts Expressed has been an evolving vision in my spirit and in my heart since the Lord gave me a heart for gifted and talented kids back in college. He has however, shaped the vision into such a portrayal of His beauty that I could not have remotely fathomed or thought of in my own strength. Over the years of walking it out in the homeschooling environment of our six children and in our family ministry, the Lord has brought it to a place where it so much better manifests His heart than my own. He has been teaching me a multitude of things about myself and the depths of the identity His Son purchased for my freedom to be who He has called me, to see myself as my Father sees me through His righteousness and nothing less, and who He has created and gifted me to be as an expression of Heaven on Earth.

From that perspective, He has so clearly emphasized that EVERY individual is gifted, talented, and created with unique purpose for a specific Kingdom assignment here on Earth. He has called me to find and release the limitless treasures He has hidden in others, regardless of age, but especially from the earliest of ages (it’s NEVER too late to discover the gifts He has placed within you!). Through Jesus, the Father has placed infinite good and infinite beauty intentionally to be expressed throughout the Earth through His vessels. He wants all people to know His love and joy (and all of the Fruits of His Spirit), and what better way to manifest His nature to a world in need than through His Son via Holy Spirit via His sons and daughters expressing the vast array of endless creative gifts He has placed within each member of His creation. Every created being is a container for expressing the Father’s inexhaustible creativity. We have each been given the freedom to choose whether to use our God-given gifts for the Kingdom of Heaven or not. The evidence of this is all around us daily. (Please note, that I am not stating that our gifts are to be used exclusively in the church. To the contrary, our gifts are to be used out in the world wherever we’ve been placed. We are to be the Kingdom of Heaven’s sphere of influence – the Church He is building and advancing – (love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control, wisdom, understanding, council, might, knowledge and reverential awe of the Lord) wherever those who don’t yet know Him are!

The Arts Expressed purposes to stir up, discover, nurture, and equip the giftings the Lord has placed within each individual person who seeks to discover their unique and specific purpose here on Earth; the individual assignments given to each one to develop and release. There is no one else who can contribute and share what the Father has created you to express. What an amazing and mind-boggling concept to grasp! I believe The Arts Expressed is going to be a center with high maneuverability that will ‘suddenly’ be propelled into the lives of those who are seeking identity, purpose, and to be an expression of Heaven on Earth through the development of their giftings, talents, and skills in a multitude of areas, but especially in the creative arts. I also believe there will be a non-profit piece to The Arts Expressed that will be created specifically to reach those the world has cast aside; the ones the world labels as ‘orphans,’ and those who feel isolated, alone, or ‘orphaned.’ The Father’s eyes are on each and every one and in Him, there are no orphans, only a family waiting to embrace and love them. He created each and every individual to know and receive the gift of His Son, and through Him, be activated and released in their unique giftings within; to know their specific assignment and to take their place in all He has purposed for this time in His story. His desire is for them to be trained up in the way they should go, follow Him in a vital and living love relationship, as well as develop the skills and giftings He can use to transform the atmospheres of their nations.

In the process, I will be blessed to continue to use my own giftings as a pianist, psalmist, teacher, and writer (as well as wife and mother . The worship, prayer, prophetic giftings, identity in Christ, authority in Christ, and being a daughter who desires to be an expression of her Father’s heart and will, by His Spirit and His Word through His blood, is the foundation of my journey. In Him, I am free to be me, and in Him, I am free indeed! In Him, I am on Earth to be used to release others to walk freely as He made a way for and created them to be: free to love, free to walk in joy and peace, free to be patient/kind/and gentle, free to be self-less, free to be compassionate and merciful…free to be an inexhaustible list of adjectives that express the goodness of Heaven on Earth through who we are in Christ and what’s/Who’s inside of us to express, however we have been gifted to express it!

Yes, I have been blessed with birthing a big vision that contains much Kingdom potential and power (the hummingbirds ). I know the One who is faithful to do what He says He will do, and the One who will bring it to pass, not by might or power, but by His Spirit…SUDDENLY!

P.S. Note: The Arts Expressed also has a unique music instruction methodology that encompasses technical facility, ear training and musicianship in order to develop creativity through spontaneous improvisation and original composition, i.e. creating music. It involves learning to develop the tools of musical excellence and skill, in collaboration with identity/relationship in Christ, facilitating new/original songs, as well as following the leading of the Holy Spirit spontaneously in worship and in ministry.

FYI: mama and papa hummingbird have visited my deck three times since starting this note, and yes, that number has significance, too ! We were blessed to capture a portion of the baby hummingbird experience on video, but unfortunately the file is too large to post on this site, even after condensing the resolution.

Download the pdf prayer guide targeting the children of the world, ages 4-14. It’s guaranteed to change your life and theirs!

Hidden Treasure, Kingdom Jewels and Me!
The Kingdom of Heaven is an exciting adventure to be experienced in this life.
Jesus is the key to discovering an amazing treasure of Kingdom identity.
The journey of ‘Christ in me’ is like searching for a treasure of priceless jewels.

The Journey of Adoption
Our family’s adoption story reveals the infinite lengths our Heavenly Father will go to place His precious children in families.
The Body of Christ is called to proclaim our Heavenly Father’s Divine plan of adoption and restoration to individuals, families and communities.
Every generation must be equipped to carry the Father’s heart for the fatherless children, becoming His hands and feet on Earth.

To bring this ministry to you, online or on site contact us at support@TheArtsExpressed.com or call us at 763-262-2607.

Thanks Fox 9 News for covering this story:

http://www.myfoxtwincities.com/dpp/entertainment/local-band-after-theft%3A-return-our-gear%2C-we%E2%80%99ll-forgive-you-mar-7-2011

We are posting a request for everyone to please pray for Hyland (our son, Jaran, is their current bass guitar player). Their trailer, containing ALL of their equipment and merchandise, was stolen from a church parking lot in Elk River this past weekend. If anyone feels led to donate any money or gear for them to use on their tour, which begins Wednesday, March 16, please send them a message at the link at the end of this post. It’s interesting to note that the name of their upcoming tour is called, The Overcome Tour.

Following is a detailed list of what was in their trailer: fender mike dirnt bass and case, fender ja-90 guitar and coffin case, fender telecaster deluxe ’72 reissue and case, 1986 gibson sg and guitar case, roland ax-7 keytar and coffin case, korg triton 61 key and keyboard bag, 5 guitar straps divided by 13, bass head with road case, 3 orange tiny terror 15watt heads, 8×10 ampeg bass cab, 2 4×12 orange speaker cabs, 2×12 orange speaker cab, 2 boss chromatic tuners, kork tuner, korg pitch black chromatic tuner, tube screamer overdrive pedal, sans amp deluxe, programable eventide time factor delay, pedal boss, compression sustainer pedal, skb p 48 pedal board, 2 damper pedals, keyboard stand, 20 foot midi cable, 4 20 foot instrument cables, 6 monster 20 foot cables, 1 planet wave cable, 2 wireless sennheiser packs, wireless midi, dw cymbal boom stand, risen snare drum, 21 inch zildjian sweet ride cymbal, 20 inch zildjian, A custom cymbal, 15 inch zildjian, mastersound high hat cymbals cymbal case, zildjian stick bag with sticks, shure in-ear monitors, tama rhythm watch click track in it, 8 space guitar boat, 6 stanley tool chest, merch bins, 1 merch table stickers, posters, cds, misc… 300 assorted “hyland tshirts’ 25 “hyland” black hoodies. Merchandise sales cover travel expenses.

Here is a link to contribute to Hyland getting back on their feet:

http://bit.ly/hOcajC

Here is a link to Hyland and a photo of their trailer:

Hyland

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=396220757665&set=a.53565002665.66891.507897665&theater

This colorful, creative and interactive book is about speaking life into children of all ages, and making a way for them to hear, know, and believe:

*They are a good idea.
*They have gifts inside them.
*They carry treasures the world needs them to share.

For some, it might be music. For others, art or dance. For others, it’s writing, teaching, business or politics. Regardless of the venue, interest or skill area, everyone is a gift from our Heavenly Father, intentionally sent to Earth to be an expression of Him: a manifestation of Heaven on Earth.

Included in this book are prayers and Scripture that provide children with a worship language and a perspective for a lifestyle of worship.

Every human being needs to see their life as a container of priceless purpose and significance. I Am A Good Idea! unfolds foundational, life-giving truths that present practical revelation for empowering this generation to impact their individual spheres throughout life on Earth. Through these truths, each individual gains necessary understanding that:

*My life matters significantly.
*I have not been forgotten.
*The Giver of every good and perfect gift has an infinite treasure of gifts made available to supernaturally flow through me, simply by receiving the gift of His love through Jesus Christ.

Each of us has been created with gifts and callings intended for expressing our Heavenly Father’s love through the treasures of Jesus Christ in us: to love Him and to love others. We have been created to reveal His glory and to accomplish His Kingdom purposes here on Earth, as it is in Heaven. Every individual has not only been created to carry a gift from God, but to also empower others, as they yield the expression of their gift(s) to the King and His Kingdom.

As individuals begin to discover and comprehend the truths of the treasures in Christ for themselves, others will be impacted and set free to carry the gifts within them. We need to go out, find, speak life into, love, and equip this generation, in order for them to rise up as the gift God intended when He sent them to live on the Earth. Natural and supernatural giftings are waiting to be discovered, identified, activated and released into the Earth because “the Kingdom is within you” (Matthew 17:21). When you seek Him you will find Him, and you will surely discover that you ARE a good idea! You ARE gifted for such a time as this!

*Visit www.TheArtsExpressed.com store for more details.
*the arts express’d vision and ministry is still in need of $5000 for a digital recording keyboard. See: An Opportunity To Sow on this site for details.