JESUS

i felt like it was time to blog.
so here goes.
my apologies to many of why there hasn't been any updates on here!
this morning i woke up and with a million things running through my head
and faces and pictures of all that i have seen lately, i just keep thinking
JESUS.
church! there are so many who haven't seen nor heard nor been touched by the
unfailing love of Christ.
where are you?
i can't help but ask.

week after week i see hundreds of girls in  the streets across our city whose parents are hungry for not only the nearly fresh potatoes, but for the word to be spoken.

some don't have any knowledge of CHRIST and HIM crucified and what that means on a personal level.

They are hungry and they are trapped and entangled in so much sin and forgotten.

There is really no other way to say it.

They speak spanish yes, but they speak english too, so that no longer can be an excuse.

They live in the most dangerous parts of our city, but should that disqualify them from having us go to them?

And if you are busy on a Thursday night, why not go on a Friday or a Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Saturday or Sunday afternoon?

the other night maddie saw dozens of mormons knocking on doors across the neighborhoods.

at least they are willing to go.

where is the church?

i know where the 'church' was on saturday... at arco arena.

yesterday we went to the revolve tour
and had an opportunity to preach to our girls who came with us.
we had an opportunity to pray with the girls and eat with them,
love them, listen to them for 24 hours straight.
we opened our homes and our hearts.

we gained a glimpse into the trauma teenagers from our city carry with them.
and we drove home with tears and woke up with broken hearts.
we don 't need a million dollar revolve tour to reach these girls.
we need JESUS.
we don't need to slap on a $20 revolve tshirt or hammie down raven shirt and think that will do it.
nope.
we need women to step up and step out and step into the mess that all these thousands of young girls are facing and have gotten themselves into and preach the gospel and say NO MORE to satan, you can't have them.
not one.
many girls who i saw yesterday at the revolve tour are in church this morning, no doubt.
and they're still a mess inside and no one is taking a look into it.
after hearing the watered down message and lack of biblical teaching yesterday i have to wonder how many of them felt the presence of Christ or if it was just another fun day to flirt with Christianity to appease their youth leaders and their mothers?
it's not easy preaching the gospel to these girls so many of us don't.

i am including myself in this blog.
we think if we take them to a revolve tour or to battlecry or to youth group or to a raven outreach they will be saved, but that's not the case. satan is that subtle.

people will say to me, 'it's getting late, we need to go' or i say it to pastor rudy on  thursday nights.... because i think we forget about what the message is and about God's perfect timing...

listen, the destination of 'outreach' isn't what it's about...

we have people coming to outreach who aren't saved and for some it's the only place they hear the gospel.... week after week.... in our home or front yard.

it doesn't just start once we hit papago or west ninth...

it starts in our home... and church, we need to remember that...

my kids and yours need we adults that are saved to be a witness to them of the love of Christ...

we adults need to be witnessed to by them that are saved the love of Christ and child like faith...

it's precious... we need to not be so bothered by the schedule or the strains of homework and school but take time to be still and acknowledge Christ together... side by side... hand in hand...

it's an opportunity for families to GO and preach the gospel together...

it's not just an 'outreach' it's a 'reach out' to each other with love and a time where we can stand beside each other and press into the LORD together and share HIM...

have you shared the message of repentance to your kids this week?

or are you leaving it up to the revolve celebrities to share it with them? or your pastor who they may or may not even respect?

your kids want to hear it from you.

they want to see Christ in you.

see, sometimes it's easier for me, to share it with someone else's daughter...

but the LORD has entrusted me to train these children in the way they should go.

 have we as parents become totally souled out for the kingdom?

or are we too tired to scheduled to train them up in the way they should go?

we are sharing something with our kids...

is it JESUS?

or is it fun times at revolve and starbucks and coldstone?

church, and i include myself when i say 'church', we need to be pouring out our hearts like water to God for the souls of our children...

when they're looking more like this world than Christ and living for the world instead of Christ and mothers, we need to stop ignoring and hindering their walk with Christ.
are we ourselves so busy as to lay our lives down for these girls or are we just playing Christian when it's convenient... after work, after soccer, during youth group at sunday service and ata raven  outreach? are we really surrendering everything for JESUS and being available for these girls?
after what i saw yesterday, this past week and years, i would say, NO.
We are definitely not laying our life down, fully surrendered.
The word from James says, "be not merely hearers of the word only, do what it says."
taking the girls to revolve is not being a doer of the word.
taking the girls to youth group is not being a doer of the word.
taking the girls to outreach is not being a doer of the word...
not if we aren't preaching repentance to them.

those are all good things but we could be taking them to all these things and they could still end up in hell...

we have got to use our mouths to preach the gospel...

it's the word that cuts to their heart, not the kind words and smiles....

it's not enough for them to just believe...

it's not kind to hope someone else leads them to Christ...

someone is leading them somewhere....

where are you leading them?

yesterday at the revolve tour not one person said, REPENT from the stage.

i counted 2, TWO bible verses said.... 2.

we were there for 7 hours.

our girls and i had a blast, who wouldn't?

sound stage, screaming, popcorn and cds.

there were some really good skits and testimony from a 13 year old who has been used

by the LORD to bring help to orphans in Africa.

but the shortcomings of the repentance message...

"all you have to do is believe..."

and "you don't have to preach to anyone"

that was shared by celebrities....

even the demons believe and shudder, amen?

now did they say kind words?  yes.  they absolutely did.

they encouraged the girls but mothers, youth leaders, friends, CHURCH,

we can't leave it all up to the celebrities or the pastors to preach the word to them.

who is crying with them, beside them and getting them out of the path that leads them to destruction?

so many were there.... so many misled.
and those are just the lucky few who had the opportunity to spend $49 on a ticket and get to the tour.

would i go again to the revolve tour, yes, just like i would go to mardi gras or west ninth or church or wherever else i go...

but LORD, i ask that YOU would help me not deny YOU in any of these places....and please forgive me that i have sinned against YOU by not proclaiming your name... and standing up and shouting REPENT....

i thank YOU that during the break and in the car and in our homes we were able to share the gospel and message of repentance at arco and that it was received... but i ask oh GOD that i don't become so prideful as to think that they will 'get it' if i just get them there from someone else... like from a pastor or someone, anyone but me... i don't want to deny YOU oh God...

i think about all the thousands of other girls who no one even offered to drive to the revolve tour or to church this morning?
see, if we are to be the church, then we need to assemble with the people, not away from them.
it can't be about going to church.
it's got to be about being the church.
laying down our lives.
preaching the gospel.
leading them to Christ.
you cannot and should not leave it up to your pastor in your building to do it all.
stop inviting girls to church first.
invite them to Christ and then to church.
please.
they are on the pathway which leads to destruction for eternity.
they don't have the money, the parental support to get them to a building on sundays or thursdays.
please, go.
God made your mouths... preach the word.
JESUS.

i've been thinking a lot about the miracles i've seen these past years out on the streets.

the miracles i've seen in our home.

and yet, when i saw what i saw saturday, the thousands upon thousands of girls looking like they are conformed to this world with their mothers standing there with bellies showing...

it was slightly different than mardi gras... but too much the same.

the revolve tour, the raven outreaches, the youth groups can not and should not be a destination for these girls....

we have got to use them as a means to get them to Christ...

and not just saving our money to take them...

but saving their souls....

Lord, have mercy upon us all.

For so many years I too wanted to take my girls to such  things, I wanted to have the means to 'provide' for them a 'fun time' but Lord, it is not okay to have my girls or anyone else's have a 'fun day' and then end up in hell for eternity.  The only way to YOU is through a repentant heart.  Lord I ask that YOU would transform this nation, us mothers and aunties to not deny YOU when we are talking to them about YOU.  To not fall short.  I thank YOU that by the power of your HOLY SPIRIT we aren't to fear their reaction but only YOU.  As watchman, we do not want their blood on our hands.  Forgive me my LORD for not shouting REPENT in front of the thousands of girls yesterday.  Forgive us all oh GOD.  JESUS, I pray in your name.  AMEN.