Beauty and dreams.

Happy Thanksgiving to those of you who celebrate this American tradition. It is, for me, my fave US holiday because foodwise it is much like Christmas. And you can't go wrong with a Christmas feast with friends. It is a good time to reflect, remember and restate gratitude for life, relationships and the things that really are of import to you. For me...I am so blessed by the new relationships that have been forged in my life in this new season, but I am also tremendously thankful for the old ones that continue to lie dear to my heart.

Over Thanksgiving break myself and two of my new girlfriends ventured to San Francisco for a couple of days. It was a breath of fresh air to my city starved lungs, let me tell you. Being able to walk downtown, ride public transport, look at diverse faces, trends, style, fashion, eat diverse foods, walk diverse streets...it was life to my spirit. I love diversity. I love diverse creative expression. And I think the Father does too. That is how He designed us!

I am learning to take greater risks in articulating my creative expression. Since I was made in the image of the creator, creative ability is woven into my dna, and it is a part of who I am. I was born to create, not just exist. And I have been musing much on what creative expression is or looks like for me. What are the creative mediums or outlets I use. What is my creative voice. What does it sound like, look like, feel like, taste like, smell like?

As a means of discovering this I have been asking myself the following question: "what is beautiful to me"? In the pursuit of discovery, I open this question up to you my blog readers. I would love to know what is beautiful to you as a way of pinpointing your creative bent/expression. Seriously. I am really interested to know what that is for you. So please do post comments below!

This is such a unique season of life. I am learning a ton. At times I feel like I am at capacity in terms of what I can contain...but at the same time, I feel like I have so much freedom and permission to do what I desire to do. To take risks. To make mistakes. To grow. To learn. To try new things. I am having a lot of fun taking risks in the area of the creative/image. And how I express my identity!

And I am making time each week to just set aside time to dream with God, where I think about what it would look like to see personal prophecies practically fulfilled in my life. To think about what it would like practically to see some of my deepest desires made manifest. And then I start to brainstorm. What are the small steps, or action points in the here and now I can make to step closer towards these things and partner with them to see them come to pass? Small baby steps executed on a daily basis accomplishes much let me tell you. Consistency is key to lasting change.

I also spend time thinking about who I am called to be. And what that looks like. I remind myself of prophetic words and encouragements that I have been given, and then I ask for wisdom to see where there may be areas in my life that are blocking me from becoming who I am meant to be, and the grace (empowerment) to break agreement with those things in order to shift.

Dare to dream. Those who dream can accomplish anything.

I'd love to hear your dream and responses as to what is beautiful to you.

And I invite you (shameless Israel Missions trip plug) to dream with me about going to Israel this March to release the Kingdom to those whom it has been promised as an inheritance. I am dreaming about nations with rich cultural and spiritual legacies being restored to that which is rightly theirs. Dreaming that other dreamers would partner with me to go.

What is beautiful to you?

Israel 2010 Trip

Give it a minute to load before watching it.

Hello lovely people. I and a team of 39 others have been selected to go on mission to the Holy Land for 12days March 2010! We want to help bring revival back to this land which is steeped in spiritual heritage. The main thrust will be on coffee house relational ministry, connecting with Arabs and Jews, as well as visiting schools, worship centres, conducting healing seminars and interceding at key historical and natural sites.

I need to raise $3,500 to go as well as a team of 50-60 intercessors who will keep me covered in prayer for the duration of the trip, in order for us to operate effectively and produce fruit that remains.

Would you please pray about and consider partnering with me in the above mentioned ways? This is an amazing opportunity to bless Israel and see our brothers and sisters restored to their rightful heritage!

Here's how you can give:From the US: tax deductible donations, secure online giving available at: www.ibssm.org, to Bethel Church. Be sure to reference my name and the purpose for the gift (Israel Trip) when you give online! You can also send checks to:Bethel Church, Attn. Kristie Joyce, 933 College View Drive, Redding, CA 96003. Make the check payable to Bethel and write “Israel Trip” in the memo and place a sticky note on the check with my name on it. That way the money will get into my account for the Israel Trip.

You can even give from the UK! Give securely online at http://www.enmuk.org/online-giving/

select my name from the list of missionaries. If you are a UK taxpayer, you can increase your giving by selecting the appropriate gift aid box on the form. This will increase the amount you give! :-)

Thanks so much for your time and thoughtful consideration in this matter. I appreciate you so much.Any questions or queries, feel free to get in touch.

Sincerely,

Michelle Mayer.

words fail me

It's been a while, for which I apologise. However, in the process of learning much and revelation being released and unfolded, my words, my ability to articulate this is difficult and running behind. So until I can process more, and my capacity to articulate it is up to speed I will refrain from saying too much. Suffice it to say.....it is sooooo good.

I am really loving this new season. School is great. People are wonderful. I feel at home.

People are having a hard time understanding some of my words, tomato being one such example, but thats ok. They look at me and don't expect an accent. Things like that use to frustrate me. but not here and not now.

Is it just me or am I funnier out here? I think it might be the accent again/way of expressing myself, but I find people laughing a lot. Maybe they are laughing at me....fine by me if I bring joy into someone's life.

I have a few funny stories which I will hopefully share soon, one of which involves an adventure to whiskey town lake and swimming to an island with fresh paw prints of an unidentifiable, BIG creature. My response " WE HAVE TO LEAVE NOW. SWIM SWIM" My lovely friend Amanda responds "its ok Michelle, Adam named these creatures...Pray Michelle, Pray". In hindsight funny. But in the midst of it, not so much. Meanwhile my flatmate, and 2 of our other friends were indulging in what looked to me rather like frivolous synchronised swimming in what was in my head a potentially life threatening situation. Needless to say the passionate Scot was rather frustrated and was somewhat (cough) vocal and emphatic about our need to depart from danger. May need a deliverance sesh after that one.

More from me soon.

Cheers the now.

culture of freedom...

Day 2 into School and I am learning so much it's ridiculous!

So much good revelation came to me today listening to Pastor Bill Johnson and Kris Vallotton sharing in class.

The culture of the school here is designed in such a way that there is a culture of empowerment/freedom which calls out the greatness in you. It empowers you to take ownership of your life, and to pursue the greatness that God has for you. This kind of culture holds you to the high calling that our lives are marked by. Learning more of the values within this particular area the Lord started to show me some good stuff about freedom and what it takes to live in a freedom culture.

Here are some thoughts I'd like to share.

First of all, God has given us such extravagant freedom. We must learn how to walk in it and steward it wisely. The easiest thing to do is to demand that other people (authority figures etc) control us, thereby limiting our freedom. What I mean by this is giving authority figures greater authority in our lives than Jesus, or substituting our responsibility for our lives, by demanding that our authorities take responsibility for our issues. We make demands on our leaders, looking to them to find the solutions to our problems, without ever taking ownership or time to look into the solution for ourselves. No don't get me wrong. We need others around us. I need people to help me SEE clearly, especially in those areas where I lack insight. But what I mean is that we seek out other people to solve the issues in our lives, without first really taking it to Jesus or taking ownership of the issue or putting effort in to finding the solution for ourselves first.

You see it takes great risk, discipline, radical obedience, integrity and virtue to live the kind of freedom that Jesus died to give us. So much so that it often scares people to live this way, and so that's why we develop patterns where we demand that others control us and we get sucked into (by our own making) a culture where punishment and fear thrive.

Why is this kind of culture appealing? Because a culture of punishment, fear and control strips us of any responsibility for our lives. It requires little effort, energy and no faith. The lazy man makes this culture his home.

This is not where I desire to reside. None of us have to. It was for freedom that Christ set us free. My aim is to live in the vastness of His freedom and to manage it in such a healthy way, regardless of what it costs, or the effort I have to expend to get there. Living in this kind of culture of extravagant freedom is an attractive banner which draws all those hungry and desperate for it, to those who walk in it and can impart/replicate it.

FREEDOM. I like it a lot.

honour or honor....its the same value wherever you go even if its spelled differently....

I arrived in Redding, California last Thursday and moved into my apartment the next day. It's nice to unpack everything after living from boxes and suitcases for the last 5 months.

We headed to the services at Bethel on Friday night, the Saturday Healing Rooms and the sunday night service.

As I was listening to the message on Sunday night by Paul Manwaring, the Lord began to speak to me further about this concept of honour that I've been learning about for the last number of months.

Paul referenced Exodus 20:12 which states:

"Honor your father and mother. Then you will live a long, full life in the land the Lord your God is giving you"

I feel that this also refers to anyone who occupies a place of authority or covering in your life. As I began to meditate on this further I felt the Lord was beginning to unravel some additional revelation about the importance of honour, and walking in a culture of honour.

Living a life of honour is in itself life-giving. Thus, when we are intentional about honouring the people in our lives who occupy a place of authority...it creates life around us, in us, through us, for us, and imparts it to others. You see the promise above about honouring our authorities that it may go well with us in the land and that we might live a full life as a result of it, isn't just about a long term promise. It's a promise that is relevant here and now, in the present.

The Lord showed me that in the absence of honour, life is threatened and in fact destroyed. And I can speak first hand of this. I experienced a season where I did not give rightful honour to one of my leaders and consequently, I ended up dwelling in a desert season.I regret that entirely...and live with conviction that honour is something that I must live by all the days of my life.

Honour releases, calls and carves out life...not just for me personally, but all those in my sphere of influence.

Honour....it is the way forward and I embrace it whole heartedly.

The freedom of driving....

Should the title not point you to any obvious conclusions, I will state it here: I PASSED MY DRIVING TEST. I am now licensed, registered and insured to operate a non commercial motor vehicle in the United States.

I am slowly getting to grips with my clunker of a car, which I absolutely LOVE by the way, and am basking in the freedom that driving brings!

May the freedoms I enjoy, be life giving and beneficial to others too!

Should I christen my car by naming it? Comments and suggests below please, which I will consider. TIP: the more humorous, the greater the chances of selection.

FYI: Its a 93 white awd subaru with blue velour interior. That should get the mental images going. And if it doesn't....see my previous entry where I've actually attached a pic!

Moving to Redding in a day! The new chapter has commenced.

Freedom isn't free! Thoughts from a driving lesson.

Here I am, 26 years old, learning how to drive.

Why haven't I learned sooner? I recently moved away from my home in Edinburgh, Scotland to pursue something new in a not-so-foreign, nor unfamiliar land called America. I've lived in Edinburgh almost all my life. Edinburgh has EXCELLENT public transport, thus, there was never any real need or pressure for me to learn! I could just jump on a bus or a train to get where I needed to go. And it was great! And fairly cheap too! And convenient! And I miss the excellent public transport very much, amongst other things (such as people).

In the course of learning how to drive (FYI, I've only been driving for 2wks!) there are some key truths that I have collided with (forgive the cheese!).

Namely, freedom is not free!

You see driving gives you great freedom. You can hop in the car and run yourself where ever your little heart desires. But that freedom comes at a price. It demands responsibility from you first before you earn the freedom it brings.

At this stage, I have not earned the freedom part of driving. I am still a student of the responsibilities that are associated with operating machinery on public thoroughfares in a safe and defensive manner. There is so much to think about when behind the wheel-the signs, the speedlimits, the proximity of other cars, pedestrians etc. Until I have these things more firmly established in my heart, the freedom part will not come.

With freedom comes the responsibility to STEWARD it wisely-not just for your benefit, but for the wellbeing of those around you. If you walk in freedom without knowing how to manage it, you can do all kinds of stupid and destructive things to yourself and others.

I want to exercise my freedoms in such a way that I am aware of the responsibilities associated with them, and that I manage my freedoms in a way that is not only lifegiving to myself, but lifegiving to others around me. We so often demand rights or freedoms without considering the associated responsibilities that go with them. I now have the freedom to vote because of others who have gone before me, who contended for that freedom, and paid the price for it. But at the same time, my freedom to vote, demands responsibility from me. My greatest freedom, came at the greatest price. A price I will never be able to repay. But a freedom nonetheless which gives me the responsibility (really its an honor) to share that freedom with others.

Freedom isn't free.