Called to The City...

Want to know what's going on with me and San Francisco?
Click on this letter below to get a glimpse into why I feel God is calling me to The City...

RSF Prayer Tour!

... more photos can be viewed here and here 

www.RealitySF.com 

Praying for San Francisco!

I'm currently with Reality Carp. in San Francisco praying for the city and the future church plant there.

Please pray with me, for me, and for the city.

I look forward to updating you as I'm there and when I return.



Keep updated with what is going on by checking out the Reality SF website and/or blog by clicking here.

When he prayed...

"The Lord restored the fortunes of Job
when he prayed

for his friends..." Job 42:10a

Wow. Job's friends had given him bad advice. They were convinced Job was hiding sin and not honoring God. In their minds this was the only reason why all these tragedies had happened to him.

Then the Lord stepped in... I can't even imagine how mighty and terrifying that must have been.

Was Elihu, all proud of himself, in the middle of his rebuke to Job, mid-sentence, when in a mighty thundering voice and brilliant light, the Lord showed up, because He had had enough?

The Lord speaks of His own greatness and the things He has done as creator. When He has finished talking to Job, He turns to Job's "friends" cowering in the corner. What was going through their minds? How terrified they must have been! And what does the Lord do? He tells them to repent and ask for Job to accept their burnt offerings as a sign of their repentance and devotion to God.

They chose to obey... but I'm sure they were wondering if Job would accept? He had no reason to according to the wisdom of the world... but Job had just had an encounter with the Living God.

I think it's important to note that God had not told Job He would restore him. In chapter 42:6, the last we had seen of Job was him repenting in the dust and ashes.

There was Job. His tear-stained face in the dirt, his body, covered with sores, laying prostrate before the Mighty Lord. Timidly Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar, (note: the Bible does not say if Elihu was there) approach. Job feebly stands, his whole nature crushed, his mind racing and in awe of just being in the presence of the creator of the universe.

What did Job's friends say? No words are recorded, but that they obeyed the Lord, offered up a burnt offering, and the Lord accepted Job's prayers.

I imagine, as job mustered the last of his strength to stand there and pray, his friends were kneeling in grief at his feet. Job prayed for his accusers, his mockers, those who had lost faith in him. As Job continued and asked the Lord to forgive them and accept their offering, his strength began to build, with each breath his skin began to heal, wounds vanished, health returned. As Job finished his prayer and his friends raised up their eyes to behold their friend, all were struck speechless, in awe of the redemption of the Lord displayed for all to see.

Job was healed, restored, and strong.

And I'm sure the love in his eyes spoke louder than anything that could be said with words.

"... and the Lord increased all that Job had twofold...

the Lord blessed the latter days of Job more than his beginning." Job 42:10b; 12a

Positive Post Tuesday - PRAY

So, not only is this a Positive Post Tuesday but it is a call for prayer. My friend Courtney has been in the hospital for over a week. She is having issues with her gall bladder and her pancreas is severely infected and the infection is affecting the rest of her internal organs. On Sunday, the doctors said there was a 55% chance she would not survive. They have finally decided that despite the infection, they need to go ahead and operate and remove her gall bladder. PLEASE PRAY!

She has a wonderful heart and is an amazing servant. She has blessed the college ministry at our church with her hospitality and wonderful snack making. Please pray for the doctors to have wisdom and for her and her family to be at peace. And above all, that THE Great Physician would heal His daughter.
Thanks friends...

3pm UPDATE: Courtney is out of surgery and it all went well!!!
She still needs prayer for infection to go away...
thank you for your continuing prayers.

Prayer Meeting tomorrow:

6 am at Reality Carpinteria... come pray for the next church plant...

IDOP 2008

IDOP 2008 from Kjaere Friestad on Vimeo.

Join us in Prayer...

Reality Carpinteria. November 4th.

Motives...

"Purify my motives" has been the theme of my prayers of late. So often we get so crazy busy and into so many different things. Life can be exciting and tragic. It can go full speed ahead or be painfully slow... and every step of the way there are decisions to make.

I find I often get caught up in things, opportunities, people, and I'm going full force ahead until I come to a screeching halt usually resulting in me tripping and falling on my face... I look up and realize I'm back at the foot of the cross and I've forgotten to ask my Savior if I was pushing forward in His plan or trying to make my plan be His plan.

Praise the Lord His mercies are new every morning.

The Lord's plan is perfect... He has promised to never leave me or forsake me. He has promised to give me a future and a Hope. The God who spoke light into existence, who breathes power into the wind, and controls the tides of the ocean, looks at me and says: "I love you."

Tonight that took my breath away. I was at the same prayer meeting I've been going to for the last month. With the same people, interceding for a new ministry in Ventura. But I was where I know I need to be be at this moment. And the second I entered into worship, I heard that voice, I felt that calming hand, I knew... I have a Savior who died and rose again for me. He loves me and cares about what I care about... and He is in control. I don't have to force or make anything happen... I just have to be obedient to Him moment by moment. Whom shall I fear? For the Lord, my God, is for me and not against me.

and then... prayer was over.

As I stood up this sweet women of God asked if she could pray for me and the Bible study I am prayerfully starting in September. I of course agreed. She had barely gotten her fist sentence out and I was in struck in awe of how good my Jesus is. Tears of joy flowed down my face because everything she thanked the Lord for in my life were things I had been praying would be so... this very morning I asked the Lord for certain things to be evident in my life and for specific requests, and she covered it all! I sought the Lord, I stopped, I asked for His will to be done, and here He was affirming His work in my life. Wow.

Thank You Jesus. Your will be done... not mine... never mine... here I am Lord... use me that others might glorify Your name... whatever that looks like... here I am.

Going Dark...

Hello Blog friends,
I wanted to let you know I will be a bit absent from Blog world over the next week. I need to go dark and spend a lot of unhindered time with the Lord and not be distracted. I shall return next week, Lord willing, and who knows what stories/pictures/movies I may have for your blog consumption?

Do not worry... All is well with my soul. There has just been so much going on around and in me and I want to be where the Lord wants me to be and make sure my life is about His business and not my own.

Here's a little tidbit to hold you over until I return ;-)

I was studying Psalm 119 this morning
and the Lord gave me some rad insight into verses 2 and 3.

• Our wills need to be captivated by something - ideally the Word of God.
• The Word of God is the testimony to who He is, what He has done, and what He will do.
• If your will is captivated to the Word of God, then your life will be a testimony to who He is, what He has done, and what He will do (Truth, Faithfulness, Love, Justice, Grace, etc.)

Chew on that for a bit... I got lots more.... just wait.

God's Chosen Fast

I just finished reading this book and I would GREATLY suggest that every Christian read it.
It educated, challenged, and encouraged me.

Joel 2:12-14a
"Yet even now," declares the LORD, "Return to Me with all your heart, And with fasting, weeping and mourning; And rend your heart and not your garments." Now return to the LORD your God, For He is gracious and compassionate, Slow to anger, abounding in lovingkindness And relenting of evil. Who knows whether He will not turn and relent And leave a blessing behind Him...

Prayers of Faith...

The simple prayer of: "Dear Jesus, please heal Kj"
seems to mean so much more when it is uttered by a young girl
who's had a 104 degree temperature today
and I've only had a bad headache.
Her prayer, made in faith, was a beautiful thing.