Practical Jokers

Yesterday every FSM/FMA student received this email:


Hello Wonderful Students! Just to inform you, this E-mail is from your student government because we want all of you to be in the loop concerning all the important events and announcements over the course of this semester so please make sure to read these e-mails! Oh and sorry if you get more than one of this same e-mail sent to you. We are still working out the kinks.

School will be cancelled starting August 27th. This includes prayer room hours for the week of August 27th and September 3rd. IHOP faculty have some kinks to work out concerning classes and students. Have a wonderful vacation!

Grace to you,
Student Government Association
Communications Team


Then a couple hours later we received this email:


Dear FSM Students

Greetings!

I am writing to inform you that the email that was sent out regarding the cancellation of school is not true. Someone broke into the account and made this up.

I sincerely apologize for the inconvenience and confusion that this has caused among the student body. The problem is underway of investigation.

We are excited to continue in school for the rest of this module as planned! No changes regarding your classes or practicums or prayer room hours have been made. Let us continue running together in the place of prayer and study of the Word!

Blessings to you all,

SGA leadership

Internet

Very possibly we may be getting internet at our house thanks to Jen (my new room mate). We all hate not having it and are going to invest in it soon.

Yay! :-A

Coffee!

When you are involved with the international house of prayer and dislike coffee you are considered an anomaly. Today in my life group everyone drank coffee except for me.

I hate the taste/smell/effects of coffee.

I am a sheep among wolves.

Highly caffeinated, Jesus loving wolves.

Live from the Justice House of Prayer

JHOP = loud.

This week every student had to sign up for 6 hours in the Justice House of Prayer. I can tell already this obligated prayer room time will test my pride and humility.

Well, the first day I lasted half an hour. We'll see how tomorrow morning goes.

Jesus' Favorite?

Today I had my interview at Centerpoint Medical Center (Just for you Spring). When I first got to Kansas City I found listings for health care facilities and hospitals in the area because I am certified to sterilize surgical instruments. I found Centerpoint and noticed they were looking to fill house keeping positions. So I applied and got an interview.

My interview was this afternoon at 1p and about half way through the questioning realized there was no way I would get this job. They couldn't work around my school schedule and weren't too thrilled that the only experience cleaning I had was as my church's janitor. It was no biggie. I didn't really want a job anyway because school is crazy enough.

But then the guy who interviewed me told me I had to go upstairs and be interviewed by one more lady before leaving. So I go upstairs and wait for about 20 minutes in this office waiting for my second interview in which I viewed as a total waste of time.

Bunny trail - By this point I just wanted to leave and head to the prayer room to fill some of my obligated hours. :-O~~ I love that they give credit for spending time in the prayer room but I hate how it makes it seem like a tedius spiritual discipline/requirement.

Okay so finally the woman named Lee calls my name and takes me into her office. She explains that they all just ate lunch in there and appologized for it smelling like potatoes. She looked through my information and then gave me a strange look. She asked "Why are you applying for a house keeping position when you're certified to sterilize?" I respond with "the website only had house keeping positions open."

She then proceeded to tell me that they had 4 positions open in sterile processing. They were desperately in need so she copied my certificate and told me they'd call me for an interview soon. Because they're in dire need of filling these positions they are willing to work around school. Of course this means less time in the prayer room and more exhaustion but I will be able to give like I've never been able to give before and buy a house in the near(er) future.

My ultimate goal:
FMA - 2 (Don't freak out Mom, they just started a worship leader track that I'm somewhat interested in) or 4 years while working/raising support

School in Kansas City to get Surgical Technician Certification/Intercessory Missionary - 2 years. This will cram everything a surgeon has to know into 2 years and give me time in the prayer room.

Live and work in Kansas City as a base, then possibly go to the nations for medical and ministry support as often as possible.

I want to be leading worship and playing on teams as much as possible as well.

We'll see. It's up to him, not me.

FMA!

I've got a case of the Mondays!

7 hours of class = intense
5 hours in the prayer room = not enough

However Derek Loux is my small group leader, I've got 3 really good friends already and Jesus has blessed me with more and more encounters.

My job interview is tomorrow. Please pray!

Fasting.

Last year when I came home I figured that the main thing IHOP was doing that I wasn't getting a ton of in Michigan was fasting.

So I did a lot of fasting last year.

Fasting is however not the key. It's prayer.

I laugh at how many times the Lord tried to tell me this last year.

School.

First week of school = complete.

It was stressful and intimidating but excellent all at the same time. I'm excited for what the Lord will be doing in our midst. I'm already behind in some reading. But I think they planned it this way because they gave us 4 huge reading assignments Thursday and we don't have the class until Monday. That's what I'll be doing on my Saturday.

My interview for the healthcare cleaning position got pushed to next week. Wish me luck! :)

Quote of the Week

There is only one thing more painful than learning from
experience, and that is not learning from experience.
~Laurence J. Peter~

Classes and Demonic Spirits!

I'm really loving my classes. Yesterday was pretty intense. I'm not going to blog fully on what happened so if you're curious you'll have to shoot me an email or something.

abbysec@yahoo.com

I'd be happy to share, just not with the entire world.

I really had thought I'd been updating this thing more but I see now that I haven't since last Saturday. I'm sorry for those of you frequently ready and keeping track of me through the blog.

Today I have 6 hours of class. I'm not looking forward to the time spent away from the prayer room. :-/

There's not much going on other than just doing the school and prayer room thing.

I had this crazy vision this afternoon. That I was there during what was going on with Jesus and the cross. I wrote it down so I might post it later. But it was half of exactly what I was looking for.

School starts tomorrow and I am pumped. I went through my FSM folder today and it will be quite the load. I have a job interview this Thursday too. So if I'm working, going to school full time (18 credit hours), and have 24 hours a week in the PR, plus homework/study time, practicing flute and keys. Hmph. It should be a rough semester. Exhausting, but we'll see what happens.

I do love being here though.

Growing in the Prophetic Conference

Sitting in the FSM building, listening to Merchant Band sound check. I was the designated seat saver this morning. I'm okay with it. I can use the wireless while listening to some sweet tunes.

I've been thinking a ton about identity and music lately. Music is such a huge part of our culture right now. A lot people find thier identity in music. Myself included.

So what music is good to pour yourself into? Many people will argue music has no effect what so ever on your heart/mind. But even in a secular music culture music impacts how you feel and think. It's the idea of ethos. The whole music effecting emotions thing.

I don't know a lot on this topic. I don't really care to argue a large quantity about it. All I know is that if you're doing/listening/seeing/speaking something that lessens or dulls the impact God is moving in your life it's simply a waste of time.

I guess maybe I'm being convicted some what for listening to music that is dulling my spirit. I could pose a very good arguement for there is not a lot of christian rock bands I find appealing. And even less piano rock band. However I have Leeland, they are amazing. I'm sure theres more out there. Soon enough there will be me. :)

Orientation

Our first day of orientation for FMA we really just went through a line and then listened to the staff leadership speak. We were introduced to Daniel Lim, Allen Hood, Mike Bickle, Lou Engle.

Allen Hood preached on John the Baptist. What made him great and what about him made an entire generation stop and repent?

He discussed the idea of a forerunner and gave an acronymn for IHOP other than "International House of Prayer".

I- Intercessor
H- Holiness
O- Offering
P- Prophet

Very good stuff.

Then yesterday, our second day of orientation which was 12p-10p we worshiped some. Listened to Wes Martin and another guy whose name escapes me talk about our curiculum for this year. It will be an intense year. First semester we have 18 credit hours.

We then had a talk back session type thing in which Wes Martin and some students asked the faculty some questions. One of the questions was "What is the most embarassing thing that's happened to you in ministry?" The answers were soooo funny! It was really fun.

After that we split up into School groups. So all of FMA met together. It was pretty cool seeing all the people I'd be spending the next 4 years getting to know and love. Then we split up into our small groups. There are 5 students in my small group and a faculty advisor. OH MAN!

Guess who my faculty advisor is?!?! DEREK LOUX! The director/founder/originator of FMA. How hot is that? There are like hundreds of people at this school and I get Derek Loux as my faculty advisor. I am so excited!

I also met Victoria, Tiffany and Gabby. These are 3 other girls in my group. Victoria and Tiffany are 2nd year FMA students. They're really cool. Gabby is a 1st year like me and we're becoming fast friends. We've got a lot in common and it is really cool hanging out with her.

Today begins the 'Growing in the Prophetic' conference so I'll be busy for the rest of the weekend. I'll update more if I get the chance. :)

I love it. I'm exhausted already. But I love it. I'm giving it all to get it all.

I know, I know. It's been awhile since my last update! But orientation is a lot more crazy than I thought. We've been going non-stop for two days now. Trying to fit in prayer room time is a challenge, but one that should become easier after today.

The Growing in the Prophetic conference begins tomorrow. So orientation goes til 10p tonight. It is intence.

More to come later I'm sure.

Destination.

I've wondered a lot lately about destination. Mostly because the experience I've had (which is little) submitting myself over to Christ fully has resulted in a prideful interpretation of purpose.

Why are we here? What are we here for? Worship?

I have convinced myself of big things in God and though I do not completely disassemble these hopes and ambitions I recognize them as being purely earthly driven.

Where does the line for big things of God's purpose begin and the personal pride end?

The paradigm of God giving us our dreams comes in to consideration as well.

If I am called to big things in God, how do I discover this? Rather than believe in the Oprah christianity of believing in myself to accomplish success.

That's another thing... success. Your definition of success is ultimately dependent on who you hold as the highest influence in your life. We're only successful if the person we think highest of thinks we are successful. This is created by God. His thoughts of us are the only ones that matter.

However, holding God as the highest influence/opinion in your life is probably one of the hardest things to ever comprehend/accomplish. It's a life long learning process.

I believe pride falls into place with holiness/righteousness. If you're living righteously (according to the Sermon on the Mount), caring about yourself becomes less and less.

So righteousness is therefore the hardest thing because it is strongly reliant upon our abandonment to self and dependence on God. We cannot be righteous on our own.

I've heard a ton of things about avoiding sin by strengthing muscles in righteousness.

I'm completely broken. I'm trying so hard and fall into sin so easily. Being in Michigan has suffered my spirit. I have viewed this time as one for indulgence. With food, luxeries, sin. All these things I despise.

I'm going to throw up...

Happy August!

I have been completely healed from the surgery. There was a mass of muscel and tissue that they removed in my mouth. The doctor said it would take 2-3 days to recover. I was completely fine by Wednesday night, which was the night of my surgery.

I'm heading back to Kansas City Sunday. Can't wait!