rmw pt. 2 - the cause

wow. that's all i can say about tonight. i am completely in awe of God's power and revelation to His people. there was a real true message spoke to us tonight that we all needed to hear. rev. jerry jones spoke on the cause of the christian life. it's not A cause, it's THE cause. the cause of Jesus Christ. as Paul says, it's 'because of the cause I live'. we have a very distinct purpose as apostolic believers in the world today and that is to witness to the lost. to find the hungry and bring them to church. to labor and serve as the 'lights of the world.' we have a calling that deals with the LIVES of people and their eternal destination. we have to 'go in to the fire and pull them out'. this country makes such a big ordeal about a missing child, or trying to save a person's physical life... and don't get me wrong - these are important things. BUT there are 'dead' and 'missing' people all around us! it's much more important than their phsyical well-being - it's about their souls! Satan will keep us from being bold in our witnessing. He will feed us lies and try to distract us. he can even distract us with good things - like feeding and clothing those less fortunate. this is a wonderful thing... but fleshly food and coverings is not ultimately what these people need. they need Jesus! Baptism! the Holy Ghost! rev. jones used the analogy of a good salesman. even when he gets rejected he presses on. we are to be aggressive in the cause of Christ. it's the most imporant thing we could do for someone else.

'For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age,against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.' - Ephesians 6:12

i know without a doubt God has called me to witness fiercly for Him to my unsaved friends and family. i will be sensitive to His calling and will forever testify on His behalf. He is the only thing that matters in the end. i am not ashamed. i will not be silent, no. i will not be quiet anymore.

in these changin' times
don't let 'em change your mind
in these changin' times
don't let the world change your mind

rushing mighty wind conference pt. 1

what a night! two outstanding pastors and ibc was back with a new song! rev. mullings reminded us of God's first name - 'wonderful'. referring to isaiah 9.6 'For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.' there is ONE God and His name is Wonderful! we should never forget the majesty of God. every time we enter into His presence, we need to be in awe of who He is. we are in communion with the Creator of the entire universe. hello! He is so Holy. when we fully grasp who God is, we are humbled by His greatness. 'Then you will understand the fear of the LORD, And find the knowledge of God.' (proverbs 2.5) the greatest thing to gain as a Christian is wisdom and understanding. the worst sin to come in between us and God is pride. we should never forget how Wonderful He truly is. as nicole c. mullen sings, 'let us not forget to tremble.' the fear of the Lord brings about a righteous life. as Paul tells the church of corinth in chapter 1.7, 'Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.'

rev. kinzey was on fire! the Holy Spirit had a great annoiting on that man tonight. he piggybacked with rev. mullings in the aspect of true praise to God. we are not to let the devil discourage us or cause us to feel too tired or too lazy to worship the Lord. the Holy Spirit gives us the power to overcome our circumstances in times of weakness. ibc sang a song that's chorus said 'there is victory when we praise Him!' how true is this statement. i don't know how many times i've gone to church not feeling well and i've just fought through it and praised the Lord anyway, and by the time i left service i felt completely fine. the Christian life is about laboring and serving. it's not a bunch of 'thou shall nots..' the two greatest commandments are 'thou shall' commandments - love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind. love your neighbor as yourself. who cares what anyone else thinks when you are worshipping - it's an audience of One you are singing for. it's not about the music, or the song type, or the choir, or the pastor, or anything else wordly. it's all about JESUS CHRIST. He is God and He is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow. He is ALIVE and living and working. brother kinzie spoke of a revival in indianapolis. something pastor mooney had been led to speak about over the months as well. i see the hunger that he is talking about in the people. my friends' hearts are softening and they are asking questions. people are seeking. the apostolic faith keeps growing. Sister Sarah might even become Vice President! :) but i am humbled when i realize that God has chosen me to help bring others to Him. that He would, as rev. kinsey put it, 'allow me to be a part of something much bigger than myself.' he referred to john 6.35, 'And Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst.' we need to feast on Jesus. in order to do so, we must have an appetite for Him. are you hungry?

holy, holy, holy
is the Lord God almighty
who was and is and is to come
with all creation i sing,
'praise to the King of Kings!'
You are my everything
and i will adore You

shout out to my momma!

after spending time with the fam yesterday, i just wanted to express how blessed i am to have a mother who loves the Lord. mom, you are a wonderful example of a servant's heart. your beauty and class are an inspiration to women of any age. you make me look good! ;-) you have a genuine joy and love for others that makes everyone want to be around you. you always take care of your household and your family. you work so hard to keep things clean and organized. you've always prepared us amazing food and made sure we were comfortable. you were there for us everyday after school. you took interest in the details of our lives. you are a wonderful inspiration of a Godly wife. you work for the Kingdom whole-heartedly in your church and with your friends. you've been brave in standing up for your faith and for your family. despite your struggles, or how you were feeling on a particular day, you always took second place to anything that was going on in our lives. you perservered through much pain and suffering to bring abount an abundance of love. not only that, but you are fun! i don't laugh harder or longer with anyone else. us schafer/schmidt women have a sense of humor no one else can understand. that's what makes it so special. thank you for your encouragement and for building me up. thank you for your noble character. you are wonderful. i love you.

stand in the rain

She never slows down
She doesn't know why
But she knows that when she's all alone
It feels like it's all coming down

She won't turn around
The shadows are long
And she fears if she cries that first tear
The tears will not stop raining down

So stand in the rain
Stand your ground
Stand up when it's all crashing down
You stand through the pain
You won't drown
And one day what's lost can be found
You stand in the rain

She won't make a sound
Alone in this fight with herself
And the fear's whispering
If she stands, she'll fall down

She wants to be found
The only way out is through everything
She's running from
Wants to give up and lie down

So stand in the rain
Stand your ground
Stand up when it's all crashing down
You stand through the pain
You won't drown
And one day what's lost can be found
You stand in the rain



check it out by superchick

i will not be moved.

i have been a wayward child
i have acted out
i have questioned sovereignty
and had my share of doubt
and though sometimes my prayers feel like
they're bouncing off the sky
the hand i hold won't let me go
and is the reason why

i will stumble
i will fall down
but i will not be moved
i will make mistakes
i will face heartache
but i will not be moved
on Christ the solid rock i stand
all other ground is seeking sand
i will not be moved

bitterness has plagued my heart
many times before
my life has been like broken glass
and i have kept the score
of all my shattered dreams
and though it seemed
that i was far too gone
my brokenness helped me to see
it's grace i'm standing on!

i will stumble
i will fall down
but i will not be moved
i will make mistakes
i will face heartache
but i will not be moved
on Christ the solid rock i stand
all other ground is seeking sand
i will not be moved

and all the chaos in my life
has been a badge i've worn
and though i have been torn
i will not be moved


-natalie grant

anxiety: the problem and the solution

'is anxiety a disease or an affliction? perhaps it is something of both. partly... because you can't help it, and partly because for some reason, dark reason, you choose not to help it. you torment yourself with detailed visions of the worst thing that could possibly happen.' - frederick buechner

most of what we worry about doesn't happen. we worry about things that are out of our control.

'you will keep in perfect peace, him whose mind is steadfast, because He trusts in you.' - isaiah 26:3

'do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. and the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.' - philippians 4.6-7

but, it's not that easy... you say?

there are real concerns. true. over 19 million americans are diagnosed with clinical anxiety disorder. women are twice as likely. lucky us. let's take a look at the definition of worry...

worry--the condition of being drawn mentally in different directions. distraction of the mind. painful agitation in the presence of anticipation/danger. uneasiness of the mind, usually over an impending or anticipated ill often marked by self-doubt of being able to cope with it. dread.

sound familiar? :)

worry=fear. there are over 300 references to 'fear' in the Bible. (i.e. matthew 6.34) we clearly have two choices--to fear or to trust. when we worry, we take our eyes off the Lord and become fixed on the problem.

'worry causes us to regret the past and fear the future--what bondage! worry robs the present of our Presence.' - jerusha clark

lie: 'if only...'
truth: i can trust God with my past, present, and future. (isaiah 43.18-19)

no matter what decision i make, God makes a way. He's always doing a new thing. (luke 18.27, jeremiah 32.17) we can choose to remember God's faithfulness, or we can choose to worry.

lie: 'what if...'
truth: greater is He that is in us than he that is in the world. there is a hope for our future.

though we are vulnerable and sometimes life is out of control, we are not powerless! in fact, we have the greatest Power within us. the Spirit cannot be controlled and we are called to submit to His move. (john 16.33, hebrews 6.18-19) God cannot lie! (psalm 103.10, isaiah 54.10) our minds need to be just as active, alive, and consious to worry as they are to excerise faith. think about that.

lie: 'if i don't control my circumstances, no one will.'
truth: only God has the power to bring things, all things, under His control. (phillipians 3.21, 1 timothy 6.15)

when we poke holes in the truth of God's sovereignty, we dangerously undermine His character. God refers to Himself as the 'sovereign Lord' 303 times in the Bible! 'the Fear' is a hebrew name for God. fear of God banishes the terror that shrinks from His presence. fear of God=drives out worry. (genesis 32.22-31)

most worry is about ourselves. it is selfish. when we focus our minds on the needs of others, we no longer have an unhealthy focus on ourselves.

what can i do?

admit that worry accomplishes nothing. seek the presence of the Lord. in His presence there is peace and understanding. lean on others. verbalizing our worry helps us to tame it. don't be discouraged when fear arises. fear diminshes our memories of God's faithfulness and love for us.

pray. pray. pray.




seek Truth.

my attempt at the tough question...'why?'

when we ask the question, 'why?'--we claim that we are, in fact, intellectual enough to understand the answer and indeed worthy enough of the knowledge. what we don't realize is that it's not always about us--the reason could be for someone else, for something else--big picture or smaller, yet significant detail. we are instruments. sometimes used for praised solos, and other times for harmony--in accord with those of better or lesser quality--yet all together, is perfect.

perfection. doesn't mean everything is flawless. perfect means that a particular something is just the way it was meant to be. when we reach our full 'potential', or our full glory--it is then that we are perfected. when we are as true as we can possibly be, we are perfected--a verb, not an adjective. we are not made in the likeness of a certain model human being who defines the way we look, act, think. we are defined by our own perception (tainted or not), the perception of others, and the perception of God. we are made in the 'likeness' of an omniscient spiritual being who is Creator of all the universe. when we assume worthiness to know 'why this?' and 'why that?'--it's really a lack of understanding which, in turn, makes us less able to perceive the reasons in life for why things happen, begin, end, change, or stay the same.

when we focus on the 'ifs', we lose focus on what really 'is'. in that moment and in that second, we are constantly living ahead of or behind ourselves. when we look too far forward into our future, we are assuming we possess control--total control. the tension and the insecurity of the unknown or what is to come is in fact, good for us. it keeps us from becoming lazy. it keeps us from not needing anyone but ourselves. it keeps us from thinking we don't need God. or anyone else, for that matter. humans weren't made to be alone. we are created as relational beings--it's what drives us.

so your problem does not lie in tomorrow?--okay. choosing to live so far behind yourself that you forget your own reality is just as dangerous. how you act and what you know today may not be the same as yesterday or the day before. if you don't realize your growth as a person, and accept it and encourage it, you'll eventually lose touch of your own self and become a faint object of everyone's past.

you were given today.
breath in the morning, purpose for the day, and rest at night.
we don't hold tomorrow, and we will never be able to tell the future... but when it's given to us by the One with a divine plan, we are called to it and we are responsible to make every bit of it count.
everyday doesn't have to be remarkable, or historical, or overly busy. but it need be worth something to you...
and when you live a meaningful life,
it's an abundant one.




seek Truth.