Breakthrough.

The testimonies never end.

We were singing “I Cannot Hide My Love” and something just broke in the room – something was unleashed. Your Spirit just fell. You walked into the room. I felt like heaven opened over me. I felt not only your love and delight in me, but I felt it for You. I know that this is what I have been asking for. You are transforming me.

Only a few weeks ago, God completely surprised me. Up until our last staff prayer meeting of the semester (7 Dec 2011), I had been praying for three things:

1. Do what only You can do.
2. Deliver me.
3. Show me Your delight again.

At the beginning of the semester I allowed the Lord to search my heart, and what I discovered was that there was a depth of His love that I had forgotten. To condense a many-months-long story that is full of beauty for ashes… the Lord responded very directly to those three prayers. It was a process, but I can say with confidence that a wall was destroyed that morning! And it was all because of Him. I didn’t pray or worship any differently that morning than I normally did; His presence just came, and that was enough. This wasn’t years ago; this was only weeks ago. He is always at work. It is His nature to be faithful.

Something that used to grace the front of the UGA Wesley Foundation bulletin every week was this simple phrase: “We gather each week because we believe that Jesus is real, He loves you, and He will save, help and even heal all who call out to Him.” I desperately believe this. Why? Because all of it has happened to me. And most of it has happened to me here in Athens.

This is why we're here. Everyone we work with at Wesley is giving at least a year of their lives to see Him do what only He can do, living as the Church doing what only She can do - partnering with Him as He rains His love down on the city. I don't know any former staff member who has walked away believing it was a waste of time. If anything, it has been the most abundant two years of my life, and I don't plan on looking back.

Awakening.

Yesterday at dinner Bob said something that has been running through my head over and over and over.

"He is awakening our hearts to Him."

Our last day on staff (about a month ago), and then continuing this past week, something has been blooming in me, waking up, getting a glimpse of "Christ in me the hope of glory." It's like a woman who has been receiving letters from her love for years and then out of the corner of her eye sees his face in the window or hears his boots on the wood floor behind her or feels the weight of his shadow coming over her shoulder. That moment right before you turn around, screaming and whispering at the same time, "This is it. This is it. This is it."

This is it. It has always been it. Now has always been the time.

Now I believe it. I feel it. Now is the time to dream. To be fearless. Now is the time of favor and salvation. Our world waits.


Our Beloved waits.