Back to normality???

Golden Gate bridge as we flew back into San Francisco from Redding, CA.


The shiney shiney engine of the tiny tiny plane.



Picture of Annu, Helen, Adam & Julian just before the final 9.5 hour flight from San Fran to Heathrow.


Hello friends!

So we are back safe and sound and fundamentally different in so many ways, but it's back to normality??? (or is it?)

Annu and I went along to the School of Supernatural Ministry today at NKCC and were able to share our testimonies of some of what we experienced and felt out in California. Annu, Dave Webster and Pete Carter (and me) all did a great job of getting across some of the flavour of what we were exposed to and what washed through us while we were there.
We worshipped God and had a powerful time of ministry at the end where we were able to lay hands on people and impart God's love and Kingdom values into peoples hearts. Many were blessed and overcome by what happened to them and the presence of God was thick in the room - It was amazing stuff and a real privilege to be a part of!

Earlier I said we were going back to normality. Normal isn't a very good word, so I've decided anyway! The question is... "What is normal???"

One dictionary defines the term 'normal' as : "a lack of significant deviation from the average"

I really don't want to go back to being average... I have spent most of my life being average, in fact a vast majority of it being below average if I'm honest!
But the last week has been spent mostly being 'pickled' in Holy Spirit which for many, including me, is quite abnormal. My life should and never shall be the same because of the way in which Holy Spirit has 'marinated' me. I may look like the same person but when you get close enough to see, hear, smell, feel, taste what I am about you will find that the pickling process has fundamentally changed the essence of what I'm about. I may look the same but my flavour has been changed into something glorious by Holy Spirit. I reek of heaven, I taste of freedom, I've been soaking in the presence of God and it has made me finger licking good!!! (I say that in jest, but it's true!)

In Matthew 28:18-20 it says :

18Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."

There are 2 different root words in Hebrew that make up the word baptise.

1. To cover, wash or dip something in water and then pull it out.
2. To immerse something in water so that the structure of it changes.

The 2nd definition is the one used in Matthew 28:19. We are told to change the structure of things through the Holy Spirit. We have been changed (pickled) and we are to then do the same to others, we are to 'go' and seek them out and get pickling. But in ourselves we can't do it. It's Holy Spirit that changes us, and them!

I can't wait to start pickling people with the Holy Spirit - God is good, He's in a good mood and He wants to free us up into some amazing things!!!

Be blessed!

Gordon

The Travellers are Home

Hi Everyone - thought I'd take the chance to let you all know that we arrived back in UK after a straightforward overnight flight from San Francisco. We landed early and drove back to Medway with no hold-ups. All the travelling has been very good, and has flowed well. We have all kept well, and despite some disruption with sleep, we all felt good on arrival.

We have lots of photos between us of the whole time away, and we are planning to make them available so you can see lots of detail (and quite a lot of food-related photos...is there a theme here?)

Looking forward to seeing you soon,

love from Helen

Team Video

Final Sunday lunch in Applebee's

Final reflections

Pre-service Prayer Meeting with people 'walking round' and round and round....

It's now 7.30am in the morning (Monday). We travel home today. Our flight leaves at 3.30pm from Redding followed by a 3hr wait in San Francisco. We will arrive at Heathrow at about 1.30pm on Tuesday.

The flight back to San Francisco is fun as it is in a small 27 seater plane. Our group takes up 22 of the seats! It rattles and bumps around. Real flying!


Yesterday was a long a fairly tiring day. Annu and Gordon visited the children's/youth work. Annu particularly found it helpful and inspiring. We then had the morning meeting with worship and Bill Johnson speaking, followed by ministry. We went out for dinner (I had steak) and then back for the prayer meeting at 5pm and the evening meeting at 6pm. There was a visiting prophet called Martin Scott who spoke, it was a word particularly for the Americans. We didn't hear it all as at one point we all fell asleep!


Gordon and I grabbed some more food at about 9.30pm before sitting with some of the others from the region for an hour in the hotel.


Final reflections as we travel back:


As a team we have received as a group. Seeing that the others have been impacted is great as they will bring this back and impart to others. Mission objective - achieved!


Personally, the individuals have met with God and have found direction and answers to prayer taking place.


Regionally, this has once again strengthened relationships and exposed a wide of group of churches to a common experience. We are not alone, but working alongside friends to bring the presence of God to Kent.


We are not interested in simply copying or imitating. This would be to change the structure without changing the heart. To change the wineskin without changing the wine. It just doesn't work. We change the structure to help sustain and move into the things that God is already doing by his Spirit and in our hearts.


We see the strength and foundations that we already have within our church, God has already done alot. We don't see Bethel as being 'the answer' but recognise that we can learn and receive from others who have something to say and share. Particularly about the person and presence of the Spirit and how this is worked out in a local church.


So, once again thanks for your encouragements and prayers.




Look forward to seeing you all again soon.



Love Adam

One more day to go

Lake Shasta and the dam. It's the second largest dam in America. We had a tour inside it. It was like a military operation to even get inside!













Caught eating my Sandwich in a small cafe we ended up in

A few of us who went upto Lake Shasta and the dam. Julian, Dale Barlow (Oxted), Adam, Steve Williams (Oxted), Dave Webster (New Ash Green), Annu, Pete Carter (N.A.G), Donna King(N.A.G)

Hello,

Once again, thanks for all your lovely comments, we read them all!

Glad that you had a positive Sunday morning, I spoke to Susie who said that all went well. Good that we're not indispensible!

Yesterday (Saturday) we visited the healing rooms in the morning where some from our team were prayed for and felt God touch them, we also saw someone else being healed of deafness. It was good to see some of the children who were assisting in prayer and working with adults on the teams. It was all done very well in an atmosphere of faith. They have a worship/soaking room which then leads into a prayer room where teams pray for people. Teams come round and collect those who have 'signed in' so they can go into the other room. There were people coming in wheelchairs and it looked like sick children being prayed for too. Many are healed before anyone has even prayed with them!

We went up for a visit to Lake Shasta in the afternoon following Mexican wraps (more than we could eat for about £4.00.

In the evening we were invited to a lady called Faith's house (she works on the Sozo team), there were also others there from the church, we had puddings and then they prayed for us (in their own unique style!). The house was pretty amazing, seriously, i've not seen anything like it. It was the way it was decorated and furnished. A bit like a palace. It even had it's own prayer and soaking room upstairs. The whole place felt somehow impregnated with the presence of God.

Annu and Gordon have gone to the earlier meeting (8.30am) so they can visit the children's and youth work, Julian, Helen and I will be going to the later meeting (10.45am) with them after that. Then there is a prayer meeting at 5pm followed by the evening meeting at 6pm. So that's the plan which will be interspersed with lunch/dinner no doubt!

One of my biggest prayers was for the others from M.F.C. that God would meet with them and that through exposure to a different kind of church and kingdom culture it would lead to change in their hearts. This was one of the main purposes of us all going as it's really about individuals changing who can then leak that out when we get back. Not about filling up notes or having more ideas of things to do. That was never the primary plan. This seems to have happened and so I'm encouraged. This was as important to me as anything God may say or do with me.

When we get back, it won't be about relaying information, which will be difficult to do (although we will try!), but sharing more about what we feel we have received. We'll spend substantial time on Sunday having worship and ministry. We'd love to pray and lay hands on everyone who wants to. We'll move chairs out of the way and create space so we can do this more easily. So I encourage you to come expectant on Sunday!

Look forward to seeing you all soon.

Love Adam

Good Morning Sunday

Hello MFC Bloggers! Helen here, adding a quickie.

We are receiving blessings here which are for you folk, and for all the others around us who we will reach out to. It's difficult to communicate details about it all, but we have been given wonderful prophecies of great blessing that will flow out to Medway through all of us. This trip is not just for us, it's for the whole church, and for the wider community. God is using us as the conduit to bring it back. Bethel people have given their blessings to us, very generously, and we will be pouring it out on you. It's free and it's plentiful.

One major thing that I have seen more clearly than ever is that we connect and receive from God through knowing the presence of the Holy Spirit. After that connection in our spirits, or in our hearts, revelation and understanding comes. Knowing him and enjoying him, is a continual joy.

So, be encouraged, have a great time worshipping God this morning. He is preparing a feast, and it's going to be tasty! Teresa commented that she was getting an aroma, but not the food - yes, but be assured, the feast is coming, and it will taste very good, very good indeed.

Loads of love to you all, Say aloud - "God is very good, and he loves me!"
Helen

Morning Campers!

This picture is from the 1st day at San Francisco outside the tube station. The man tells no lies!!!

Hello folks!

There's so much I could say about what we have all experienced in our time out in Bethel, but it would take me an age to write it all down, so instead I'll just give you a few highlights from my own week so far.

• God is good!!! - I always knew this but He has really blown apart some things that were inside me preventing me from seeing Him as I should. Issues relating to fatherhood and words spoken over me that I've carried as a heavy burden without knowing it have been lifted from my shoulders in my Sozo (and many other things too). It's hard to explain but when you've been walking around with a weight draped around your neck and it's gone you start to realise you can stand up straight and are a lot more free than before.


• Bill Johnson and the rest of the Bethel team are rock solid in their identity in God. They know who they are, why they are, what their gifting is and they honour other people. They see the gold in others and call it out. They don't entertain the fear of man as that affects the annointing they carry. They cultivate and nurture their relationship with Holy Spirit to a point where they are always in tune with what God is telling them - It's inspirational and atainable. We just have to make choices in our life, it's not about effort, it's about what we want, and I want God!!!


• I got 'whacked' by Holy Spirit (as did the others, but in different ways) and was creasing up with laughter and joy. Kevin Dedmon (author of 'Ultimate Treasure Hunt') was explaining that 1/3 of the Kingdom is joy and God was showing me that in a really powerful way. I could laugh no more and was doubled up and I felt fire, an intense heat, rushing down my back. It was like oil was being poured over me and it felt good!!! I think God was annointing me at that point because I haven't felt the same since! God is moving and doing something that isn't just in Bethel but it's breaking out across the world. People are hungry, they aren't satisfied with organised, structured religion that is full of law but no power or love. It's all about the heart, it's not about what events we put on or how many people we can convince to come into church on a Sunday but we have to be looking at people and meeting their needs through love, through relationships. Reaching out and asking Holy Spirit, "What have you got for this person???" We have God's Holy Spirit in us and without it we are just trying to work our way into heaven. It's all about the relationship... It's all about the relationship!

I could go on for ages, but lets just leave it at "People need God, so lets introduce them to Him!" - Now that's a word right there!!!