Set Ablazed

"if you are who God made you to be, you will set the whole world on fire" - St. Catherine.

These words spoken during the royal wedding carry the weight of truth. We were all created with such divine purpose, and that purpose was to set the world on fire for God. "Then God said, 'Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness...'" Gen 1:26a. We were created in PERFECT IMAGE. God did not create each of us to be complacent and ignore the calling on our lives. He created us to love Him, be loved by Him, and love others.

We often loose sight of our original purpose to know this Love and be set on fire for it. We get blind sighted by our culture, the media, our own selfish desires. We settle for the things right in front of us. We become dull to His voice, to His presence. But when we hold on to the truth that we were perfectly created with divine purpose, our hearts will be set ablaze. As our blazing hearts go out into our town, our country, the nations, little fires are started all over the world. Those little fires grow and grow and grow until the world has been set on fire. A fire that won't stop because it is eternally fueled by a Greater Love. Good praise music is not what set us on fire. Reading a christian book is not it either. It is encountering the Heavenly father, letting Him capture your heart, shape it, mold it, and refine it that lights it up.

Hold on to the truth. Hold on to your knowledge of why you are here. Be who you were created to be, not what the world tells you. Do this, and a fire will start in your soul. Once the Spirit starts a fire, it cannot be put out (1st Thes 5:19).

Israel News

Our tickets have been bought! We will be leaving May 11th and returning to Kona May 30th. For more information about the trip/support, please visit www.awakenisrael.blogspot.com

Prayer Requests

• As a team, we need about $2,000 more for living expenses while there.
• Safe travels
• Clear direction for where to stay, who to contact, ect.

Once again, God has done some crazy things. Thank you everyone who has supported me financially and prayerfully. It means more than you know.

Israel- meet the team

It's finally happening! As May creeps closer, the final details about Israel are being smoothed out, plane tickets are being bought, and we are preparing our hearts to go to the Holy Land. From May 11th to May 30th, 4 of us will be going to Israel to scout out potential mission opportunities, meet with different ministries, pray over the land, walked where Jesus walked, and receive impartation from the Lord.

Chantal Marquez

Kristi Zboncak

Shawna Schlenker

Sam Choi

Chantal, Shawna, and myself will leave the Big Island on the 11th and arriving in Israel on the 13th. Sam will be meeting us from Whales on the 15th. Chantal has a huge heart for Israel. She was the one that God first planted the seed in to do a scouting trip in Israel. She staffed my school last year and will be doing so again this year. Shawna has an immense heart for the lost and for Jesus. She staffed last year as well and will be again this year. Sam is an amazing guitarist and will be leading worship for us, if need be. He staffed Awaken last year but the Lord has different plans for him this year.

I am so excited for this trip. We are still figuring out the details of where we will be staying and praying for money to come in this weekend so we can purchase flights. We know that Israel is definitely where we are supposed to be, so we know He will get us there :)

Thank you for all your prayers and support!

Truth.

Carrie is a woman I met yesterday at the rock wall by the ocean. 4 of us were sitting down, and Carrie and her friend John walked up to us. They were older, they were friendly, they were drunk. At 3 in the afternoon.

The guys talked to John while Shawna and I talked to Carrie. We both instantly saw the desperate desire for love in her eyes. The cracks in her heart. She was in so much need of healthy attention, healthy love, a friend, a shoulder to cry on, truth. As she told parts of her story to us, my heart cracked. The more she talked, the wider the crack got. The more she shared, the louder my prayers were in my soul. Here sat a woman who had no idea who she was. She was lost. Her relationship with her family is broken, she hasn't been sober in 10 years, and she was thirsty for something real. Something that will last.

She bared a bit of her soul to us, a bit of the innocent and broken child of God that has been buried by alcohol and drugs. As she spoke, she played with my bracelets, rested her head on Shawna's shoulder. We offered to pray for her and she took it up. Only a few words were spoken before tears rolled down her cheeks. She was so in need of this love. So in need to hear that she was worth something. That she was loved. She was not forgotten. Her cries were heard.

Carrie represents so many lost people of our culture. These children of God are broken, beaten, filled with lies, mistreated. And all they want is a true relationship. What would the world looked like if these children heard what was true? What their real Father thinks of them?

According to Carrie, she is a drunk. Worthless. Dumb. Sick. This is what she has been told. This is what she believes.

According to Jesus, Carrie is beautiful. Worth it. Precious. A Daughter. This is truth.

The battle to share the truth is on.

Known.

"Formerly, when you did not know God, you were slaves to those who by nature are not gods. But now that you know God—or rather are known by God..." Galatians 4:8-9a.

That five letter word carries so much weight. Known.

To be known. To be aware of. To be certain. To recognize.

God Knows us. Inside and out.
He is aware of us. Of our every movement.
He is certain we are His. Never will let us go.
He recognizes us. Because He hears our voice.

We only know the small part of God that has revealed himself to us. But He knows us in full. He knows us more than we know Him. He knows us more than we know our selves. When we are at a loss for words, when we are speechless, when we are hurt and raw, when we are happy beyond words, he knows. No explanation necessary. No long story to get your point across. No awkward silences.

You are known. You are loved. You are cherished.