It Only Takes A SPARK to Get A FIRE Going!

A while ago God spoke to me to disciple 2 women. He asked me to pour into them what He had been teaching me about Him these past several months.

The first day we met I had nothing prepared! I’d been asking God what He wanted me to do this first day.

“Nothing….. “

Then the night before the meeting when I was beginning to panic, I asked Him again, what am I to prepare for tomorrow? He said, “Ask them what they think I see when I look at them.”

Okay…..??

I had them write down their answers and they shared their answers. God took over the group. We had a fantastic time discussing what God sees when He looks at us and why.

From the beginning God just wouldn’t let me let go of the question. I would ponder it and wonder why I have this obsession. Although I didn’t know why, I asked more people to answer God’s question.

He told me to send out an email to all my Christian friends asking them to answer the question anonymously.

I started receiving answers and I thought. “This would make an interesting article.” The more I read the answers, the more God showed me that my preconceived notion of why He was having me ask this question was wrong!

Many answers I could tell were given after the person gave much thought to the question. I was amazed at what the people were saying!

God spoke to me again. This time He said, “This is not going to be an article it is going to be a book!”

HUH?? A book, written by me????

YUP, A book, written by you!

OK, how am I to put all this together into a book? SILENCE……..

Uh, Lord, I want to get writing.

What do you want me to do and how???

Um. . . . WHEN??

More silence.

I felt He wanted me to post this question on some Christian groups I discovered on Facebook.

I found and started writing and blogging on thoughts.com and asked the question there also.

Okay, Lord, I’m waiting for more direction……… please????

Then one day, when I had about given up, God gave me the next step.

Do I have to?? I’m the kind that likes to write from my heart, just let it flow. God told me to study scripture and quote it to back up what my heart was saying. I’m not one that enjoys research.

Yes, I’m really enjoying it now!

So the question for 2 ladies, and I thought would be an article for a blog is now becoming a book. . . . .written by me.

God you are so awesome!

I’ve found a publisher and hope I’m correct in targeting having the manuscript ready in March. That’s what came into my head one day.

We’ll see, you know how God is . . . . one just never knows the full picture until you have finished the project. But what an exciting journey it is!

Oh, you're probably wondering about the title of this.
The Spark is the idea from God
The Fire is the result of the Spark. In this case a BOOK!!

Update: I now have 100 or so answers to the question. If you are a Christian and would like to send your answers to this question please send them to ljc747@yahoo.com. All answers will be published anonymously so please be honest and open about your answer. I anticiapte cut off date of January 31, 2010 for submission of answers to question for book. That's not as far off as it seems!

God, What are you up to??

By Lynne Cole

Every Saturday at 6pm a group of people descend upon Joe and Melody Bennett and family. It’s been over a year now since God told Joe and Melody to move to Oakland, FL. I for one can say I am very thankful God told them to come. At first Bob and I wanted nothing to do with anyone wanting to start a new church. But God told Joe and William Castro to come visit Bob and I. We love and respect William so we politely listened as Joe explained what God had said to him. (I need Joe’s permission to put his article in the blog.)

Bob and I were looking for a church but didn’t have any idea where God wanted us to worship. We decided to visit the group in Oakland and see if that is what God wanted us to get involved in.

Surprise!!

1. My first surprise was how small the group was. Just 6 people.

2. Next surprise all the children in the house. LOL

3. The peace and presence of God in our midst!!

4. How relaxed and unplanned the meeting was.

5. No one was “dressed” for church.

6. How powerful Joe’s messages are.

7. The Prophetic being natural and a part of the service.

8. God runs the service and often changes “the plans” of Joe and Curtis Sutterfield.

9. They love it when He does!

10. How late the gathering lasted!! (Our first week we left at 9:30 thinking it strange that no one was leaving but us. Next week we learned what “Normal” is for this group.)

11. How excited I became to be at every service.

12. To sit at the feet of Jesus and soak in everything He was saying to me and doing in me.

13. Seeing my very quiet husband, Bob, become more open and being used by God to speak out loud what He was saying!

14. I’m STILL being fed!

15. The peace I now experience nearly all the time.

16. What God is saying to me.

17. The boldness He is giving me!

Do you get the picture? It’s been life changing for me.

The group has grown by 3 since then. Bob and I bring it up to 8 and our good friend Jeanette Taylor, makes 9. We have become family. We arrive around 6pm and leave around 11 to 11:30pm. We leave by then only because some of us have a long drive home. At times they threaten to spend the night. lol

Lately we’ve been asking each other and God:

1. Why are we here meeting in Oakland?

2. What is Your purpose?

3. Where are You going with this group?

God must have had the ear of Joe because Joe started speaking on just that. He gave us an assignment to pray and ask God:

1. What’s His Vision, Purpose and Strategy for us?

2. How do we fit into this group?

3. Where is this group going?

4. What is God saying?

5. What is His vision?

6. What is His purpose and how do I fit into it?

7. What is His strategy, how do we get there?

Well, I was so excited. I prayed for a few days and listened to what God was saying. I sat down one day and wrote 3 medium size pages on my Vision and objective and where I was going. About ½ way thru my writing I wrote: “Why is this not happening now?” When I finished writing this section God said. “DIE TO SELF”

Huh, I’m so wordy. He gets His point across in 3 words. So I did what I do, I did a study on scriptures that have Die to self in them. But not until I finished the assignment with the next one, Purpose, How do I fit. Which caused more questions than answers. Then I tackled Strategy and started out with a lot of questions. Then I wrote another page of things I felt God was telling me.

I’m planning to do a more in-depth look at what God wants me to get out of His “Die to Self” – I know it is something I have to do continually. I also know He uses a few words so we will study His word and pray and learn from Him. It’s not a few moments of study. He feeds us in doses that we are able to handle. He’s not through teaching / feeding me on dying to self.