The Next Chapter...

The coalition of goodness (Steven, Brandon, Kaleb) find themselves up against greedy landladies and crooked real-estate agents in a legal battle over rediculously high rent increases and other such landlord/tennant issues. What will our heroes do? Will they stand their ground or turn tail and run? Tune in next time for our dramatic conclusion!

For real, our landlady served us notice of rent increase in January, which was not legal for her to do so, and now even if we were to get out of here this month, she still will want the full rent or will just keep our damage deposit. So we seem to have no choice but to stick this out. If anything goes to court, we are in the right for sure. Landlady has played big and tough to scare us off, but thats not happenin.

We are on the side of Justice, we will prevail!

I had decided to go to work and pay off some debt here this coming semester, no school, but then I decided to take a people helping course at PRBI and then I was all confused about what the best plan was, so I asked God to make it clear to me last friday. And he did! I went to the college on a bit of a whim and ended up setting up a course schedule I am quite happy with. This is going to be a busy semester. AND THEN what? Camp, but beyond that? I dunno. God has some plans, he will open some doors. I always worry about the future, I want to do the right thing, but all that makes me do is worry more now...

At the door yesterday was a unique night. It was pretty normal to start, but God is in the business of shaking things up. I had never heard people praying in tounges before, and I had a chance to hear that from a few people actually that night, which is so awesome! I don't have the gift of tounges, but hearing some people praying to God in a different language was a new experience, and at first it was kinda strange, but really it was just like hearing the Muldovan people pray in russian or romanian. God understands all languages, he isn't an english God who learned another language. Which is easily forgetable sometimes :)

For the last month or so I have been in a bad headspace, and I have come to understand that it is because much of the way I think is not in the light of truth, and that fear is a motivating factor in almost everything I do. This revelation might be God preparing me for the People Helping class I am auditing, which will help me understand these things more. Truthfully, I believe that I wasn't even aware of the fear in my life because of the ways I had spiritualized them. When my motivation was fear, I would manage to paint it as righteousness or wisdom or humility. So these fears that I am just starting to uncover had in the last month cause me so much brain strain and confusion that it was starting to choke me spiritaully. It was starting to kill me.

At The Door was a significant experience for me because toward the end, I sensed that I should ask this girl who seemed to be very much in tune with the spirit that night to pray for me. Right away a guy came along side her and they did, and they sat in silence for a while and then she prayed quietly in the spirit, communicating with God in a language I did not understand. Then she prayed over me (i understood this) and for about 5 minutes probably the two of them prayed over me, and in thier words God confronted *every* issue of worry and confusion that had been eating at my soul. Every issue (I've identified lots) was spoken into with the truth of Gods word. It was powerful, and I was a sinvelling sobbing wreck facedown on the floor by the end of it. He's the master of the universe after all. After cleaning up my snot and tears I proceeded to leave.

The thing is that the fear is still there. He didn't take it away. But he gave me hope and armed me for battle against the lies of Satan.

I decided to mark this point by shaving my head :) I have always secretly wanted to, and that desire kind of made its way out that night. It took over an hour and totally wrecked the razor I used, and I needed to use a CD as a second mirror to get a view of the back, lol. New year, new hope, new life, new plans, so why not start with a clean slate...or head? Its like I'm a chia pet!

I dreamt that my hair had grown a full inch overnight and felt somewhat at a loss to find that infact my hair had not grown at all. Immediately I began to wonder what people would think and how some people will react and all of a sudden I almost wished I never had shaved anything. I understood there that all those thoughts are based in some sort of strange fear, telling me that it is still there. But now I see it for what it is, and now I can fight it with truth.

So that is how you can pray for me, for freedom from fear and the renewing of my mind. This is the Next Chapter and I am looking forward to living it. And for the triumphant return of my hair. Oh glorious hair. I miss it already, having a shaved head makes the whole scalp like a slab of velcro. For realz!