Everyday Life

MAN, have I been holding out on you! So it’s been about a month since my last blog – I really need to step it up – and a LOT has happened. I’m not sure if this will be one ginormously long blog, or if I’ll split it up into a few. We shall see.

Let’s see, where to begin…the basics. I’ve been in the AMT (Advanced Ministry Training class) “Union with God” for the last few weeks (I’ll take four different AMTs throughout the year) and it has been awesome! I wasn’t so sure about it at first, but I knew I needed to grow in union/intimacy with God. I don’t think I knew what I was getting myself into. We show up, and our class is at the end of the day, so I’m already tired; and then the focus of this class is meditation. So I go in sleepy, and we BEGIN the class with meditation – I’ve seriously heard people snore before...hilarious! And our teacher says it happens every year; I actually feel super peaceful and relaxed afterward, yet somehow re-energized, so it’s worth it! We get to hear stories of all these great mystics (no, not people in the occult), which are those that are so in tune with God and aware of His presence in them, that the miraculous is a daily part of their lives and follows wherever they go! How awesome is that?! 

Side Note: Because I know a lot of people associate "mystics" or "mysticism" with new age, occult/demon stuff, here's something that I've heard on more than one occasion by different speakers - Everything "miraculous" that comes from those involved in the occult or demonic is a counterfeit of what God wants us to do/experience. For example, people get drunk off of alcohol; that's a counterfeit of being drunk in the Spirit, which is WAY better than alcohol, AND  you don't get the hangover haha; my point being, don't freak out about the word "mystic" until you know the origin behind the signs/wonders that follow them. Trust me, this was definitely something new for me too!

So I’m learning to be aware of God’s presence in me instead of always desiring His external presence and what I can feel; and I’ll tell you, being aware of Him inside of me brings about a whole new meaning/level to “peace that passes understanding.”  I  get done meditating (focusing on God/His word/His presence in me), even if for only 10 minutes, and almost feel drunk, because, my whole being is at peace…now that’s good stuff! How many of you need that in the middle of your crazy schedules? Everyone raise your hand, because we all need that!

Next, let’s see…ACTIVATION! This is our year-long community outreach. There are several Activations to choose from, and we had to wait like a whole month to see what we were placed in - can you say torture?! We chose our top five activations in September and just found out a couple of weeks ago which one we got. Although I didn’t get my first pick, God definitely knows what He’s doing, and I’m super excited to see what He has in store through my outreach – PROPHETIC ARTS. Ok, many of you are like, “What the heck is prophetic arts?” Well it obviously involves the prophetic, which is one of the main reasons I came here. I felt like God  has called me to speak into people’s lives and reveal the “gold” that He’s placed within them, which we do through the prophetic, and the next part – arts – involves anything artistic; it can be music, singing, rapping, writing (in any form), painting, drawing, dancing…you name it. You all probably know I love music (playing guitar and singing), but I also enjoy painting/drawing, even though I have no idea what I’m really doing, so I’m looking forward to growing in new areas of being artistic – we are all creative! I mean, we’re made in the image of the Creator, Who, I would say, is pretty creative…wouldn’t you agree? That means you’re creative too! So start asking the Creator what your creative ability is! The next aspect of my outreach is the specific ministry area I was placed in. I’m part of a “healing art” group; I will have the opportunity (this will be a first for Bethel students!) to go into hospitals (and other places) to release hope and healing  (physical, mental, emotional, etc) through art! How cool is that?! Not only do I get to release hope and healing to people in hospitals, but I get to help pioneer this for all Bethel students to come, since this will be the first time they'll be going into hospitals to do this. Our leaders have built such great rapport with the locals and the city here that the Lord continues to open doors! 

PS. Previously, the Lord has given people in prophetic art pictures to paint, and as people walk by the painting or hold it, they’re immediately healed! CRA-Z! Lots of good testimonies to follow throughout the year I'm sure!

OK, third definitely has to be my SPRING MISSION TRIP! Oh yeah! We chose our top five, out of like 50 choices – that’s a hard thing to narrow down – and found out last week where the Lord is taking us. I’m going to ENGLAND!

Ahhhhhh! So excited; I’ve wanted to go to England for a few years now just to go and experience a new culture, and not only is the Lord blessing me with the opportunity to go, but He’s letting me go to reveal His glory! Yeah, He’s definitely a good Dad :) SO (get ready for the support spiel), in order to take this trip, I obviously need support. The total trip cost is $2100; if the Lord leads you to sow into this journey and send me to England here’s a couple of things you can do (whichever you feel most comfortable with):

·         Donate Online Option #1 (TAX-DEDUCTIBLE) – go to https://www.ibssm.org/a/ and click on “give online” towards the bottom of the page; next click on “mission trip” and you’ll be able to type my name in to continue with giving.

·         Donate Online Option #2 (Non-Tax Deductible) – you can give online anytime through my blog; just click on “make a donation,” and if you’d like to donate towards something specific (mission trip, living expenses, etc) just let me know.

·         Send checks directly to me (Non-Tax Deductible) – some aren’t comfortable with giving online, so you can also send checks directly to me, which I can put towards my mission trip. You can send checks to:

                1781 Conifer Way

                Apt A

                Redding, CA 96002

If you have any questions about donations/giving to help support me over the year, just FB or Email (m.d.henderson8@gmail.com).

Well, I think this is long enough for one blog entry. This was just an update on what God is doing right now, but I’ve learned a lot over the last few weeks through our different speakers, so the awesome insights will come in another blog ;) I love all of you amazing people and am so blessed by you!