And Then...

GOD! He showed up... Pink Impact was amazing! AMAZING!

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For the last few weeks, God has been revealing Himself to me as my Daddy, and me as His little girl. Oh my Daddy does love me. He does.

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Okay, so the first thing that I want to do is outline the amazing messages that were delivered Friday and Saturday:

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On Friday morning, Marilyn Hickey stepped on the platform and she shared the story of Ruth. Oh My Goodness! What an anointed word. She said that when faced with choices in life we can do one of two things:

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1. The Expected - the ordinary, the average... What the crowd would do. And then we get expected results. Even consequences.

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OR

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2. THE EXCEPTIONAL - A choice of faith, a choice that may involve risk and may cause people to question our judgment. But, this kind of decision requires us to believe God even when we don't know what He is up to... To move in His direction even when it means we don't know where we are going and to do what He requires even when it is hard, it hurts and it doesn't make any sense at all. The result of making exceptional decisions as Dr. Hickey shared is that GOD does EXTRAORDINARY things with our EXCEPTIONAL decisions. Oh Yes. Now that is where I want to live. Favor, Blessing, and Grace... I want to experience the exceptional response of God in my life and my circumstances. We must be EXCEPTIONAL PEOPLE because we serve an EXTRAORDINARY GOD.

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A few QUOTES from this session:

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* "One Word from the Lord can change your life forever."

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* "God thinks you can do anything."

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* "Ruth is the 8th book of the Bible. Eight is the number of new beginnings."

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* "Stay in faith." (God can work miracles out of our biggest mistakes.)

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* "God loves stupid people." (Okay, this may have been my favorite quote)

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* "Expected is what the world does. Exceptional is what faith does."

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* "Walking in faith brings favor. Walking in faith is something you do even when you don't feel it."

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* "How to get a husband: Ruth 3:3. Take a bath, get a new dress, anoint yourself (aka "put on some perfume"), and then go lay at his feet and pull his robe over you."

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* "You can't do the expected and expect God to do the EXTRAORDINARY."

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* "REPENT and CLEAN UP."

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* "Don't let the world tell you what you can't do let God tell you what you will do."

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OKAY... Did you get all that? Read the book of Ruth and look for how Naomi and Elimelech as well as their sons made expected decisions and what resulted. Then note how Naomi, Ruth, and Boaz made EXCEPTIONAL decisions and what happened that was extraordinary. You can also consider how Ruth and Boaz had Obed, who fathered Jesse who fathered David and from David the line of Jesus was brought forth. Boaz was also the son of RAHAB. Okay... Read Matthew 1:1 and consider that Boaz was the "Kinsman Redeemer." When he took Ruth as his wife, he had to buy the property that would have belonged to her husband and give the child he had with her the name of her deceased husband. But, in Matthew 1:1 we learn that God had other plans for Boaz. Oh Yes He did. God did the Extraordinary because Boaz chose to do the exceptional.

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IN the afternoon on Friday, Dr. Hickey shared about Abigail, Nabal and David (1 Samuel 26). She started out by reminding us that every person is in a season. She stated, "God has a purpose and power in this season for me." 1 Corinthians 4:20.

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Dr. Hickey pointed out that Nabal was just "big mouth ugly." But, his wife, Abigail, was a sensitive, honorable wife who covered for her husband.

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She recounted the way David sent word to Nabal requesting to be invited to the feast Nabal was throwing. Nabal's refusal incensed David and our "heart like His" hero vows to kill Nabal's entire household in retaliation. But, word reaches dear Abigail that David is planning to put an end to Nabal and his household. She prepares a huge feast and she takes it to David acknowledging that her husband's decision was inconsiderate and to make amends on behalf of Nabal.

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When Abigail returns home, Nabal is pretty well passed out drunk. She doesn't tell him what she has done until the next morning. Nabal's rage is so great he dies. WHAT?

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He pretty much gave himself a coronary. Abigail's decision was honorable, her husband's response was not. His continual abhorent behavior cost him his life. But, for Abigail, she gained favor in David's sight and was taken back as David's wife. Dr. Hickey noted that Abigail was beautiful to David. Her tender heart toward her overbearing husband and her obedient behavior toward God shown brightly to David and won his favor and his heart.

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A few of my favorite quotes from this message:

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* "There's no reason to look or act like a slop bucket at any age."

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* "The man (Nabal) with his decisions brought himself to the attention of the Lord for a short life span."

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* "God rewards us when we act in obedience in the season."

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* "We don't know the kind of harvest we will reap if we sow in obedience in this season."

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* "PURPOSE, POWER, REWARDS."

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* "The game is not over 'til you win."

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AND THEN... Dr. Hickey asked the A/V team to run a video and the power went out! No kidding - the whole building went dark.

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Our Women's Pastor, Debbie Morris, then took the stage and called us to pray, and Dr. Hickey asked us to hold hands. We did so. The words began to go up as we all prayed our hearts out. And then... someone across the room lifted their voice, "You are holy, holy are you Lord God almighty. Worthy is the Lamb, Worthy is the Lamb..."

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We sang that chorus for about ten minutes. When we began singing the chorus the second time the video and lighting equipment began to hum and the power lights began to flicker on. One of the spots had the word "HOT" written in the power reading window. The monitor facing the stage had a small blip dancing across the screen and little green and yellow lights were simply glowing all around the ceiling of the sanctuary.

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We closed out the session with presbytery and then recessed until evening. As I drove home I began to weigh something God had impressed upon my heart as we prayed, interceding for the conference in the last month. He showed me the Aurora Bourealis lights and this pressed me to study the cause of these lights.

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What I learned was that the magnetic quality of the North and South poles draw electronically charged particles up toward them and as the particles rise into the upper atmosphere they create the beautiful array of lights that are known as the Aurora Bourealis or the Northern Lights. These lights dance across the night sky in the northern most regions of Canada, Alaska and other parts of our world. As I was reading I also learned that scientist had known the source of the light but never quite knew what it was that caused these lights to dance in the sky. But, recently scientist have discovered a "magnetic tail" that whips out from the poles into the outer atmosphere of earth which causes the lights to dance in the sky.

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As I am reading this I hear, "Sit in the back and watch the atmosphere change and the Light(s) dance." I really felt God was going to do something very specific and it would bring a radical change to the atmosphere of the conference and involve light somehow.

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I am in awe as I return home and ready myself for the evening events. Of course, we were still praying for the power to come back up fully, but in all I had no anxiety or regret that things changed so dramatically. God was up to something, and I, for one, could not wait to see how it worked out.

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My youngest daughter and I returned that evening for the Friday night session. I met up with my fellow intercessors and received the instructions for the evening. We could all feel the "powering up" in the room. I even said at one point that I believed God had to shut the power off to the building so He could turn up the Holy Spirit power for the conference.

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There was only enough power to the building to light and power the sanctuary and they had the coffee bar up and running. But, the rest of the building was lit by candlelight - did you get that... CANDLELIGHT. We entered the sanctuary and got our seats. Then worship began.

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Kari Jobe took the stage and introduced "PINK Unplugged." An acoustic style session of worship where she and one other worship leader sang while the drummer played the hand drums. Half way through this incredible time of worship, I sensed the presence of God so strongly I began to tremble and my legs felt weak. I knelt down trembling on my hands and knees on the floor. I could only weep and sing before the Lord in awe of His presence.

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Suddenly, as I was singing a verse of Scripture God had given me to pray the day before came to my mind. Daniel 9:19. "O Lord hear! O Lord forgive! O Lord, listen and act! Do not delay for Your own sake my God, for Your city and Your people are called by Your name." (NKJV) [I officially did not know the address. I had heard a pastor speaking about this verse from Daniel 9 and it resonated as something I needed to be praying for PINK.]

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I opened my Bible to Daniel 9, but I began to read in Chapter 10. I could not find the exact phrase I had heard on the radio that day, but I landed on verses 10-13 and heard God speak these verses to me: "Suddenly a hand touched me, which made me tremble on my knees and on the palms of my hands. And he said to me, 'O [Michelle, woman] greatly beloved understand the words that I speak to you, and stand upright, for I have now been sent to you.' While he was speaking to me, I stood trembling. [AND] Then he said to me, 'Do not be afraid, [Michelle], for from the first day you set your heart to understand, and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard and I have come in response to your words.'"

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So I stood up trembling in the revelation and presence of God. He was there - His presence thick and palpable. His love so sweet among us as our voices were lifted up to heaven. He was among us and we were basking in His glory.

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After worship, Pastor Robert Morris, our beloved pastor at Gateway, took the platform and delivered a message on John 9. He covered the entire chapter highlighting the ways that our response to God's activity in our lives can prevent us from having an "And Then..." moment.

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Here are Seven "Blockages" to "And Then" moments:

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1. Blame (John 9:1-5) The disciples' question Jesus about the cause of a man born blind. Because they were more focused on the "how" to the man being born blind rather than the "who" the man born blind was... They missed a great opportunity to have an "And Then..." Moment. They wanted to know who was wrong, not how God was going to take care of the man who was afflicted. BEST QUOTE: If you always need to assign blame to something or someone, you have an issue with pride. (Even if you are always blaming yourself.) If you are always looking to assign blame you will miss your "And then" moments with God.

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2. Disobedience (John 9:6) What if the man who was blind had not received Jesus' instructions when he placed the mud on his eyes? QUOTE QUESTION: What's the last thing God told you to do? Have you done it?

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3. Religion (John 9:13) Jesus healed on the Sabbath. The Pharisees were more concerned with the keeping of a religious law than the physical condition of the man who had been healed. One of the things I got here was this: "My ideas and traditions that I use to define any spiritual activity that engages God in relationship is religion." QUOTE: Religion refuses to see. (John 9:15)

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4. Unbelief (John 9:18) Unbelief always demands evidence. He stated that sometimes our need to know... to dot every "i" and cross every "t" and receive explanation and understanding will keep us from accepting the miracles God brings into our lives. He quoted Acts 26:8 "Why should it be though by you that it is incredible God raises the dead?" QUOTE; Why can't I accept a miracle?

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5. Fear (John 9:22) Fear wills top you from having your "And Then" moment. Fear is an expression that lacks faith. We are commended to step out when God speaks to us. QUOTE: Our great testimonies are often born out of our greatest tests.

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6. A Hard Heart (John 9:28) When we question God's miracles --- calling what God does evil, we are really refusing to believe and receive from God. He quoted "Hope Deferred Makes the Heart Sick." The Pharisees were so hardened by their own opinions and traditions that they couldn't see God when He was standing right in front of them. QUOTE: A hard heart can happen slowly or over time a little niggling away at your faith through testing and trials, or it can come suddenly through tragedy. (In tragedy if we find ourselves blaming God, we are walking into a trap of the enemy. "Satan always questions and blames God.")

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7. Pride (John 9:35) Jesus was telling the Pharisees here - if you would just recognize and admit that you need me, I'd remove your sin. But, since you do what you do without need of me, your sin remains on you. They had unteachable hearts. (John 9:38 was the And Then moment.)

ANYTHING CAN BE USED BY GOD TO PRODUCE AN "AND THEN" MOMENT! Look for them.

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Oh, and when we walked out into the hall after the service... The Atmosphere had totally changed. There were candles lighting the way to the fellowship area where desserts were being served and friends were gathering together. The mood had gone from festive to intimate in a matter of 24 hours. Before the conference began God told me to watch for a "Light Show" and for "the Atmosphere" to change. WOW!

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Are you worn out? I am... I will share the final part of this story a little later. Be Blessed sweet friends... Be Blessed!