Update. Sorta.

I was looking through the notes in my phone recently and found this list of random things that I learned (or re-learned in some cases) along the road trip that I wanted to share just for fun

• Madison is the capital of Wisconsin
• Pierre is the capital of South Dakota
• You have to be 21 in order to book a room at a hotel.
• The name “Cooper” means one who makes barrels.
• This country is mostly open land and fields.
• The Northern Midwest has a lot of corn. And hay.
• There are so many people in this country.

Well, I’ve officially been here for a month as of yesterday. Crazy. It’s been good times. The Lord’s really doing a lot of stuff in my heart, I think mostly stuff that I’m not even aware of too. It’s been really sweet just getting more familiar with Ellensburg. It is such a pleasant town. As Jenna and I were running around downtown to do some errands I was telling her how I love how there are so many stores that are local businesses and only found in Ellensburg. I love seeing the little things that make this place unique.

One thing that is definitely a big deal in Ellensburg is this huge county fair they have the first week of September. I’ll actually be missing it which is a slight bummer cause everyone’s been saying how great it is. Buuuut, part of the fair is that they have people enter art, food, livestock and whatnot and you get money just for entering stuff in! Doesn’t cost anything to put something in the fair and no matter what you will get a check of some quantity at the end. Sometimes you might only get a couple bucks for something but that’s better than nothing in my book! So I totally entered some of my art in and a couple shirts. This is such an answer to prayer (and a quick one I might add) as well because I’m really wanting to be able to use my art more as an outlet to touch people and also to be able to support myself some. Even if it’s just a couple bucks that I get from it, who knows what could happen as a result . Prayers for my art stuff are greatly appreciated, open doors and financial-ness, all that jazz.

On another side note, I feel like one facet of me being here has something to do with a house of prayer in Ellensburg. Don’t really have any more details than that. That could really look like anything. It could be just releasing the vision, actually being a part of it getting started or who knows what. I’m not trying to figure stuff out so I’ll just keep following Mr. Lamb wherever He goes .

Oh and by the way, the church that I’m a part of here now, Wellspring Christian Fellowship, is awesome. They are just so sensitive to the Spirit and the Lord’s leading it’s beautiful. A lot of freedom and peace, totally feels like a family as well. Just precious, you guys back in the NJ would really love it.

One more thing, I’m going to Kansas City in less than two weeks! One of my roommates from FITN is getting married and then I’ll just be chilling there for a couple days. I’ll be switching to NightWatch as well 8) . Like always this is incredibly timely of the Lord. I keep thinking of this verse in Proverbs that says, “even the events that seem accidental are really ordered by Him.” IHOP for me is definitely my hive where I get rest and refreshed and it’s funny how I can feel when it’s time to get back there so thank ya Lord. I’m really excited about what He has in store during that time

Okay, TTFN.

A Rejoicing Artist!

Guess what I fouuunddd ?!

I had a feeling this was going to happen. After figuring out that the drawings definitely had to be somewhere in my room I just kept asking Holy Spirit where they were. I found myself walking over to a shelf with a journal I had on it and thought, “Hmm, maybe I threw them in something.” And lo and behold there they were! All four of my drawings and then some. I was so happy that I did a little “thank Yaa” dance.

I have no idea why I decided to put those in the back pocket of this journal but I’m just happy that I have them now . With that I know what it means a little more personally now when Jesus talks about the other end of the parable of the lost coin.

Luke 15:8 – “And when she has found it [the lost coin] she calls her friends and neighbors together, saying, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found the piece which I lost!’ Likewise, I say to you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”

This is our Papa. Jesus said “likewise.” That means that like the woman, The FATHER called together all the heavenly hosts that stand before His presence and said REJOICE WITH ME. He celebrated us! And continues to each day. Over one. Over an individual. This isn’t just some general “party for the people who just came into the kingdom today! Wooh!” The Father desires to have a celebration for that specific individual because they  are so significant to His heart. That’s so amazing. So He had a “Brittany Zampella” celebration. I mean, even if you kinda think about it, no kid likes to share their birthday party with someone really. I know I never was really a fan of that growing up. I wanted my own special day. And yeah, maybe there was some selfishness in that lol but I still think there’s a truth there. It’s the truth that we all desire to be solely celebrated, to be the center of attention. That desire in and of itself is not wrong. What’s wrong is when we cling to the eyes of man to meet that and bank on the opinion of man for validation. That desire is supposed to drive us headlong into our heavenly Father. Because the truth is, we are the center of Someone’s attention. We are celebrated. And not by some nobody, this is the CREATOR OF THE UNIVERSE we’re talking about here. That fact that we still value the opinion of man more than that reality shows us how far we are from really understanding who He is. And I’m speaking to myself here too. The Lord has brought a mighty transformation in my heart concerning this issue, but there are still little remnants of the belief that the opinions and words of man matter more. But I know from experience that as we take the word, the scriptures that talk about who we are to Him and how He has set His love on us and meditate on them, sing them, read them, whatever, they WILL get formed into a reality in our hearts. We come to a place where one day we’re like, “Wait a minute…I actually believe this.” It’s my testimony. Don’t get me wrong, it is a process. Whether it’s a couple hour process or couple month process, a process is still a process so patience with ourselves is key. But we can find comfort in what David said here:

Psalm 51:6 – Behold, YOU desire truth in the inward parts, and in the hidden part You WILL make me no wisdom.

He wants it more than we do and it’s a promise from His word that He WILL make us know it deep on the inside

Weeelll, sorry if this post seems kinda all over the place, didn’t expect to get off here. This is definitely stuff I wanna be thinking on more. And as for my drawings? They are hanging up in my room so they will now be ever before me

Psalm 41:12 – As for me, You uphold me in my integrity, and set me before Your face forever.

A Bummed Artist

There are these four drawings that I did last year, 3 of which are my top favorites, that have completely disappeared. I’m pretty sure they were in my portfolio back in December but for the past couple months I can’t find them anywhere. I was thinking of them again tonight and decided to check my portfolio again. Isn’t it funny how we’ll go back and check the same place even though we know they’re not gonna be there? Needless to say I checked my portfolio another two times tonight only to have a double wammy of disappointment.

I really am bummed and sad. As I was sitting on my bed wondering where they could have gone I was reminded of what Jesus said in the parables of the lost sheep and the lost coin. It’s like I’m getting a little taste of what He feels. He’s the ultimate artist right? Which makes us His creation, His masterpiece, His unique work of art. As minute as this might seem, I really am identifying with a side of His heart. As an artist, I really am sad that I don’t have my drawings right now. I have pictures of them and can still look at them but it’s not the same. There’s something about an artist having the original copy.

He really feels emotion when we’re not with Him. Before we are reconciled to Him through Jesus, He really was sad and bummed that His kids couldn’t be with Him. The only difference here is that while I don’t know where my pieces are, He always knew where I was before I came to Him. I was the one who strayed away from Him. It’d be like I just made these drawings and as soon as I was done they grew little legs and up and left me. Silly, but the reality of what we do before we receive salvation.

I still really hope my drawings turn up though. Cool revelations yes, but I’m still bummed.

This is rocking my artistic WORLD!

Hilarious. I don’t blog for weeks and now I can’t help but do one almost every day. I just gotta share this stuff though !

Okay so I was watching the archive of Bill Johnson speaking at IHOP during the Awakening. And number one, y’all need to get on that. I’m gonna be chewing on the stuff he said for a long time. Gotta love BillyJ 8). Anywho, He began talking about the healing rooms at Bethel and he mentioned how they have people paint while the healing rooms are going on as well as the worship and all that stuff. He was talking about releasing the power of the Holy Spirit and all that stuff too and goes on to say this…

” There’s an interesting thing about creative expression, whether it’s painting, drama, doesn’t matter what it is. Anytime your creativity functions out of an encounter with God, your creative expression can bring others into that same encounter. When it comes out of your encounter with God, something happens where there is a grace on that artistic expression that can draw the observer into the same experience. Creativity is an expression of wisdom, study Proverbs 8.”

Yeaaaah. Have fun chewin’ on that one! This is just rocking my world when I think about my art now. I sooooooo want this. As I was journaling about this with the Lord, I just typed out, “Bring me to that place of creating with You from a place of covenant communion.” Well in the words of Kris Vallotton, that’s a good word right there! For reals, the Lord’s really teaching me such cool stuff about creating. I mean, He is the Creator and all so that makes sense. But this is the way the Lord intended it to be, that’s how HE created. Everything He created was from the place of love, intimacy, and communion within the Godhead. Everything came out of that. All things were made through the One who IS love after all! John 1:1-3.

This same point is illustrated in the way a child is created too. His intention was for children to be created from a place of covenant communion between a husband and a wife. In his book Purity: A New Moral Revolution, Kris Vallotton talks about how in Genesis 4:1-2 it says that Adam “knew” Eve and that she conceived and Cain and Abel were born. Here’s an excerpt from his explanation:

“The hebrew word for “knew” is yada. It doesn’t mean that Adam had sex with Eve (the Bible assumes that you know that without being told); it means that Cain and Abel were conceived [or created] out of a deep personal relationship between Adam and Eve” (emphasis & brackets mine)

That to me is such a beautiful picture of creating with God. He desires things to be created out of covenant. I think it’s one of those “principle of the kingdom” things. Like, when there is deep communion, intimacy, yada…it’s inevitable for something to be created. Wow, it’s how things are created within us! I’m mostly talking about art right here but it’s the same process the Lord uses to create us and birth things within us! It’s from that place of intimacy that we are changed into His image after all! So cool!

Here’s my question now: “What will happen, what kind of art work and demonstrations of creativity will come forth as a generation begins to enter into that place of fellowship and communion with God in such a way that life is brought forth through the very things they create?”

I’m gonna find out

Oh! I have to tell this story that Bill shared to illustrate his point in that quote. After he says that he goes into this story of a woman who came to their healing rooms who had a stage four cancerous tumor in her brain. That day, one of their painters had just finished painting the word “HOPE.” That’s all it said. Hope. And as the lady is just looking at this painting all the sudden she starts weeping. A bunch of people come over to her right away to pray for her and she said that as she was just staring at this painting her tunnel vision left, the pressure on her brain left, and a liquid then started to flow out of her ear. She went to the doctor and was COMPLETELY HEALED! PTL!! The painting “HOPE” brought that woman into that reality, into an encounter with hope.

The Lord is just so cool 8)

Revelation 4:11 – For You created all things, and because of Your desire they existed, and were created.