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.

Thoughts…

Just some thoughts to share at the end of this cold day in Jersey:

• Skirts. I really like those. I have this sudden urge to want to buy some.
• Laura Hackett’s new single There’s A Gap is beauuuutiful, get on that for sure 8) Her full album comes out November 2nd it’s gonna be good times for sure. Yay looooraaa hackIItt! [insert high british accent much Elizabeth Bennet's mother's ]
• I want to be more sincere with customers I talk to at Old Navy.
• Heard Christopher Raspberry (aka Cory Asbury) was dance-partyin’ it up tonight and I miss those times, they are epic in their freedom 8)
• I had a precious moment with my dad tonight! He umpires for the little ones still (can never get him away from those little league fields) and he was telling me how sometimes when he sees these little 6/7 year old girls, he sees me. He sees me in their batter stance and such. So cute. This was the killer, he said this with a smile and a laugh, “and sometimes when they come up to bat I have to try not to play favoritism.” Presh. Something about that little moment just warmed my heart so much, almost makes me want to cry to be honest. I could totally feel the warmth in my dad’s heart towards me as his little girl and it’s beautiful. And then! He goes on to tell me how he’ll never forget when I was about 9 or 10 years old and won the championship game for my team. I had him re-explain it because to me I never thought it was a big deal, I hit the ball and ran and didn’t really see how awesome of a moment it was. It was so cute to hear my dad explain it and get all excited. That was almost 10 years ago and he still remembers it like it was yesterday, oh the beauty of a father’s heart. It’s like I got to see a deeper part of my dad’s heart towards me that I never really did before. And I also got some pretty sweet Father heart revelations as well which I’ll let you see for yourself
• Moving on…I would kind of like to go one day without hearing about “the swine.” There was no talk of the swine flu out in Missouri and it’s all over the place here. All I’m sayin is…I ain’t gettin no swine.
• Just been thinking a lot lately about king David, but shepherd boy king David. I’m just like, “man, what kind of encounters with the heart of God did David have as a little unseen shepherd boy on those fields?” I’m just so fascinated lately about those hidden years with the Lord that David had. I remember when Vanessa told me that she wanted to call The Pursuit “David’s Field” first and I still absolutely looooooove that name and all the implications of it. It’s the place of gazing upon the beauty of the Lord; the place of encounter with God in the secret place. David’s Field. Beautiful.
• I really like just being able to “be.” The Lord brought that reality to my heart so much through these last 3 months and being at IHOP. It’s so liberating. As we begin to see who He really is and His affections towards us, we begin to love ourselves in the midst of it and I’ve been really enjoying the beautiful woman of “Brittany” that I am and wanting to more My beloved roomate Courtney has this beauutiful song (as all of them are:)) that touches on this too and I love listening to it so much for that. At one point in the song she goes “If we all just were/If we all just were/Maybe we’d stop/Maybe we’d stop/Stop tryin’ so hard” Ah I love it! Yay Courtney! I love how she actually calls us to that place of just “being,” with ourselves and with others. She causes us to stop and realize, “hey if we could all just “be” and accept and truly and sincerely love ourselves, we’d stop trying to be everything we’re not and not meant to be.” Whenever I hear that part it makes me go, “yeah dude that’s just straight up right.” It brings me back to that place of “being” that Jesus so desires us to live in. And the best part is…it’s found in Him Acts 11:28 – “For in Him we live and move and have our being…” Ah! So cool! I just got that right now, yay Holy Spirit ! I looooove that I find that place of being in Him! Good times dude, always 8)

That is all for now. I’ll leave you with some more lyrics from Courtney because I love and miss her so. I was looking through the notes I have in my phone and came across these lyrics that I jotted down when we were listening to Court’s CD from her support-raising concert thinger. I think she said that she asked the Lord for a song about Him or something of the like, you’ll have to correct me Courtney if I’m wrong, and well…He gave her one that was totally a song from His heart and it’s beautiful. I can’t remember any of the other words, these were the only ones I took down, they hit me hardcore when I first heard ‘em, thank You Jesus Yay for songs that erupt from the heart of the Lord into your soul and into the hearts of His people Courtney !

“You keep asking and waiting

If you could only fall in love

But I say, ‘Fall in love with Me.’”

Give it up for the pre-wild

Before I came back to Jersey I had a talk with my lovely roomate Dora about what we felt like we were going back into when we were going home. And basically we came to a similiar conclusion for both of us…it’s time for the wilderness. She was going to the “wild” (short for wilderness) and I was going into the “pre-wild.” The only reason I think I called it a “pre-wild” though was because I didn’t think it was going to be super long, didn’t expect to be in Jersey for a long time, no major year-age going on in the wilderness. But in reality, who am I to say it couldn’t be longer? I have no clue but I guess we’ll find out.

As much as I would have loved to say at IHOP, I knew before I left that coming back here was the best thing for my heart. I probably never thought that I would say that but it’s true. All I know is that something has to get grounded in my heart, something has to happen with my relationship with Jesus that can only happen in this context at this time in my life and I can’t go back there until whatever that “something” is happens. As much as IHOP will always be a home for me, I gotta get to know Him as my home first and foremost. It’s so easy to be all “blaaaahh the wildernessssssss” but in reality, the truth that I have to keep speaking over myself is that it’s a beautiful and glorious gift and as “blaaah” as I may get, I know it’s exactly what I need.

So after being home for two weeks and sorting through all the frustrations and what not, I really have come to a place of knowing that this is right where the Lord wants me and I’m not gonna lack anything, even here. Buuut I wouldn’t go as far as to say that I’m excited about being home lol  Let’s just say the Lord has some stuff to shift in my heart if I end up being here for more than a year. So You gotta help me out here Dude, hardcore. And the best part is that He will. I love that He loves to teach me and He’s not gonna leave me hanging. All I have to do is admit that I need help, ask Him, and He’s on it, I so love that about Him. His faithfulness and the way He deals with our hearts blows my mind.

So as Dora says to me again and again, “Give it up for the pre-wild!”

I’ll leave ya with some notes and quotes that I took down from Bob Sorge. He was in Jersey this past Sunday and had some awesome things to say. Enjoy

• David was the only one quoted by Jesus on the cross
• “What kind of journey do you have to walk to be someone that Jesus quotes?” (this blew my mind, Jesus used David’s words as His own on the cross, it just hit me how much of a friend of God David was, he really did connect with the heart of God, it’s like you can’t tell where David ends and the Lord begins sometimes…it’s being one with Him)
• Hebrew 10:19 – have boldness to enter the Holiest by the blood of Jesus = instant intimacy
• What’s the holiest place in the universe? The bosom of the Father
• Holiness is about where you are, you become a holy one not because of who you are (what you do and all that) but because of where you are.
• “He didn’t die for you to visit the throne room. He died for you to live in the throne room.”