Taste my encounter....

I was listening to Kris Vollotan [the assistant pastor of Bethel Church] and some things he was sharing on the cd I was listening completely blew my mind and you all need your minds to be blown as well....

Did you know then anything you do...whether its painting, preaching, dancing, writing...whatever it is, whatever your gift is, if you do that thing and in the midst of doing it, you have an encounter with God, then that opens a vortex for the same encounter to happen to people who see it. Did I just hear you say "wait, what?" Let me explain. Lets say I am painting a painting. Lets say that as I am painting this painting I have an encounter with Jesus. He comes and He wrecks me with His amazing, extravagant love. Well, as I paint, I paint out of this encounter. When I am done with this painting I hang it up on a wall...maybe even in a public place. And as it is hanging, people walk by and look at it and as they look at it they begin to encounter the amazing, extravagant love of the Lord. There is something on my painting that becuase I did it out of an encounter, opens a portal for people who see my painting, to experience the same encounter I had when I painted it!!!!! Does that blow your mind or what!!???!?!?!?! It blows mind. Everything we do out of an encounter invites other people to have the same encounter. I don't know about you but that makes we want to always be in some kind of an encounter with Him so that when people see me they always have an encounter. COME ON JESUS!!!

God is so awesome. He is so amazing. If we all could just catch a small glimpse of how much He loves us then there would be absolutely no stopping us. If we knew how much He loved us then fear, doubt and unbelief would never be an issue. We would never stop to think about consequences of doing something for Him, we would never weigh the pros and cons, we would always just JUMP. I want to experience the love of God...the kind of love that you need to brace yourself for. The kind of love that changes you, really changes you forever. Thats the kind of love I want to know...the kind that after you feel it, you'l never be the same, you'll never be the same again!!!! If a handful of people knew how wide, how deep, how long His love is for use...we truly would change the world!

...

um...The Shack was amazing....and if you haven't read it...READ IT. That is all...for now. :) Well, maybe a quote from the book...just to wet your appetite...

"A birds not defined by being grounded but by his ability to fly. Remember this, humans are not defined by their limitations, but by the intentions that I have for them; not by what they seem to be, but by everything it means to be created in MY image"

100 more things...

Kaylee, you were right, this is way fun...and way easy...and i am bored so here are some more. More for my entertainment then yours but if you enjoy random facts then you will enjoy this...

1. Seeing as she inspired this whole thing I will begin my first point with a shout out to my BFF Kaylee, whom I love more than life but only wish she was living right here by me.
2. When I was five my name was written in the sky by a plane for my birthday
3. I have always lived in Seattle and never forsee myself moving elsewhere
4. I love Norman Rockwell
5. I love accoustic music...usually live sessions are the best.
6. I despise the cold
7. I have to sleep with at least three different blankets...I like to feel enclosed
8. I was a lifeguard for three years
9. I do NOT do well with blood- my whole body goes numb at the sight or even the mention
10. I have lots and lots of guy friends, only a few girl friends- trying to fix that
11. I have done a life siege at the nations capitol with Lou Engle
12. I have artwork at the Smithsonian
13. I love vans [like the shoe, not the car]
14. I have never been to Walmart
15. I love In And Out
16. I hate camping
17. I am really close with my moms family, not so much with my dad. Probably because my moms family lives by New York and on the beach and my dads family lives in redneck Washington...but don't worry I am not shallow.
18. I love tank tops
19. I love sunglasses
20. The first rated R movie I watched was Patriot.
21. I have a dog named Chase, a bunny named Lola, a bird named Kiwi and lots of fish searching for identity.
22. When I was in third grade I had a pet fly named Joe...and Ryan smashed him
23. I love dreaming
24. I love using my imagination
25. When I was a kid I sleepwalked like crazy and up until two years ago my parents had to lock me in my family camp tent to prevent me from leaving in the night
26. I couldn't sleep away from home until MCs
27. I shot a crow in MCs at the Stevies house...that was the first animal I have ever killed.
28. But I killed a lot of insects...I used to fry ants with magnifying glasses ALL the time
29. I was addicted to rollerblading
30. I wish I could sing
31. I want to write a book...fiction
32. I love babies
33. I love staying up late and sleeping in the morning...if I go to bed before nine I feel like i wasted my night, but if i wake up before 8/830 I tend to feel sick
34. SOmetimes I just like to stare
35. Big animals terrify me
36. My first dog was a black lab named Rozlyn and she would escape and somehow always manage to bring back some type of food...a can of this, a bag of pasta, a stick of butter...to this day I don't know where she got it.
37. I don't like rubbing my hands over carpet or fabric for too long
38. I love it when people play with my hair or rub my back
39. I can't stand massages...they hurt
40. I drive a truck
41. I am a pretty mean roller blader
42. I don't like baths
43. I love swimming
44. I enjoy making peoples day
45. I like remembering stuff about people that they never thought i would remember
46. I like surprising people with things...but i am not easily surprised
47. I have really blonde hair on my arms so I am frequently asked if I shave my arms
48. I love the smell of vanilla...or a really good mens cologne
49. I am not very domestic
50. I like scrapbooking
51. The only soda I will drink is Coke or Vanilla Coke...get everything else away from me
52. I do not like pizza on the west coast...give me a peice of New Jersey boardwalk pizza anyday
53. And yes, that is "soda" not "pop" and most definitely NOT "soda-pop"
54. I love finding new coffee shopes and will never get tired of searching for them
55. I take a really REALLY long time to drink anything....and if i drink something it needs to be in small quantites
56. I hate getting ready....so i have it down to an art, I can get ready in twenty minutes...max
57. I don't like camping...have I mentioned that already?? Well I dont
58. I have always wanted to live in a penthouse in New York...but who hasnt?
59. I saw Phantom of the Opera on Broadway
60. I am a huge procrastinator...its a problem
61. I love to read fiction
62. I love macaroni and cheese
63. I love blues
64. I love the smell of vanilla...its nummy
65. I went to Mrs. Jarvis for preschool. We ate vanilla wafers and bananas everyday for snack. I am still obsessed with vanilla wafers, but i strongly dislike bananas
66. Some people say I look like Uma Thurman, some people say I look like Cameron Diaz. I dont agree with any of them.
65. I used to play piano in worship band
66. But now I am not musically inclined at all
67. I played imaginary games everyday
68. Sometimes, when I can't sleep, I re-enact an entire soccer game in my head
69. Me and my brother were lego masters
70. I hate being the center of attention
71. I love laughing...but don't like my laugh
72. I want all my kids to play sports
73. I twitch uncontrollably when I am trying to go to sleep
74. I love watermelon sour patch kids
75. 4th of July is my favorite holiday...followed closely by Columbus Day...lol, jk
76. I first started painting a year and a half ago
77. I have been drawing since kindergarden
78. I love worship songs with hand motions
79. I like wearing white...but I ALWAYS spill something
80. I used to sit on my roof for hours when I was a kid, just day dreaming
81. I always thought a woman got pregnant when she kissed someone for the first time
82. So I never wanted to kiss anyone
83. I can't stand to be around flirtatious people
84. Or people who ask silly questions ALL the time
85. I love the sun...warm sun
86. I have a book written about me. Its called "Happy Birthday Morgan" and my Papa did it for me on my fifth birthday.
87. I like hats...especially trucker hats
88. I want to be on an adult indoor soccer team and a softball team
89. I worked in a daycare
90. The first time I was ever "asked out" was by the captain of the Woodinville Football team who I worked with at the daycare. His name was Cory and was actually really cute...but I turned him down. Now he is about to be drafted into the NFL.
91. I should be wearing glasses
92. I have WAY more guy friends then girl friends...and thats the way its always been
93. I love thai food
94. I never want to "grow up"
95. My favorite scripture is Psalms 24.18 "Who may ascend the hill of the Lord? He who has clean hands and a pure heart...."
96. I once read the entire Bible in a month...I was betting someone I could
97. I love coke in a bottle
98. I have always wanted to be on Amazing Race
99. I can't wait to see what life is going to be like five years from now
100. I love the life I live

Some new revelations...

The other night at Revival Culture prayer the Lord wasdownloading into my spirit some major revelation on Revival itself. I realized how often I pray for revival but don't really expect it to come. I often expect it to come in someone elses life, or after I am dead, or in five years, or at the very least tomorrow. But what is stopping revival from coming NOW? I think a lot of the reason revival doesn't sweep us up in this moment is because we don't actually believe it will or that it could. We have so much unbelief and doubt. Revival is a great thought, it even makes for a great prayer- but when it comes to actually seeing revival, I will be honest, I don't believe it can happen tonight. But I have been coming to a place where if God wants to move right now, in this very moment...then I want to be on His side. I want to believe that God is big enough to use me in everyday life, you know? Even on those days when I am not having a great day. I want to believe that God could turn a nation, even if we have a hardcore liberal for a president. I want to believe that all of my dreams will come true because His promises are yes and amen. I think too many people hold a grudge against God for not fulfilling certain promises to them, but really those people didn't ever believe He was good enough to fulfill those promises. What would our world look like if everyone, even just a small handful, believed in the power of their belief. If faith as small as a mustard seed can move a mountain, I must have a pretty small amount of faith, because I don't even believe I could move that piece of sand. God I believe...help my unbelief!!

Copying Kaylee....100 things!

100 Things

1. My name is Morgan Elizabeth Gilbert
2. I am named after my great grandma, Elizabeth- it means "Consecrated to God"
3. One of my daughters will have Elizabeth as her middle name
4. I currently live in Woodinville WA
5. I have been to New Jersey over 18 times
6. I LOVE the beach...if I wasn't so connected where I am there would be nothing keeping me from living there permanently
7. I am a definite city girl...wide open spaces intimidate me, except the beach of course :)
8. I like summer best but I like winter during Red Cup season though at the Bucks
9. I work at Starbucks
10. I have a huge issue when it comes to receiving things from people...I like blessing people more :)
11. I have a lot of awesome friends but a few GREAT friends!
12. I love ministering to youth...especially girls and would waste my life to see freedom in others
13. I am a youth leader in my youth group
14. I love painting! Especially prophetic painting.
15. I love to doodle...Everything I have is doodled on in some way or another
16. I love kids books...my favorite is The Princess and the Kiss
17. I love Jesus!
18. I go to Red Robins at least once a week....because burgers, fries and milkshakes are my favorite food
19. I love one on one time with people...big groups make me nervous
20. I love hot brownies and vanilla ice cream
21. I am addicted to team sports
22. I played soccer for four years, basketball for three and I LOVE volleyball
23. I don't like excercising...except for when I am playing a sport
24. I was a lifeguard for three years
25. I love washing cars in the summer
26. I hate cleaning
27. I love wearing casual clothes...i dress like i want to be on the beach
28. Flip flops are the best thing ever invented
29. I like to dress up...but only for really special occasions
30. I have blue/gray/green eyes- they change depending on what I am wearing
31. I have blonde hair...but yes it is fake. My natural color is brown
32. I am 5' 6" - I don't like wearing high heels because I feel to tall
33. I love going on long drives
34. I almost got hit by a train for my first accident
35. I have been to Italy and I fell into a canal in Venice
36. I will own my own coffee shop one day
37. I love acoustic music
38. I like cheesy movies...
39. I have to sleep with noise and a night light...but I am not scared of the dark
40. I do not sleep well at night so I usually sleep until 10
41. When I was little I used to want to be an artist or a motorcyclye repairman
42. Now I just want to be an artist
43. I love to read fiction...Ted Dekker is my favorite. I have read Blessed Child like 20 times
44. I don't like to show emotion in real life...but I cry in almost every sad part in most movies
45. I am a very visual person
46. I like hugs
47. I love 24, LOST, Heroes, Hannah Montana and Extreme Makeover
48. My ideal night is a few of my best girl friends, a couch, ice cream and a good movie [kaylee...i could use you not to be in ND anymore for this :)]
49. I went to Christ Church Academy and I went from K - 12 with basically the same 10 people...and I love them
50. I was a student in the Masters Commission from 2005-2006
51. I was an extern in the Masters Commission from 2006-2007
52. I LOVE the Masters Commission
53. I have to have a snack before I go to bed
54. When I was seven I stole a pack of gum from every big convenient store
55. I want a tatoo but I will probably never have one
56. Most of my closest friends live in different states
57. I love rainy Sundays
58. I am the only girl out of five kids
59. I am my grandpas favorite as I was his first grandkid and his only grandaughter
60. I hate homework
61. I bite my fingernails but I really want to stop
62. Fiction, art and movies speak to my spirit more than a self-help book or a good message
63. I want to paint a picture that can change the world
64. I want to teach other people to believe they could paint a picture that can change the world
65. I love ministering to hearts
66. I love seeing miracles
65. I like to dance in awkward situations
66. I like to sing but it does not sound good
67. I like listening to Hawk Nelson when its sunny outside
68. I love finding awesome coffee shops
69. I love downtown Kirkland
70. When I was a kid I was a "tomboy"
71. I could make a fort better than all of the boys in my neighborhood
72. We all got pocket knives when we turned ten
73.I like to talk in weird voices
74. I hate cooking...I have burned water
75. I don't like vegetables
76. But I love Brussel Sprouts
77. If I don't talk to my mom everyday I feel icky
78. I like putting sour patch kids in buttery popcorn
79. I love movies
80. I have lots of nicknames: Morgue, Morgy, Mo, Mo-G, Lizzie, Liz, Morgs, Shmorgesborg, Smores, Rev, Sissy...and I answer to more than just that
81. I like staring into nothingness
82. Sometimes I pretend I am CIA
83. I am a very independent person and if I don't have more than an hour to myself everyday i kinda freak out
84. I need coffee everyday
85. I have to eat small quantities of food abot ever hour or I get really sick
86. SOmetimes I can't tell the difference between blue and black
87. I love randomness
88. I want to play the guitar
89. I want to love and be loved
90. I love flying but I am afraid of heights
91. I would rather a million people walk all over me than one person walk all over you
92. I am scared to give my heart away but when I do its for real
93. I want to spoil all my friends kids
94. I never want my kids to know when I have a hard day
95. I love my brothers and often wonder what it would be like to have a sister
96. I like to see people smile
97. I want to get married on a beach...but will settle for having a reception there
98. I love America and would rather go to New Jersey on the beach than anywhere in Europe
99. I want to leave an impact on this world
100. I want to do the will of God in my generation