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Saturday, October 20, 2012
Good Morning Girls - McAlester
So today's GMG McAlester group was a blast!! It was so great getting to know all of the ladies a little bit more! I definitely look forward to the weeks ahead with all of them!
If you are looking for the study lessons I did not get them posted at either place today. I will have to get some help.doing that so hopefully I can get them up before Monday!
Anyways this is a very short blog because it is past my bedtime and we have church in.the morning! TTYL
~Awaken Us~
Brenna Stanford
Friday, October 19, 2012
Terrified!!
Alright! I think I've figured out how I am going to handle posting, I will do it in the evenings for the next day! So here we go!
I titled this one Terrified because I don't think I can put into words just how terrified I was to start this blog. You see my husband said to me one day the most profound thing I think I have ever heard! He said "You keep waiting around for God to tell you what you want to do. Instead of figuring out what you want and heading that way and letting God help you get there." I was frustrated and stunned! I mean WHAT?!?! But, he was right.
So I began thinking about what I would want to do if I could do anything in the world. (This was a week or so after God gave me the vision for Awakening.) Then one night, again at that moment of being right on the edge of a great nights sleep I saw this stadium full of people! And I mean FULL!! I was seeing from back stage, but a zoomed up position where all I could see was the crowd. They were just there, I don't remember seeing a noticeable "life" in them. Then the position zoomed back out and I saw me on the stage speaking! Again, WHAT?!?! After that I noticed the crowd had erupted, they had been awakened! And so, the amazing dream from before became a very terrifying dream!
I fear not being good enough, or messing up! Now I know that God equips the ones He calls and that through Him all things are possible! (Mark 10:27 Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God.”) I also know that God has a way of choosing the least likely to work His miracles through. Still yet, I hate the thought of God having this great and mighty purpose for my life and me dropping the ball. I can't stand the thought of people going to Hell because I messed up somewhere and didn't say something I was supposed to or didn't do what I should have.
And so, I am terrified about this blog because it is another step on the path that God is leading me down. I guess part of me wanted God to start a blog for me and give me all of these supernatural ideas and words that will just blow everybody's mind. When really, these thought are supernatural because they are what God has birthed inside of me; questions, ideas, theories, etc. As far as God starting the blog and saying here you go Brenna, well I very wise man once told me "God will never do for you what you can do yourself". So here we are, I'm doing it! Any prayers from you all are always appreciated!
Tomorrow, or today for those of you reading Saturday, is the start of another one of those scary steps. I am leading up, along with a friend Amanda, a Good Morning Girls McAlester fall study. (If you do not know about the womenlivingwell.org or goodmorninggirls.org blogs, then I highly recommend that you check them out!) The group is their Colossians Fall Bible Study, we are starting it late due to different calendar events. This is another thing I was absolutely terrified about. It seems so silly I know, but I work with students! They don't scare me, adults... That's a whole different story! And I'm only 20, not to mention a woman, but since this is a woman's study group that one can slide. It's a little nerve wracking for me! If I look dumb in front of students, well they're students most of the time they're doing something silly or dumb anyway, no biggie. If I do something dumb in front of adults then they'll remember!! So this is a huge step for me!!
With that said, if you are around the McAlester, Ok area and are free Saturday mornings at 10:30 then you a more than welcome to come on down to Harbor Mountain and join us! If you can't be there and still want to do the study then I will be posting the lessons on the GMG McAlester Facebook page later tomorrow. Also, I will try to figure out how to post it on he too! If it doesn't show up check out the fb page: http://www.facebook.com/GMGMcAlester?ref=hl
Thank you so much for your support and prayers! I look forward to walking through this journey with you all!
~Awaken Us~
Brenna Stanford
I titled this one Terrified because I don't think I can put into words just how terrified I was to start this blog. You see my husband said to me one day the most profound thing I think I have ever heard! He said "You keep waiting around for God to tell you what you want to do. Instead of figuring out what you want and heading that way and letting God help you get there." I was frustrated and stunned! I mean WHAT?!?! But, he was right.
So I began thinking about what I would want to do if I could do anything in the world. (This was a week or so after God gave me the vision for Awakening.) Then one night, again at that moment of being right on the edge of a great nights sleep I saw this stadium full of people! And I mean FULL!! I was seeing from back stage, but a zoomed up position where all I could see was the crowd. They were just there, I don't remember seeing a noticeable "life" in them. Then the position zoomed back out and I saw me on the stage speaking! Again, WHAT?!?! After that I noticed the crowd had erupted, they had been awakened! And so, the amazing dream from before became a very terrifying dream!
I fear not being good enough, or messing up! Now I know that God equips the ones He calls and that through Him all things are possible! (Mark 10:27 Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God.”) I also know that God has a way of choosing the least likely to work His miracles through. Still yet, I hate the thought of God having this great and mighty purpose for my life and me dropping the ball. I can't stand the thought of people going to Hell because I messed up somewhere and didn't say something I was supposed to or didn't do what I should have.
And so, I am terrified about this blog because it is another step on the path that God is leading me down. I guess part of me wanted God to start a blog for me and give me all of these supernatural ideas and words that will just blow everybody's mind. When really, these thought are supernatural because they are what God has birthed inside of me; questions, ideas, theories, etc. As far as God starting the blog and saying here you go Brenna, well I very wise man once told me "God will never do for you what you can do yourself". So here we are, I'm doing it! Any prayers from you all are always appreciated!
Tomorrow, or today for those of you reading Saturday, is the start of another one of those scary steps. I am leading up, along with a friend Amanda, a Good Morning Girls McAlester fall study. (If you do not know about the womenlivingwell.org or goodmorninggirls.org blogs, then I highly recommend that you check them out!) The group is their Colossians Fall Bible Study, we are starting it late due to different calendar events. This is another thing I was absolutely terrified about. It seems so silly I know, but I work with students! They don't scare me, adults... That's a whole different story! And I'm only 20, not to mention a woman, but since this is a woman's study group that one can slide. It's a little nerve wracking for me! If I look dumb in front of students, well they're students most of the time they're doing something silly or dumb anyway, no biggie. If I do something dumb in front of adults then they'll remember!! So this is a huge step for me!!
With that said, if you are around the McAlester, Ok area and are free Saturday mornings at 10:30 then you a more than welcome to come on down to Harbor Mountain and join us! If you can't be there and still want to do the study then I will be posting the lessons on the GMG McAlester Facebook page later tomorrow. Also, I will try to figure out how to post it on he too! If it doesn't show up check out the fb page: http://www.facebook.com/GMGMcAlester?ref=hl
Thank you so much for your support and prayers! I look forward to walking through this journey with you all!
~Awaken Us~
Brenna Stanford
Why Awakening?!
One night I was laying in bed and was at that spot where you're right on the edge of falling into a good, deep sleep when I saw people as far as the eye could see. These people weren't like your imagining right now, they had stood so still for so long that the dust and dirt had formed a shell around them. At that moment I could sense God saying "These are my people, these are my sons and daughters." I knew right then that this image of people so asleep was how God saw us; you, me, all of the people claiming Christ. Over time we have gotten into such a habit of church, that church is a habit, not an experience. We are going through our days unaware of what God is needing from us and out of us. The weight of this, the sorrow and heartbreak, was unbearable!
In that moment of distress God breathed over His children. As His breath made its way across each person their rocky shell began to crack. Then it crumbled and fell away! There was a new life! They were AWAKENED! I sensed the joy and glory God felt in this moment. What is even more amazing than that, everyone began to move together in one united direction, toward one united cause! It was absolutely breathtaking, just beautiful.
Right in the middle of the celebration, once more my heart broke as I saw some of these people standing still, some had a confused look on their face, and some were even walking in the opposite direction. At this I sensed God saying "These are not the people who you think they are, these aren't the ones you've seen as indifferent or unwilling. These people, they are my leaders. They are the ones who right now claim to be doing great works in my name, but when the time comes I will change the direction of my church. I will change the way of my church, and those leaders will be unable to accept this change." My heart was mourning! The law of association, we hear someone say leader and we think about the ones who have led us. You're probably thinking about your pastors and teachers right now, I know I was. I couldn't imagine! I began to pray and cry our for my mentors and leaders. I would never want that to happen to them! I also prayed for myself, I would never want to be the one who didn't move when God said move or jump when He said jump. Are you a leader?
This dream has consumed me! More and more each day I am hearing of other people who have never heard me tell this story, or don't even know who I am, discuss an "arising" or "awakening" or a "new thing" they feel God placing on their hearts. Awaken, according to dictionary.com, means to awake, awaken; rouse, wake up. It is happening, God has already sat it in motion! My plead is that every person will respond! Every person will wake up, rise up, and move! Will you wake up? Will you be a part of the body of Christ that is making their way to the one main goal?
~Awaken Us~
Brenna Stanford
In that moment of distress God breathed over His children. As His breath made its way across each person their rocky shell began to crack. Then it crumbled and fell away! There was a new life! They were AWAKENED! I sensed the joy and glory God felt in this moment. What is even more amazing than that, everyone began to move together in one united direction, toward one united cause! It was absolutely breathtaking, just beautiful.
Right in the middle of the celebration, once more my heart broke as I saw some of these people standing still, some had a confused look on their face, and some were even walking in the opposite direction. At this I sensed God saying "These are not the people who you think they are, these aren't the ones you've seen as indifferent or unwilling. These people, they are my leaders. They are the ones who right now claim to be doing great works in my name, but when the time comes I will change the direction of my church. I will change the way of my church, and those leaders will be unable to accept this change." My heart was mourning! The law of association, we hear someone say leader and we think about the ones who have led us. You're probably thinking about your pastors and teachers right now, I know I was. I couldn't imagine! I began to pray and cry our for my mentors and leaders. I would never want that to happen to them! I also prayed for myself, I would never want to be the one who didn't move when God said move or jump when He said jump. Are you a leader?
This dream has consumed me! More and more each day I am hearing of other people who have never heard me tell this story, or don't even know who I am, discuss an "arising" or "awakening" or a "new thing" they feel God placing on their hearts. Awaken, according to dictionary.com, means to awake, awaken; rouse, wake up. It is happening, God has already sat it in motion! My plead is that every person will respond! Every person will wake up, rise up, and move! Will you wake up? Will you be a part of the body of Christ that is making their way to the one main goal?
~Awaken Us~
Brenna Stanford
Introduction to Me
Hi everyone! My name is Brenna Stanford, I am a 20 year old daughter of the King, wife, and a product of the local church, mine being Life Church in McAlester, Ok. :) This blog is a product of a calling and dream God has placed in me! Here is my story...
I was not raised in church, growing up I knew that there was a God (because everyone told me there was) and that he had a son named Jesus who died on the cross so that I can be forgiven, but I had no clue what any of that meant. I also knew that you could pray to that God if you ever needed anything and supposedly he would answer you.
In my family we had our own challenges and things that not all families go through or deal with, but it was all we knew. I am the oldest of three girls, and we were all raised together. Our parents didn't divorce until my sophomore year of high school. By then I was already rebelling and acting out. I made very dumb choices to do drugs and get involved in that crowd. I was never addicted to any substance and never had to go through any sort of rehab for it, I simply chose to do things that I knew would numb the world around me and upset my parents. You see I was the oldest, I have always been very strong willed and would do anything to prove any thought or theory I had. I also always had this feeling down in my soul that there was something more out there, that there was a greater purpose to life than what I could see in the world around me.
After a long time of rebellion and messing up every living situation I had, I ended up in a place I never wanted to be. I moved away from home and in that place I suffered many types of abuse and become so broken I did not feel like a person anymore. At that point I called home, my aunt told me that I could move back home but I had to go to church with her. She had started going to church in-between the time I moved out and made my rounds at some other places and ended up where I became broken. She told me that she wouldn't make me go to youth, but I had to go to Sunday service. Another thing about me was that from a very young age I always hung around the adults instead of the kids my age. I was too "adult" to go to youth group.
After a couple of months of sitting in those purple chairs at LC balling my eyes out while Pastor Terren read my mail I surrendered my life over to Christ. It didn't make sense to me, not logically anyway. I mean I was broken, I didn't even like myself much less love myself, and there was this pulling on my heart that was so strong it's like I could see that Jesus Pastor Terren kept talking about standing in front of me saying "I love you! Come to me, let me love you!" I couldn't deny him, I couldn't not try it out. I had nothing left to lose.
I was saved a month then I started going to Life Church's youth group, Realife. A few months after that I can remember very vividly sitting on my bed reading my Bible and just feeling this "more" in my heart. Part of me thought I was going crazy, that I was losing my mind. It was that night, in that moment that I knew God was calling me into the ministry to do his work. That feeling in my soul that I had from childhood was being fulfilled, answered. There was a world out there that I had never experienced, but with everything that was in me I wanted it, I needed it or I would lose my mind!
From there I met with my youth pastor, Pastor Chad, and we created an internship, 180 Turn. I interned over a year while working 3 jobs and attending Eastern Oklahoma State College before I got offered a job at Life Church. That was one of the best days of my life! This was not only my church, the church had become my identity. They took me in under their wings when no one else did. My family thought I was crazy and wasting time doing an internship for more than a couple months. I was asked time and time again to quit it so I could work more hours at my jobs, I just couldn't give up on it. Turn was like a baby of mine, God allowed me to be in a place where I could learn hands on the things that He needed me to do. My dream for Turn was to be like a diving board, to help other students who didn't know there was another option find that option, to help them go further in their dreams and passions! Now Turn will be entering into it's 3rd summer for these students. It has been fabulous watching it grow and develop each summer!
I now am the Associate Director of Student Ministries at Life Church. I will be married a year in November and I look forward to starting a family with my husband. God is also birthing a new dream inside of me, one we call Awakening. I look forward to telling you all that story! That's all for now!
~Be Awakened~
Brenna Stanford
I was not raised in church, growing up I knew that there was a God (because everyone told me there was) and that he had a son named Jesus who died on the cross so that I can be forgiven, but I had no clue what any of that meant. I also knew that you could pray to that God if you ever needed anything and supposedly he would answer you.
In my family we had our own challenges and things that not all families go through or deal with, but it was all we knew. I am the oldest of three girls, and we were all raised together. Our parents didn't divorce until my sophomore year of high school. By then I was already rebelling and acting out. I made very dumb choices to do drugs and get involved in that crowd. I was never addicted to any substance and never had to go through any sort of rehab for it, I simply chose to do things that I knew would numb the world around me and upset my parents. You see I was the oldest, I have always been very strong willed and would do anything to prove any thought or theory I had. I also always had this feeling down in my soul that there was something more out there, that there was a greater purpose to life than what I could see in the world around me.
After a long time of rebellion and messing up every living situation I had, I ended up in a place I never wanted to be. I moved away from home and in that place I suffered many types of abuse and become so broken I did not feel like a person anymore. At that point I called home, my aunt told me that I could move back home but I had to go to church with her. She had started going to church in-between the time I moved out and made my rounds at some other places and ended up where I became broken. She told me that she wouldn't make me go to youth, but I had to go to Sunday service. Another thing about me was that from a very young age I always hung around the adults instead of the kids my age. I was too "adult" to go to youth group.
After a couple of months of sitting in those purple chairs at LC balling my eyes out while Pastor Terren read my mail I surrendered my life over to Christ. It didn't make sense to me, not logically anyway. I mean I was broken, I didn't even like myself much less love myself, and there was this pulling on my heart that was so strong it's like I could see that Jesus Pastor Terren kept talking about standing in front of me saying "I love you! Come to me, let me love you!" I couldn't deny him, I couldn't not try it out. I had nothing left to lose.
I was saved a month then I started going to Life Church's youth group, Realife. A few months after that I can remember very vividly sitting on my bed reading my Bible and just feeling this "more" in my heart. Part of me thought I was going crazy, that I was losing my mind. It was that night, in that moment that I knew God was calling me into the ministry to do his work. That feeling in my soul that I had from childhood was being fulfilled, answered. There was a world out there that I had never experienced, but with everything that was in me I wanted it, I needed it or I would lose my mind!
From there I met with my youth pastor, Pastor Chad, and we created an internship, 180 Turn. I interned over a year while working 3 jobs and attending Eastern Oklahoma State College before I got offered a job at Life Church. That was one of the best days of my life! This was not only my church, the church had become my identity. They took me in under their wings when no one else did. My family thought I was crazy and wasting time doing an internship for more than a couple months. I was asked time and time again to quit it so I could work more hours at my jobs, I just couldn't give up on it. Turn was like a baby of mine, God allowed me to be in a place where I could learn hands on the things that He needed me to do. My dream for Turn was to be like a diving board, to help other students who didn't know there was another option find that option, to help them go further in their dreams and passions! Now Turn will be entering into it's 3rd summer for these students. It has been fabulous watching it grow and develop each summer!
I now am the Associate Director of Student Ministries at Life Church. I will be married a year in November and I look forward to starting a family with my husband. God is also birthing a new dream inside of me, one we call Awakening. I look forward to telling you all that story! That's all for now!
~Be Awakened~
Brenna Stanford
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