Transforming Love

^{Psalm 91:9-13}

⁹ If you say, “The LORD is my refuge,”
   and you make the Most High your dwelling,
¹⁰ no harm will overtake you,
   no disaster will come near your tent.
¹¹ For he will command his angels concerning you
   to guard you in all your ways;
¹² they will lift you up in their hands,
   so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.
¹³ You will tread on the lion and the cobra;
   you will trample the great lion and the serpent. 

This passage has been especially powerful to me lately. This was one of the most important passages to me when I was going through all I did as a teenager and it played a HUGE role in my ability to hope and trust in God to save me. It was sooo awesome to share it with so many hurting girls this past weekend at Bella Girls' Getaway camp and see them experience the freedom that comes from resting in God's hands!

It has been a busy couple of weeks! But I'll try to fill you in on as much as I can.

Me and some of the girls at camp

The spiritual climate is intense, but God is prevailing. I went to Girls' Getaway this past weekend. This camp is designed to bring the girls who participate in Shine in the school system away to an environment where relationship can be developed and the love and freedom found in Jesus can be proclaimed. We had about 30 girls, most all of whom are unsaved and come from lives of abuse, oppression, self-harm, suicide attempts, and more. On Saturday morning God gave me the privilege to share my testimony of  anorexia, depression, and suicide attempt and how God radically and fully healed me body, soul, and spirit. The response was huge!! Nothing to my credit at all, but I have never felt the Holy Spirit speaking so clearly and confidently out of me before. Many say it was the turning point in camp... One of the most powerful times is when they get Christian men from the city to come and speak a "fathers blessing" over each individual girl . The men get the names of 2 or 3 girls the week before to pray over and seek God over, and then on the final day they just love them and bless them. Many of the girls have never heard anything positive, let alone a blessing full of love, from a man. Its just huge! In the end about 10-12 girls accepted Jesus. There is one girl in particular who was on high suicide watch and was struggling with anorexia who found hope and healing in the love of Jesus through my testimony. She was radically radically transformed!! Praise God for his overwhelming love, grace, and mercy!!! Thank you all for your prayers for me and the girls. After the weekend I became pretty sick...along with about 3 or 4 of the other leaders! Satan did NOT like all that went on, but it was so worth it :) 

After receiving her "father" blessing

Jonathan went to help lead a group called "The Base" this past weekend while I was at camp. "The Base" is a youth group type setting for children and teens that are primarily on the streets and not plugged into a church. It's a totally different environment from the  normal "youth group," but one we are pretty comfortable with :) It was fun for him to go and be a "father" to the kids who have no earthly fathers. Just teaching a little boy a card game and holding him and spinning him around can do so much more for that child to show him the love of our daddy God than we could ever imagine. We are going to help "The Base" set up a website in the next couple weeks. God has really allowed us to use different giftings here and there to help people. I know that our administrative gifts have DEFINITELY been stretched. 

We are going "full on" with Easterfest. Stress is rising in that office as things get closer and closer. Easterfest City has DOUBLED its venues, artists, and church participants (check out more about EF City at www.easterfestcity.com). This means there will be artists all over the city, in bars and pubs too, worshiping on Easter Sunday morning. How cool!! Jonathan has done such an excellent job working to make this year's EF the biggest and best yet, and I'm so proud of him. More than that though, he is really being a light of God's peace, joy, and faith there... kind of like the eye in the middle of the storm.

Jonathan had his 22nd b'day this week. (I'll put up a pic tonight!) The EF office blessed him with the dessert of choice here, apple crumble cheesecake from "The Cheesecake Lady"...yummmm.... It was fun for him to celebrate his b'day BEFORE his twin brother for the first time in his life, thanks to the time difference. We hope to sneak away for a picnic or something together soon...that is if our schedule calms any :-). We get to go to dinner out in Oakey (the Moundville of the area) with a sweet sweet pastor we met through the Christian Leaders Network. This is the second pastor outside of Toowoomba City Church we have been able to fellowship with. It is such a blessing to fellowship and encourage each other in the faith.

I got to go to a group last night called "Ladies in Waiting." This is a group for women who are experiencing infertility to pray together, support one another, and rally each others' faith. It was so amazing to lay my hands on wombs and pray LIFE into them! When Pam was here last year, one of the ladies conceived the week that she prayed for her! I'm believing that for the women I prayed for as well. Our God is a God of healing. 

As we are now in the second half of our stay, we are really seeking God about any changes he wants us to make once we return home. We want make sure we are placing all of our time and energy into propelling God's kingdom, whatever that means for us. Please be in prayer as we seek God for vision and clarity to this regard. We trust His leading and will continue to be servants until he raises us up to whatever He has for us next.

Sorry so long, but I had a lot to catch you up on. We love you all and miss you all greatly. This has been a slightly "home-sick" week for me personally, but its exciting to see the harvest here. Can't wait to dive back into the harvest at home too. 

Many blessings,

Jono and Mel 

Fruit is Good!!

OUR GOD IS A GOD OF VICTORY!!! Oh praise God that there is nothing within us that can do any good outside of the grace of God. How freeing is it to know that nothing rests on our ability or our leadership, our words, or our desires even...its all God's grace, which is more that enough for ALL people and for ALL sin. Our God won the victory and continues to fight for us (exodus 14:14). We don't have to be discouraged anymore. We don't have to be stressed anymore. Our God has performed a beautiful exchange of our depravity for His victory. 

LifeGen Youth Group we help lead

We saw God's grace in action this past week when one of the youth here accepted Christ!! Jonathan had the opportunity to lead a small group, and this youth was in His group. Little did Jonathan know that his powerful expression of the love of Jesus to this kid planted such a seed that would bear fruit so quick! How exciting :) We had a powerful night of prayer and worship last Sunday night as well. We definitely saw fruit as we laid hands and prayed over/with our bros and sis's in Christ. Many were released from bondage as they moved more fully into the powerful grace of God. We've actually had many awesome times of prayer this week...with groups our age, youth, and individuals, where we have felt the power of God so strongly.

The night J shared with the kid who accepted Jesus :)

One of the most powerful times of this past week was when a prophet from South Africa came and gave the Word of the Lord to the TCC staff (us included). He shared that God is moving us into a new season where we must progressively be taking territory for Jesus. The world is definitely a battle field right now. God gave Him the story of Abraham, how Abraham received fresh visitation from God and moved to new places on his journey with God. Each time he moved, he set up an alter of worship and declaration that that place was now God's. Abraham was actively taking territory for God to be able to access His people. Each of those alters continued on to be powerful places of God's access to His people (like Bethel - where Jacob received his dream and Elisha later called fire from heaven). We must be seeking God for fresh visitation and instruction, moving, and claiming territory for God! The battle lines in the spiritual realm are being drawn..... He also spoke a very affirming and specific word of Jonathan and I that assured us we are RIGHT where God wants us. Just like Elisha before the mantle was passed, we are in a time of servanthood, impartation, and acting in obedience until God releases us and raises us up into the specific purpose He has for us.

I also had an opportunity to share with a group of beautiful young women about how powerfully we can and should encounter God in scripture. I shared three things that God has revealed to me about His word throughout my journey, specifically when I was in the pit of depression and other issues as a teen. First, God's Word is not just a tool, IT IS THE LIVING BREATHING WORD. "In the beginning was the word, and the word became flesh (Jesus)." The Word is another expression of God to us. When you open it, it is like God breathing on you. How is your relationship with scripture?? Second, the Bible is our ultimate weapon against the enemy. Revelation tells us that Satan is defeated by the word of our testimony, and the Bible is one huge testimony of God's victory. Finally, the Bible is our ultimate place of Refuge. I shared several scriptures that sustained my life during my pain as a teen (Psalm 91, Rom. 8:26-27, Psalm 119:47-50). Man did God show up! God was giving such fresh revelation of His word and new hungers to know Him intimately through it! It has nothing in the world to do with me, but seeing God's fruit come when his name is proclaimed just makes me excited :) 

Standing over Brisbane

Sorry this is so long, but it has been a full full full week! This week will be the same. This coming weekend I will be going to "Girl's Getaway Camp", which is a camp for girls that City Women reach out to. I will get to share my testimony with about 25 8th grade girls as well as be a leader...I'm expecting great things. Please pray for me to have divine appointments with hurting and desperate girls who need to feel the touch of life from their true Father. Most of these girls have experiences abuse, depression, suicidal thoughts, and more. God just wants them to know they are beautiful, values, and loved. I get to be a vessel for that.

Blessings on you all! 

Jono and Mel (our Aussie names)

The Grace of God

Galatians 2:19-21


 ¹⁹ “For through the law I died to the law so that I might live for God. ²⁰ I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. ²¹ I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing!”


We have been getting involved in Life Gen leadership on Friday nights and having a blast. It is kinda bringing back old memories from leading TLC Uth Groop back home. No matter what I do It is nothing but the grace of God that can save people. Thank you Jesus for removing that burden of my back. Now that I understand that lets go have some fun, climb table top mountain, mens camp, crows nest falls? maybe. 


I am having a blast and here is what got from mens camp. Have you ever slept in a swag? No Leemar, not the way that I walk I'm talking about a on person tent with a small amount of padding on the bottom. I now know how to use a GPS to navigate the bush of QLD Australia, and I have driven a small boat around Pindari Dam. While on the boats we got to go cliff diving, bouldering, and ply tag with the boats. 


Adam Grant gave two man talks, one on Saturday morn and the other on Sunday morn. The first talk was about the divine order of men taking responsibility. Ever since the garden men have been shifting blame onto someone else. He said we need to take responsibility for our physical health, our past, spirit man, and our purity. Concerning all of those the quote, "I did not feel like doing it but I knew it was good for me" I don't feel like taking a walk, reading my bible, forgiving others, or denying my flesh but I knew God would bless me for it. Second talk was about marriage and how men need to be able to cry and say I love you.........uh well something like that :) What he really said is that we need to love our families not just by providing but by being there physically and emotionally. Be the leader, Be the MAN of the house. Adam talked about what that looks like in a world where the father is either absent or portrayed as week. I love my wife as Christ loves his church giving himself unto her so that she can be made whole. Thank you Jesus for doing that for me.


To wrap things up we just had God bless Easterfest with ticket sales beyond any of our bets....I mean imaginations ;) Thank you lord for caring for us in ways we can't even imagine. Men, go be men and love like Christ and with the fathers heart. Woman, love us through our mistakes and maybe we can make it through till tomorrow. 


Peace out, Jonathan