Use this video based prayer format to spend some quality time with God. Prayer inspiration comes from scripture. Follow the prompts, pause where you want more time. Share the ministry! Follow on Facebook for interactive content via Facebook Live sessions!
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Starting in 3rd week of November, Into the Waters will hold Facebook Live interactive prayer sessions! If you are on Facebook, would you please participate in this 4 question survey? It will help target some good times and day(s) of the week. Thank you so much! Please like our Facebook page to stay connected to Facebook Live events! Do you know how to wait in God’s presence for His life and promises to renew you? In the last couple of prayer meditation events, I started the group in a prayer exercise to consider if a lot of their energy is striving for something. In prayer, with God’s help we considered the question of a young man who asked Jesus, “What good thing must I do to get eternal life?” The key words were, “What GOOD THING must I DO to GET?” (Repeat that phrase to yourself and ask God to show you, how often you tackle each day this way.). Very often when I pray for someone or counsel them in prayer, God clearly reveals they are striving in some way that is draining them. They are operating on human power, attempting in a variety of ways to figure things out, and DO it the “right” way to get what they want. It often fails. It leads to anxiety, worry, crippling fear, exhaustion, bitterness, etc. However, it doesn’t have to be this way. God wants us to practice stilling ourselves in His presence and inviting Him into our burdens. We receive from Him more when we still ourselves before Him; and therefore striving as a way of life diminishes. If you want to practice this, starting in the 3rd week of November, we will hold an interactive prayer session to lead you in short prayer exercise sessions. Stay tuned for more detail! LIKE and FOLLOW our FACEBOOK page to get updates! CLICK ON IMAGE ABOVE TO GO TO OUR PAGE! #prayer #jesus #sitquietly#healing #faith #hope #love #intothewaters
Last Saturday was another time of precious time in God’s presence and supernatural touch by our good God. The theme of the time was Psalm 16:2, “apart from you Lord, I have no good thing”.
One of the things that God always does is touch certain people in ways that releases emotion that has been compartmentalized and inaccessible. One of the attendees shared that she has not been able to mourn over a deeply painful situation, but finally accessed it in the session. God’s Spirit is gentle and draws us in a such a way that we rest and let go. He penetrates that which we cannot touch, things so overwhelming and painful that we cannot feel anything but numbness, but He sees it and unearths what is buried. But He does it in such a way that releases supernatural balm into those deep wounds. The emotional release people experience is due to relief and experiencing His supernatural love and healing presence. It is a work of the Spirit beyond our conception! “However, as it is written: “What no eye has seen, what no ear has heard, and what no human mind has conceived” — the things God has prepared for those who love him— these are the things God has revealed to us by his Spirit. The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. For who knows a person’s thoughts except their own spirit within them? In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God.” 1 Corinthians 2:9-11 NIV http://bible.com/111/1co.2.9-11.niv In God’s presence, his thoughts become our thoughts. The picture at the top shows baskets filled with a prayer requests from each. These represent good thoughts, good requests, formed in them through God’s spirit work in them! Our time ended by redistributing these prayer requests anonymously and taking a time to pray for another. We took our eyes and focus off ourselves for a moment, and carried a burden for another. By doing this, we are an instrument of God’s promise to heal another. “Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.” James 5:16 KJV http://bible.com/1/jas.5.16.kjv These are the collective cries... ... healing and unity and wholeness in marriage, God centered selfless love, forgiveness of self and others, restoration where God sees fit, clear direction, becoming trustworthy of others, to experience supernatural peace in financial and relational situations, to be filled with peace even when situations are confusing, for God’s guidance through current struggles, for help to direct energy to serve God, for God’s reassuring presence, for help to meet demands and challenges, for light and truth to guide themselves and family, for healing of depression, anxiety, and loneliness, to feel and know God’s hovering and protective presence, to increase in trust of God, for a place to live, willingness to allow God to enter weaknesses and trust He will sustain and grow them, find balance, for scattered pieces to be put back together, to trust the Lord more and not lean on their own understanding... What beautiful language of children seeking God! God heard their cries for mercy and will answer because He gives good and perfect gifts from Heaven, James 1:17. “I love the Lord, for he heard my voice; he heard my cry for mercy.” Psalm 116:1 NIV http://bible.com/111/psa.116.1.niv May you pray for those requests above and be a part of another’s healing. May you find language that inspires your prayers and cry out for mercy. May you invite God’s spirit to search your deepest places and believe in His good hand to reach and heal what you cannot reach on your own power. Blessings! “The human spirit is the lamp of the Lord that sheds light on one’s inmost being.” Proverbs 20:27 NIV http://bible.com/111/pro.20.27.niv There are a couple men who attended June's Summer Sabbath walk, all pursuers wanting more of God. One of them is this week's guest author. His name is Paul; and upon first meeting him a handful of years ago, he seemed a bit intimidating to me. I guess this was true on terms of his physical size and the serious demeanor he was carrying that day. Initially, it made me wonder how friendly he was. But it didn't take long for me to realize I had nothing to worry about. Very quickly it became clear he was self-effacing, hilarious, generous, compassionate, fiercely protective of those he loves, tuned to society's outcasts, a mold breaker, and a warrior in training. He is one who is not ashamed to seek the Father's heart and let that emotion show. He is very intent to pursue Christ and invests his life in young people in selfless ways. He adores his wife and is not afraid to push past fear to love deeply. I'm honored to be his friend. Hope you enjoy reading Paul in the way he shares about the exhausting burden God was prompting him to release to Jesus. May you come to the last and final event for summer to release the burden you are carrying! Sign up on the calendar page! A Heavy Burden or a New Heart: You Choose, by Paul Stack
Many people I know get a bad taste in their mouth when the word “church” comes up, and that bad taste usually results from bad relationships. These people had an ugly experience with a church member or staff, and decided they wanted to get out and not return. Peter Scazzero, a well known pastor in New York City and author of "Emotionally Healthy Spirituality", faced this problem many times with his congregation and in his own life. In a video session about his book, he shares his struggle of leading a growing church: “People were changing, but they weren’t changing deeply. Deep beneath the surface was not changing.... Something was deeply wrong. People who called themselves ‘Christians’ were not enjoyable to be around and often judgmental.” Overtime, he began to realize that if he didn’t develop a way for himself and the church to be deeply transformed, the church was going to die, as was his soul. He was internally spent, tense, on-edge, and dealing poorly with family and church relationships. As he became more clear of what was at stake, he came to believe that the church in America will die out if the members inside the church don’t learn to love deeply. He also came to believe that only way to learn to love deeply was to develop a rich interior life. Scazzero’s conclusions ring true for me, and that is why I believe in the mission of the “Into the Waters” ministry. Gina’s gift of a Summer Sabbath Walk experience was a wonderful tool to help grow my connection with God and to develop my love for him and others. During the Sabbath Walk, we began the day with a guided meditation while walking around a gorgeous park. The time in nature put me in a place to hear God clearly: I stopped thinking about what I had to do that day and that week and took in the stream, the breeze, the chipmunks, all the beautiful things I often neglect to notice (if I’d only slow down to see them!). After the walk, Gina led us to reflect further on Proverbs 20:27 from the audio recording: “The breath of man is the lamp of the Lord that sheds light on one’s inmost being.” Proverbs 20:27 We reflected on God’s desire to know and transform the deepest parts of us. I thought a lot about how my past experiences shaped me to believe that I was responsible for other people’s feelings and actions. This belief has been one of the most painful and poisonous lies that has influenced my life and relationships. It can lead me to resent my wife when she doesn’t reach her fitness goals; I’ve believed that if she doesn’t accomplish those goals, it’s my fault. It can cause me to nag and pressure the students I lead in high school youth group to share the gospel with their friends, often in ways that make me and God sound like harsh, demanding task masters; I’ve believed that if they don’t take meaningful social risks and invite their friends to church, it’s my fault. It can push me to repeatedly ask my friend who struggles with depression if he’s gone to church, made any friends, read the Bible, and many other “helpful” suggestions (which probably sounded like passive-aggressive commands); I’ve believed that if he doesn’t overcome his bout with depression through my friendship, it’s my fault. God never intended me to carry this kind of responsibility on my shoulders; his yoke is supposed to be easy, and his burden is supposed to be light. However, I’ve held on to these destructive beliefs and taken on a demanding and exhausting burden in the process. This is why I need to develop an interior life with God: if I want to be a truly empathetic, patient, stable, and loving follower of Jesus, I need to learn to let go of the ugly habits and attitudes He wants me to release. I’ve been judgmental, controlling, and manipulative plenty of times in my life. I know the cost of neglecting my inner life well. As we continued reflecting on this Proverbs verse, I received clarity on people I needed to apologize to and relational shifts I had to make. For example, I decided to pray for and encourage my wife in regards to her fitness goals, but leave the choice up to her as to whether or not she goes to the gym. God’s light burden for me in this case is to support my wife, not to control her into good behavior. These realizations about ways to surrender my controlling and overly-responsible tendencies to God have continued. I still face regular temptation to be slip back into old habits, but I’ve made plenty of progress since the Sabbath walk. I also stopped offering “suggestions” to my friend struggling with depression and have asked more questions about what his experience has been like. I apologized for the times I’ve tried to control him, and he forgave me. Our friendship has become more honest and enjoyable for both of us. Bottom line: when Gina invites you to something, go to it :) All joking aside, developing your inner-life to deal with your bad attitudes, unhealthy relationships, and poisonous beliefs is one of the best decisions you can ever make. A lot is at stake. What if the first words that came to people’s minds when they thought of you was “patient” or “gentle” or “consistently loving”? A life based on the deep change that God offers will make you much more like Jesus. I don’t know about you, but I want to work with, go to church with, and be best friends with someone who is like Jesus. This Friday and next are entries from a young married couple who attended the event on June 16th. Their words share their heart on seeking God and how time in His presence nourished their mind and soul. I hope you enjoy hearing their perspective and consider attending the next event on Saturday, August 4th. You can sign up on the Calendar page. Today's post is from Jacqui. She is a beautiful soul, a "20 something" woman I met several years ago through her "then fiancee, now husband" Paul. It was evident in my first interaction with her that she was passionate about Christ, pursues His heart, and believes prayer is as essential as breathing, i.e. salve to her soul. Over the last couple of years, I've seen her grow and transform more fully into the child of light she is. She's clung to God and believed for more. She has a consistent trait of being vulnerable, believing in the radical life Jesus offers, and investing in God's Word. These 3 things come across as the bedrock of her life strategy. Jesus is her ROCK and she's following His Spirit by faith, pursuing "God-deposited" dreams like becoming a Certified Life Coach and investing in the lives of women coming out of sex trafficking. She would add she "believes in the power of mentoring and community, married the most amazing man in October 2016, loves Jesus with something fierce, and always wants to be eating a donut." To learn more about Jacqui, visit www.thrivelifecoaching.org. Hope you enjoy her perspective and accept the challenges she poses! by Jacqui Stack- “Dance on fear.” A few years ago, I received a beautiful gift of a framed piece that an artist had drawn of a little girl dressed in a light pink ballerina tutu lifting an arm in the air and extending one of her legs – an expression of complete freedom, peace, and joy! This gift was so precious to me because this is the image Jesus gives me repeatedly when I am soaking in His love for me, escaping to His presence where there is fullness of joy. There I am as a six year old girl with my two front teeth missing and those straight silky bangs that lay flat across my forehead, with my long pin-straight hair thrown into a messy bun that sits on top of my head. I’m dressed in a tutu that makes me feel like a beautiful princess, and all I want to do is laugh and try leaping across the tall grass that is almost as tall as I am. Everything has a soft, warm, golden colored filter, dressing everything around me: the grass, the sky, the trees surrounding the meadow I am playing in. And then there’s a man, gentle, with his arms fully extended – his eyes are smiling at me and gesturing for me to come dance with him. I do. He lifts me up and embraces my hand in his and twirls me around while I laugh and soak in that feeling of pure joy while the sun is setting. This is the place where I can dance with my Maker, my complete safe place, for hours. This is where I can dance on top of fear. (And boy do I have a lot of it that I have to choose to fight every day). I am amazed with what Jesus can do in us when we seek relationship with Him with our whole heart (Jeremiah 29:13). There is something that He begins to reveal through images and words and community and silence if we begin to practice having shameless audacity to ask Him for what we need. This concept was introduced during the Into the Waters Sabbath Walk: shameless audacity to ask Him for what we need. Yikes! That’s selfish on our end, isn’t it? I don’t remember the last time I approached the throne of my Maker in a way where I was absolutely convinced he was going to give me His absolute best. And yet, He commands that of us because he longs to be gracious to us (Mark 11:24; Isaiah 30:18).
I loved approaching Him with confidence – shameless audacity! I asked boldly for him to heal the areas of my life that feel hopeless: a painful relationship with a sister, and a desperation to fulfill the “perfect wife” role and never feeling enough. I have the fear that I will go through another suicidal ideation episode, and that I will never get out of my current job into one that fulfills me and brings me life. I fear that I only love God for what he gives me instead of loving him for who he is sometimes. I began to pour out my heart’s desires to Jesus because through Gina’s guided questions during the Sabbath Walk, Jesus unraveled things within me that were sitting dormant in my thought life. Old memories floated to the surface, painful words from loved ones I held tight to understand my identity, and bold requests that I was afraid to pray. Shameless audacity! That is my what my little six year old self is teaching me to have. When’s the last time you have experienced fullness of joy and complete freedom from fear? When is the last time you prayed with shameless audacity? I can see that there is a craving for an emotionally healthy spiritual life, but a lack of knowledge of how to pursue a consistent quiet time with God where that can be discovered and developed. During the Into the Waters Sabbath Walk event, there was guided quiet time, space to hear Him with pointed questions like “ask God to reveal any lies that you believe, or thoughts that exhaust you.” There is something beautiful waiting to be taken when we prioritize God in our lives. Life will not get slower, easier, less stressed or more convenient. If we are not choosing to incorporate him into our busy days, we will not choose to incorporate him into our lazy days. I admire my little six year old self who wears tutus, loses track of time, and dances in the golden fields with her Father. I also know that each of you have your own inner child that desires deep connection, to be parented, to be known, and to express your authentic self in a way where you are unconditionally loved. There is no love like the Father’s love – it is unparalleled to any kind of love we will dream or imagine because it does not exist in people to people relationships – only in glimpses. So, I leave you with a challenge: Make movements to create space to practice courage and shameless audacity with your Maker. Into the Waters is a great place to start! And being a life coach, I love to end with a question that you can unravel with yourself: What is your shamelessly audacious request that you have been holding back from the Father? Why? What does “dancing on fear” look like for you? Below is the flyer for the next event on August 4th from 9am-11am. Download, print, and share with others! Sign up!
The calendar page has been updated with the next meditation event being held on Saturday, August 4th from 9-11am at Channing Philbrick Park. Take time to let God reveal His goodness. There is nothing better than experiencing His presence and life filling you up! Read the last blog to get a sense of God's faithfulness to minister to those who pursued His presence. Sign up on the calendar page!
Saturday, June 16th was a GOOD day, filled with gentle breezes in the park and of the LORD! Souls were gathered, refreshed, filled, and renewed! For those who are curious and might consider attending in the future, this blog will explain how the time was used and include reactions from attendees. There was a good range of ages that participated from early 20's up to 60 "ish". Two men after God's own heart attended! Drawing near to God is not just for women!
We started off gathering under the shelter shown above. For the beginning, some introductory messages were given about the format, reason for the ministry, and a beginning teaching with associated meditative exercise. Then each was given an MP3 player that contained 30 minutes of preparatory breathing and prayer meditation to do alone on a walk in the park. The recording was to help participants begin to open up and invite God to search within and give some freedom in preparing alone. Then, upon return, they were ready to connect with current thoughts, feelings, actions, and words causing upset within. A form was handed out and participants took time to consider what was not currently good in these areas and write them down. We then focused on God's meaning of good with visual pictures to help identify God's activity to do good within our souls and satisfy our deepest needs in all areas of our lives. True "good", as defined by God, is definitive and unchanging. It is not opinion based as we use it. True good is seen and known in the life of Jesus, who qualifies himself as the "Good" Shepherd. A good shepherd MAKES his sheep lie down and rest, Psalm 23:2. How? We looked at 4 areas that create unrest within sheep folds, and saw how these areas perfectly translated to 4 areas of upset in our human lives. These are the areas that a good shepherd has to settle in order for his flock to lie down and rest. Those 4 areas were brought before God in meditative exercises. With the help of the Holy Spirit, participants processed, released, and received fresh revelation and rest from God. During this part, I also included time to pray for the group in each of the 4 areas. If you have never been prayed for, this experience alone can be quite comforting and healing. God intends that we have moments when someone is standing with us to cover us with God's good promises. We need others to stand with us in agreement for renewal and supernatural life, especially when we are weary and heavy burdened. Participants received this covering. This period of time (From the time of return from the walk to completing the meditative exercises) took about 1 hour. The ending was a transition from the exercises to worship played on a speaker. Worship time helps each one end gently and in their timing, alone with God. Participants were invited to worship for as long as they wanted, or continue journaling, and/or receive personal prayer. Each were free to leave in their own timing. Some stayed for an 10 additional minutes, some stayed another 40 minutes. Some asked for personal prayer for the areas that God brought up to them in the meditative exercises. There was a good amount of release of gentle emotion from most participants because God was good and ministered to deep areas of need. Overall, it was a wonderful time with the Good Shepherd! But I'll let the remaining input come from some participants who turned in a survey. (Note they chose the roles that are associated with their comments.) "Amazing!!! The combination of the walk and guided meditation was very helpful and woke me up to areas in marriage and work that I was anxious and controlling. Gina's meditations help me process emotions with better clarity and gain new ways of becoming closer with God." - Youth Ministry leader and Professional Career. "Really enjoyed MP3 use; but it wasn't long enough. I wanted more." - Adult Ministry leader and Parent "The meditation was very refreshing and insightful. The park was a perfect setting! I found the images you described (like God's mercy as a womb) very helpful for a fuller understanding of God. I thought the pacing of the meditation was just right. I appreciated how we were able to reflect on our feelings and then progress to meditating on God's provision for these troubling feelings. I especially like the phrase "shameless audacity" and have used it in my prayer life this week." - Parent and professional career "I really enjoyed the experience. I feel I gained some tools in being able to go deeper in meditation and reflection to grow closer to Jesus. The park is one of my favorites so this helped me also. Nature is one of those places that I really connect with God." - Parent and Business Owner "Gina is a connector- her gift to help you enter the presence of God, no matter how 'stuck in the mud' you feel- is truly a gift." - Life Coach "Thank you for this ministry! I appreciated the time to ourselves for reflection. Not often that we are able to slow down and process life events or emotions. Thanks again!" - Professional Career "The location was perfect. After the meditation I felt so encouraged, loved, and near the Lord. There was a sense of renewed hope. All those troubled thoughts were gone. Got a vision of Jesus wrapping his arms around me and insight of walls built as a hedge of protection from God. The teaching on the shepherd was amazing. He is a good shepherd!" - Parent "I really appreciate your gentle leadership. You shared wisdom and scripture but very much in a way of drawing in (not talking at)." - Bible teacher, Youth Ministry leader, Parent "I loved the Into the Water's Experience. Would love to know where to go from here. Often I find I get a little taste, but then back to the 'crazy'. How do I get this muscle to be my go to?" - Bible teacher, Youth Ministry leader, Parent "This time of meditation provided a much needed respite in a time of turmoil and uncertainty. Through Gina's gentle promptings and interactions and non-judgmental approach we were led into the presence of the "Good Shepherd", basking in His love, reflecting on our own thinking and actions and learning to wait patiently in Him. Draw near to Him! Thank you Gina, you have been a blessing in my life!" - Bible Teacher and Professional Career "Enjoyed time shared with God in nature, His creation. Refreshed and revived in His Spirit. Felt calmness, soothing release of emotions. It was a time to bring God's good into my soul and then my home." - Seeker Participants were also asked the following questions with percentages shown of majority answer, from majority of attendees who submitted a survey- 1) Overall, how satisfied were you with your experience at today's meditation?
This is all written to give you a sense of the experience and to encourage you to consider attending an event. Additionally, please leave a comment below if you have interest in learning how to bring this type of session into your small group setting. You can also send an email of inquiry to gina@intothewaters.com. A similar event will be posted for the 1st Saturday in August. Sign up will be posted next week, keep an eye out on the calendar page! Draw near! How often do you take counsel in your own soul? How often are you ruminating and processing and mulling over your own thoughts? Most of us meditate WAY MORE OFTEN than we think we do; and most of us do it alone. The Bible cautions against taking counsel in our own soul as it leads to despair and feelings of defeat, Psalm 13:2. The Bible also teaches that our hearts are deep waters. The ministry and resources from Into the Waters help people enter into their deep waters with God's help, i.e. not alone. He sheds light.
The very first creative act detailed in the Bible is the Holy Spirit hovering over waters of the deep, Genesis 1:2. Only darkness was over the surface of that deep until God spoke and the Spirit executed the command to separate light from darkness. "Let there be light," and there was light. God saw that the light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness. Have you ever thought about the light of Day 1? What was it? It is not the light of day 4 when the sun, moon, and other heavenly lights were created by God. In your life right now, is there darkness in your understanding? Where is there confusion that needs God's holy light to penetrate and counsel you? Do you have areas that feel without form and empty, that need to be filled with God's goodness? If deep waters within need counsel, join us on Saturday, June 16th for a unique time with God in a beautiful park setting. The time flies in moderator led settings. In this unique park setting, attendees who sign up will experience shelter meditation exercises, using an MP3 player provided with interactive exercises on their own private walk, worship, prayer, and making scripture rocks. The time will be engaging and fill you up in God! Sign up on the calendar page! God still sends His Spirit to hover over the surface of the deep. He still issues commands through the person of the Holy Spirit. He sends His Spirit to create and renew the face of the ground, Psalm 104:30. Jesus gives His Spirit as gift to those who love Him, John 14:26-27. The Spirit still hovers over the deep and executes the commands of God to separate light from darkness, to counsel and draw out meaning, to give understanding. May you be open to spending time in His presence. Time flies in these moderator led settings! Position to process your thoughts under the protective life of the Spirit! He longs to turn mourning into dancing and to give you beauty for ashes! Peace be still! Sign up! |
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1- Sign up to receive blog and email announcements 2- Search on Facebook and join our private Facebook group> Peace Be Still Daily Prayer Download Prayer is Gift!Hi my name is Gina; and I'm the founder of the ministry. My 25 year journey with God has been centered on immersing myself in the safe relationship God offers, learning about the power of surrender, and praying for His life in greater measure! Categories
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