Let's go ahead and get started.
Let's see here.
Right.
Y'all doing all right.
There we go. I was like, why is everyone unmuted and I can't hear everyone, I had muted myself.
Oh, I know why, because are not muted myself and I didn't turn the volume off, because my husband was doing something and. And so I was doing, I was going through videos and transformation sessions making sure they were all uploaded and I didn't want.
I didn't want him to have to him to hear the sound to interfere with what he was doing so I forgot.
All right.
So I had to put a sweater on before I came down because it's cold.
I'm sure that up in Montana, you're just like, whatever.
I don't think we've had snow for weeks.
I always wanted to visit Montana though. Oh my word. It's one of, it's probably the place in the United States that I want to visit the most.
Come on up. It's amazing. I know I go to what I didn't know where you live. And I want to, I was wanting to visit like Western Montana with all the mountains and stuff.
That's the only part of Montana that I've ever seen pictures that so yeah that's where I'm at. So, oh nice. Yep. Did you grow up there did y'all just move there.
I did. Yeah, born and raised in Montana. Yep.
I spent some time in Kalispell.
Okay. Yeah, is that near where you live. It is that's about two hours away.
Okay, yep.
So that's that's close.
Yeah, Montana that. What is it that land of the big sky, because it's just so big. Is that right. Yes, sky country. Yeah.
Yeah.
Well it is so weird. It feels so quiet I mean I know it's only three after we might have a few more people but still this feels just like really quiet.
So,
are you guys doing the December one intensive.
Yep.
Yeah.
All y'all are signed up I'm so excited we've got five people so far.
I don't know, you know what everybody else is going to decide but we've got well including me we have six but we have five people so that'll be a nice, a nice group.
So, and we'll see if anybody else wants to tag along.
So I'm glad that it seemed to be coming at a good time for everybody. So, that is helpful.
Everyone wants to continue.
What a new person's joining. Yes. So, yes, yeah Renata from Norway.
So she's been on international person. And so, but she speaks fluent English. And anyway so I'll let her tell her story but anyway she's really really neat and of course I've gotten to know her the past six weeks and, and y'all are going to really enjoy
So I got her, she signed up and I got her in the group.
So, meaning like I, she was the only one I needed to add because everybody else was already in the Facebook group so that she's asleep right now.
It's like two in the morning I think, or is it three no it's three in the morning. Wow, three in the morning, so she'll be getting up in a few hours when we go go to bed.
Are you going to work out the time for her to join us.
Um, I am. Oh, well I'm not able to, because there's because there's four time zones in it within the contiguous United States that I'm having to coordinate between.
And the only time that we could that I.
could possibly make it work was if I did Sundays at 4 p.m.
our time, which makes it my time, which makes it 10 o'clock
her time. So it'd be 10 to 11 on on a Sunday. And then that but
that would make in California, I think that would make it like
one. And so you and Kate are count in California, and some
people's church services aren't even over by then, let alone the
fact that everyone's trying to get home. And, you know, or in
about that time, they're eating lunch. And I was just like, no,
just can't do it. So that was literally the only time I could
figure out and I didn't even know if or not I could do 10 to
11. So it's like, you know, we're just gonna have to do what
we have to do. And, and so she's gonna watch the replays. And she
said she'd see if at some point she might be able to join a few
times. So she'll, she'll just see what she can do. So. And I
thought, well, because she was talking about like staying up
then I was like, well, what if you like go to bed really early
and then just wake up early? So who knows if she's gonna I mean,
like if she wants to do it bad enough, so we'll see. We'll see.
And she's already joined. But what I mean is like if she wants
to join us in person, so either way, though, we'll get to
interact with anybody, everybody on Facebook and meaning like in
the Facebook group. And so anyway, well, and it feels very
strange, because there's just the four of us, but hey, if it
was a rest group, we would just all stay together. So it's a
fireside chat. So does anyone have any questions, anything
they wanted to bring up at all, or update us, give us like a
journey share, like kind of like just kind of like verbally
process what's been going on or, or anything?
Then I'm not gonna have to pull something out of a hat.
I was hoping other people are going to come with questions so
I can listen in because usually people have great questions and
I learned from them. So I know,
I know everyone likes everyone likes that likes the fact that
in fact, the majority of people come on to listen to other
people's questions.
I have a question. Okay. Um, this is kind of about rest, but
it's about prayer. Uh huh. Yeah. You know, when I was a young
believer, I had all these lists that I would go through and
pray. And then I did away with the lists. They were, you know,
I just not like the list of and but then I don't, I mean, I, I
talked to the Lord, it's like I talked to him all the time. Or,
you know, he's in my thoughts and all that. And I will
sometimes pray for people, you know, throughout the day when I
think of them. But I haven't had a or very often I haven't had a
time set apart just to pray. Yeah. 15 I don't know, half
hour, just praying. And, you know, I've been trying to think,
why do? Why don't I do that? Is it because I didn't feel
important enough that God would listen to me? Or I got tired of
the lists? Uh huh. Does Does anybody else have trouble with
that with the intercessory prayer on behalf of other
people? I mean, I mean, had trouble with it? Well, either
don't do it or are inconsistent in doing it.
Me. So, um, there's some people who just have that we'll call it
a gift. And I just realized I did not post. And I did not post
with it. We're having a fireside chat tonight. I got on there to
do it. And I must have posted something else instead. And so
no wonder. I mean, everyone already knows when all of these
things are. So sorry, that's what I'm doing. Let me post
this really quick. Because I thought the whole thing feel
weird. And I was like, why did I post maybe some people are like
waiting for notification or something? Okay, there we go.
Now I've done my due diligence. Oh, okay. So someone said, Oh,
okay. Yeah. So Lindsay says she's got a work call. It's
going late. Um, so anyway, some people have what I kind of like
refer to as like this gift of intercession. Now I do believe
that
We're all supposed to intercede, but there's some people that just kind of
like the prophetic and everybody's supposed to be able to hear from the
Lord and, and prophesy and all of that.
There are specific, um, I always kind of refer to them as like, um, special,
um, gifts of like concentrated gifts or whatever that God gives to certain
people that when they exercise it, the rest of us get to learn what it is that
we have and what we can participate in and et cetera.
So point is I am not one of those people that has that concentrated gift.
So, but I am around some people who are, and I'm always amazed
at their love for interceding.
So they have this, this strong desire where to them, it's they, I don't know.
They can just flow in it better than I can.
So what I just do is I just pray for me personally.
I just pray for whoever it is that I just feel on my heart.
And then I just, and I just make it intentional and I make it, um, very
sincere in other words, I focus on it, you know, again, that intention, as
opposed to just like throwing up a prayer and just like, oh yeah, Lord.
And so, and so, and so, and so, and like, just trying to cover people
because actually what God wants us to do is very intentionally do something
in the spirit related to that person, present them before the Lord, sometimes
talk to their spirit, soul, or body or whatever, and, um, uh, and intercede for
them.
And so anyway, um, I, I just make it intentional and me personally,
I'm not one for long prayers.
They're mine are usually pretty short and they, people often refer to, there's
the saying of, of, um, short prayers are for God and long prayers are for the soul.
So if someone needs to kind of say a long prayer in order to kind of like talk
themselves through whatever it is that they're doing and where it is, they're
trying to intentionally position their spirit or position their prayer.
Well, then go for it.
Me.
I just like to make it, I just get to a place where I remember who it is that I
am.
And I always approach my, my prayer life from that place, as opposed to just,
okay, now I'm going to pray.
Well, that's what I've been doing my whole life and it was exhausting and, um,
there weren't always results from it.
So instead I thought, no, I need to approach everything from being a son of
God.
I always need to act like that.
So who does he say that I am?
And then I shifted to that identity, you know, Christ, I believe I came out of you
believe I've been returned back into you.
That kind of thing, reposition myself in that identity.
And then I pray from that place.
So I'm praying from the place of rest.
I'm praying from within the heart of God so I can feel him.
I can hear him, you know, and that I'm praying about that person interceding
for that person, from that position.
And so that position is basically what I've done is I've made sure that I've
shifted up here.
If I was feeling down here, I make sure I intentionally shift up here and pray for
that person from this place.
When I do that, I'm just hearing what it is that the Lord wants me to pray or what
comes to mind.
And then I pray more.
I, and I pray powerfully from that position because I'm a son of God and there and
everything else therefore is underneath my feet, including any thing that they are
battling, you know, in their body or in their soul that I'm praying for.
And that's why I'm interceding, you know, well then if I'm praying from this
position, I'm praying higher than the thing that is overpowering them or that
they're struggling with.
And then, and so anyway, it's, it's powerful, it's effective.
And therefore it can be also be short because, um, uh, because I'm doing it with
intention.
So I'm getting the job done for lack of a better phrase faster because it's, it's
purposeful, et cetera.
So the reason I keep talking about like short versus long is, you know, you
mentioning the fact that it has anybody, uh, I don't remember how you phrased it,
but basically, you know, do people have a hard time like keeping this up?
Well, one of the reasons we have a hard time keeping it up is we just, it just,
it's feels, um, if we, if we disconnect ourselves from it, then we're uninterested.
If we disconnect ourselves from the situation and we just try to like throw
up names like Lord for so-and-so and so-and-so, and yeah, Lord, they they're
dealing with this and they're dealing with that, but we're, we're disassociating
ourselves from it.
Well, then, um, obviously it's not going to make it interesting.
We're not going to want to do it.
We're going to dread it.
Uh, and then also if it's, um, if it, if, if it is like that, if it is very
disassociative, then a lot of times the prayers are kind of long because we're
very aware of the fact that we're not extremely interested.
Um, so if it's short because it's intentional, then you can tell that you
really have, um, uh, been serious.
And accomplished what it is that you were trying to accomplish.
You really did present them before the Lord, et cetera.
So it also, if we know that what it is that we're praying is powerful
and effective, that's much more interesting and we're more likely to
do it as opposed to avoiding it.
But a lot of times we've been, we're just get weary of praying the same
prayers for the same people or the same types of prayers for a variety of people.
And we're just not used to seeing results.
So we get frustrated of like, so why am I doing this?
You know, it feels like we're not actually being, um, uh, Oh, what is the word?
Just effective.
So we lose interest.
And so, yeah, it is hard.
It is hard to keep going through those, that list, this list of names, people
who are interceders on the other hand, for one thing, they're, they're more
likely to be intentional because it's on their heart and they take it very,
very seriously, but then also, um, they, they, because it's on their heart,
they're more interested in it.
And so they can take longer and go over more people.
And I forgot to admit these people.
Oh, wow.
We've got, we have Steph on with us tonight or did she jump off?
Oh, shoot.
She jumped off.
Maybe she'll get back on.
So Steph is from like April, 2020.
Oh, exciting.
Anyway.
Hey, Cicely.
So anyway, Chris, did that, did that make sense?
I mean, I know that.
I mean, I got so tired of the lists.
Hi Cicely.
Hi.
Yeah.
I got tired of the lists and then trying to think of what to pray for.
And yeah, the way that you described it really hits a nerve.
Yeah.
Describe what part?
Prayer, you know, that it's short, intentional that you, um, you know, you
ask, you tell your, ask yourself, who does God say I am?
And then from that place, you pray.
And because you're praying much more powerfully as a son of God, who's in
Christ, while you're talking to God versus you're thinking you're in your
soul or your body, you're trying to throw prayers up, hoping that they'll
get high enough that they'll hit the Lord, you know, that it'll work and.
It'll be effective and he'll hear, and he'll do something about it, you
know, because maybe it'll matter to him.
But if you're in his heart, you know, and praying, well then.
Yeah.
So then you would know more what to pray too.
Yeah.
Because again, from this position, the only way that we can be up here is if
we're in rest, meaning like we have released the outcome, like whatever it
is that God wants to do in the situation he can do, and so we just let him.
And, um, anyway, so, and then, so from that, now that we have released the,
well, now we have emotionally released him from the, of the outcome, then we
can, um, uh, then we can hear God more clearly because we've removed all of
the white noise from our head zooming.
But yeah, it's much more effective to pray from that perspective and, and
also pray for people from the position that we believe that God is good.
Um, um, and the fact that he is, um, you know, that he's love that he provides,
that he protects that kind of thing, as opposed to a genie that we're hoping
we'll have favor with, and that he'll do something that he'll answer prayer, etc.
It has to be from the perspective that no God is good.
Now, how he wants to manifest his goodness is up to him.
Is that to him?
So we can pray and we can ask the, and we can ask the Lord,
how do you want me to pray?
And then, and then we just pray according to that.
And then he gets to decide how the prayer is answered, how he addresses it.
What happens?
Does anything happen?
You know, that we're, that, that we see, but, um, we, that's another
powerful position to pray from.
We're praying then from a position of faith as opposed that God is good.
And no, we don't know how he's going to manifest that goodness related to
the prayers that we're, that we're praying, but we have to be in agreement
first with the fact that he is a good God, that he's loving, he's protector.
He's everything that he says that he is.
And then we're praying to that God.
And from that position of like an expectation that will, of course, God is
good, so we will wait and expect.
for the answer to the prayer.
Doesn't mean an expectation for the answer to the prayer
that we would prefer, an answer.
We don't know what it's going to be, but whatever it is,
we're just asking that God project himself
into the situation and reveal an aspect of himself.
And he gets to choose if that means the person is healed,
or if that means that the person gets the money
that they need, or if the person gets the,
whatever it is that we're praying for.
So, but yeah.
So is that, does that answer your question?
Yes, that was very helpful.
Okay, good, good.
Yeah, prayers are not perfect, they're a lot more hopeful.
Yeah, Rita, you always look so comfortable,
and I'm sitting here in a chair.
You look so snuggly.
I know, she always does, she's always wearing a rope.
And sometimes she'll wrap in a blanket.
You can tell, we all watch you, Rita,
like what next, what cozy thing is she going to do next?
Oh, and there's Steph.
Steph, can you hear and see us?
Oh, maybe she's still trying to connect on audio.
Her internet is very spotty, where she is.
So she has, she actually designs fabrics
for various companies, or for a company
that sells them to places like, I don't know,
like Ross, Marshalls, I think Hobby Lobby,
places like that.
And so anyway, whenever she has these huge files,
you know, these huge graphic files that she has to upload,
she'll have to like go off,
like literally she lives out in West Virginia.
So she has to go to near, she has to drive
in her pickup out to like a cell tower,
and try to upload and download these huge files.
So we always hope that we get to have Zoom time with her,
you know, in the evenings,
because sometimes the internet just does not cooperate.
So, but Steph, if you're there and you can hear us,
we love you.
So does anyone have another question?
I have a question.
Yeah.
So if you're like, I think you've mentioned
you were being like verbally attacked before,
and you were able to shift into rest,
like, yeah, how do you do that?
How do I do that?
Yeah, I mean, if somebody is like being defiant
and they're an adult and you, yeah, I don't know.
I'm going through that right now.
So I'm just like trying to get rid of this anxiety
inside of me, so.
Yeah, well, so there's some things
that I've already mentioned.
So before I go through those
and trying to think if there's another way
that maybe I could phrase it,
that could add to the support, what I'll be saying.
Well, for me, the first thing that I had to do
was I had to choose that they were who God says
that they are first,
not that they were the person
that they were presenting themselves to be.
And we'll talk about this more in session.
I don't know, it's like 10 or 11.
I don't remember which one it is.
They just talked about governing creation
through relationships.
We'll talk more about that.
I won't go into more detail about the situation,
but basically the idea that I had to see them
as God saw them because this person wasn't even a believer.
So it's not even like I could see them as,
oh, well, they're a son of God and they're whatever.
I just like, they were not a non-believer,
but still God created them as spirit,
not as soul and as body.
He created them as good
and they were just believing lies about him.
And so I could have compassion for them and all of that.
And them being verbally abusive
is them putting on display their internal torment.
It doesn't have anything to do with us.
We're just hitting a nerve because of the torment
that they're having to live with inside.
And so that's another thing that I would just
always remember is that it wasn't saying anything about me
and that it was about them
and that they were not what they were projecting,
that they were actually spirit,
they were not body and soul.
And so I did that.
And so I just chose to see them as God would see them.
And then, and another thing that I would do
is I would choose that again,
I am a non-believer.
Um, I'm not threatened that God will take care of me.
God will protect me.
This, by the way, was before I learned about rest.
And I learned about this whole spirit, soul body thing.
All I knew was, okay, God, I know that you had to have made that.
This is not how you originally made this person.
This is not what you intended for them.
And so therefore I'm going to see them as you see them.
You thought they were worth dying for.
So you did die for them.
So, you know, who am I to say any difference?
So Lord, um, and I also believe Lord that you can protect me.
I don't have to protect myself.
You will do that for me.
If you put me in this situation with this person, then you will bear, you will hold
yourself accountable for the consequences.
You will help take care of the consequences.
So to speak to, to my feelings, to my reputation, um, to physically or
socially, what could happen as a result.
Um, and, um, so, uh, sorry, the security walks by periodically and checks on the
door and so they wave at me.
Um, and, uh, anyway, so I would do that.
Uh, and what else did I do?
I, I decided that I had more than they did because I had some things in the Lord
that they didn't, meaning like I would, I had believed and chosen that I am who
God says that I am.
They weren't, but I was believing that.
So I have, I have everything.
They're the ones in lack, but they, you know, they believe that they are.
So if I'm not, then I don't have any reason to feel threatened.
So I would just completely rest in the Lord.
And it was hard because I'm having to trust that he's going to, that he's going
to take care of me, that he's going to provide for me, he's going to protect me.
And I don't get to choose what that looks like.
So for a while, sure.
I bore some horrible, uh, results or consequences or outcomes of
the way that they treated me.
It, it completely demoralized, um, the, the group and they didn't, uh, they,
they came to greatly disrespect me.
Everybody liked me, but they really strongly disrespected me and, um,
wouldn't, uh, wouldn't follow my instructions, wouldn't follow my, I
don't know, my, I don't know that my, well, I don't know my instructions.
And so I finally had to, I did have to have a come to Jesus meeting at one time.
And, um, in fact, it kind of, uh, how do you put it?
Like, let, uh, let's just say that the, um, that everyone knew about it pretty
fast, everyone who wasn't in that meeting heard about the come to Jesus
meeting that actually had it with everybody, but that, that was,
that was a different matter.
That was, I think after, I think it was after that situation had
calmed down with this one guy.
Or maybe not, maybe it was in the middle of it, but I was within my
rights to do what I did.
And so I just, I just did it.
But the thing was that I was struggling with my reputation because of, and
they weren't following my orders because the guy had just ruined
my, and their respect for me.
So I did have to bear the consequences of it.
I was having a hard time getting things done and I was responsible
for them not getting done.
I was the one whose, whose head was on the chopping block.
And so, but I continued to do what it was that I felt that God was calling
me to do, which was, and I chose him over the project, I chose the man and
his, um, and just, and just honoring him and treating him the way that I
believe that God wanted me to.
And I chose that over the project.
So in fact, I, and then I not only did that with him, but I did that with
the other people as well, who were having a difficult time, um, uh, respecting me.
I chose them over the project as well.
And eventually they came to realize it.
So part of the thing about being a parent, and the reason I say parent is because
that type of the situation helps us understand and picture, um, what it is.
I'm talking about is you're having to make sacrificial decisions for these
for these other little beings that don't, um, that don't value your sacrifice and
don't want what it is that you are trying to provide for them, you know,
they're wanting something different.
And so they you're, so as parents, we're used to being in situations
where we can handle the fact that they just don't understand like,
well, they just understand.
We have to understand that other human be other full grown
adults do the same thing to us.
They don't understand what it is that we're doing and, um, how, uh, so, but
we are still called to do it anyway.
Is that help?
Is that helpful?
Oh, sorry.
You're muted.
Yes.
No, I needed the reminder that they are who God says that they are.
And yeah, I needed all of it.
So thank you.
Yeah.
And, um, and if.
you do what it is that I explained.
If you remember who it is that you are, then you now have what it is that they
need. And so once you're in that more powerful position, not only you're,
you not threatened. So it's not like you've just shifted into neutral. No,
you're now you're now in the positive where you can actually pour into them
and help be God's instrument to heal them in the very area of
wounding out of which the attacks were all coming.
So that can happen as well.
Thank you. Yeah, you're welcome. Hey, Steph,
how are you now? I'm good.
Oh, you're here. Yay. No dogs barking for a moment.
I know. I know that'll happen.
That's true. Cause you're on, are you central time? Right? We're Eastern.
Oh, you are Eastern. So it's like nine 30 your time. Yeah. Yeah.
We just got home from 4-H and my phone went off. It's like, Hey,
I can finally catch a meeting.
Yay. Well, good. Yeah. Y'all have later nights now with them being, uh,
with, uh, uh, with your daughter you're in, um, in 4-H. So yeah,
that would make sense.
Two of them now. So we've got two now. Yes.
So we'll have cattle and goats that I will officially be crazy.
That's so fun. Y'all are really sweet.
Always given your girls a chance to spread their wings and figure out what it is
they want to do and help them accommodate it. I think that's great.
Try. Yeah. Y'all are a fun family.
Well, this is, you caught us on the last night.
This is our last night of the rest intensive. We've had,
I think we've met let's see nine. Well,
if you include the fireside chats and the rest groups, I think we've met,
this is our 16th time. I think 15th or 16th that we've all met together.
So anyway, you, you caught us.
Yay.
So Steph was our most faithful attender for like,
was it, it was a year. I don't know why I keep thinking it's a year and a half,
but it was a year. We did basically every single week for a year.
I think we did like 43 weeks or something like that.
So we didn't do holidays and whatever, but
so does anyone have any other
questions or like I said,
anything that they wanted to share about how their journey's going that maybe
needed some kind of like insight into or, or help with or anything.
Yeah, go ahead, Casey.
So this kind of came up just because you were talking about parenting and
I mean, you might, I think the answer will be similar to Rita's question.
The answer to Rita's question.
But something with my oldest is I've noticed he's always my oldest son.
He it's like, he has a,
I feel like he feels like we love our middle son more. I could be wrong,
but that's what I feel it is. And he just always is just all over him.
And I know a lot of it is probably just brothers and siblings.
And, but I'm,
I'm trying to figure out how I can come at it. So it,
so he doesn't feel like he needs to compete.
I don't know if you have any insight into that.
Well, I can tell you some fascinating things. I'm the oldest.
I can tell you that that's a legitimate feeling. And I'll tell you why,
because from a parent's perspective, like, well,
we're giving attention to all of them equally. And part of it can just is,
but part of it is just different interactions with different children,
based on their personality, like how easily they respond to discipline,
for instance,
means that you're going to focus more on some children than others because
they're demanding all of the attention because they're not,
they're not falling in line or whatever. So there can be that, but you know,
that kind of thing aside.
And one of the reasons why older children can feel that way is if they feel
that
now, if, if they have a lot of expectations on them,
while say for instance, the middle child, which is very fascinating,
because usually the middle child feels like unseen.
And my sister was the same way she's middle and she feels it felt very much
unseen. And so we all,
me and my brother and sister all kind of like fell in line with that,
with the kind of like the normal this normal, like feelings of, well,
the oldest usually feels this way. And the middle usually feels that way.
And the youngest usually feels that way. We all fell in line with that.
But anyway, so, um, so some, usually the middle child can feel, um,
can feel invisible. But, um,
the thing is that a lot of times the oldest does resent the middle.
They all resent the baby.
And that's just the way that it is.
But the, the, the oldest can resent the middle.
If the oldest has a lot of expectations on them strictly because they're the
first ones to do something and the parents have never done that before.
They've never had to parent into that new age, into those new experiences,
into driving into, you know, them being the first to drive the first to go to
school, the first to, I don't know, get an award, the first to not be picked
for the soccer team, the first to whatever.
And so there's a lot of firsts and they can feel a lot of pressure.
And so subconsciously it can sometimes end up on the oldest child.
And then if the oldest child is looking at the middle child and they're
realize, and they see that, that what they don't see is that the parents
are like, Hey, well, we've done this before.
And so it's a little easier by the time the middle child comes along and
I'm just painting broad brushstrokes.
I have no idea what y'all's situation is.
I'm just talking very general terms.
And then the middle child, a lot of times can, can, uh, the, the, it can look to
the oldest, like the middle child is just that it's easier on him and it's
because the parents have done it before.
So it's, so there's less, there's less trial and error with my parent.
I would joke with my parents that I felt like the Guinea pig.
I was like, well, let's try it.
And then I would joke with my brother and sister that, Hey, you know, well,
they tried it on Ashley and discovered it didn't work.
So like, okay, well, we're not going to do that.
And so it's the oldest you're going, wait, just so anyway,
maybe that could be, uh, what it is.
And so also though, with the expectations, sometimes subconsciously
that the, that the oldest can get a lot of attention of like making sure
they do it right, or, Hey, you want to be careful about usually oldest children
are extremely cautious and risk averse.
The middle child feels a little freer because, you know, the, the, the
parents are also real, uh, have done it.
Like I said, they've done it before.
And, um, they, they realize that they can kind of like, um, loosen up a bit,
you know, that, oh, well, you know, we've already been through this,
you know, this is all okay.
And so sometimes the middle child literally receives affirmation
or verbal praise more often.
And partly that's because it's a ratio difference.
Like you can correct and affirm the oldest and correct and affirm the middle,
but because it's the oldest and the he's always moving into new territory.
And you've never done that before as a parent or whatever, then often the
ratio is higher on the correction side and lower on the affirmation because
it's like, well, we got to be careful.
And what if, and Hey, we want to make sure you do it right.
And we want to show you how to do it, et cetera.
It can come across as, as like correcting while he watches the middle one, you
know, not have as much correction and have a lot more affirmation.
So even though both are getting both to him, he hears correction and he sees
the middle child is being praised when really they're both getting both.
But the ratio is different because one's the oldest and one
just happens to come after.
And so anyway, so I, I have no idea how it is that y'all parent, I have no
idea what the boy's experiences are.
I'm just telling you, those are some things that do come to mind of how things
play out, where the parents are like, think that they're treating them both
the same, but how a child's perspective can look different.
Like I said, based simply based off of kind of like the ratio of the amount of,
of, um, of like, uh, I don't want to say correction.
Cause it's more, it's a different thing.
Correction.
Sure.
There's correction, but there's also like instruction guidance.
Um, make sure you do it this way or, you know, teaching.
And then the middle child, a lot of times just learns from the older one and doesn't
have to be taught as much by the parents.
So again, the interaction is often higher on the praise side, especially
once the parents have learned the importance of praise from the older
women than they do that more.
Cause a lot of what they had to teach the older, the second
one is learning by osmosis.
So again, ratio wise there it's higher.
Is that helpful at all?
Yes.
It's very helpful that, that, so in that sense, I think that's like exactly
you said it exactly, I think as it is.
So how would you recommend like, like with my oldest son, and I know it's
probably a hard question to answer because you don't know what our
interactions are like, but, um, like building him up, how can I build him up?
So he knows.
Like he doesn't have to worry about that without just telling him you don't
have to worry about my love, you know?
Yeah.
Correct.
Um, what, well, what I always recommend is to, is that whenever we want
something for someone else, we have to do that thing first, so we have to see.
them like that first. I know that sounds weird because it's like, well, I already do see them
like that, but there's, it's in a different way. First of all, we can't give something to our child
that we haven't given to ourselves first because we don't have it to give. So if we don't see
ourselves like this, we can't see our kids like this either. I know that sounds opposite. I know
it's like, oh no, I think a lot higher of my kids than I do with me. You know, my kids are great and
I see all my problems, but we can't, but what they, what kids get communicated to them is what
we believe are about ourselves. So what we have to do is if we want our children to believe something
different, we have to believe it first. And then we're, and then we speak to them and interact
with them from this place. And then we, um, and instead of to the soul or to the body,
we're speaking to their spirit, we're interacting with them as God created them to be kind of thing.
And they will, and they will understand and get that they are, you know, loved and whatever,
because it's coming from a genuine place of, we are being, we are operating out of our spiritual
being towards them, seeing them because we now see ourselves as Christ sees us. We are in Christ.
We're operating from that place of rest, from that place of abiding in him, from that place of God's
character, which is our character. And that is what is parenting the child. And so the child
will receive that because what he's hearing is he's another soul. That's hearing a son of God
speaking or another spirit. That's hearing a son of God speaking, and he's created to respond to
that. So, and then he'll rise to whatever it is that is, um, he is being talked to. So if we are
in our spirit, talking, seeing someone else in their spirit, and that's how we're interacting
with them, it's like, they kind of hear this other aspect of themselves that's being addressed.
And then they start to rise to that position. So kids typically rise to what people do,
but talk about kids. And I used to teach. Um, so I used to do this on my students. It was actually
some of the first ways that God taught me how to do this with people was doing it with children.
And so I would just treat them a particular way because I had to see them like that.
I had to see myself like that. And then I had to see them like that. And then I interacted with
them like that. I didn't see them as rebellious as now the, as talking back as, as whatever I
had to see them like this and interact with them like this. And that made all of the difference
because it's genuine. So in other words, point is it's not a formula of we'll say, well, these types
of things, et cetera, you can, you can be like, oh, we'll be more conscious of trying to be more
affirming, meaning like you say certain thing. And instead of, um, oh, how would I, how to put
that, um, of all of speaking to, to their, um, wow, I haven't taught, I haven't talked about this
in so long. It's been a while since I've tried to articulate it. You're speaking to the, who it is
that they are, their, their goodness, their, their love that as if instead of what it is that
they need to change. If you talk and focus more on, on, um, the aspects of who it is that they
are, whether or not they're showing it, if you speak more to those things, meaning like that,
you are recognizing them, acknowledging them, affirming them, interacting with that part of
them, then they're more likely to start acting like that because it is them. So you're not trying
to get them to become something. They're not, you're just trying to get, you're just trying to
help them recognize that this is who they are and not this, because if you talk to this, they start
rising to that and start acting more like that. Does that make sense? I normally, huh? It makes
a lot of sense. Okay, good. Cause I do talk more about it in, in the session 11 or something like
that. So, but yeah, um, anyway, man, I'm very rusty on articulating all of that. I'm like,
how do I say that? You said that it brought to mind that as I've been shifting into rest, I've
actually been doing that more. Yes. I'm automatically seeing him as different and I,
and I act differently towards him. Correct. Because we're all essentially a reflection
of our parents' perspectives of life. However it is that they viewed life to be as how they
parented. So because parents are loving, I mean, every now and then you've got somebody who's got
issues, but most of all, I mean, most, mostly parents are wanting the best for their child,
even if they're controlling, because they're doing it from a place where they believe that that's
right. And that's best, et cetera. Now they're, they're deceived, but they're trying to.
protect the child from having to live the experience that they lived.
So they're trying to control their environment in order to ensure that they
can help the child execute it.
But but it can really mess up a child.
But anyway, yeah, yeah.
So
isn't it simple? You're welcome.
I have not talked about all of that in a dog's age.
So
does anyone have something else?
Did you have something, Cicely? Yeah, I do.
Sorry, I look weird. I'm laying down.
You're fine.
I'm going to jump on my Facebook because I can't remember the question.
Can you still hear me if I do that?
Yeah. OK.
Yeah, I can tell you.
So my question is, do you have to fully
believe God in certain areas of your life for him to fully bless us in that area?
Like, can he or will he bless us beyond our belief?
Does that make sense?
So what do you mean, bless, bless us?
Well, I don't know.
Oh, I'm trying to think how to maybe bless the best word.
I guess, like, I don't know, like if asking for, like, a certain thing,
like good relationships or like, I don't know, like
a place we'd like to live or, you know, just things like that in life,
like just, you know, our prayers, it's like, can he bless us, like, beyond
our belief? I don't, does that make sense?
I think so.
So, yes, he absolutely can.
Well, because, I mean, he's a good God and he gives us he gives us things in abundance.
But as far as like our belief,
you know, that what it is that we're called to believe in is not that he's going
to do something like, oh, well, I believed for X house.
Am I only going to get X house?
Or if I'm praying for X, will I be able to get X, Y and Z house?
You know, like, would God do that?
Well, yes, but we're not supposed to be believing for X house.
We're supposed to be believing that God is who he says that he is,
even if he doesn't give us a house at all.
So it's letting go of the house and choosing him.
Then in choosing that God's already given us everything, meaning that he's given us
and choosing that God's already given us everything, meaning.
And it doesn't mean that he's given us houses.
It doesn't mean he's given us whatever.
It means that he's already given us like love and and rest and peace and joy
and patience and protection and provision and all of those things.
And then
and then and that's what it is that we choose.
We choose that he is that we ask that he
manifest that into our life, but he gets to choose how we manifest that.
What kind of a house do we have?
Do we have a house?
You know, do we get married?
Do not get married.
Do we do we whatever those aren't blessings, so to speak.
Those were blessings into the old covenant, the new covenant.
We have everything.
And then we were we with the Lord
manifest who it is that we are in the spirit, into the physical realm in various
ways, and sometimes, you know, us, the Lord, you know, we manifest that as a house
or as relationships or whatever, but we have to release all of those things
in order to in release of our having them and release God from being obligated to
give them to us, release the him from release them from being emotionally
accountable to us, like emotionally, emotionally stop holding him accountable.
That's what I'm trying to say.
Stop holding him accountable in our in and with our emotions
to giving us particular things, and it's releasing it completely.
Otherwise, the whole otherwise it's OK, God, I want this.
What do you need to what do I need to do or what do I need to believe in order
to give me this? That's the old covenant.
That's driving that sweat, that's I have to do something in order to get.
And the new covenant is we already have everything.
So now that we have everything, Lord, how, you know, I therefore, Lord,
I don't need anything. So now, Lord, I'm in this position
where I actually bring things to the earth.
The earth doesn't give something to me.
I give something to the earth.
So, Lord, in giving stuff to the earth and being you and I onto the earth, what
what are some of the ways that we want to bring heaven into earth?
And what are some of the means of what
aspects of creation do we want to be part of the process?
or, you know, particular dwelling or particular people that were in
relationship with, or, you know, whatever.
Um, so it was that, is that making sense so far?
Yeah.
So is it a thing where we don't like pray for specific things then?
Like,
no, we do.
We do.
Um, but we pray from the perspective that not that we are, are that God's not from
the position that God, you haven't given this thing to me.
I don't know why you haven't given this thing to me.
Um, uh, I don't know any other accusations that we can have against him.
In other words, that we're in lack.
And then it's like, okay, God, now that I'm, now that we've established the fact
that, uh, that I'm in lack and I don't have, and you haven't done X, Y, and Z.
Now I'm asking you to do, I'm asking you to give, I'm asking you to transact.
So it's starting from this person, from this position that God is not who he says
that he is, and we're asking him to manifest, to, to manifest, to manifest
who we want him to be into the earth.
By first declaring to him that he's not who he says that he is.
And then we want him to be who we want him to be.
We have declared that we want him to be as opposed to releasing the manifestation
like God, who do you say that you are?
And I ask that you reveal that.
And then from that, you know, from the father's heart, then you, then the two
of you, once you've given it all up, then, you know, you're now in a position
where, um, where God's like, okay, now I can entrust you with it because you
no longer hold me accountable to you for it.
You no longer change what you believe about me relative to how I, how I.
Relative to how your life looks on earth.
Case in point, you remember Jesus, it says that he gave up his right to be
equal with God and gave up his power and his authority because he had all of that
before and he gave it all up.
And once he gave it all up, he, um, and, and he completely died.
I mean, like he, he not only lived without his power and authority, you
know, his divinity and power and authority.
He like, he died.
He like, you know, went that far in his obedience and God said, okay,
now I can entrust you with it.
And so now I'm going to grant you power and authority because you gave it up to
me, put it on the altar and walked away empty-handed where you're now powerless.
And the only way you can have it back is if I give it to you, but I get to
choose whether or not I give it to you.
So we have to submit it to him, never expecting to get it back.
It's that kind of a submission.
I mean, so to speak, I don't mean expect, I mean, there's nothing wrong with
expecting, but we have a tend to how old God to an obligation if we are expecting
it.
So that's why I use, that's why I say, you know, just, you know, don't expect
it, meaning like we have to completely let go, not knowing if we're ever going
to have those things or the whatever, because God's like, do you want me or
do you want your lifestyle?
Do you want me?
Or do you want life to, do you want to live life in a particular way?
Which one do you want?
Because we do have to make a, it does, it is, we do have to make a decision.
Like, it doesn't mean that we wouldn't be a Christian anymore, but God's just
like, do you want to ask me and require, is it more important to you to live a
particular way or am who I am and you getting closer to me and you knowing me,
is that more important to you?
Because that is more love and freedom.
And this other, even though you'll still be in God.
And even though he'll even though he'll still talk to us and all kinds of things,
even though he's already given us everything in this place, just like in
this place, this place doesn't have anything that this place doesn't.
The difference is in this place, we actually get to experience what God's
given us.
And in this place, we chose, we chose to receive what the world offered instead
of experiencing what God gave us.
We chose to take up, well, the world is offering this and God offered this.
In other words, God, God, we, we literally were given, like, it's like
we were given two different gifts.
They weren't really guests because the world's way we have to work for,
but just think of it that way.
Think of it.
Hey, look, you'll, you have to work for this, or you can just get this for free.
Which one do we want?
And we, and if we're choosing this one over here, you know, well, then we're,
if we're choosing that, we want the lifestyle over God and we're saying,
okay, Lord, I want to, um, I want to, uh, me having, I don't know, comfort
or what it is that I want out of a particular relationship or a particular
lifestyle or whatever, Lord, I really want that fulfilled.
So, um, and if I follow, if I follow the world's way of doing it, either literally the world's
way or Lord, I just simply use the old covenant relationship with you, where if I do enough,
you'll bless me enough.
Then I can predict my outcome.
I can get what it is that I want simply by insisting that I will only interact with you
in a particular way.
And you may only interact with me in a particular way.
So that's working for God's favor, for his blessings, which is why God said, do these
obey these rules and laws, and I will bless you and don't do it.
And I will curse you.
He mentions that in Deuteronomy, um, and then, um, and then of course, you know, or we can
choose, you know, to receive, to receive his gift that, um, so regardless of whether we're
pursuing it in the world's way, or we're pursuing it in the world's way, but we're
looking to God, meaning like we're, uh, we're still using a formula.
See the world's way works by formula.
We can try to work a formula with God.
That's called the old covenant doing it strictly.
The world's way is completely out of all covenants with God, completely out of it.
So we could try that way.
We can, or we can learn from all these unbelievers about how to do it without God.
You can do that.
And you know what?
It works.
The law of attraction works.
That's why it's attractive because people really do get results simply by working hard
enough.
They learn all the formulas about how to get what they want and they, they want it bad
enough.
They, they get their mindset just right.
And, and they can absolutely do it.
So those things are not false.
They are true, but they are founded in false idol.
They're founded in something that's not God.
And so anyway so we could do that, or we could try to apply all that sweat and formula
to our relationship with God and saying, God, tell me what to do in order to get what I
want and I'll do it.
So it's still, it's still old covenant and it's still sweat.
The other is the other is, Hey God, we can receive an experience in our life and our
life can be framed up by and created by all of the inheritance that he's already given
us.
We can experience it, but by doing so, we have to give up this and we don't know what
this will make our life look like.
So do we want that bad enough?
Now understand God is a very good God.
He is wonderful, but his goodness doesn't always manifest in the same, uh, with the
same, um, I don't know, in the same way, like there are people that pursuing the Lord on
are extremely poor and lost everything.
And then there are others that, that did it and God gave them all of this stuff.
Why did he give them all this stuff?
Cause they no longer needed it.
So now they could be entrusted with it.
Now they no longer relied on it and they chose him over this stuff.
So now they can be entrusted with the stuff because they no longer need the stuff.
So that was one of the interesting things when the Lord taught me about how to interact
with money in faith with the Lord is that I don't choose money and I don't ask the Lord
for money.
I ask that he provide for me and that he manifest it in the way that he wants, meaning
that I may not get the money and I may not be financially, uh, how would I put that?
How would I put that, uh, that I asked that it, because him providing for me does not
mean that he gets me out of whatever financial situation that I'm in.
It means that he just provide for me and he gets to determine what that definition is.
What does it mean to provide for me?
He gets to decide.
And I no longer, and I have to no longer emotionally require him to give me money in order for
me to be okay with him or for me to him to like, get me out of this financial situation
that I'm in, you know, with, um, yeah, for him to get me out of this financial situation
that I'm in.
And I just choose that.
No, God, I choose that you are a provider and you get to manifest who that is.
You get to show me who that is just by my experience.
And so when he did that, it literally changed the way that I saw money.
So I can get a thousand dollars or I could get $5 and it's kind of like, okay.
And I just move on because that thousand can't give me any more than the $5.
What does, because I've chosen that my provider is now God, not money.
So money, the number has, you know, I'm not saying that I'm perfect.
Yeah.
I'm just talking in general terms.
It really totally shifted money for me.
So now it, the numbers didn't matter as much.
It's really, really wild.
I could just, I could just see numbers blow through my account and I'm like, okay, there
they are.
And I, and I can move on.
I didn't change the decisions that I made and how I made.
those decisions and what I bought and what I didn't bought based off of the number of my account.
Because it's not providing for me, God is, and material possessions aren't providing for me.
Money is not, I mean, money, food is not sustaining me, you know, that kind of a thing. God is.
So the other stuff I can't depend on and I, and I stopped depending on it so it can just come and go.
So God has flowed a lot of money through my hands because it just comes, I don't pay it
any attention. And before I know it's gone because I've like given it away or I, I, or I don't know,
my car broke down and I didn't know that I was going to need money for that. And so God had me,
you know, gave me enough money right when I needed it in order to pay for the tires or whatever it
was. And so I, I couldn't, I just basically have to allow myself to, I have to live with my hands
open where the spirit or the river or money, you know, or relationships or whatever is something
that I'm experiencing as God brings them in and out. As opposed for me thinking, oh, thank goodness
that God gave me the money. Now I can, now I can do this and do what I need to do with it.
Now I've got this, oh, he saved me because he gave me the thing that saves me. He gave me the money.
He gave me the food or whatever. And I can't, I'm just like, no, God's provider. And so, okay.
So the money comes in, okay, God, what do you want me to do with the money? Or it gives me the food.
Okay. God, you know, what do you want me to do with food? It's just, it's all very it it's I I'm
we're called to no longer depend on it and need it. So it no longer has significance. And we no
longer get excited when we get a thousand dollars because there's no difference than if I had zero.
And, and I, and I've literally experienced that I've literally lived that. Um, so I have, for
instance, um, I have done the rest intensive like this. Um, and I've done, uh, and I never know
the rest intensives are very irregular. I mean, uh, uh, and I mean, you could tell,
I just came up with this other offer just night before last. And like, okay, everybody, here you
go. I don't even know if anybody wants this, but, but I, and I wasn't even going to do anything,
you know, or I'll go a long time without doing anything. And, and, and, but every single time.
And then there were times where I've had an idea. It's kind of like the rest intensive and nobody
was interested. And I had bills coming up. I'm like, okay, Lord. So it's not the rest intensive
Lord. And the money that provides for me, it's you. So every single solitary month for,
or is it three years or four years now as he 2019 it's three, three years now,
every single month, God has paid for all of my bills, all of them. Even when I was traveling
overseas, all of them, it is wild. And I've never been, and he's not, um, uh, I haven't missed a
single one. I mean, it's, I don't know. It's just, it's just pretty, pretty well because I just
trusted that he's provider, not that I need my bills paid. I don't hold him emotionally responsible
for that anymore. Um, so I'm not saying I'm perfect. I'm trying to paint this with very
big, broad brushstrokes to, to give you a principle. There's still times where I struggle
and I'm like, oh my word, how many months has he provided for and protected me? And I'm coming up
against, you know, X month. And I'm like, oh my word, Lord, it's like my bills are due in like
tomorrow and where's the money or whatever. And I'll get all upset. Like, Lord, what have I done
wrong? I haven't seen anything that you haven't provided. I still have that, you know, I know
better than the Israelites. You were going through, you were going through the desert and three days
after they got water, they're complaining about something else. And like, you brought us into
Egypt out of Egypt to die. You know, I still have those days with the Lord. I'm just talking
generally. I'm talking about the fact that I have experienced it and I lived it for three years.
And, um, and so anyway, I have to choose, um, God over my life being a particular way. And,
and so I I've had to lose my hold on material things, lose my holds on relationships
and just be like, okay, this is what God has allowed me to experience right now.
But my life experience is him and developing a relationship with him. Everything else is
just stuff I'm going through, meaning like I'm just traveling through. So is any of this resonating,
making sense? Yes, it does. I feel like it makes it easier, but it's just as hard as all the
reasons we've said no. Yeah. Yeah. Cause I automatically go to, okay, well, I'm going to
like trust you with this and end up in a camper with no money.
Like, yeah, and the, the thing is that we, it may be the thing is we don't hold
God emotionally responsible for that is my bread, which is God over the lifestyle.
But here's another thing is like, are the fact that our mind goes
there shows us who we think God is.
We're like, you know, he doesn't, uh, is we don't expect good things from him.
We want them, but we don't expect it.
We think Zach giving our sacrificing everything means
that we're not going to get it.
And so often that is exactly what you do, what we do.
And I'm so glad that you brought that up.
It's exactly what we do.
We, we, we, um, we believe that the Lord is always wanting, like, uh, uh, I
don't know that the Lord's always going to send us like to as missionary to
Africa cannibals, or, you know, he's gonna, he's going to, did any of y'all
Richie, any of y'all remember that song?
Uh, please don't send me to Africa.
I don't think I've got what it takes.
Do y'all remember that song?
Oh my word.
Oh, it's a hilarious song.
It's, it's a, uh, um, yeah, it's a, please don't send me to Africa.
I don't think I've got what it takes.
I'm just a man.
I'm not a Tarzan.
I don't like lions, gorillas, or snakes.
I'll, I'll serve you here in suburbia in this, in my comfortable middle-class
life, but please don't send me out into the bush where the
natives are restless at night.
Song of like, I'll serve you, but please don't ask anything serious.
Serve you here in the comfort of suburbia.
It's like this really funny song from either the eighties or the nineties.
We would play it and sing it and dance around the living room when I was a
little girl and then got sinister Turkey.
It was, it was an Africa.
Maybe we sang it too much and we say it into existence.
And I think that that's the thing is it's like, you're kind of, or at least I have,
it's like, oh, if you want something, then God's probably gonna give me the opposite.
Like, yeah, this is what you love.
This is what you desire.
Then expect the exact opposite to happen.
Correct.
In our minds, that's a mean God.
And that's what we think he is.
So we think, and so that, and then we turn around and think, okay, well, I think he
would give me these things, therefore he's mean.
And then eventually it comes into an expectation of him being mean.
And therefore he's going to do these types of things.
And then we now switch it to just approaching life from the perspective
that God is this wrathful God.
He's a master.
He's a slave driver.
He's, you know, he doesn't want me to be comfortable.
He wants everything needs to be hard.
He's always putting me to it, to a test.
And I'm just this peon and that's how he looks at me.
And therefore he's going to require all of these things with me.
And therefore that's when, what is going to make my life look so challenging.
And, and it's all starts from that perspective that that's who we believe God is.
So if we want our lives to change, we have to change what we believe about God.
That's what everything comes back to.
It's not like, oh, well, we'll see change and then we'll believe something different.
We actually have to do the opposite first.
And we have to give up this ever happening and choose that he is good.
Choose that he is who he says that he is, and then see what kind
of an experience that we have.
And I promise you this.
I promise you that once you find out who God is, just as being, you no longer need
the other things, and it's not that you don't want them, but you want them kind
of like, uh, we all want ice cream or we all like dessert, or I don't know what
y'all's thing is, you know, that y'all love you, you like it, but can you live
without it?
Yeah.
You know, do you have to have it right this moment?
No, but it doesn't mean that just because you're not desperate for it.
Doesn't mean you don't want it.
So it's like that.
It's like, it takes away the desperation.
It takes away the need for things.
Didn't mean that we don't want it.
Cause sure enough in the Lord, we have desires and God likes that.
He wants us to have desires.
In fact, the desires become more clear when we're in him and we've given everything up.
Um, but you're wanting it from a totally different perspective.
You no longer, you no longer need it at all.
They're like, if I get it, that's great.
And if I don't, I don't.
And that's fine.
Either way it doesn't in a manner of speaking, neither way affects you.
Neither answer affects you.
I promise I've experienced it.
I live it.
It really does not matter like, okay, we can stay here or we could move.
here. We could do this, or I could have this, or if not have this, it's just again, open hands and
everything's just flowing through it. Um, and you can still want things that God wants you to want
things, but you don't, but if it comes, it comes and I'll, I'll love it and I'll enjoy it. But if
it doesn't, that's fine. You know why? Because there'll be something else and God will give me
something different and all of that. And, um, anyway, so it just totally different way of,
of living, but is that helpful? Yes. Helpful. Thank you.
All right. Well, I will let y'all go. Um, it has been a fun rest intensive and I will see,
um, at least five of y'all in the, and the rest lifestyle. And, um, so, and then if anyone else
ends up joining, that is great. Um, but it's been really special to be with everybody. Y'all
been amazing. And it's been a lot of fun to get to develop a community and where everything is
still open through Saturday. So, um, enjoy and I'll see y'all in there. Bye everybody.