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Posted in General Articles
by Blair Nightingale
on 8/27/2008
Psalm 9:1
I will praise you, O LORD, with all my heart;
I will tell of all your wonders.
TEN DAYS, SIX HOURS, THIRTY SEVEN MINUTES, THIRTY SIX SECONDS.
The countdown to Africa is most certainly on, in fact its nearing its end. With Zero hour quickly approaching, I feel as though I stand on the threshold of great testing and change. There is expectation, wonder, excitement, hunger and even fear at times. It is strange wondering just what it will be like to go (I know there will be sadness and gladness) and anticipating what kind of person will be coming home in May.
Everyone I want to let you know with great happiness, God has provided abundantly for me. Support has overflowed. Literally, It has come with exclamation and I have all that I need.
My Brothers and Sisters in Christ, my Friends and Family and Living Stones Church body: May God bless you all in abundant joy and presence. Thank you for your love and willingness.
I see and feel so clearly that He truly has lead me to Africa and I know he has great plans for many people. He has spoken through His word;
Isaiah 58:11
The LORD will guide you always;
he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land
and will strengthen your frame.
You will be like a well-watered garden,
like a spring whose waters never fail.
I Feel Responsibility.
For the people of Africa and my team-mates and for all of those who have invested in me but above all the Lord God Almighty through whom everything I have has come. I stand not under judgment but accountability to him everyday and that is Heavy.
Luke 12:48
From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked.
The Holy Spirit whispers to me that this whole experience is about Him pouring into to me so that I may pour into others what He has shared. What a blessing to be loved by God. Much has and is being given to me and I know that it is not just for me but is for God's work, His Kingdom and His people.
I Am Thirsty.
I want experience's like Saul on the road to Damascus. Bam! That is to say, ENCOUNTER.
I want to do away with angles, stretches, lies, performances............... man's common practice of common religion. I just want to meet the living Saviour more and more and more. Jesus Christ! There have been encounters certainly, but I know what is to come will of such a kind I have not seen before.
Matthew 5:6
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
for they will be filled.
I can stand on this promise. I know this trip will be filled with the Father, The Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
I read D.W. Moody say:
Many try to stir up spiritual life by going to meetings, (and that may be well enough) but It will be of no use unless they get into contact with the living Christ. Then spiritual life will not be a spasmodic thing but it will be perpetual: flowing on and on and bringing forth fruit to God.
I Am Leaving Soon.
To those who are at home;
I anticipate hearing of all that happens in each of your lives while I am away. Either along the way or when I have returned. I believe God has plans for us all, may we all walk in obedience to Him and instruction from Him.
There are many I wish to thank, to mention and share with here and they are all worth it.
I will miss you family. (I suspect more than I now know) Mother (you know I love you very much), Brother (I guarantee I will daydream of playing super-nintendo with you!) (yes Anna and Ava too!), the whole family will be in my thoughts. You have all held me up and poured into to me true love and support no matter the situation over the years. Thank you. I love you all.
I will Miss you Vallee's. Andrea, Rachel, Paul and Patty, You are all truly instruments of God's love and wisdom. You have openly taken me in and have fed my spirit with that same love and wisdom. I leave much better equipped for this calling because of all of you.
Paul, I must tell you, If the LORD see's to form of me half the man of God that you are than I will count myself blessed by Him indeed. You inspire and encourage.
Thank you guys, I very much hope to share more life with you as the Lord wills it.
I Will Miss You BTM Brothers. You can take the Blair out of the BTM but you cant BTM out of the Blair!
You guys are the BTM. What I loved most about that band the whole time was each of you.
We had an amazing run.
But it was you guys that made it great. I love you Jesse, Judd, Ty, Carlos. You are and will remain in my thoughts and prayers and I will tell and do tell all about you. You're all one of my great blessings.
Of course you too Hugh!
To all at Living stones worship and all the church, I love our church home. I am so excited to hear what happens there in the coming year! There are many of you who have encouraged and shared with me. Thank You all.
Drewson! NO, I didn't for get ya and I will not ever do so.
Tyler Hallet (excited for ya man! Keep Going! enjoy the year), Jimmy K , Brody, Marv and all Totem! Thanks guys.
Ty Braun! Stay strong, let God lead, it will be amazing! See you in 10 months, we will play again then!
TO EVERY SINGLE PERSON WHO HAS LIBERALLY, AMAZINGLY, SELFLESSLY GIVEN SUPPORT IN ANY AND EVERY WAY THANK YOU SO MUCH. SERIOUSLY. THANK YOU AND MAY GOD BLESS YOU!!!!!
-TEN DAYS -FIVE HOURS -FORTY SIX MINUTES -EIGHTEEN SECONDS-.
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Posted in General Articles
by Blair Nightingale
on 6/30/2008
The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks. Luke 6:45
Oh Lord, That I may love like Jesus! Everything you do is in love. I simply cannot comprehend the depths of your love, the extent that you have gone to show a sinner as me that you LOVE. Fill my heart, that it may overflow in pleasing abundance and brotherly service and glorify, honor and thank You who pours out on me each new day.
I have lived for myself. Only myself. I need God to teach me how to truly love.
I must understand that God truly loves me.
Not a religious checklist.
Not an intellectual agreement.
But within the very fibre of my heart know that God Almighty love's me.
1st John 4:19 "We love because he first loved us."
It always starts with him. I would like to share a wonderful reminder I had today of God's awesome love.
Early today at 5:45 a.m. I pray to God:
"Remind my stubborn, forgetful heart right now this day, that you LOVE."
It is hot right now. Maybe in some of those more humid places around North America you guys wouldn't be phased by it but it is hot for me. 34 Celsius.
I work outside on black pavement and this only adds at least 5 degrees to the existing temperature.
Its about 10 a.m. and I fell the unbearable heat that is already upon us.
I read two newspapers.
Red Deer, Monday June 30th. 30 degrees. Sunny and clear.
No rain.
I walked out side and as I track down my forklift amongst the busy yard of trucks and trailers, commotion and noise. I look up to a clear sky and wonder too myself;
"Elijah prayed for rain and got it (see, 1st Kings 18:45), with this heat it would be nice to do the same now!"
"Of course this was Elijah, whom I most certainly am not! and besides this was not for his own comfort or entertainment." And so abandoned the thought to history.
11:30 comes knocking at the door, and there you have it off to the west:
The Clouds Are Rolling In.
The size of a fist? No.
Bigger, But the wind is really moving now and the sprinkle soon begins.
I did not initially see this for what it was but soon my heart adorned His wonderfull message for me:
"What I would do for them I would most certainly do for you, because you are my child and I Do Love You."
1st Kings 18:45
And it came to pass in the mean while, that the heaven was black with clouds and wind, and there was a great rain. And Ahab rode, and went to Jezreel.
I had a biblical day with God.
Praise Jesus that I may know, what was was unknown and unseen.
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Posted in General Articles
by Blair Nightingale
on 5/31/2008
I sit in a dark room packed with a few hundred people all munching down an whatever they decided to spend their fifteen bucks on. The movie rolls on. People are screaming. People are running. Yes, people are definitely dying.
WHAM! I think to myself "An hour earlier I read Em Halls post on listening prayer and here I am at this movie?" Outrageous. If I had been given a true opportunity, that is, If I really knew that I had access to the Lord almighty and that not only could I speak to him but that he would SPEAK TO ME! Shouldn't that mean something? And if it does, shouldn't I do something about it?
I looked around and thought further:
Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. (Romans 12:2)
I look back at this movie. Evil. A celebration of pain and fear. I do not belong here and for the first time I definitely need to go. I want to go. I believe God is truly renewing me. Things are changing all the time. Its challenging, but very cool. I am always learning obedience and after I walked out of this un-named movie, I feel I was taught something.
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Faith is much like a credit card. Obedience its transaction. We can only go up or down.
There are big purchases. Large cost. These things are easier to see.
"Wow "that" (Alcohol, Sex, Drugs etc.) costs a lot, I don't want to spend that much." and so I can avoid the debt of those things. I get closer to God. I choose not to spend on those things of the world, and stay in "good balance" with God.
But what about all the little transactions we don't think about? ANYONE who has a credit card or who knows anything about money, knows that pretty soon the little things add up big. This movie WAS a "little thing" for Blair Nightingale but WAS adding up.
I felt in debt. Convicted.
How on earth was I getting closer to God, and if God wasnt in it should I be spending?
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Posted in General Articles
by Blair Nightingale
on 5/15/2008
Hey! Wow this is just such a cool opportunity to get down so, so many things that are happening In my life with God right now. Thank you to everyone of you for checking out my page!
I won't go into to much yet but I just want to start off and say that I really want to use this page as an opportunity to share, encourage, vent, ponder lessons, thoughts and challenges that God impresses on me and I would like to say that I intend to, as always, be very open and ruthlessly honest about everything that I experience every step of the way in this amazing journey with God.
I will not always be right, you will not always agree.
We will share in blessings and we will all learn from challenges! You are all a part of this too.
I strongly encourage everyone to communicate with me on this page.
I would like to request that include all my wonderfull teammates and leaders in your prayers as we all prepare and embark on this trip of service and discovery.
God Bless each of you and your family's. There will be much more to come,
In service of Christ,
Blair.
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