last weekend there was yet another clear demonstration of the value of flowing in the anointing. traveling around and doing ministry in many different cultures, on different continents, with different people groups, age groups, all with theologies ranging across the board one thing must remain essential in order for the proper effect to take place. it is the move and flow of the anointing of the holy spirit that makes the work seamless and the connection between worship team and unknown speaker operate in unity. we witnessed this working in amsterdam this last weekend. not knowing the speaker from the barista at starbucks didn’t seem to interrupt what god wanted to do in the lives of young people. all we needed was a look from him to know how loud to get, to change the dynamic, to go big, to go quiet and all of this as we are moving in the anointing that is poured out by the spirit in the moment. after the service chatting with the speaker his comment rang loud and clear with me, “it is so good to work with people who can sense the anointing and move with it.” it was as if we had clearly communicated with him beforehand our song list, or style, and who was leading our team.

the greatness of the meeting was confirmed by the spirit and the anointing that flowed. the connection of words from the speaker and songs from the worship team were confirmed by the spirit and the anointing that flowed. the changed lives of the young people was done only through the work of the spirit and not the manipulation of the speaker or worship team as the anointing flowed.

praise the lord for such an opportunity. we thank him for granting us the eyes to see this magnificent demonstration of his power and gearing me us for the next great manifestation through the anointing of his spirit. our hearts are highly anticipating his next move!

a few weeks ago there was a young man who was living in amsterdam as a student in masters commission amsterdam noord. he, along with the other members of the team, went to moldova to do some missions work and serve one of the missionaries there. upon the return of the group he had some trouble re-entering the european union. he was from the united states and therefore had some visa issues and the officials at the border simply would not allow him in. his only option was to fly back to moldova to stay with the missionaries that hosted them. while there in moldova he had decided to take a shower in hopes that the steam would help relieve symptoms of a head cold. he had steamed the room so full that there had been an issue with his breathing and apparently he passed out and suffocated, all this according to the examiner. completely random to us finite individuals and an accident, but make no mistake god was fully aware.

needless to say, this traumatic event emotionally rocked the students. there was a much needed break from the regular routine and activity. because of our (ninth hour) close relationship with the director of the school we were able to minister to the group while they stayed in brussels. during their stay we led worship, taught, ministered, prophesied, and counseled the students through the week. it was very unfortunate in the reason they had to come to brussels but in this experience we came alive. the lord did some amazing things through the team as we ministered to the students.

particularly, i was able to apply those very things that i had learned in my studies to be a counselor in the states. one of the sessions i wanted to do was a grief sharing moment for the group as a whole (the group dynamic is essential to the exercise). this was a time that the students could share memories and thoughts about the young man who had passed. this proved to be very healing for most of them. there was not a quiet moment as the students reflected on first encounters and random thoughts that the young man had while interacting with the students. it was as if they could relive those times of getting to know him and they truly convinced me this guy was someone that left a positive mark on everyone who encountered him.

i came alive as i felt the healing anointing of the holy spirit in these moments with the students. the great thing is that i received some of this healing as well as god reminded me of the hunger he gave me many moons ago for individuals to live and walk through tough times yet allow god to actually grow their faith in him.

the students have been enormously encouraged throughout this last month and i was so happy to be apart of the journey. i am trying to make this as encouraging as i can while not just skimming over the fact that a well loved and magnificent individual has passed on to the place his soul was longing. paul, to the church in corinth, exhorts that “if the earthly tent which is our house is torn down, we have a building from god, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. for indeed in this house we groan, longing to be clothed with our dwelling in heaven…having put it on we will not be found naked” (2 cor. 5:1-3).

the director was able to go back to the states for a few days to take part in the memorial service. the parents, who are committed believers, had been talking with him about how they have been walking through this difficult time. the director of the school, upon talking with the parents, comforted them with the idea that after entering into god’s presence as their son has, he truly would want that more than anything else in the world. i can only imagine how such an experience would be so great that we would be willing to not come back, if we had the option. being in god’s presence is truly an AMAZING place to be. i recommend you spend all the time you can on this earth, here and now, in his presence.

upon arriving in rome, we were told that the main auditorium would not be available for us to use. instead, we were to use a smaller room down below the main room. this was not what was previously arranged, but we humbly said ok we can do that.

upon seeing the lighting rig that was being brought in the pastor told us that he was going to invite his board/elders to the first night and if we did anything “inappropriate” we would not be able to continue our conference at his facility. we heard the word “disco-tech” peppered throughout the conversation (in italian). we said ok we will not go overboard.

we were told that we could not play any music that would prompt people to want to dance before the service and after. we said ok we will not play that music.

we were told that our original plan to set up on tuesday night was not possible because they had a service in our meeting room (which they failed to inform us) and that we could not set up until the day of the conference, which gave us very little time. thankfully we were experienced in flexibility and moments of little to no time for set-up. we said ok we can do that.

the night of the conference opening, the church had a service in their main auditorium and they started at 7:30pm. we were told we could not start until they were done and we had to be finished by 10pm. we knew this was next to impossible but our response did not echo our frustration and instead we honored his request.

much of what we were brought in to the conference to do was now almost completely diminished. we felt handcuffed in doing anything with a “spirit of excellence.” but we knew that we wanted and needed to respect the pastor and his authority.

a humbling apology for his attitude towards the whole project. he genuinely felt terrible and apologized not once, not twice, but many times over the course of the next few days. he even told his staff to stop bothering him with every little thing they thought inappropriate and gave us full permission to do “whatever we wanted” throughout the remainder of the conference. in fact, after the first night he and his elders were taking pictures and asking for the contact information for the lighting company that rented us the gear. i had asked the guys who brought the equipment if they had ever rented this stuff to a church and they said “no.” consequently, now, there is a connection with them that i know will re-shape a perspective of how church can be done on both fronts. it blows my mind what humility can accomplish. completely opposite to what the flesh says should be done about meeting opposition. i am still on this wonderful high of god’s amazing good news which is all about humility.

philippians 2:3-5 says this…
do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind let each one of you regard one another as more important than himself; do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also the interests of others. have this attitude in yourselves which was also in christ jesus…

This has been such a special season and we know it was from God. Financially, spiritually and more, we have all needed the close knit support that communal living brings. Sure it’s not always easy living in a home with 16 people (7 of those children), but God was forming us and challenging us and causing us to love deeper than before.

Doors have now opened for some of the team to transition to their own houses. We are all in agreement that God has spoken. Our vision and core value of community is still just as clear and strong, but we will no longer be living all in the same house.  It has become apparent that we need more room here at the Base to be able to house interns that have already signed on while continuing to foster a sense of close-knit community.

This is our Shuffle:

Allyster (who has been living with the Lowries) moved to an apartment on the top floor of the Commission Prayer Room in February.  He and Laetitia are getting married 6 April and will be living there at the CPR.
Jon and Destiny are moving to a house down the street from the NinthHour base in March.
Gary and Jerri are looking at relocating to an apartment in the CPR building in the near future.
Nathan and Courtney will be able to spread out and give their children another bedroom, as well as create a separate living area upstairs for their family. (All four children have been in one bedroom for two years!)
All of this shuffle opens rooms at the base to house single adults for 3-month internships.

We are excited about the changes and know that God is aligning the ministry for expansion. We are convinced that this change equals growth. So pray for our team as we do the NinthHour Shuffle!

We officially launched the next stage of the Commission Prayer Room in downtown Brussels!
What an amazing step this is, to be able to consecrate a place of prayer and worship that is just down the street from the E.U. Commission where decisions for all of Europe are made. Daily we pray for the leaders of the EU to be inundated with the presence of God and for His government to be established here in Europe.

Saturday we began our first seminar, Intro to CPR which was a one day seminar explaining the vision and values of the prayer movement and basically an introduction for people who wish to become involved either by playing instruments or leading a watch. It was a success as the prayer room was filled to capacity with people eager to get involved.

This begins such an exciting time where we begin gaining momentum as we expand the ministry.
Starting Monday the 27th, we will begin having weekly Encounter services of worship and teaching. We will continue to have prayer and worship watches that will expand to different times throughout the week led by people from all over Belgium and the different networks and communities we partner with.

We are so excited and cannot wait to see what all the Lord is going to do as we faithfully seek His face.

This training seminar proved to be yet another eye opener.

Sunday morning planning and execution I know. What I hadn’t had any experience in was a culture in Africa, much less an Islamic controlled state. I really had no idea what to expect. Thoughts like, “don’t they feed Christians to lions,” popped in my head. Or how about the thought of being part of the “underground church!” Oooo, scary right? These ridiculous conclusions couldn’t be farther from the truth of this great nation. In fact, upon arrival, the pastor we would be staying with was very vocal about his frustration with the whole perception of the underground church. “Just be yourself,” he would tell us, “it would be far better for you to tell them you are a pastor, or that you are a teacher of worship.” The idea is that “missionaries” have an agenda that may or may not be hidden as far as the government is concerned, but pastors, well, they are not hiding anything about who they are or what they are about. That was a personal shock to me, and a wake-up call for my relationship with Jesus Christ.

This training seminar proved to be yet another eye opener. There is a great need in the French speaking world concerning worship if it will make any lasting impact. The same English songs that have impacted my life, and probably yours, are great. They impact the church here as well. However, this is the season for original French speaking worshippers to come out of their respective shells and write the songs that awaken the church. I have always felt the French language was such a romantic sounding language. There is such a need for the beautiful French language to establish its romance with the living God in the expression of song. That is my prayer for the coming generation. Do not cut down the root of your influence but build upon the influence and use it as a foundation for a revolution in worship…French speaking worship.

C’était l’été dernier.

J’étais dans un camp au sud du Texas et pendant une soirée de louange, j’étais debout au fond de la salle en pleine conversation avec Lui et ça m’est tombé dessus.
“Si le voile est déchiré, qu’est-ce qui t’empêche d’entrer?”
Ce n’était pas le chaos ni l’anarchie dans ma vie, juste le combat de ne pas se sentir digne parfois. Juste la sensation de ne pas en faire assez, de ne pas être assez pure pour m’approcher.

Et c’est vrai. Tous mes efforts accumulés ne peuvent m’acheter la sainteté.
Toutes mes échelles sont trop courtes pour toucher le ciel.
Mais une fois de plus, il m’a percutée avec cette vérité:
Si le voile est déchiré, qu’est-ce qui t’empêche d’entrer?

Dans la Bible, le voile c’était en fait un lourd rideau dans le temple qui marquait la séparation entre le lieu saint et le lieu très saint. Une séparation entre ce qui peut être souillé et le coeur même de la présence de Dieu. Seul le sacrificateur pouvait avoir accès à ce lieu, une fois par an, après s’être purifié et fait un sacrifice pour le péché. Un sacrifice qui ne suffirait pas et qu’il faudrait répéter.

La neuvième heure du plus grand jour de l’histoire, alors que Jésus, Fils de Dieu et Fils de l’homme, était sur le point de rendre son dernier soupir, le voile du temple se déchira. (Mt 27:51/ Marc 15:38)

Il se déchira de haut en bas. Un détail d’après toi? Je n’y crois pas. Moi j’y vois un Dieu prêt à déchirer à mains nues son écrin de sainteté pour venir se salir les mains avec une humanité échouée de laquelle Il ne peut se séparer. C’est un cri de douleur de la part du Dieu Créateur qui ne peut supporter plus longtemps l’absence de sa descendance. Chair de sa chair, os de ses os, faite à Son image.

C’était Son idée. C’est Son initiative de tout miser sur une chance, si infime soit-elle, que nous répondions à Son amour. Il a déjà franchi toute la distance qui sépare le ciel de la terre, en envoyant Jésus en chair. Il suffit d’un pas de notre part pour que cette distance qui nous sépare s’efface.

“Nous avons au moyen du sang de Jésus, une libre entrée dans le sanctuaire par la route nouvelle et vivante qu’Il a inaugurée pour nous au travers du voile, c’est à dire de Sa chair” Héb 10:19-20

Le voile de Sa chair a été déchiré. Le ciel s’est ouvert sur nos têtes.
Son accès nous est offert.

“Si plus rien ne peut nous séparer, qu’est-ce qui t’empêche d’entrer?”
La seule chose qui peut encore s’interposer entre Lui et moi, c’est mon propre voile. Celui qui me voile la face. Celui que je dresse comme un écran de protection, comme un bouclier de survie, comme une forteresse imprenable entre nous deux. Quand j’ai peur d’avoir mal, quand j’ai peur que Dieu touche ce qui est légitime ou quand je me prends les pieds dans les barbelés du passé.

Voilà ce qui m’est tombé dessus ce soir-là. Voilà l’endroit d’où ce chant est né. C’était au départ un chant spontané mais on a choisi de le diffuser car c’est l’hymne d’une génération qui refuse de vivre à distance, qui refuse de vivre à moitié, qui connaît Son Dieu, qui veut marcher en vérité, ancré dans cette réalité:

“Une génération qui s’approche du trône de Dieu de grâce avec une pleine assurance (pas une démarche timide se demandant si ce Dieu là ne va pas nous foudroyer au moindre faux pas).
Une génération qui sait que Dieu lui accordera Sa bonté (parce que c’est un bon Dieu, plein de bonnes intentions) pour qu’elle soit secourue au bon moment” D’après Hébreux 4:16 (la Bible)

Le voile est déchiré,
Qui pourra séparer
Ceux qu’Il a rachetés
sont libres et délivrés

Le voile est déchiré,
J’ai le libre accès
Qui pourra m’empêcher
Je me jette à Tes pieds

Toi et moi, c’est pour toujours
Je suis vaincue par Ton amour

- Laetitia

Le 5 juillet 2011, Texas, 40°C, “Le voile est déchiré”

Dans le Studio à Relic Federation avec Levi Smith

There are approximately 220 windows in the district. When you visit each window twice (day shift and night shift), it totals well over 400 gifts. Most of the women were so excited to be receiving the presents! We only had a few who would not open their door, even though we tried to tell them everything was free.

Along with handing out gifts, we invited the women in the district to the Christmas party in our apartment that evening. Lots of food, singing, and gifts. Because of security sensitivity, I won’t post pics of faces, so you have to trust me that there were lots of women there! And, by the way, they loved singing carols. Some of them sang in Spanish also. So fun!

It was our second Christmas party, and I must say, it is becoming known in the District as the place to be right before Christmas! I love these women and love to hear about their lives and countries. They want someone to love them for who they are, not for what they look like or what they do.

These women know genuine love when they see it. I guess that’s true for everyone, huh?!
]]> http://ninthhour.org/2012/?feed=rss2&p=554 0 http://ninthhour.org/2012/?p=500 http://ninthhour.org/2012/?p=500#comments Tue, 03 Jan 2012 10:58:49 +0000 desvdp http://ninthhour.org/2012/?p=500 What an amazing year this has been.

Since January we have seen such an increase in the presence and favor of God it has almost been unreal. As a team, we spent the first few weeks of 2011 asking for direction and we all felt a resounding phrase and that phrase was “expansion”.

Not only did it come in a physical sense with the expansion of our team, we also have seen expansion both in vision and ministry.

Please take a few minutes to watch this short video of Ninth Hour in 2011:

Click here to view

A few of the many highlights for us in 2011 were:

• We received our first full time Belgian staff member, Laetitia Marcq.
• We transitioned the youth ministry Explosion from 4 times a year, to once a month, which sees upwards of 500 kids at each event. Our monthly meetings of Explosion have continued to be fruitful and I don’t say this lightly when I say that we are beginning to see a generation of young Belgians rise up and embrace their callings of Light Bearers to their nation and we are so blessed to be a part of it. Currently, our Explosion services are the largest youth service in the entire Brussels area (if not all of Belgium).
• From Explosion, we helped establish a weekly gathering for youth groups called Fusion.
• Another thing we were able to do during the first half of 2011 was we began having two weekly services in our home where we gathered Belgians – French and Flemish – together for worship, prayer and teaching. This is a deeply profound thing to see the French and Flemish Belgians coming together side by side and worship and intercede for their nation because there is a bitter separation between the two language groups.
• In May we had the opportunity to plan a conference that had a great turn out and people continue to tell us how the Lord impacted them during that weekend of prayer, worship, teaching and prophetic ministry.
• Throughout the year we hosted teams, families, couples and individuals. We also traveled to 9 countries this year, leading worship, teaching and just doing “the stuff” as Gary always says.
• One of our shining moments was we were able to record a Ninth Hour French worship CD of songs written by Allyster and Laetitia that should be out in the next month (more on that later). This was an immense move to help further worship in this nation by writing and producing songs in French and we could not have done it without the support of The Relic Federation.
• Our ministry to abused and trafficked women in the red light district of Antwerp has seen a number of women come “out of the windows” and either return to their native countries or able to break away from their captors and start a new life. We have some amazing testimonies that will bring tears to your eyes as we literally have snuck women out of the country! We are in the process of starting a blog where we can share these stories, but we need to do it in a way where we can protect the women and their identities. We plan on launching that in 2012 so that those of you whose hearts burn for justice can be more “in the know”.
• In October, Ninth Hour led worship and taught at a large youth conference that had over 700 young people in attendance. From there we had some divine connections and have been involved with and continue to be involved with nights of worship all over Belgium and France.
• Another highlight of 2011 was we were given a house down the street from the European Commission Building where we are launching a full time prayer room. THIS IS A HUGE DEAL and something that we have been faithfully doing in our own home since we moved two years ago. Seeing it evolve into a city-wide ministry is such a huge step for our ministry and the Commission Prayer Room (CPR) will continue to evolve and expand this next year as we take possession of the building in January.

With full hearts we look towards 2012 and are thrilled with all that the Lord has done. He has provided every step of the way and has poured out his favor and blessing to the point where at times we felt we were bathing in it. Not to say that we haven’t had any bumps along the road. We truly thought we would be starting a discipleship school this January at the facility we found, but the Lord closed that door. It was a lesson for us in humility and accepting His direction. It seems that everything is pointing for us to really launch into the heart of the city of Brussels and that is where we are directing ourselves this coming year.

I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.

We had such a great time at this last Explosion, over 400 young people came to hear about this fall’s theme based on Phil 3:14. Pastor Said came and exhorted us to continue to run no matter what happens, to have our gaze set on the one that died for us. Many  people responded to the call for prayer and some were filled with the Holy Spirit for the first time.

Nathanael Beumier also taught during the Unit of the basic of salvation (can you lose it? how can you be sure you are saved?). The reason behind that topic was to try to respond to some questions we have been getting from different young people.

On a more practical level we also were able to establish a prayer team to help with altar calls which is a great new addition for us (leaders) to the structure of Explosion. It was a bit hard to pray for 100+ people with often just 2 or 3 staff.

here are some of the pictures

You can view a few more here