Classic Mary Moments: Prayer!!!

Tuesday, May 22, 2012

Prayer!!!

My friend Jen and my friend Hanna had told me a little while back that they were going to be having a prayer seminar or something coming up in May and they were going to be taught by Bro. Garrett! I was like OH AWESOME!!! I know your gonna LOVE it cuz i've taken his prayer classes at the Bible college and they are absolutley fantastic!!! Today I listened to the prayer seminar HERE!!! AND they were sooooo GOOOOOOOOOD!!! God TOUCHED me today while listening to those. If any of you all out there have a chance you should really, really, REALLY take the time to listen to them!!! They are truley life changing!!! I quote Hanna Kifle, "Mary, my life is FOREVER changed!!!" (Or something like that! I didn't actually record our phone convo! LOL!)

I was telling the girls, I just feel soooo blessed that I have had the opportunity to learn about these important subjects for years at the Bible College!!! Bro. Kelley, Bro. Fair THESE MEN ARE ELDERS with soooo much wisdom, and annointing from GOD!!! THEY will NOT be here with us for much LONGER!!! It is SUCH an HONOR AND A PRIVILEGE for us to be able to glean from them!!! AZ young people, WE ARE BLESSED to have the opportunity to learn from these men of God!!! Everyone should be taking advantage of this!!! The class rooms should be PACKED OUT every semester!!! BUUUUUUUUT they aren't!!!! There are young people in other states that tell me all the time that they would LOOOOOOOOVE to go to our Bible college! I think that a lot of people are busy or they think, whats the point? If you graduate, the certificate doesn't even count for anything!!! WHO CARES its NOT about a piece of paper!!! ITS about learning and being taught about God!!! Its about Gaining knowlede from the Bible!!! It is such a BLESSING!!!

I learned LATE in life, for an Apostolic girl that grew up in church since she was two, about prayer. I'll never forget, when I was around 18-years-old, yes I know, I am LATE BLOOMER, ALWAYS that way...I was in the LOWEST reading group in kindergarten and first grade, buuuut when second grade rolled around I could read a 200 page book in one day...I am SLOOOOOOOOOW to learn, but when I do, Oh man WATCH OUT!!! So I got admonished by elder Sis. Abbott during prayer before church one Sunday evening. It was PRAYER TIME and I was just SITTING there!!! I wasn't goofing off, I wasn't causing trouble, I wasn't talking with my friends, I was just sitting there, BORED!!!!!!!!! (Mediocrity and Complacency!!!)

Ooooo Sis. Abbott GOT DOWN ON ME!!! She called me out and said she needed to have a word with me and OOOOO MAN I knew I was BUSTED!!! I'll never forget her beautiful crystal blue eyes peircining into mine as she said to me, "MARY! You need to learn how to pray!" She kept emphasizing it as she admonished me and I remember I was soooo EMBARASSED!!! ANd I'm sure cheeks were red as I just nodded my head and said ok. AND you know, I really do NOT know WHY she picked me to talk to, because there were PLENTY of other people...ADULTS, that could have used a good talking to also, (Just sayin' LOL) buuuuuuuuut I am soooooooo THANKFUL that she did that day. That talk is FOREVER branded in my mind!!! I was BLESSED to be admonished by her!!!

So it was AFTER this talk from Sis. Abbott that I realized the IMPORTANCE of prayer, buuuut it is BECAUSE of the Bible College that I LEARNED HOW to pray!!! How many times he would teach us from The Lord's Prayer!!! AND he would always say, Praying NOT saying!!! In other words, we NEED to pray that way, NOT repeat the prayer, but PRAY THE PRAYER!!!

The first time I learned about not just praying but PRAYING!!! Praying in the Spirit was in Elder Kelley's class! His class was about "The Christian Family!" buuuuuut one thing I have learned about Bro. Kelley is it don't matter WHAAAAAAT the subject matter of his class is, it ALWAYS comes back to ONE THING: Praying IN THE SPIRIT!!! I wanna see TEARS!!! You all need to pray for a WEEPING SPIRIT!!!! I remember just sittin there like SAY WHAT??? Cry??? I NEVER CRY!!! I didn't even cry at 6-years-old when I got the Holy Ghost!!! Mar bear don't cry! She is HAPPPPY! I got the Joy of the LORD in my heart!!!!! Then there is bro. Kelley!!!!! You need to be broken!!! TEARS!!! I WANNA SEE TEARS!!!!!!!!

AND MAN...I learned how to pray!!! Then I took Bro. Garrett's Prayer class, prayer and evangelism class, Apostolic Standards class!!! ( I was his T/A that semester!!! WHich was INTERESTING...LOL... I make a the BEST T/A ya all!!!;) I have gleaned sooooooo much from this college of Apostolic Ministries!!! This past fall, I can't even begin to emphasize to you all how BRO. Brown's class on modern philosophy impacted me!!! AND you know, it wasn't even what the class was about that helped me sooooo much!!! It was just this ONE class, where he talked for a little bit on the fairness of God and OH MAN, I needed to hear it soooooo much! God isn't FAIR!!! Not the way us humans think of FAIR!!! And we need to pray for THE MIND OF CHRIST to be in us!!! I pray that EVERY DAY NOW!!! I seriousley give a HUGE credit to the teachings I have learned at this Bible College, to the shaping of my walk with God to day!!! I really, really, REALLY thank God for College of Apostolic Ministries in my life!!!

Well, I know its kind of early to be doing a promotion when Bible College doesn't even resume again until September BUUUUUT

if you live Arizona, go, go, GO!!!

Listen to the lessons on prayer HERE!!!

♥Mary Frances :)

The Votaws!!!

He has preached all over the US, China, Taiwan, the Philipines, Vietnam and many more Asian countries. He preaches in underground churches in communism countries. He converted a man on death row in prison to Christ and 3 hours before that man died he baptized him in Jesus name. He prayed the first man in Vietnam to kill and americn soldier through to the Holy Ghost and Baptized him in Jesus name. He has converted trinitartin preachers all over to the Oneness doctrine...BUT ABOVE all else...I thank God that I TOO am ONE OF THOSE souls he reached out too...he gave 7 years of his life to New York City!!! I thank God that he answered the call!!! It wasn't until his 6th & final year as pastor there, that our family came into church...we were there for 9 months before we came to AZ and then right after that the Votaws left NYC for the mission fields of Asia...I THANK God that someone had a burden for NYC!!!

Sis. Kathy!!!

This is the woman that invited my Momma to a Pentecostal church!!! She told me that she was actually new in the church herself and that she would see my mom in the front yard of our house playing with us kids and she just wanted so badly for my mom to have what she had just recieved herself. It may have been just one person that she was witnessing to at that time, but that one person has had an affect on her own five children and now its her Grandchildren that are still recieving the blessing of Sis. Kathy's witness. 25 years ago, it wasn't just my mom...I may have only been two at the time, but it was ME she was winning too! I thank God she wasn't afraid to be a witness and that she didn't give up on my mom. For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call. (Acts 2:39) When you decide to live for God it doesn't just stop with you!