week 8

This week we didn't have a speaker.  Thursday we did a day of giving.  We explained to the students that giving was one of the weapons and privileges that we have been given in the Kingdom we live in. We wrote on the board the fees still owed to the school but we released them to give anything they felt led to give.  It was amazing to watch the students move in giving.  A spirit of joy was released over the room.  It was a blast!


Friday we listened to a Jonathan David Hellser podcast about worship and then we got on our faces before God and listened to him.  After we had a crazy worship session with Brian bringing us into some prophetic Abba(Daddy) worship! It was amazing!  Then we all sat in a circle and each shared the dreams God has put on us.  We wanted to hear what God has given them to dream and to see how as a community we can help achieve those dreams.  It was amazing to hear the vision in these students hearts.  We heard everything from helping child soldiers in Africa to moving to LA.  One student asked everyone who wanted to help in another fascinate type school to raise there hands and it was over 90% of the room.  How crazy is that! We watched as God weaved a web with vision that connected all of the students' futures.  We left class so blown away by God!


My favorite part of the weekend, by far, was that we had the privileged of having Violet's biological grandma with us.  She came to see our adopted daughter violet for the first time since her birth.  She was so blessed by our class.  She got rock by revelation of the kingdom and by the prayer the class gave her. She went home a changed woman, on a mission for her family and her life moving in another direction.  Praise Jesus, he is always faithful!  On Sunday night she wanted to babysit for us, so we texted a few fascinate people to go to dinner.  God set up a divine encounter on our fun evening out.  We happened to get to know our waitress and she mentions that she is a birth mom who place her child for adoption 10 yrs ago.  We could see the pain all over her, especially because the adoptive family didn't trust her.  I told her who we had babysitting and she was so excited.  We got to pray over her and speak truth to the amazing choice she made.  We explained how we are all adopted into God's family and that she has a special understanding of that.  She was rocked and weeping!  She thanked and hugged us all.  Go God!  I told violet's grandma about it and explained that if she hadn't come, what we said wouldn't have carried the weight it did.  One thing I realized from having violet's grandma here is, we may have adopted violet but she adopted us as a family! How good is God!


Melodie

week 7 - Ross and Mark

 Amazing Ross!

Papa Mark

This was one of those weeks that I don't know how to blog.  There was so much happening in the spirit but it's hard to describe that.  We were honored to have friends Mark Jordan and Ross Smith.  Mark Jordan lives in the area and has been our good friend and spiritual dad for years.  We were blessed to have him as Jude's second grade teacher.  Ross and Mark became great friends when Mark and Jana lived in Alabama.  Ross and his wife Shirley are from South Africa and moved to the USA after apartheid.  

Thursday started with Mark sharing his testimony of God powerfully taking a "stubborn man" out of legalism.  He also shared some wisdom on how God uses you were you are at.  He deeply carries the Father's heart and affects people with love whenever he is.  Though the weekend we saw him with his arms wrapped around a student, praying and speaking life over them.  Thank you so much Mark!  I know deep wounds were healed by the love you poured out so freely!!

Friday Ross shared some stories about South Africa and other places he has been.  After each story, it seems, he would call a student or staff forward to pray freedom over them.  It was a gentle thing but it really shifted things in the atmosphere.  It was tangible for me.  I had students tell me that this was the most powerful weekend for them.  Students were fully released from strongholds and you could see it the next day!  Freedom!!

Saturday we "Aff. Bombed"(affirmed as a class) Kristin.  It was awesome and she said she really needed it that day! Go God! We did a time of soaking and Ross and Mark prayed over more students.  Then the students went out with an amazing friend that is called to the homeless. 

It was a sweet time this weekend of healing and freedom.  Thank you Ross for paving the way in your life, bringing to us what you have experienced with God and the tools he has released in you to help bring freedom!

Melodie

Our amazing students

Some of our students on Flannel Friday

We feel so blessed to have the students that God has sent our way!  They are all so amazing in different ways.  Each of them has a special story about how they ended up at fascinate. We have 19 student and they come from all walks of life.  We have ex-amish, mom, anesthetist, high school students, BJU mission graduate, marine, cheerleader, ex-drug addicts, and loyal employees to name a few.  

As staff, we have had the privilege of watching their transformations and joy; as well as the attacks that the week can bring.  What makes this training school different from the DTS experience that we had is that the students do both: intense training and everyday life.  It was a struggle at first for a lot of them.  They would get excited and built up on the weekend and then get discouraged during the week.  Now, most of them have learned to recognize when the enemy is try to take what they have received or keep them from receiving what the next weekend will bring.  I have heard many say, "I was really attacked this week, God must be doing something big this weekend!"  How amazing is that!?  I have heard many stories from YWAMers saying how "messed" up they felt when they came home from DTS. We understand this as we experienced it ourselves when we came home from our DTS in 2009. We were ruined for the normal life after living 6 months in a culture that is centered around Jesus and gave us a Kingdom perspective on life. Our students are dealing with this challenge in the midst of their training. 

I was talking with a student last night and I was rocked by what he was telling me.  Our students are discipling people during the week!  This student was telling me how him and another student had started a "bible study" with 15 people. They take what they learn on the weekend to minister and equip this grou of people i their home. I realized that other students were also doing the same thing in their lives. OMG!, God is multiplying this before its even over.  That's so like God! I remembered that Jesus sent the disciples out in power on a "mission trip", when they returned they asked Jesus to teach them how to pray. Luke 10-11

This group is so hungry and ready to receive everything God has for them. This weekend we were learning to break strongholds, so basically God shows us the things that are wrong and coming against our original purpose. We then pray with them and break them off.  They were excited about that?!!!! They all loved it and were more than willing to face the brokenness in their lives.  That is the upside down Kingdom we live in!

We love each of our students so much and are so proud of them!  They are walking, willing and ready, towards all that God has for them even if it costs them everything!!

Good looking class on tacky Thursday

week six- Matt Beasley

Matt bringing it!

Our good friend, and a spiritual part of our family, Matt Beasley came to share this weekend.  He has been one of those people who had been dreaming of Fascinate with us so it was amazing to have him come and share.  He is staffing Fire and Fragrance right now in Kona and will be leading a team to Mozambique again in the spring.

On Thursday he shared his testimony of how he pursued God and the Kingdom fiercely without really knowing what he was looking for.  He is a real example of laying it all down for the glory of God.  We are so thankful for him and his humble heart to give what he has and allow God to use him.

On Friday Matt taught from the Freedom Manual.  It is a teaching written by Brian Brent and is a powerful tool of discipling, breaking stronghold and equipping.  After he share about it, he showed us how to put it into action.  As staff we took aside every student individually and first prayed for and spoke over them their original design.  Original design is just the ways God created us to be before some of it was stolen away.  Then we went after  main stronghold in their life and walked through repentance, receiving Gods love and truth, rebuking the stronghold or demon and replace with them with truth.  It was powerful stuff and it will be a powerful tool that they will use on themselves and others for the rest of their lives!

Saturday they went on an outreach with Matt to the downtown flea market.  They saw all the broken lives and prayed for some to be set free! I wasn't there so I don't have any stories to tell.  Hopeful Jed will blog some for you all to hear:)

Thanks Matty for setting our hearts free and equipping us in our lives in the Kingdom! We love you and feel our hearts joined with yours!

Melo

week five - Don Stephens

We had the privilege of hosting Don Stephens this weekend!  This was one the weeks we had been looking forward to since we started Fascinate.  We asked him to teach the Kingdom to us, and oh boy did he ever!  Don is such an amazing guy, just being around him you see the Kingdom.  He is so caring and really connected with the students.  Only if you ask, will he talk about himself and he thanks you for asking.  He is so encouraging and affirming!  We feel so blessed to have gotten to know him.  Jed's brother Isaac had suggested him as a Kingdom speaker because he spoke in their DTS and they loved him.


He felt it was important to lay the foundations before he went into the Kingdom so Thursday he talk about the Glory of God. People love the glory of God because we were programmed for it. Rom. 1:20  God's creation is filled with reflections of who he is.  Have you ever seen a sunset or read a good book and had your heart touched?  That's because it reflects God's glory and that's what we were created for!  The redeemed heart hungers for beauty.  Christ is the visible image of God's glory. Col. 1:15 We share in Christ's glory. Col. 1:27 Praise Jesus!  Where do you see God's glory?


Friday he spoke on grace. What is grace? Eph. 2:8-9.  He explained it is a gift and it is empowering.  He explained that it is impossible to live by both law and grace.  We went over the purpose of the law and the purpose of grace.  The only way to fall from grace is trying to be justified by the law. Gal. 5:4. How crazy is that! 


On Saturday the Kingdom came!  The Kingdom is the thing Jesus spoke on the most.  It was his first message and his last. Matt 4:14; Acts 1:3  What is the Kingdom? Every place where the will of God is being done.  It's the kingdom we were always meant to be a part of and Jesus reversed what happened with Adam so that we could take our rightful place in the Kingdom.  The Kingdom is not the Church. Some differences are: church is family, kingdom is the territory and authority of God; church is composed of people, kingdom is all creation; church is spiritual authority, kingdom is all authority; church is visible and relative, kingdom is invisible and absolute.  
Its hard to explain on a blog the revelation that Don brought to our hearts.  He showed many movie clips, played songs, and shared stories that revealed the kingdom.  Once your eyes are opened to a piece of the kingdom you see it everywhere.  For example, this weekend I went to see the movie The Vow.  It was the story of us and Jesus! It revealed more of the Kingdom to me.  It's a story of a couple that is in love and the wife gets in an accident and loses her memory.  The husband is so upset that she doesn't remember who she is and their love but instead of forcing her to act the way she used to, he loves her where she is at and waits for her to find who she really is again.  How is that not a picture of Jesus??  That is the reason we love those stories, we were made for glory and to be a part of the kingdom is to have our eyes opened to it! God is Awesome!! You can visit Don's website at   donstephens.wordpress.com
Melo

Week four - The C's

Rockstar missionaries Camille and Calvin

Week four was with my brother Calvin and his wife Camille.  This was their first time speaking in this type of setting and they were amazing!  On Thursday they both shared their testimonies.  Many of us were in tears and really connected at a heart level with them because of their willingness to not hold back.  I felt like many lies and secrets were broken off of the students.  The students gave so much feedback about how it touched their lives. Amazing!

On Friday Calvin spoke on the Father's Heart and the Spirit of Adoption.  He brings the understanding of the Fathers Love so well because he carries it so deeply from walking it out.  Their friend Christer explain the five fold ministry of Apostles, Prophet, Teacher, Pastor and Evangelist.  He explained clearly their purpose and how each is so important.  Camille spoke on prophesy and how many of us already do it and don't even know it.  She made it really practical and relevant to our walk as kingdom Christians.  She talked about how it is founded in love. 1 cor. 13:2. Prophetic words are an invitation to walk in the word. We did exercises with another person in class. We had someone tell us a short story about their life and we repeated the story back.  Then we told them what God is telling them about that story.  It was so cool!  I felt like prophesy was really opened up to the students and now they understand its purpose.

On Saturday they shared of their love for the word and gave us practical tools to study the Bible.  They taught us about the website blueletterbible.com and showed us how to use it.  They challenged us to be free about studying the Bible. Pray for a hunger for the word. Also to put into action what we learn from the Bible.  It was such vital stuff!

Thank you Calvin and Camille for sharing your hearts and time with us.  You impacted us so much and gave us eternal change in our hearts! 

Melo

week three - Jeff Reid

John Jeffrey bringing it!

Jeff Reid graced us with his presence the third week and we all loved it! On Thurs, he talked about simple affection based obedience.  He said that there is two ways to do things: from love and for love.  From love we partner with him and we see fruit. He played a Jake Hamilton song and showed the fascinate students that they are revivalist and that people have been prophesying about this generation for a while.  It is here, we are positioned for revival in this generation.  So the question of the night was " Will you lay down your frame for his glory?"  The class adamantly said "YES!"

Friday Jeff told us we needed to count the cost for a life devoted to Jesus, then he prayed a double portion blessing over us.  So Good!  He shared the simple gospel.  A visitor was saved that night and kept coming back for the next several weeks to get discipled and loved!

Saturday he talked about the culture of forerunners and how forerunners know who they are to run with. Ex.33:10 Joshua didn't leave the tent. He equipped us for life as forerunners.  Encouraged us with promises of God's presence and rest. Ex. 33:14

Warned us with ups and downs by looking at Paul's journey. Acts 18,19.  

Our week with Jeff showed us that we are revivalist and to never look at ourselves any other way!  We had amazing hanging out and outreach time.  He showed us a way to live naturally supernatural.  The students really stepped into there identity's and connected with Jeff's message.  More than words Jeff spoke, I feel he brought a piece of the Kingdoms power through love and affirmation.  It was world shifting for the students! Thanks Jeff!

Melo

week two-bonding time

some fascinate staff


Week two was very important to us.  We wanted to us this week to bond the group together.  So on Thurs we shared about who we are as Fascinate. Also, Brian(our staff) shared his testimony and some amazing stuff God had shown him about God's faithfulness in his life. He stated, " God doesn't always call the equipped, he equips the called!" Good word!  Most importantly he gave fascinate a mission statement "embrace the awkward!" lol.


Friday we were going to have a bonfire but there was strong winds that day so we worshiped and shared some more staff testimony.  We had a lot hang out times and really bound our hearts together.


Saturday was amazing!  We did our first treasure hunts.  We listened for God to give us clues to who (the treasures) God wanted us to find and love on.  The students had a real test of hearing God's voice and they were blown away at how God showed up! There was so much excitement in the group and awe at how real and loving God is.  It was so awesome to witness!


Thanks Brian for sharing your heart! We love you!


Melo

First Week of Fascinate

Finally trying to start a blog again!  So here goes...
We are four weeks into Fascinate and God is rocking our world!  I will try to catch you all up on what has happened so far.

first day!

Our first week started January 5th, 6th and 7th with Dan Baumann as the speaker.  As staff we had been preparing the way for months but this was the first experience the students had with Fascinate.  We greeted them to the Community House with a fire tunnel of prayer, love and affirmation.  We knew that their culture and the culture of fascinate were about to collide and we wanted our culture to overtake theirs quickly!  We had been seeking a culture of honor and thankfulness for a while.  We felt almost immediately that it happened!  Go God!  I think it was definitely uncomfortable for some of the students at first but they quickly knew that Fascinate was where they were meant to be in this time.  Some of the comments from students were heard that weekend were that they were so glad they said "yes" to this, even though many didn't really know what they were agreeing to.  lol.  Sounds familiar!


After the fire tunnel we worshiped together for the first time as a whole class.  We sang our class song "Oh my King" by stay the shores (Brian Fannin's band). Then Dan Baumann welcomed everyone to Fascinate and to YWAM. He gave a brief description of YWAM.


On Friday, Dan shared his testimony and it was an amazing time.  We broke into groups and processed and prayed together.  A repeating theme we heard that affected them, was how Dan had asked the guy that beat him everyday to be his friend.  One student really got rocked by that and started to pray for his enemies.  From that day on, you can see a huge change in him and the joy he carries at giving that to God and using his greatest weapon the Kingdom has, LOVE!


On Saturday, Dan talked about hearing God's voice.  We did some practical exercises in hearing Him speak to us.  We spent time listening and writing down what God was saying about us and our futures.  It was awesome and I know some people heard God, or realized they already hear God, for the first time!  Dan brought the revelation the God is more committed to fulfill his purpose in your life than you are to finding it! YAY! GO GOD!


I remember thinking the whole weekend that "this feels like a DTS!"  As staff we were overwhelmed with thankfulness at God's faithfulness in the weekend.  It went beyond our expectation and my heart was overflowing with joy! We were already seeing lives changing and eyes being opened to God love for them and who they were in Christ.  I had a student tell me that he had sang about, talked about, prayed about being a friend of Jesus but this was the first time he had ever felt like Jesus was his friend!!! Love it!!  
Thanks Dan for your overwhelming confidence in Jesus using Fascinate!


Melo