Update on My Music

Hi there,
So this website was primarily designed as a place for me to post my writing, art, and music, but the music has been a little slow going. Mostly because I have been having throat issues for the last 2 years.
    Currently, I am on a vocal rest for two months, after just having my tonsils out. I am preparing though, in two months, to start my first recording project. It has been a dream of mine since I was 16 years old. I have written over 40 songs, and lacked the courage to sing my original music until the past few years.
   I'm excited about the future of my voice - now that those nasty tonsils are gone! And very excited to get a little EP out. I would love to have your prayers and support. Please tune into my website and listen to the music I post in the meantime, and keep checking in with me. I appreciate your encouragement so much!

- Gina

Personal Update

Hi there,
Just a note to let you know I have taken a couple weeks off my blog,
I have been working very hard finishing another Children's Curriculum called "Discovering God's Heart", a journey through the Song of Solomon for kids. It is almost complete, and will be available soon!

I also am recovering from a tonsillectomy and I thought I would be doing a lot of blogging while I was down, but turns out, its hard to think when you are groggy on medications after a surgery!

Just know, that I am working behind the scenes on more resources to make available very soon,
blessings,
Gina

FREE Children's Prayer Resource FRIDAY: Target Meditation

Today's tip: Teaching Kids to Meditate on God using the Target Meditation.

I developed a little visual system to help me meditate on scripture a while back, and I introduced it to my kids about a year ago and it really helped them.

When we are meditating on a Biblical idea or scripture, many other things come to our mind and we need to sort them somehow to stay focused. In Kirk Bennett's Revelation by Meditation model he shows you how to create that 'task' column along the left side of your page and the "pursuit" section across the bottom. The idea is if you can stay focused on your target, you can get some deeper, clearer revelation from God.

I created this simple worksheet for our kids to do just that. To try this out- simply print one out per child, give each child some colored pencils or pens, and put on some soft soaking worship music.  (Even young non-writers can use it and draw their 'revelation' from God!) If your child(ren) have never done something like this before, start with about ten minutes. My kids are very use to it, so I gauge them and I can tell when they are kind of done and ready to share.

When the ten or more minutes are done, bring them together in a circle (or if you are doing this in a larger church, break them up into small group circles) and have them each take a turn and share what God showed them about the passage of scripture.

My oldest son has always had a hard time in church and school settings. He has been challenged in the area of "sitting still"- maybe you can relate? Last year, when he was just seven, we did this with him and the most amazing thing happened! He really saw an amazing picture. He couldn't really describe fully what God was saying to him, but the way he interpreted it was that being "surrounded by God" made him feel good. This was his picture of dwelling in the House of the Lord. This was our prayer for him, that he would love to be in God's house!

So please download it, print it, and try it out! I'd love to hear from you-- Oh and Pass it on please!

Have a great Weekend!
Gina


TARGET MEDITATION Worksheet



Target Meditation

Our Golden California

Praying for Revival in the Golden Gate? San Francisco, California is overdue for a move of God! Many people have prophesied earthquakes and such over California, too many out there to count, and though science may show evidence of possibilities, we have yet to see it. Maybe because California hosts a multitude of prayer warriors? Just a thought.

In my dreams, personally,  I have seen 'shaking', to put it generally, but not specifically an earthquake. It's important to be careful how we interpret dreams, visions, and 'words' given toward our lovely Golden State. I have seen things I use to think were literal, but the Lord showed them to be symbolic.

For example, one of the pictures the Lord had begun showing me in 2006 was this image of the ground opening up with light coming out. It seemed to appear to me at significant moments during corporate prayer meetings, at the California State Capitol, and during worship sessions. The Lord showed me that this is not the literal ground opening but the light breaking through the dark places of politics and leadership in our state.

Recently, I read some reports from different sources about how God is going to bring revival to the San Francisco CA Bay Area. This makes my heart leap because we all know that God has plans for us, plans to prosper and not harm us, according to Jeremiah 29:11.

The past few weeks in the Prayer Room I have been singing the Revelation 4 song by Jon Thurlow, A Storm all Around You. It was pretty crazy this particular Thursday night as our Israel Prayer Team was singing it because on our way home that night we drove home through a lightning storm after just singing about how God's voice thunders and the lightning around the throne. (Revelation 4:5)

If you are not from the San Francisco CA Area, you may have missed this news, it was a most amazing sight. {Read the article here.}


So What is God saying about California? I believe God is calling all the prayer warriors of California to cry out for revival in 2012, and I believe revival is really coming. Here are a few ways for you to engage your heart in praying for revival in California, and the San Francisco CA Bay Area:

1. Believe that God can use you in the place of prayer. Your prayers count, so pray. Find a house of prayer or local corporate prayer meeting in your area and commit to regular weekly fasting and corporate prayer for revival.
2. Fast for revival. Set aside one day a week for weekly fasting for revival for your own heart and for California. For me, it is Tuesdays, every week. For more on fasting, see my post here.
3. Come cry out for revival at the One Voice Corporate Prayer Gathering coming to Hayward, CA. Attending Corporate Prayer Gatherings changes the atmosphere! Join with the state of California by attending large corporate prayer gatherings like this.
4. Speak life over California, that's right,  watch your mouth. (Proverbs 18:21) Speak, sing, paint, draw, dance in the spirit and sound of life over this state. When we speak life, we live life. There is lots of bad news out there, but there is also good news out there. Find some good testimonies of what God is doing in California and start talking about that. Start posting testimonies on Facebook and Twitter.  I am getting so tired of the negative slant constantly being spoken in social media. Lets get some of God's goodness declared shall we??

Join with me in corporate prayer and weekly fasting for revival in California, and I'll see you Saturday, June 9th at Cal State Hayward!

- Gina