Just wanted to fill you in and let you know how my book signing went. I must admit it was a bit slow…and some came by to say the traffic was slower than they had seen in a long time.  However this did not stop God from working. I had the privilege of speaking with several people and one in particular. It seems I was in the right place at the right time.

One woman in particular whose husband had died purchased the book. At first she acknowledged that she wasn’t sure if she wanted to know what God thinks when He whispers her name.

I proceeded to share with her about the goodness of God and how He only thinks good things. He is good and His thoughts are good.  With tears threatening to escape her eyes, she agreed to take a chance.

It is my prayer that Carvings In His Palm, What God Thinks When He Speaks Your Name will minister to the depths of her heart…to every lonely and needy place. If you are reading this, I ask you to say a prayer for her. Don’t worry about not knowing her name….God does and that is all that matters.

~Blessings Brenda

I had the privilege of speaking at Riverside Community Church in Spring Branch, Texas on the National Day of Prayer. What an awesome time in the Lord. I can truly say that Riverside Community Church exhibits community in every way. When one of their members gave her testimony about God’s miraculous healing power in her life I was so encouraged and my faith grew by leaps and bounds…however, the most amazing thing in her testimony was the sense of true community she gave voice to…it seemed every other word she spoke was about someone in their church “community” and how they had been there in her times of need which were many.

Her testimony provoked  me to ponder and reflect on our nation at large—realizing that sometimes I see our  nation in such a negative way and  tend to view it as being too large of a task to overcome the many negative issues at hand in our day and time. After all, the news is full of negative and disparaging reports leaving little hope in their wake.

Being with Riverside helped me to change my perspective and Holy Spirit began to break this “bigger than life” concept I had of our nation down into a much simpler more workable scenario—one called “Community”.

I began to see our nation as a community. Yes, it is larger by far than the community of Spring Branch, Texas, but never the less, it is still a community…though built up of many communities just like the one I was privileged to be a part of on the National Day of Prayer.

After hearing the testimony of healing in the life of a believer, I saw how a local community can be changed by the miraculous power of God in the life of one person. Take this example and multiply it across many more communities like it throughout this nation and you have change.

Seeing our nation as a community helps to scale down the largeness into a more palatable and hopeful scenario worth having faith for. You see, one person in need within one local community who is served by those around them transforms the local community. In turn the local community grows in faith, compassion, and hope. They take this growth and do likewise for the larger community around them such as their city, county, state and so on.

In Genesis we are told to be fruitful and multiply. If you notice fruitful comes first. Riverside Community Church became a Tree of Life for one of their family members and she in turn became a testimony to the community of Spring Branch on the National Day of Prayer. Fruitfulness became multiplication. God is the God of multiplication. He is not satisfied with addition.

Therefore, I challenge you to see your nation as a “Community” and start changing it for the better at the most core unit, your personal family and then at the local church level. From these foundational places change will began to take place and multiply to the point His image…His fingerprint will be impressed upon the Earth. After all, it all starts with one person reaching out to one person. This is true “community”. Let it start with you as you give to the need of another. Who knows where it will lead.

Hats off to the family of Riverside Community Church as their commitment to community and ministry within their own family led to a display of God’s glory and power to the people of Spring Branch, Texas.

Brenda Craig ©2008

April 5th — Alamo City Christian Fellowship

Whisper Conference
San Antonio, Texas
For information please call 210-654-7880 and ask for Beth

or email brenda@journalsoftheheart.com

Conference Testimony

And He said, Go out and stand on the mount before the Lord. And behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains and broke in pieces the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake;

And after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire; and after the fire [a sound of gentle stillness and] a still, small voice. (1 Kings 19:11-12 Amplified)

The Women of Alamo City

April 3^rd-5^th 2008

It was such a blessing to be with Alamo City Christian Fellowship all the wonderful women there this past weekend (April 3^rd-5^th) for their Whispers Conference. I am so amazed by the ladies there and their diligence to prayer, intimacy with Abba Father and personal relationships. We started working together sometime late last year and continued all the way up to the day of the conference. It was my privilege to pray and worship with them several times leading up to the conference. The love and acceptance I experienced was and still is phenomenal to say the least. They truly take the command to love the Lord and to love others seriously in both word and deed.

Thursday night, April 3^rd, I joined them for their banquet and was so blessed to hear the heart of Shirley Walker shared with humor, wisdom and grace all the while being challenged to come up higher in Him—challenged to respond to the voice of the Lord with obedience. Her statement, “Revelation demands a response!” stood out to me like a neon light in a dark night. And when she talked about 1 John 2:27 and how the word received means to reach out and take hold of, the message I was to give on Saturday was confirmed. Throughout Thursday night Shirley continued to inspire me, and confirm the message on my heart for Saturday April 5^th.

The women of Alamo City Christian Fellowship embraced me, loved on me and made me feel right at home. This was very evident as we met in homes on Friday night, April 4^th, for a meal, fellowship and teaching. We discussed Elijah and the still small voice of the Lord. It was an eye opener to say the least.

One of the ladies told of how she sits under an oak tree in her neighborhood when she gets tired during her walks—how she was struck with wonder as she gazed up through its tremendous canopy in the heat of the day—how its shade cooled her and reminded her of the greatness of God. She shared of how her heart marveled at the beams of light shining through the branches and how they spoke to her of the glory of God shining down. Everyone shared something on hearing God’s voice and what it meant to them personally. Like a diamond reflects light, each woman reflected a different aspect of the Lord’s still small voice.

All of creation displays His glory and can speak to us in profound ways. I call them “God Whispers”. They are everywhere if we will only look and listen. They can be found in the darkest night as the stars display themselves both in the natural and in the heavens or in a spark ignited by the touch of someone who loves you or I. The Word is full of stars having the fullness of God’s power held within each and every syllable.

Therefore, keep your eyes and ears open. You never know how He might speak. It could be through sound, sight or touch. One thing I know for sure is that His Word will demonstrate itself through Alamo Cities’ love of the Word for they are like an abundance of stars in the dark night of this world

The smiles and giggles of the women in my group on Friday night were indeed the whispers of God expressed as their unique personalities made themselves visible for all to see. My thoughts went to the beauty and diversity of God’s heart and I was made aware once more that there are many ways in which He speaks. Some of His words are silent but can be heard over the shouts of the world and some are loud, colorful and can come like a blast of fresh air when one of His sons or daughters opens their heart and speaks. This is what I experienced on Friday night.

On Saturday, as I stood up to speak and teach on Soaking With A Purpose, there were no nerves or worries for I had already been taken into the heart of their body and was fully loved and accepted. I was among friends and fellow sojourners having the same desire and goal as they, to hear the whispers of Heaven in order to walk out purpose and destiny in this life. Eternal life does not begin the day we leave this earth. Our eternal life in Him began the day we said, “Yes!” to Him.

I was so blessed by the music my friend, Jamie Lipe of River City House of Prayer, shared with all of us. Jamie ministered during two “soaking” sessions and the very essence of heaven, the very essence of Abba Father’s heart fell like a gentle spring rain and softened our hearts. Her words and music cleared the atmosphere and the whispers of Heaven flooded the room and saturated hearts with the desires and encouragement of Abba Father.

Being with The Women of Alamo has changed me and challenged me in ways I never imagined. I consider it an honor to have prayed with them, cried with them, worshipped with them, and fellowshipped  with them over the last few months. I consider them my friends. They are truly an incredible expression of unity, mercy and grace demonstrated through humble hearts.

Thank you Jesus for The Women of Alamo City Christian Fellowship. How You love and adore them. Pour out on them and in them. Give them Whispers from Your heart pressed down, shaken together and running over. Fill their hearts with dreams, visions and revelations which declare Your purpose corporately for the body and individually for each life and family. Establish them in an even more firm way upon the Rock for the Kingdom is at hand. Amen.

Listening for His Whispers

Brenda Craig

Soaking With A Purpose & Spirit Food for Life

Testimony From Chicago

The LORD led me to the SWAP site during my two week sabbatical from most things electronic recently. The special time during my soaking periods have so revitalized my relationship with the LORD that I now make the time to soak with Him at least twice a day! I didn’t realize what I was missing until I came to SWAP. It’s one of those things that seem so simple, and yet can change your whole world around. I am so grateful to Brenda Craig for building and maintaining this site. I am especially thankful for the wonderful artists who have allowed their anointed music to be easily shared with the all of us. May the LORD continue to expand all your territories for His glory.

Raquel Soto, Author of The 1 Minute Guide to Health, Wealth and Happiness, Wisdom from the book of Proverbs

www.acts1614.org

Testimony from the Netherlands

A short testimony of how I came to Soaking and more of God

I was hungry for more of God and His Word. I wanted to understand His heart, to know more of His ways. I have heard about soaking and entering into the realms of Heaven. But still I couldn’t find a way to do so and I was really frustrated.

I thought: “Is this only for America, Canada and those countries?” I heard about so many things happening and I longed for it. I was so hungry and desperate to have it manifested in my own life.

I love the prophetic and it was my great desire to have words from God for others. And while searching I came on the site of Journals of the Heart. I was very curious about this Journaling. And there I found more about soaking. And the teaching about soaking and feeding the seed made me so excited. I wanted many people to know this.

So I started to download the music and to share with others. In my heart came the desire to start a soaking-group in my home. I longed to share some of the Words of Journals the Heart. So I started to translate them. In the explanation there is so much. It’s not one way. Everyone can find something that will suit them and give them the desire to continue to soak.

Because I thought that there was just one way to do it. And now I found that I could do it a way that is very more like me. So if this is true for me, it also will be true for another.

I’m thankful that God is leading me and helping me to be a blessing for many people. It’s my desire that they will discover that God is speaking to them too and that, indeed, they can also hear His voice. I hope that these soaking-times will be like a snowball. I hope that many more will discover how to enter the secret place and to receive from Jesus. So that they also can be the blessing God has called us to be.

God has helped me to make different soaking CD’s. Soaking music for those who will start to learn to soak and soaking music for those who already have understand the presence and the anointing of the music.

I still need to do some more translating and need more time to prepare myself, but I believe that God will bless these times. In March I hope to start with the sessions. I’m praying now that God will show me the people I can ask.

I’m so blessed with the Words that come from the heart of our Lord Jesus. I’m also thankful that they are not only words to make us feel good, but also Words that are like a sword. And I’m also thankful for all those who passes trough all that Holy Spirit tells them so that the body of Christ can grow in to adulthood and that we finally can subdue the world to the authority of the Kingdom of God. God had given us an instruction in Genesis.

But first we have to bring all our own efforts to the cross and receive His assignments. He wants to build now.

It’s my desire that we, as the body of Christ, will be different and that the world will see the sons and daughters of God and that the enemy will know that indeed, the portals of heel cannot overthrow the Kingdom.

In Him,

Edith

The Netherlands