February 08, 2018
Psalm 16:5-6 – ''Lord, you have assigned me my portion and my cup; you have made my lot secure. The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; surely I have a delightful inheritance.''
As we begin 2018, we first look behind and say “Thank you, Lord. You are faithful and true!” As we look ahead, we are filled with hope and greater levels of faith. He has been, and will always be good, true, and full of unconditional love. As we look at Him, we are amazed by the sovereignty and greatness of who He is and this is our focus. No matter what life brings. He is our focus.
Psalm 73:26 -- ''My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.'' In following the Lord, we all have times when our flesh revolts and our heart wants to give up. However, it is important to remember that at all times, under all circumstances, the Lord is our portion. What does that mean? It means that He is our all in all. He Himself is our sustainer, our preserver, our very life.
Psalm 119:57 – 60 - ''You are my portion, Lord; I have promised to obey your words. 58 I have sought your face with all my heart; be gracious to me according to your promise. 59 I have considered my ways and have turned my steps to your statutes.60 I will hasten and not delay to obey your commands.'' Here the Lord is the psalmist’s true homestead because it is God’s law that fills the earth with all that makes life secure and joyous. God’s promises are his hope and God’s righteous laws his delight.
It warrants pointing out that the previous two psalms mention the word “heart”.
In Biblical language the heart is the center of the human spirit from which springs emotions, thought, motivations, courage and action. When the Lord is our portion, our heart yearns to be one with that portion. When the Lord is the center of our being, there is a yearning for the manifestation of that oneness to be evident in our lives. It is the quality that separates being a Christian from being a person of the world. It goes beyond religious observance. It exemplifies by His very person being manifested in our lives. This is the life we are called to live. This is the life by which we abide.
1. Live to Love Conference- Kerrville, Texas- Several of our team met in the Hill Country to come together with our Iris Global family during this amazing event. There was an impartation of hope, joy, and numerous words of encouragement. Many were touched and impacted for the Kingdom of God! Many experienced the presence and the power of God, including physical & emotional healing.
Norm & Angel had the opportunity to share with those attending about the upcoming Iris Relief school, and were commissioned by Heidi Baker and Will Hart as the directors of Iris Relief. It was a special time due to Kerrville, Texas being the Poorman’s hometown.
2. Visit We Will Go Ministries- Jackson, Mississippi. - At the end of this month we had the honor and privilege to visit some of our friends at We Will Go Ministries, directed by David & Amy Lancaster. We had beautiful times of teaching, worship, and fellowship. We met with leaders, and walked the streets of Jackson to pray for the light of Christ to continue to shine through this amazing family.
Our team left encouraged and refreshed as we co- labored together and witnessed a group of world changers take steps of obedience, and trust God with their personal lives. We believe it is the call of every believer, to be so filled and transformed by the love and light of Christ, and from that infilling, to go out and be light and hope to those around you. “HERE AM I, LORD, SEND ME!”
3. Exalt- City Wide Prayer & Worship- On January 28th, a group of city leaders, pastors, and citizens in the Abilene area, came together to be part of a historical event. EXALT, is a two-hour event dedicated to worship and prayer, in Spirit and truth. The mayor of Abilene, Chief of Police, business leaders, a local University President, and many more came to facilitate prayer in a group close to 5oo individuals. Some of the topics prayed for included; businesses and their leaders, Armed Forces (Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Seals, etc.) and their families, police force, families, government, media, churches, youth of today, etc. Angel Poorman, Executive Director of Iris Abilene, had the honor of being invited to facilitate prayer for the nation and people of Israel. God’s people. We are so thankful to be part of the unified church, and be members of the body of Christ.
4. Word, Spirit, Power Conference- I heard a preacher say once, (Metaphor) “There has been a divorce in the body of Christ. In any divorce, depending on the judge’s verdict, the child or children in that family must decide to live with the mother or the father of that family unit. Some choose the father- the Word of God. Some choose the mother- the Spirit of God.” The problem with this is that the Trinity are not divorced, but are ONE, in perfect unity. The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit together.
The emphasis of this conference was to marry the two together again. To have both in perfect balance. God gave us the Word and the Spirit, to tell us about Himself, and draw us to Him. Also, to transform us and fill us with His nature, character, and glory to reveal Himself to a dying, broken world.
R.T. Kendall, Charles Carrin, and Jack Taylor, shared some of their life messages and miracles were released as Jesus walked into the sanctuary during preaching and ministry times. We are so thankful for these spiritual Fathers in the faith that have invested their lives to growing in a closer relationship with Jesus, and training and equipping the Body of Christ.
UPCOMING EVENTS
2018 TRAININGS
1. Iris Relief Leaders School June 10th - August 11th
Become an Advanced Certified Disaster Response Missionary: We want to invite you to come attend our Iris Relief Leaders School. The school is this summer at Iris Abilene: Camp Barkeley. The purpose of the school is to train and equip Certified Responders to bring the hope and love of Jesus to others in times of crisis.
Iris Relief is a recognized international relief organization. This distinction allows us to send teams, as first responders, to minister in the power and love of the Holy Spirit.
Come, be a part of our Iris Family.
For any questions, contact our team at abilene@irisglobal.org
For more information please visit http://irisabilene.org
To apply, please visit http://www.irisglobal.org/missions/harvest/iris-relief-leaders-school
2. Restoring the Foundations September 23rd October 17th
It has been said that a person can live forty days without food, four days without water, four minutes without air, but only four seconds without hope.
Restoring the Foundations (RTF) provides hope for healing, freedom from life’s deepest struggles, and renewed purpose for living through a personal experience with God’s transforming, empowering love.
Camp Barkeley Training and Equipping Center is offering an extended training intensive for healing and deliverance featuring Restoring The Foundations Issue-Focused Ministry training and Thorough Format Ministry training in a four-week block of time.
For any questions, contact our team at rtf@campbarkeley.com
For more information & application please visit campbarkeley.rtftraining.org
