It's December here in CO! The grounds are covered in snow and it seems as though God is purifying the ground! I got the opportunity to go home and did. It was great! I got to see my family and hang out with them 24/7 for 10days! It was such a blessing just to be able to relax and be with them!

Also in December, we graduated the SSJ (School of Social Justice), and sent them off to continue their ministry in the way that griped their hearts the most. One went to Med school to be able to use that gift in missions. Another went to get her Law degree to work on the other side & stop injustice at the heart. Others went straight into the missions field overseas!

January not only began the New Year for us here at YWAM Denver, but kicked off another quarter of schools and amazing things all around! Our Compassion and Boarders DTS's have been "All in or Nothing" this quarter. When you mix the quiet and meek with the outgoing and passionate, you get a new breed that LOVES, WITH NO BOUNDS- Exactly what Jesus was looking for in disciplers before, and what God searches the world to find, now. 

Over the course of their training, these two schools went on what we call, a "Mid-Lecture Phase Outreach". The Compassion students went to Kansas City in Missouri with IHOP (International House Of Prayer) and saw that they aren't just supposed to receive from God, but also, allow Him to give out to others through them. The Boarders went...guess where...yep, to the X-Games 2012 and got to speak into many of the lives of others coming to see the competitions.  But it doesn't stop there! 

Now, in three more weeks, these two groups of students are breaking off into 7 smaller groups to go overseas. They will each hit two locations and spread what God has shown them to others as they build relationships with them in those areas. 

I have gotten the pleasure of being able to assist one of the main leaders on one of these teams and will be going overseas with that group!...There aren't many words that can explain how excited I am right now! Wow, yep, it's going to be a crazy whirl of an adventure! And I can't wait till I find myself walking off the airplane into a completely different culture! God has so much in store for this particular people group, please keep me and our team in prayer as to how to reach these people with the Word of God! I believe there is breakthrough to be had there on many different levels.

But that was just the schools. While all that was taking place, our staff met together for a three day conference. We found it a time of rest and receiving from the Lord and sharing those things with one another. We laughed a lot, played some games, ate great food, had amazing worship, enjoyed fellowship, and heard the Word in a new way. (By the way, if you've never read the Bible like a story, you ought to get started- it will capture your mind as the writer captivates your heart.) 

And it was there, at that three day conference that I re-found my first love!  And He is BEAUTIFUL! There is no combination of verbs to describe Him, no nouns to define Him:

He chooses to love me, unrelentlessly, unabandoned;

 limitless, he limited himself to human flesh and then condemned it to a cross...till death.

 Yet, He would never even think of condemning me...

 ...No,

 He searches for me till He finds me, wipes off the filth and cleanses me.

like the snow i am clean, like a star He sees me.

I have never done anything to deserve, nothing to earn what he did...

...and still, He loves me.

I've been broken, torn down, ridiculed and abandoned.

...but that didn't stop Him.

Instead He took my place, wiped the tears from my face and said "WELCOME...

my child, my friend, my beloved.

Will you come in and find rest? Will you let me feed you?

will you just sit at my feet and let me care for you?"

"I don't need a long prayer to hear you. 

I don't need your alligence to want you."

"I don't even need your tithes to provide for you.

I do what I do because I love you!"

And that, my friends, family, my brothers and co-workers, is why I can't describe my God- HE LOVES ME TOO MUCH. There is no sense to it, I can't wrap my head around it. Go ahead and give it a try. You'll find it overwhelming, just as I did. Then you won't be able to shut up about Him, just as I can't. He is why I do what I do, say what I say, live how I live- All, just to bring a moment of joy to His heart...and it's worth every second.

The Means & the End

You may have heard the expression: the means to an end, but have you ever considered which was more important- the means or the end? The reality that I could have been living my life looking to the wrong part of that phase hit me hard last night.

Over the last month or so, I've been struggling with desired obedience- obedience with the heart behind the actions. Waking up early in the mornings to read my Bible, which used to be a thrill, became a burden. I had a greater desire to stay in my warm bed a few minutes longer, rather than spend time with the Creator of the world. I soon realized something was wrong with this picture, but I hadn't the ambition to change. I had allowed myself to become a victim to comfort, or laziness. 

After of a month of gently trying to get my attention, God could handle it no longer (how many of you know that God is a jealous God- and I spent more time with my bed than with Him). So, He spoke up. And not just Him, but my soul, as well. 

Last night my soul was gasping for air, shouting for life (in fact, that could have been the last string where God could hold Himself back no longer). I had this idea in my head to do all the "christian" stuff that night, (read the Bible, journal, listen to worship music), but I stayed out and did other things instead, (the whole time, my soul burning within me). I got home around ten o'clock and thought, I still have some time. But God had other things in mind.

I was finally about to pick up my Bible, when God told me, "Just go in your room, shut the door, turn off the lights, and lie in bed- I want to speak to you." After a little fight, I listened. As soon as I had decided in my heart to obey (and desire to), God began His case- but in the most gentle of ways. He spoke truth, and it hurt, but it was in the most gentle/ "because I love you" tone. 

He rebuked me, but not because I hadn't been reading my Bible. He rebuked me because I didn't show the love for Him I claimed to have. And due to that, I had no desire to obey Him. O' if you could have heard His tone of voice that night, it would have made your heart ache- He was so sad. I broke His heart, I literally broke God's heart- until His love spilled out and hit me like a flood, and washed my eyes clean, and now I see, what His love really means.

And finally, after hitting me over and over with with His gracious/ passionate/ jealous love, He said, "Stacy, I am more concerned with the process, than the end". And all this time I had worried myself with, "I have to do this to be christian". When all God wanted was for me to earnestly desire Him, because He is madly in love with me. Then, in that, I will enter into the splendor of pure rest- in the person He has made me (which is "the end"). 

Funny fact: there actually is no "end" (as far as the person is concerned). We don't just "become" who we were intended to be. We don't "arrive" at "the place". It is all a means, and that means is Christ. Paul had it right when he wrote, "For me to live is Christ, and to die is gain"- Philippians 1:21.

Whoa!!!

Where to start? A lot has happened since the last time I've posted here, so I will give you a brief recap of the last three months and then bring you up to speed on the most resent awe-moments.

The last three months I've been working with a Compassion DTS (Discipleship Training School) with Youth With A Mission Denver. I've been sitting in classes with them, worshiping with them, teaching in class on a few occasions, leading some ministry times, spending some one-on-one time with a few of them, building life relationships and basically, doing life with them.

It's crazy! That group of students are now on outreach all over the world, and a new one is about to come in just another week. But, while the last group was here, God did some ground-breaking things that I will never be able to forget.

More to Come

Hello, everyone!

Sorry it has been such a long time since I've written last, BUT, there are more blogs to be posted soon! So, check back by the end of this weekend for some of the newest and greatest things God has been doing out here and more.

P.S. These are great things! We live in good times! God is doing some crazy stuff!

Thanks and I'll talk to you all soon.

Friend in Christ,

Stacy Schworm

God's Heart (like I've never known before)

I never understood, suppose I didn't really want to. I didn't want to see them how God did because if I did then they would mean something more than just another face.


Or maybe it's because I blent in to the faces to everybody else that I thought they deserved nothing but the same. I'm sorry if you ever felt like I put you in this category. I'm sorry if someone else has put you in this category.


But I tell you what! There is one who will never do that to you. Every tear, every moment that is filled with distress of your soul in some way, every part of every day, good or bad, He will be there.


He was there for me...every time. I was somehow counted worthy of God's time!


So are YOU!

I just thought someone needed to say that.

Seeing new things

Wow, I've only been on staff here at YWAM Denver for four months and I have seen/ experienced more than within my whole life before this time. Just last week we saw a few physical healings, two people receive our Lord as Savior, and many others who's eyes were opened to God's love for them!


All these things happened during one of our Kingdom Nights in the downtown Denver area. We went out on Good Friday each holding a lit candle as a sign of God's light to be shown in a dark world. As we walked down the strip, people asked questions, some joined us and lit a candle as well, others watched with curiosity.

LOVE ACTION

Wow, the last couple of weeks have been crazy awesome! Super busy, but jammed packed with ministries, restoration, healing and more! We are seeing some of the beginning stages of reformation take place here in Denver!


And the awesome part is that it all starts with love (which means anybody can do it). Then you back it up with relationship and faithfulness, and bam- you've got friends and open access to speak into their lives, in fact, they look forward to it.


It's been crazy. We go downtown and show love and people begin flocking to us.

LOVE........................for his own

WOW, where do I begin? During my DTS phase here at YWAM Denver God spoke a very clear message to me. He told me that He wanted me to tell His children of His love for them. He didn't specify where (because He wants all His children to know this), but the topic was clear.


Last week I watched a movie with the Compassion DTS that I am now staffing called, "The Finger of God".  It was a documentary film this guy made about the works of God, today. It is an amazing film, but the end is what caught my attention. A woman in the film (Heidi Baker) talked about how all we need to see God work in our lives today, is love. That word struck my heart hard as I recalled the call God had given me in my DTS.


So, I wanted to write it down so that I wouldn't forget (which, I'm not sure I could ever forget a word God spoke so clearly to me), and this picture came into progress. So, I thought I'd share it with you as well as the story of what God is doing personally with me.


God bless, Love you...!!!!!!!!!!

Community Outreach...Seeing God Move!

These are some pictures from a weekly outreach I lead out here in Colorado with YWAM Denver. This is a center where people come to have a great place to stay while they get back on their feet. We've seen about four or five find homes since we started. We've also seen a healing, and many other prayers get answered!

Basically, we just come and hang out with the residents. We hang out with them, play some bingo, share and listen to life stories, pray for them afterward, and allow room for God to move.

It's amazing some of the stories we've heard here! I love watching the DTS students from our Discipleship Training Schools mingle with the people here and watch as a long awaited smile finds it way to their awaiting faces.

On this particular week, we made them ice cream and the Musicians DTS played some musical instuments that ministered to all the souls in the room. One man in particular (the one in the last picture) was tickled beyond all reason- if he smiled any bigger he would've completly changed the appearance of his face forever.

And the woman in charge was overjoyed to see all these things...Isn't God good! 

Amen...God is good!

Picture narrative coming soon!

It's been a few weeks now since we started our winter quarter here at YWAM Denver, and we're now getting into the flow of it all. It takes a few weeks to get past the learning and planning and get into the real fun...which we are getting into now.

We have begun our weekly outreaches and God is already proving to be, well, GOD. He's restoring and healing and this is just the beginning.

So, in addition to my weekly update from life(which I apologize for not having up the last few weeks), I will add a picture or two with a few descriptive words(or a short story) about each one.

This will hopefully give you a clearer perspective on the reality of all that's going on over here. And if there is a picture or story you would like to know more about, or maybe would like to comment on another post, feel free to e-mail me at: newbychrist@gmail.com anytime. I will try to get back to you as soon as possible.

Thanks for following and God bless!

Misery to awe

Wow! Ok, so, the last week quite possibly couldv'e been the most miserable, yet awe-astounding thing I've ever been through. I came down with this horrible sickness that left me exhausted and questioning- I honestly questioned if I was going to die(a little extreme, I know. But at the time, it seemed liable). 

But then a great thing happened. I found myself often lying in bed at night, restless, because I had already slept all through the day. So I suddenly had all this free time(yet not really, because I was still too exhausted to leave my bed or do anything). So I had all this, confined to my bed/I'm too sick to move "free time".

Then these crazy thoughts began streaming into my mind all at once about this same time. And so my "free" time, quickly became, "intercession" time and I found myself taping into the mind of God.

.....................!

Whoa!

That's when my worst devastation turned into my favorite situation.

I wasn't praying, "God save me" anymore, but rather, "Lord, bless him". And my eyes were turned from the inside, out...literally- from myself, to others.

And let me tell you: It's a beautiful thing when you begin to see a picture the way God does! It will ruin you, but it's awesome!

All a sudden I went from viewing through the two small holes of binoculars, to this amazing panoramic epidemic of what God is doing and seeing Him do it right in front of me. It's like I see in x-ray vision now: I see the outward appearance of things, but it only frames the inward workings of God handy-work!

So yes, the Lord is good (as aways) and He's doing a great thing!

What has He done in your life lately?

And REMEMBER: God is Jealous for you and only has good things in mind for you. When will you let go of the rags you're holding on to and let Him replace them with riches that you can't fathom.

A New Journey Begins

Wow, it's all happening so fast, I can barely keep up...but my spirit is racing within me, it knows that this is right. From the very beginning it has known. My mind can hardly process it all. I haven't journaled in months, but everything is still as fresh as the moment it happened. It's like this: any second that I want to remember an event, I feel like I have been physically transported back to that moment.

So my life has simply become an open book of all that I've seen and experienced- My life is simply a narrative. A compile of distinct treasures all wrapped up in a thought. And this is what I share with you.

Now, I am about to embark on a new adventure; a book I've never read, a view I've never seen. And it's the most exciting thing ever! It's my climb/ the last stretch before view is visible. And then...

It's beautiful! It's worth every weary moment, every aching step. This new view (and it has yet to be exposed to me), is the Compassion DTS at YWAM Denver that I have been given the privilege of being a part of.

And it's like I can see bits and pieces of what it will be like, but I won't be able to see the whole picture till I get to the very top of the mountain. Sure this view of it I have right now is beautiful, but I'm still looking up at the mountain...I have yet to look from atop it.

So, my point: It's ok if you can't see the full picture of where you are going (or what the journey will look like to get there), but enjoy every little glimpse you get. But don't settle for the glimpse, keep going to the top, the view will be worth the climb.

A New Season

   I have seen a great many things in my time here at YWAM Denver, but I hardly believe that I've even scratched the surface. God has me on a never ending journey where dull moments don't exist.


   So, here I am in Denver, Colorado, about to embark on my next great adventure, and I would like to invite you all in for the ride. For the next year, at least, I will be staffing at the YWAM Denver base. Here I will be discipleing others through the same process I myself went through nine months ago. They will be stretched, tried, broken and renewed! (Isn't God good! He loves us too much to not meet us where we're at, but He loves us even more not to leave us there.


So, yes. To all my friends back in Cali, I love you and will miss you. But to be honest, I hope you will all find your way out here and see (and want to be a part of) what God is doing here (or to do something back at home). For those of you to whom that seems interesting...come and check it out. The invitation is open. Also, you can find out more about YWAM Denver and what Purposes I am here for by checking out our web page at www.ywamdenver.org. However, it is through this page that I will be updating my personal experiences and eye witness account. So check often and enjoy!


God Bless. Amen!


Stacy Schworm

VideoCast# 134

Another video during my Phase II at Ywam Denver- mid way

VideoCast #132.mov

A video after my first week of Phase II at YWAM Denver