Thursday, December 29, 2011

Jesus Burgers - Winter Quarter

IVC Presents: Jesus Burgers | Jesus Loves IV

Friday January 13th is when we will begin serving the hamburgers to the city of Isla Vista, as UCSB begins their Winter quarter on the 9th...pray for labors to be sent into the harvest, as God is growing hunger in the city to know Him.

And He (Jesus) was saying to them, "The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore beseech the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest." (Luke 10:2)

Sunday, December 25, 2011

Merry CHRISTmas

"As we celebrate the Christmas season the greatest gift wasn't placed under a tree but He was hung on a tree."

Merry Christmas everyone! What a joy to celebrate Jesus and His birth!

Holly and I are beyond thankful for all the gifts that God has given us in family, friends, health, love, IVC family, and seeing His kingdom grow more and more in our city.

Here is a picture of our 4 greatest gifts that God has given Holly and I this last year:


Thursday, December 22, 2011

Amazing Fall Quarter

The Fall quarter was full of many amazing testimonies of God doing what He does best – saving, healing, and delivering lives. It is my privilege as a pastor to be able to speak to different groups of people at UCSB, including the beloved IVC family. This quarter I was asked to come and share at the Christian Fraternity in IV. One of the guys in the group lives at the DP Home (Larry, the guy to the far right). I ended up sharing on 1 Thes 5:1-11 and we concluded the time by applying verse 11, encouraging and building one another with our words!

God is good, His word is alive!

“Now, brothers and sisters, about times and dates we do not need to write to you, for you know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. While people are saying, ‘Peace and safety,’ destruction will come on them suddenly, as labor pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape.

But you, brothers and sisters, are not in darkness so that this day should surprise you like a thief. You are all children of the light and children of the day. We do not belong to the night or to the darkness. So then, let us not be like others, who are asleep, but let us be awake and sober. For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, get drunk at night. But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, putting on faith and love as a breastplate, and the hope of salvation as a helmet. For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ. He died for us so that, whether we are awake or asleep, we may live together with him. Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.”

Wednesday, December 21, 2011

Hope & Jeremiah



May the God of HOPE fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with HOPE by the power of the Holy Spirit. (Romans 15:13)

Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations. (Jeremiah 1)

Tuesday, December 20, 2011

Redefining Cool | Jesus Loves IV

Redefining Cool | Jesus Loves IV

The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me, because the LORD has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the LORD’s favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn, and provide for those who grieve in Zion— to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the LORD for the display of his splendor. (Isaiah 61)

Monday, December 19, 2011

Merry CHRISTmas

Joanna Joy 7 months old

Thursday, December 15, 2011

Raw Worship from the Prayer Shed


Michelle, David, & An worshiping late one night in the prayer shed...we were made to worship God, to be in awe & in love with Him...enjoy!

"But an hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for such people the Father seeks to be His worshipers."  (Jesus)

Monday, December 5, 2011

DP House Family

Last night we had the DP House over for their once a month dinner and hangout at our house...they decided to do a Secret Santa gift exchange...it was awesome! Tons of laughter and plenty of "special" gifts like David's new pool & backpack or Bryce's outside glowing Jesus that Hope wanted to take a picture with (picture @ the bottom, Hope really loves Jesus).

The home has been such a blessing to so many lives this year! We are beyond thankful for the group that God picked to do life together and bless both the church and the city by who they are in the Him.

"make my joy complete by being of the same mind, maintaining the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose." (Phil 2:2)




Wednesday, November 23, 2011

IVHOP

Prayer House art from the Isla Vista House of Prayer


THANKFUL


I could not be more thankful for the DP House - 8 guys, 7 gals.

These lovers of Jesus are beautiful people who love Him and one another well. God is so good...he has been faithful to fill the home for the last 10 years with people who love His name!

If you would, please pray for these people by name:

Daniel
Larry
Andrew
Andy
Justin
Bryce
Robbie
David

Claire
Cassie
Michelle
Heather
Tenaya
Marissa
Lina

"Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus." (1 Thes 5:16-18)

Monday, November 21, 2011

Jesus Burgers - Friday Night




This last Friday was a crazy good night and just plain crazy! 3 people accepted Christ, several got healed of different physical aliments, and tons of love was poured out from His church onto the city.

Jesus wins, always. His kingdom is growing in IV, please pray for more labors to be sent into the harvest.

He told them, "The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field." - Jesus

As for the pictures:

- a gal found herself at the Jesus Burgers house throwing up on herself in the shower as her friends took care of her. Two of the guys who live at the house and I ended up driving her home to her dorm. (the picture is of her being dropped off at her dorm, sorry for the raw footage).

- the guy in this picture is from Holland. He lost her friends and didn't have a way to contact them...he had one to many drinks, which did not help in locating his friends. I ended up taking him to my house to sleep in my shed/office for the night. When I woke up in the morning he was already gone. He said he was going to take the bus back downtown.

- the Jesus Burger buns being decorated with crosses and smiley faces.

Friday, November 18, 2011

Get it, get it....

I couldn't be more excited to announce our worship leader and church family released our first album ever from Isla Vista...these are the songs we have been singing the last two years, they're full of His love, goodness, and presence!

Get it on iTunes for $9.99, you will not be disappointed. It's a live recording from the Upper Room.

Tuesday, November 15, 2011

Psalm 126:1-3

When the LORD restored the fortunes of Zion,
we were like those who dreamed.
Our mouths were filled with laughter,
our tongues with songs of joy.
Then it was said among the nations,
“The LORD has done great things for them.”
The LORD has done great things for us,
and we are filled with joy.

A Blind Beggar Receives His Sight

This painting is up in our home (it's actually in color), but I like this picture that my friend took of it in black & white...Jesus is still healing hearts, lives, and our bodies today!

"As Jesus approached Jericho, a blind man was sitting by the roadside begging. When he heard the crowd going by, he asked what was happening. They told him, 'Jesus of Nazareth is passing by.' He called out, 'Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!' Those who led the way rebuked him and told him to be quiet, but he shouted all the more, 'Son of David, have mercy on me!'

Jesus stopped and ordered the man to be brought to him. When he came near, Jesus asked him, 'What do you want me to do for you?' 'Lord, I want to see,' he replied.
Jesus said to him, 'Receive your sight; your faith has healed you.' Immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus, praising God. When all the people saw it, they also praised God."

(Luke 18:35-43)

Monday, November 14, 2011

Isla Vista House of Prayer

Check out the IVHOP site and the video: 


And He (Jesus) said to them, "It is written, 'MY HOUSE SHALL BE CALLED A HOUSE OF PRAYER'

Wednesday, November 9, 2011

Worship the King


"Worship the LORD with gladness; come before him with joyful songs." (Psalm 100:2)

Monday, November 7, 2011

Uganda Pastor

We had an awesome time Sunday with our Uganda friend Hudson! He spoke on the anointing and how God uses us to do what we could never do in our own strength and abilities.

We are so thankful for all the amazing people God sends to us in IV...His love for us never ceases to amaze us - if He is for us, who can be against us! (Rom 8:31)

Friday, November 4, 2011

Halloween Recap

THIS IS A RECAP FROM DAVE, THE GUY WHO LED THE TRIP FROM BETHEL CHURCH TO IV DURING HALLOWEEN WEEK:

My supernaturally amazing team was made up of nine radical revivalists in their second year at Bethel School of Supernatural Ministry, though two would be driving down later to meet up with us in Santa Barbara. I had the pleasure of driving South on Tuesday with David Coy, Christian Tapper, Kevin Franklin, Ingrid Andreassen, Debora Bettler, and the engaged Marissa DiMarco and Jeremy Howard. Jesse and Jessica Skinner joined us in Santa Barbara after a four day trip with Chuck Parry out East.

Just South of San Jose, in a little town called Morgan Hill, we stopped at an In 'n Out for lunch. As we were leaving, I started talking with the drive through worker since there were no cars coming through. I had only told him where we were going, and a few other friendly but trite details, when I asked if he had any pain in his body we could pray for. He had pain in his back, and I prayed a short prayer commanding the pain to leave his body, and releasing peace. I did not even lay hands on him (he was concerned about his boss thinking he was not working). As soon as I finished praying, he looked up and said, “have you ever heard of Jesus Burgers?” I was shocked to hear this from him, since we were still four hours from Santa Barbara!

“Yeah, those are the people we are going to connect with!” I told him.

“I've been there a few times,”he commented, “they have good burgers.”

We then asked him about his pain, and it had gone. It was as if as soon as he had been healed, he instantly thought, “I've met people like this before – who pray and God listens – at Jesus Burgers.” What a crazy divine appointment!

So much of our whole week in Santa Barbara was just living life with the Isla Vista (IV) family. We had many great meals with them, and prophesied over various groups of them almost every day. We probably prophesied a couple hours a day on average. We also had the opportunity to pray and prophesy over some key locations around the city, drawing down the purposes of Heaven for Santa Barbara. God has immense plans for this region. Lou Engle has prophesied that as California goes, so goes America, and more recently he prophesied that as Santa Barbara goes, so goes California. There is a destiny like King David being drawn out of this city, and it has been anointed for great things. Soon it will come out of hiding and slay giants, and lead the Kingdom of God to a place of strength and influence in America. And my team and I had the great honor to speak out of the heart of God for these things. More than that; every healing, every salvation, and every love encounter that happened spoke a word about the purposes of Heaven, and the character and nature of the heart of the Living God. Santa Barbara; Jesus loves you.

Thursday:

On Thursday afternoon we led Treasure Hunts in IV. We were joined by about a dozen people from the IV family, and many of them had never done a Treasure Hunt before. Many of the teams found a great openness with the people on the streets for miracles and healing, it seemed like a perfect place to do this type of ministry. I spoke with a released mental patient as he was drinking beer on a bar patio. He had pain through most of his body, and so I asked if I could pray for him. I started by praying for his shoulder, and I asked him to check it out. He started moving it around, and through the expletives he said, “wow that's totally better – there's no more pain!” I prayed for his thumb next, and as he checked it out he said, “you're really freakin' me out man!” He was feeling totally healed up! By the time we left him, I asked if he had any more pain in his body, and he said, “no man, I feel great!” We found out that he had recently been hit by a car while he was riding his bike, and one of the words of knowledge that a guy on my treasure hunt team had was “guy on a bike hit by a car.”

Some guys wearing wigs and fake mustaches were approached by some of our team, and Ingrid had a word of knowledge for knee pain. After they prayed for his knee it was healed, and then his back and ankle were healed as well. They were very excited about God being among them.

Jesse was wandering around with Sunshine and Bridgette, two girls from IV who had never been on a Treasure Hunt, or seen anyone healed before. They found a girl who had pain in her elbow because she had fractured it. In fact, this was the first day she did not wear a sling around it. Jesse had Sunshine pray a short prayer, and her elbow was dramatically improved! Then Bridgette prayed a quick prayer again, and her arm was totally better. She was exclaiming that she could do things with it that she could not do before! She was talking about being a “patient,” and Jesse noticed that she was holding a Tupperware container with medicinal marijuana. She started saying, “this stuff [the marijuana] doesn't even help,” as she celebrated what God had done.

Two more backs were healed, and a man with pain in his head. He said, “this stuff really works!” Also a lady with shoulder and neck pain saw some improvement. Some people received prophetic words and really encountered the love of God.

In the evening we held a meeting at a local church, and people from churches all over the city were invited to come. The whole team prophesied for a while, and then Kevin shared about sonship and Christian led a healing activation. None of my team prayed for anyone that night, and there were about ten to fifteen who were healed. Five or six people saw Jesus work their first miracle through their own hands – that will change them forever! Legs grew out, several people had their sinus' healed, and several backs were healed. A gentleman had the lower three discs in his back compressed, and he was completely healed! One lady had neck and lower back problems for five years, and it got totally better right then. Two dancers were healed – one in her back, and one in her legs. One young man had a stomach condition that would keep him up at night, and it gave him great trouble while sleeping. He received prayer that night, and found me the next day, saying that he had the best sleep ever! He was actually looking forward to sleeping again the following night for a change. Gus Hamborg, who joined our team as an “auxiliary member,” gave a word of knowledge for “mild itchiness.” One of the guys in the crowd had recently had a tattoo, and it was scabbing over, feeling irritated and itchy. As soon as he stood to respond to the word, he felt as if someone has wrapped a bandage around his arm, and all the itchiness left! Jesus is so good!

Friday:

Isla Vista is the student ghetto to the University of California in Santa Barbara (UCSB), and it hosts about 20,000 students in about half a square mile. On Friday and Saturday night, we joined up with the Jesus Burgers crew. They live on the busiest party street in IV, and hand out free burgers to all the drunk party-goers. They have an atmosphere of love, with no agenda, and a sign across the street that reads, “free prayer, healing, and spiritual insight.” Halloween is the busiest party weekend of the year, when about 20,000 additional students join the existing 20,000 in a region of about half a square mile to essentially mob the streets in one giant party. The road turns into a river of students, drunk and on drugs, looking for a good house party to come to. In past Halloweens, there have been so many people in such a small area, that cell phone signals are impossible to get because all the bandwidth is being consumed. It is impossible to accurately and fully communicate the scope of what happens there without actually being there, and even then it is hard to comprehend. But where sin increased, grace abounded all the more (Romans 5:20).

We started the evening with two hours of worship and prayer ministry (called the Upper Room), and then we went to the street. By eleven o'clock the street was so full of people, and they were all continually moving, that it was hard to connect with anyone to pray. But there is always a strategy in the Kingdom of Heaven. A friend and I were standing in the middle of the street, like trees being overtaken by floodwater, and the people were streaming around us. We decided to just start a fire tunnel around the flow of drunken students. Within twenty seconds our tunnel had grown from four people to about thirty, and scores of people were going through, getting blessed by the Spirit of God as they went. It was such an atmosphere of chaos, we did not see any immediate fruit since we were not connecting with the people much at all, but they were getting blasted by the love of God nonetheless. A few of our team heard various comments from the people leaving the tunnel about how amazing it felt. There was a huge shift in he atmosphere through that though, and there was a noticeable bubble of the presence of God and peace around and in front of the Jesus Burgers house.

At one point in the evening I was sitting on a wall at the side of the road, and a guy dressed as a ghost buster walked up to me and Christian. I had a word of knowledge that he played sports, and then Christian had a word of knowledge that he had trouble with his right knee. He had pain that was a level five on a ten point scale, and after prayer it went away totally! He was super excited.

One of our team had a word of knowledge for back pain, and it ended up being one of the fellow Christians we were ministering with (there were several campus ministries joining us on this night). They ended up getting completely healed as well! Several of these Christians from other ministries became activated in getting words of knowledge, and the prophetic, and they were immediately trying it out on the street – it was amazing to see their boldness!

Marissa and Jeremy were talking with a girl who was rolling on Ecstasy, and after their conversation she had come down significantly! Come on Jesus – the presence of God brings peace and deliverance!

One of the Jesus Burgers guys, Justin, was talking with a girl who wanted to drink (alcohol), and he said, “you don't need to do that, that's not who you are.” She asked for prayer, and after Justin prayed she decided that she was not going to drink!

At the sign across the street for prayer, a pre-believer had her back and neck totally healed, and then she instantly began to testify about it to other people on the street, “Jesus just healed my back!”

A drunk man approached David and stared into his eyes, “I see the Spirit of the living God in you,” he said. He was amazed by what he saw in the spirit over David, and he wanted David to pray for him. He said that he had never seen the Spirit of God resting so much on a man before. Ha ha – talk about the fulfillment of Zech. 8:23.

Jesse was able to bless so many people by just saying, “You're amazing!... and you're valuable!” They would stop and be hit by the fact that someone actually cares for them.

One of the Jesus Burgers girls wanted to experience more of the joy and drunkenness of the Presence of God, so Jesse prayed for her and they both fell on the ground in the middle of the street, laughing. Some paramedic rescue workers who were patrolling came by and asked if they were OK, or if they needed any help.

Kevin prayed for a drunk guy who wanted to experience more of the presence of God. So Kevin had him hold out his hands and say, “come Holy Spirit.” He said he felt a fireball go from his fingertips to his chest, and then up to his head. He immediately became sober, and as he wept he started confessing everything he had ever done wrong. After this went on for about half an hour, Kevin asked him if he wanted to receive Jesus, and he said yes. Kevin had him close his eyes and picture Jesus, and then say to Him what he wanted to say. He completely gave his heart to the Lord. Yes Jesus! Ha ha, there were at least another two people who gave their lives to Jesus that night.

Ingrid was sitting on a wall, and yelled out to a guy who was walking past in a funny costume, “Hey you, nice costume! And do you know that you're valued and loved?” Then she prophesied over him a word that was dead on accurate. He was blown away by how much she could know about him without having met him before. She told him that God knows him, and that He is a living God who speaks to His children, and then she asked if he wanted to feel the power of God. Ingrid had him hold out his hands and say, “Holy Spirit come.” And as he did that, he was instantly hit by God's power, and started laughing hysterically. Then she had a word of knowledge that this guy had knee pain, and at first he said no, but then he admitted that he had been hit by a car, and did have problems in his knee. So she prayed and his knee was healed!

Saturday:

Saturday afternoon we had a lunch with all the leaders of the IV family, and it was amazing. There was great connection time as well as some sharing, impartation, and of course, a lot of prophecy. We finished with a never-ending fire tunnel that started on one side of the back yard, and ended on the other. As soon as someone would get out the end they would join in praying for people, and as soon as the last person went through, the prayer servants in the tunnel would follow. It was fantastic.

In the evening we had the Upper Room worship, and then Jesus Burgers. We wanted to have a fire tunnel again because of how it had affected the atmosphere the night before, but we waited until around 11:00pm when the streets were more condensed. It was just as awesome as the night before, with hundreds of people going through, we laid hands on each of them imparting the presence of God and blessing them. There was such an atmosphere of peace that pervaded the entire area, even though the rowdy crowds were carrying the opposite spirit.

One guy on crutches with a right ankle brace had all the pain leave after prayer.

After Christian prayed for a guy's right wrist, and saw it healed, they talked for over an hour. This guy poured out his heart, and probably hugged Christian five times throughout their conversation. He was moving up to Chico (near Redding), and so Christian got his phone number so they could stay connected. Such a divine setup.

One of the party-goers on the street was asked if he had pain in his body, and he said that his muscles hurt from working out. Someone prayed for him, and all his pain left! That is amazing – God is so good.

Kevin prayed for one of the IV guys who was helping with Jesus Burgers. He was baptized in the Holy Spirit and started speaking in tongues, and then Kevin activated him in the prophetic. He started giving people on the street prophetic words, and came back later to Kevin saying, “it's so easy!”

Mac, the worship leader for the IV crew, was just standing in the middle of the road, with people walking past; he was not dressed up in a costume at all. A drunk guy walked up to him and asked, “what are you supposed to be?” And he replied, “I'm a physical manifestation of God.” Which actually kind of rocked the guy, and Mac prophesied over him, and got a word of knowledge that he grew up in the church. Then the guy said to Mac, “will you pray for me?” And his friend asked for prayer too. They were both pretty impacted.

At one point in the evening, Marissa and Jeremy were inside the Jesus Burgers house. A big, drunk German guy came in to the house because he had fallen flat on his face and his nose was broken. It was completely swollen, bloodied, there was bruising under both eyes, and it was bent sideways. He was not so drunk that he was numb to the pain either. Marissa and Jeremy brought him into the kitchen, and prayed for him. All the pain left, and they watched the swelling go down and the bruising disappear! He could not believe it was happening, and furthermore, his nose straitened out completely! The only sign it had ever been broke was a slight spot of bruising on the sides of the nose. He was so shocked that God was healing him, but he said, “can God heal my back too?” And so they prayed for his back, and his ACL, and both were healed! “How are you doing these things?!” He asked. “Jesus lives in us,” Marissa said, “would you like Jesus to live in you as well?” And so he received Christ right there in the kitchen, and Jeremy prayed for him to receive the Holy Spirit. Then he came out into the living room and started telling the people in there that God is real, and that he was just healed. But he did not know that he was witnessing to a room full of Christians. When Ingrid told him that they were all Christians, he was very excited. Ingrid also led him to encounter the Holy Spirit more, and then explained to him that he can talk to God, and God will talk back. So he asked, “can God tell me where the best party is?” Ingrid replied, “Yes, that's easy – it's here, because Holy Spirit is here, and wherever he is is the best party.” And he said with excitement, “that's right!” Then he wanted someone to sing the American national anthem, but people either did not know how, or did not want to. So Ingrid started singing “Amazing Grace.” He kept saying, “sing it again,” and Ingrid must have sung it ten times. He confessed that a friend of his had recently committed suicide, and that he was still hurting from that, but every time the song was sung, he felt inner healing happening. Eventually Ingrid told him, “if I am going to sing it again, you need to hold out your hands and close your eyes – this song is about God and when I sing it, you are going to encounter Him.” And he did.

There are many on campus Christian ministries, and several of them come to help at Jesus Burgers, but not all of them carry the same revelation of God's love and goodness as the IV crew. In past years, they have had people out front of their house holding signs that say things like “repent or perish,” which in case you were wondering, is not a good way to let people know that they are loved and valued. That was not happening at this location this year, but I did come out of the front of the house during the evening to see some guys holding up a large, wooden cross. I went to talk to them to get their heart, and potentially ask them to leave. After talking with them for a while, I challenged one of them to leave the cross holding, and come across the street to meet Scott, the guy who was activating people in healing and prophetic. He agreed, and within 30 seconds of meeting him, he had his neck prayed for and healed! He talked with those guys for another 30 minutes and learned more about the Kingdom, potentially to get connected in the future. It felt like a bridge had been made between several campus ministries that have different approaches.

There was also a girl with knee pain that saw almost complete healing.

Jesse had a word of knowledge for shoulder pain while he was near the line for Jesus Burgers, and after asking around, he found a guy who had recently broken his collar bone. His arm was still in a sling. Then after Jesse prayed, he was able to lift up his arm without pain! Then shortly after that, Jesse was able to pray for another guy's shoulder that was healed.

Jesse was also able to connect with a lot of people by just telling them that they were amazing. He looked one guy in the eyes and said, “you're amazing!” And the guy took a step back, a little unsure, as Jesse added, “and you're valuable!” Then this guy says, “you're freaking me out man.” Then Jesse was able to lead him in an encounter where he felt the love of God and said, “oh, I get it.” As he finally understood what he was created for.

Caleb was approached by a guy who was pulling around a girl by her arm, and he asked Caleb, “do you have a girlfriend?” Caleb said that he did, and this guy continued, “I need a guy for this girl to hook up with or go home with, and I have a girlfriend.” And in that moment, just as he was leading her away, Caleb looked her in the eyes and said, “you're worth so much more than that.” He continued to lead her away, but her eyes filled out wide as it seemed as if someone had spoken words of value over her for the first time. Her face melted, and for a moment, she knew she was loved.

Sunday:

In the evening, or late afternoon, as it was only 4:00pm, we had a church service in Isla Vista. We shared testimonies of the weekend, we prophesied over the congregation, and then Les Coombs spoke about our identity as kings and priests. After, we called out words of knowledge for healing, and watched as Jesus did what He does best!

I prayed for a man named Michael who received healing for tendinitis in his leg, and saw the pain in his arm nearly completely vanish. I had a word of knowledge for his heart to be healed as well, and I really feel like God went ahead and did that one.

There was a girl who had pain in her feet, migraine troubles, neck pain and back pain, and she was totally healed after she laid hands on herself.

Two girls were healed from “scattered thoughts” and “wavy vision,” and they felt an amazing peace in their minds.

Our host mom, Wendy, had her hearing improve.

One young man, Daniel, had his back healed.

A young woman, Heather, had her shoulder healed right when she stood for the word of knowledge – nobody had even prayed for her yet!

One young man had neck, back, and hip problems. For one year it had kept him from running – which he used to love to do to spend time with God. After praying twice, all the pain and pressure left.

Ingrid prayed for a row of people. The first person had lower back pain, and they saw it mostly healed right away. The second person had pain in her whole body, and after prayer she felt mostly better, and she felt peace. The third person had pain between her shoulder blades, and from the hip down the right leg, when Ingrid prayed she felt like her body was on fire. She was healed the moment that Ingrid touched her. The fourth person had her ankle completely healed when Ingrid prayed for the previous person, and so she did not even need prayer anymore – God is so good!

The Aftermath:

Some of these testimonies have a lot of details, and it is easy to be impacted by them. But try to remember, when I write “their back was healed,” it is just a story without details. They had their lives forever transformed because they came in contact with the Living God. Who knows how deep these stories go. God is bigger than we think, and He is better than we can imagine.

Jason, the pastor of the church family in IV, announced that it was the best, most God filled Halloween that he has seen in IV since he started with this ministry ten years ago. On Friday night there was a realm of peace that surrounded the Jesus Burger's house like a big Holy Spirit hug, and on Saturday night there was a peace that extended over the whole region, impacting hearts for Jesus. The impact that our teams had was phenomenal, and Isla Vista will never be the same. God has not given the fathers of this community a mandate to impact a subculture, He has given them a city to transform, and people to take from glory to greater glory. The road that the IV family walks will look different as the realms they are influencing start to transform with greater and greater momentum. There will never be an end to Jesus Burgers, because it is all about love, but I feel as though we saw the beginning of the end of radical party ministry in this region. Why? Because soon people's minds will be renewed to the point that they no longer feel the draw to fill the void in their life with that lifestyle. Soon the culture of darkness will be replaced in full by a culture of light, and the kings and priests of Jesus in Santa Barbara will be pressing into the greater glories that He has for us. Of the increase of His government and of peace there is no end. But it is exciting for me to look forward to me continual involvement, bridging the relationship between the house of Bethel and the family in IV. It is exciting for me to instigate the celebrations of God on the streets of Isla Vista, until all counterfeit celebration's have been swallowed up by the overwhelming light that is Jesus Christ. As the Lord said, and as the motto of UCSB reads, “Let there be light.”

Wednesday, November 2, 2011

Halloween - Our God Reigns!




I can honestly say this was the best Halloween in all my years in IV...God showed up powerfully saving lives, healing lives, and bringing incredible joy to the hearts of every believer!

Our God reigns in Isla Vista...He is changing our city and making it a praise in all the earth! We are so thankful to see God answer our prayers and do more than we could ask or imagine this weekend. We believe 24/7 prayer played a major role in what God in our midst, along with all the prayers coming from SB and beyond!

"If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land." (2 Chron 7:14)

Monday, October 31, 2011

Westmont - Halloween

HERE IS AN EMAIL IN REGARDS TO WESTMONSTS STUDENTS COMING TO IV FOR HALLOWEEN...IT'S BETWEEN ONE OF OUR CHURCH FAMILY MEMBERS SAMI AND THE VP OF STUDENT LIFE:

So, I got an email from Jane Higa, the VP of student life at Westmont,to all the students at Westmont concerning the dangers of going out to IV this Halloween and warning us not to go down there. I felt that it was a wise thing, but it also could create fear and judgement in people, so I replied to her email, trying to respond in the opposite spirit (love and hope). Then she sent my email to all the students at Westmont! Looks like Westmont is praying alongside IVC for Halloween weekend! Feel free to pass this on to the rest of the family! Yeee!

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Dear Students,
One of the things I love about being at Westmont, are the constant reminders that I have had the privilege of working along side so many amazing students---who have such amazing hearts and who are doing such amazing work. Did you know that I think you are AMAZING???

After sending out the email regarding Halloween weekend in Isla Vista (IV) a few days ago, I received several emails from your fellow students, including an email from Sami Miller, a senior here at Westmont. She shared with me her church's work in IV and her desire to encourage the Westmont community to pray for IV this weekend. Below is an excerpt of her email:

Hi Jane,
I just wanted to thank you for sending this letter out, as the risks of going to IV on Halloween are very high. I am a senior at Westmont and a part of Isla Vista Church, which is the church that does Jesus Burgers in IV every Friday night. Our church is having a 24/7 prayer week for IV this week and this weekend we will be at the ministry house on Del Playa giving people free burgers and loving on the people who are partying. Jesus Burgers has been a safe place for many of the kids in IV, has probably saved some kids lives, and many souls. So though it is a very dangerous and crazy place, God is moving in this city and does amazing work advancing the kingdom of Light, even on such a dark weekend. I'd appreciate if you could encourage students to pray for IV this week. Though it is wise not to go out there, I think we should try to be compassionate, try to see IV the way Father God sees it and pray for the safety of those who are out there. Last year, after having a week of 24/7 prayer, it rained on the Friday of halloween weekend and the streets were empty by 10pm! What could happen if the Westmont community stepped up to intercede for their fellow students in Santa Barbara?!


Thank you Sami for your word of encouragement and I would like to invite all of you to join Sami and the Isla Vista Church in praying for safety, protection, love and peace in IV this weekend, because as Sami said "Jesus reigns over that city."

Jane

Tuesday, October 25, 2011

Worship Album

Our worship leader and one of my best-friends (Mac) recorded an album live from the prayer shed about a month ago...I am super stoked to watch the whole recording and listen to these songs we have been singing for the last two years! 

Monday, October 24, 2011

Halloween Week - 24/7 Prayer




It's Halloween this week in IV, which means people from all over will being coming to our city to party. The party will begin Thursday and end Monday, as Halloween falls on a Monday this year.

We as the church began 24/7 prayer in our prayer shed on Sunday and will end on Saturday...please join us as we pray for this weekend and the safety of thousands of lives. They say the city doubles in population during Halloween, which means 40,000 people will be in a one mile square radius.

"if my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land." (2 Chronicles 7:14)

Friday, October 21, 2011

Jesus Saves


This last Sunday a student strolled into the church building at the end of the gathering...he had just accepted Christ and asked God to connect him with other believers. He saw a Westmont van parked at the church, so he decided to check if it was a Christian church. I wish I could share the details of his life, and what has God delivered him from, but I want to honor our new brother in Christ...hopefully you will watch his testimony in the next few weeks. 

The picture is from Monday night at Prayer & Prophecy time. After he shared his story, a group of about 15 of us laid hands on him and prayed over him for about 45 minutes. It was great, we asked him if he was ok with that many of us praying for him, and he responded "I want as many Christians as possible to pray for me!" Please continue to pray, as lost sons and daughters are returning Home to their Father in IV! 

"But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found." - Jesus

Saturday, October 15, 2011

Baptism Sunday

This fall quarter has been crazy good...God has been changing lives, saving lives, and doing what only His grace can do. This last Sunday three gals entered the Pacific Ocean to declare that their life belongs to Jesus and is being lived for Jesus!

"having been buried with Him in baptism, in which you were also raised up with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead." (Colossians 2:12)

The church family in IV is growing as God is relentless to love this city to Himself. Please continue to pray for His church in IV and for the city, Halloween is rapidly approaching.





Wednesday, October 12, 2011

Pray 4 Peace in IV



"Also, seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the LORD for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper." (Jeremiah 29:7)

On Saturday morning around 3 am I was awakened out of a dead sleep by a car slamming into another car...being disoriented, I got up to check it out, but didn't see anything out our window. After I woke up on Sunday morning I went outside to discover the damage. It was not long before the owner showed up to go to work, only to see his car plowed by a unknown driver. The car that slammed into his car was left abandoned in a driveway across the street, as it could not be driven due to the impact. The police filed a hit & run report...most likely the driver had been drinking.

Please pray for IV, as this could have easily been people who got hit while walking on the street...God has been good to our city in light of the amount of crazy drivers and people drinking & driving. As you can see from the picture, our home was right behind where it happened (our van on the driveway).

Thursday, September 29, 2011

Do You Believe

This is a testimony from our friend Sola, he lives in London. Watch this, it is such a good word/reminder about having faith in God and His Word that we read.

http://jesuslovesiv.com/portfolios/do-you-really-believe/

Wednesday, September 28, 2011

Testimony of New Life in Christ

Here is a testimony from Joseph who is our next door neighbor...he came to Christ less than 6 months ago!

Check it out: http://jesuslovesiv.com/portfolios/a-myth-busted/

Monday, September 26, 2011

Gloriouse Weekend

This weekend was marked by glory...the glory of God!

We had an amazing time Friday night worshiping the King of kings in the Upper Room...then we moved out to the front yard to put the love of God on a city that so desperately needs it...hamburgers of love. 

Saturday was an all day conference on the topic of Inheritance led by Jacob Reeve at our home...tons of worship, fellowship, teaching, and encountering God!

And then Sunday we moved back to the church building on our street. The King was glorified and the IVC family was encouraged...a sweet time of ministry broke out at the end (picture # 3)

Here are a few pictures from the weekend, I should have taken more.




Sunday, September 25, 2011

Baptisms in 2011-2012

It's an honor to be able to baptize people in the name of the Father, the Son, & the Holy Spirit...I can't wait for our first baptism this year, hopefully sooner than later!

Here is a video of a baptism that I participated in last year...the glory of God is clearly seen through these lives that joyfully entered the waters of life declaring that their old life is gone and their new life in Christ is here!

"Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life. " (Rom 6:4)

Check it out:

http://jesuslovesiv.com/portfolios/baptisms-june-2011/

Friday, September 23, 2011

Upper Room & Jesus Burgers

UCSB started yesterday...and tonight we begin both the Upper Room & Jesus Burgers!

The Upper Room:

http://islavistachurch.org/getinvolved/upper-room/

Jesus Burgers:

http://islavistachurch.org/getinvolved/jesus-burgers/

Please be praying for another year of His kingdom increasing in IV and beyond...Isaiah the prophet declared that at the increase of His government and His peace there would be no end (Is. 9:7)...Jesus is King of IV!

Tuesday, September 20, 2011

IVC Leadership






This last Saturday we had an all day family leadership meeting for IVC in Summerland...we spent the day playing, talking, eating, encouraging one another, and getting on the same page for the year...I am beyond honored to be doing life together and leading His church in IV with these incredible men and women of God! We are so stoked for this next year in IV and all the amazing things King Jesus is going to do!

http://islavistachurch.org/about/leadership/

Jesus Burgers


If you're faithful to the ministry of Jesus Burgers you are grateful for the summer...a time of rest, recovery, and renewed strength for the following year. This year we are moving the ministry to Friday nights, which is traditionally a little bit bigger of a party night. Same setup: worship and prayer beforehand (Upper Room) in the prayer shed, then transitioning around 10ish to the front yard, and then begin serving the JB's closer to 11pm and going till late!

Please be praying for the ministry and the harvest that God wants to bring in from the streets of IV...we are back on in about a month, crazy!

God is good, beyond thankful that God has kept this ministry going for 10yrs now...He is faithful to His work in this city!

"Behold, the Lord has proclaimed to the end of the earth, say to the daughter of Zion, 'Lo, your salvation comes; behold His reward is with Him, and His recompense before Him.' And they will call them, 'The holy people, The redeemed of the Lord'; And you will be called, 'Sought out, a city not forsaken.'" (Isaiah 62:11-12)

"Not to us, LORD, not to us but to your name be the glory, " (Psalm 115:1)

http://www.vimeo.com/24969380

Friday, September 16, 2011

Conference Weekend

This weekend is going to be amazing...Jesus Burgers Friday night and then a two day conference on the topic of Our Inheritance in Christ...Saturday is an all day event at our home, it should be a blast!

The guest speaker is Jacob Reeve, who also did a conference last year on the same topic:

http://lomelinosiniv.blogspot.com/2010/11/conference-weekend.html

God is good, excited to start the year off with tons of fellowship, worship, and teaching!

http://jesuslovesiv.com/event/jacob-reeve-conference/

Thursday, September 15, 2011

IV Prayer & Prophecy

We as a church family are super stoked this year to offer people in IV and out of the city the opportunity to be encouraged and refreshed through being prayed over and prophesied...this Monday from 7pm to 10pm is our first meeting...if you live in IV text in to reserve a time or walk-in!

This is going down every Monday...please don't be shy to come a get some prayer:

Tuesday, September 13, 2011

Chris Curry

This is a testimony from our friend Chris Curry...I (Jason) absolutley love this brother!  I helped disciple him while he was in college and we have stayed friends since..he is one of the more honorable men I have ever known. 

I am so thankful for Chris and for his heart of worship that has continued since leaving IV several years ago.

http://jesuslovesiv.com/portfolios/encountering-love/

Monday, September 12, 2011

Jesus Loves Isla Vista

Check out the new website: http://jesuslovesiv.com/
 
This site was created to reveal the glory of God in Isla Vista and make Jesus more famous in our city...we are stoked for this year and all He is going to do in our midst!
 
"One generation will praise Your works to another, and will declare your mighty acts." (Psalm 145:4)

Kids Are a Gift From the Lord

"Children are a gift from the Lord; they are a reward from him. Children born to a young man are like arrows in a warrior's hands. How joyful is the man whose quiver is full of them! He will not be put to shame when he confronts his accusers at the city gates." (Pslam 127: 3-5)