What we've been up to lately

Paul and our god-daughter, Anna.

I LOVE that I have a fun husband! :-)

Paul, Anna's god-father, praying a blessing over Anna on her 13th birthday.

Selenia and her family!

Cooking hot dogs over the open fire!

All the children at Anna's party, making funny faces for the camera!

Here is Anna, opening her gifts at her 13th birthday party.

My dear friend, Marcie, and I at a friend's 13th birthday party. The theme was Hawaiian!


This was Marcie's _____ birthday celebration. Her husband, seated on the left, surprised her with a party at Cheesecake factory with some of her dearest friends!


Paul and I received a very cool wedding gift...this Coleman 4-person tent. We finally tried it out in our backyard last night as the temps were FABULOUSLY cool (finally) and LOVED IT! We both slept well, but Simon is still not sure what to make of this tent! :-) Thanks Pepus and Cola for this WAY COOL GIFT! :-)

The tent is a four-person tent, so the two of us had plenty of room!

Our morning faces after our first night in the tent! :-)



Paul and I have had a very busy last four months since our wedding in May. Blessings in abundance have abounded as we have worked, traveled, celebrated birthdays of friends, harvested veggies from our garden, started a new business, camped in our backyard, laughed, cried, loved and been loved. Our lives are rich, rich, rich as the Lord has been so very good to us!

Now we are in the throes of school...Paul has begun his first student-teaching assignment teaching 5th graders, and I am engaged in my writing-coaching job online. Two educators in the house makes for a busy year ahead. So as the breezes blow through our home and we enjoy 65 degrees outside this morning, we rejoice in all of God's goodness and blessings.

growth

Yes, the cucumber is the size of my forearm and larger than my foot!


Growth. It's either happening or there is stagnation. We have a bean plant that has not done super well this year. Two days ago, I spied a bean on it...then two, and after closer examination, I saw about 7 beans on our plant. Of course I picked them and promptly brought them inside to clean them and include them in the evening meal. Their growth would provide our nutrition for us to give out to others and cause them to grow.

Sometimes cucumbers 'hide' in our garden, and it's not until they are WAY too large that I find them. Above is a picture of one such cucumber...I wear a size 10 in ladies (40 in european sizes). One might think the bigger the better...however, that is not always true. In this case, the cucumber is too large, and it has become bitter. So, it ends up in the compost pile, to be tilled back into the ground for next years' crop. It's overgrowth will provide nutrition for next year's garden growth. While it was inedible, it will be useful in the long run.

Simon and miracles

Um, yes, he loves to have run of the house! :-)

Who couldn't love this face?

Chillin!

Right after Toby's death, Simon was pretty cuddly...and he continues to be to this day. :-)


I received a phone call today. It was Simon's vet. Yesterday, I took Simon to the vet to have his yearly vaccinations, and because he is now 13 years old, they ran "geriatric blood tests" on him. These would determine many things including organ functions.

Back tracking: When I moved to Hungary in 2000 with both Simon and Toby, Simon became very ill very quickly. Within days of my move I was at the Hungarian vet's office with my friend Mari and Simon, who was, well, not well at all. The vet determined rather quickly that he had been poisoned somehow (probably licking paint in my previous home in the U.S. before we left), and that they would have to do daily treatments on him, pumping him with medicines through IVs. The daily trek to the vet was not fun, especially since the vet would not give me any signs of encouragement or comfort, but would say, day after day, "We'll see how he responds."

During the course of these treatments, which lasted nearly two weeks, the vet began to explain that the poison was causing his kidneys to shut down and if that happened completely, then he would not make it. Of course I and many others prayed for Simon's healing. Finally, he began to show signs of bouncing back, and then, on the last day of Simon's treatments, the doctor gave him the release that he did not have to come back.

It was on that day that he explained to me, through the interpreter, that he was amazed that Simon lived. The reason he never gave me any encouragement during the two-week ordeal was because he really didn't think he would live. His kidneys were already shutting down and he thought Simon was a goner due to the poison coursing through his body. At the end of all the treatments, he told me that blood tests showed that Simon had completely "lost" one kidney and that the other kidney was only partially functioning...maybe 1/2 of the kidney was still working. This concerned me, but he said that he could definitely live a long life with just 1/2 a kidney. Mind you, kidneys do not regenerate themselves, unlike skin or some other organs, so once they are "dead", they're dead.

I remember praising God for sparing Simon's life back in 2000, and praying that God would heal his kidneys. I'd forgotten about that prayer...til today....

Simon's new vet here in KC called today and left a message. In it he said that Simon's blood work came back with "outstanding" numbers. In fact, both of his kidneys are fully functional, which surprised him, given the situation I told him about in Hungary. He is an extremely healthy cat, especially for being age 13!

Yes, God is in the miracle business, even with creatures besides humans! I praise God tonight for the miracle He did in Simon's body, healing his kidneys!

The Senders

Feedback has been good regarding The Senders, my newest book. Missionaries, you will want to get copies of this to give to your partners/supporters as the stories of those who SEND you to the nations will encourage them!

Click on the title of this blog to get your copy online, or write to me to get copies at a greatly reduced price. :-)

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=Arden+Campbell+Czaszewicz&x=15&y=22

The Power of Words

Having been an English teacher for over 20 years, I know the power of words. However, I've never known that power to such deep levels as I am learning day by day through the medium of marriage.

A word spoken in a timely way can bring life, health and healing to a mate which is unmatched by any other word spoken by any other person. In the same way, a word with-held, left unspoken, that could bring life if it were simply spoken, is akin to a dagger in the heart.

I don't need to spend any time talking about words that hurt because that's a no-brainer. It's the pain of the unspoken word from the one to whom you have given your heart that is mind-blowing, and can leave someone reeling.

That simple, "You look beautiful," or "I can't wait to see you this evening," or I'm so excited to spend time with you," or "I love how you desire to provide for us," or "I am so proud of you," or "thank you for loving me so well," or just "thank you" that is left unspoken can become a flaming dart of the enemy. However, those same simple words, if spoken, can bring RIVERS of life-giving water to the recipient.

As I grow in my marriage, I am learning how to lean into Papa God and ask Him for the words to speak to my husband; and he is doing the same with me. My one word of advice after my whopping 3 1/2 months of marriage is speak those words of life, every day, and never assume your spouse has heard them enough or doesn't need to hear them. Life will abound with hopeful, life-giving words.

This is simply a reflection of God Himself: In the beginning was the WORD...that's how important speaking words of life are, especially in marriage! I am so thankful for my precious husband who seeks to speak life over me every day!

Chicago party

Papa Chaz preparing the legs of lamb!

Chillin' under the tent in the Chaz backyard!

Arden with my two new sisters and my one new brother...and of course my wonderful husband!

Papa Chaz doesn't like to have his picture taken!

The lambs and chickens on the spit! YUMMY!

Humbled. That's the only word appropriate for how I feel right now after an amazing weekend in Chicago with friends and family who couldn't make it to our wedding in May.

While the weekend flew by, Paul and I experienced tremendous joy and blessing from everyone who came from near and far to the lamb roast/chicken roast open-house party on Chicago's east side! Food galore, laughter, fun, and great times together made for memories!

We were unexpectedly surprised (at least I was) by generous wedding gifts as well...thank you to ALL who came and loved us so well! We love you and look forward to the next time we can be together again.

Garden and lightning

Hats off to Alex Cataldo who house-sat for us while we were on our honeymoon and watered like crazy during the 90-105 degree heat wave! Our garden not only survived but thrived! Thanks Alex!


Do you know how challenging it is to capture lightning with a regular ole' digital camera? I think I took 200 shots and maybe 5 of them turned out!


As I was checking for cucumbers and zucchini in our garden this evening, I heard a high-pitched "MEOW" emerging from the jungle of plants you can see in the above picture. "Come here, Simon!" I called out to my little pumpkin kitty! Suddenly, he emerged from amongst the broccoli plants! He sat diligently watching me pick zucchini and cucumbers and tomatoes!

Last night, we came home and watched an AMAZING lightning show...no rain, just a fabulous display of lightning in the clouds.

Precious family

What fun to be with precious friends, Anita and Zoli and their three children, Tamas, Denes, and Petra!

Pics from European Honeymoon

This is Paul and me with the owner of the winery in Croatia where we stayed our second night. We literally stumbled upon this place where they have rooms as well. Bless this man as he treated us to wine and cheese and bacon and bread to help us celebrate our honeymoon! Gotta love local wine-makers!

Here we are with Paul's relatives...his mother's cousin...whom we found in a small village a stone's throw from the Slovenian border! This was a highlight of our trip to find relatives!

Our last night in Budapest...we walked across the Chain Bridge after enjoying a dinner cruise. A glorious end to an incredible trip!

Here we are in Szeged at the party friends organized! This precious friend, Bori, now has three little ones in tow, and we had a blast with them!

A visit to Hungary would not be complete without laughing and talking deeply with my friends Larisa and Barb! If only we all lived on the same continent! :-)

More fun in europe

Sunday afternoon with some of the folks from Sion Church in Szeged.


We enjoyed a fabulous Sunday lunch at Eszter's mom's house in Szeged!

My Szeged buds organized a party for Paul and me on Friday evening where about 40 people came to help us celebrate our wedding! These are the last few who stayed til the end of the evening!

We spent some time with my former neighbor, Kati, who filled us in on the "happenings" in the neighborhood! :-)

Paul and I with my precious friend and former hairdresser, Bori, and her three children! What a blessing for Paul to meet her and all those we were able to meet during our very short visit to Szeged, Hungary!


Paul and I are still having a blast! This past week was FULL of meetings with my friends in Szeged, including parties, an evening at the open air festival, and fun at the new water park which boasts the tallest slide in eastern europe! :-)

Honeymoon trip

Meeting Paul's relatives in a tiny village in Croatia! What an adventure!


Paul and I at the top of a hill overlooking Dubrovnik, Croatia!

Our special evening out in Dubrovnik, Croatia!

The view from our balcony in Dubrovnik!

Paul and I were blessed by many, many friends and family who have made it possible for us to enjoy a fabulous European honeymoon in Croatia and Hungary! We have seen much, driven many kilometers, met many people and Paul has met a number of my Hungarian friends! Food in abundance has been the norm, especially here in Hungary, where the typical term we hear is "egyetek! (EAT!)

It's so much fun and such an incredible blessing for my friends to meet Paul and visa versa since Hungary was my home for 11 years! However, the time here is FAR, far too short...and everyone has said we must come back for a much longer visit next time!

Blessings include parties thrown by friends for us to celebrate our recent wedding, worshiping with Hungarian believers at Sion Church here in Szeged, praying for leaders in the Baptist Church's youth group, biking through the city, receiving tickets to the Szeged Open Air Festival where we enjoyed watching the operetta "The Merry Widow" with 4000 other people, speaking Hungarian :-), and discovering that God is moving in this city through His people....hallelujah!

Get your copy of THE SENDERS

Here it is...The Senders....and you can get your copy by clicking on the title of this blog, or by going to Amazon.com at this link:

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=Arden+Campbell+Czaszewicz&x=15&y=22

This book is a compilation of responses to six questions from those who SEND Christian missionaries to the nations. Their stories are just as important as those whom they send!

Preparedness

It doesn't take a rocket-scientist to figure out that things are happening on this planet that are shall we say not good? Weather patterns are simply nutty, economic forecasts are gloomy at best, and the Lord only knows what is in the hearts of those who want to live in the realms of destruction.

All this to say, while I'm not fearful because my hope is in the Lord and His great sovereignty, I am preparing. I began the preparedness journey a couple of months ago and promptly felt overwhelmed! However, I had a good friend trying to help me through it all, and I have some things ready. But the stress of thinking about trying to "hunt and gather" so many things was causing stress and even provoking that imp (fear)...and so I decided no more. Not no more preparing, but just no more stress and no more wondering, "So now what do I do with this 25 pound bag of pinto beans?"

A friend of mine introduced me to Shelf Reliance and Thrive Foods. From the get go, I was pretty much sold...the food is EXTREMELY tasty, and because of the process they use for dehydrating it, the vitamins are still in it when you rehydrate it. In addition, they have done their homework when it comes to other things like emergency kits, etc. So, now I am a consultant because first, I refuse to prepare out of fear; second, I want to prepare in order to be an asset to others rather than a liability; third, I want MORE time to spend on the things that are important to me, like people!

So, if you are interested in visiting my store online, just click on the title to this blog or on the link below and you can check it all out. I'm happy to answer any questions...I'm new at all of this so be patient with me...but I am excited to get prepared, and be at peace in the process!

http://www.shelfreliance.com/ArdenCz3

Blessings on you!

Preview of my newest book!

Click on the title of this blog, or on the link below, to reach the link where you can preview my newest book, The Senders.

This book has been over two years in the writing/compiling, largely due to my own procrastination, but finally, within just a couple of weeks, it will be in print and ready for reading consumption.

My previous book, Walking Forward - Discoveries in Freedom and Forgiveness was published through Xulon Press. I chose to publish The Senders through Amazon.com and their online publishing site called Create Space.

Have a look: https://www.createspace.com/Preview/1083761

More thoughts on married life....

While I knew that being married and all that entails is nothing like you see in the movies, it's interesting how 'normal' and easily we have moved into being a married couple. Yes, we are newly weds, but even that term can be fraught with some glorious expectations and innuendos when in reality, life plugs along for us just like every other person on the planet. We take out the trash, we garden, we pull weeds, we cook meals, we entertain friends for dinner, we clean bathrooms and do laundry, we wash dishes, and feed our cat, Simon. Normal stuff...I don't quite know why I'm writing this or if somehow I expected life to become sort-of dream-like in the everyday reality.

Of course there are the moments of wedded bliss and snippets of precious stolen moments, like sitting on our front porch last night with the light off and looking at the stars...sometimes talking but just holding hands and enjoying the beauty. Or waking up in the middle of the night to a raging storm and turning over to hold one another and enjoy the thunder and lightening and rain pounding down on the roof. Or taking long walks in the afternoon through our neighborhood, talking about the day, visioning and dreaming about the future.

But it struck me yesterday that really, married life is nothing like the movies, and a small part of me felt a bit of anger toward the film-making industry...not for me, but for all the young people out there who are bombarded every day with images of marriage and wedded bliss that simply are not even close to reality. The fantasy that Hollywood and other film industries present in abundance today are fueling an already sexually charged and idealistically deluded young population, which could lead them into unrealistic expectations about life, love and happiness.

I have never been happier than I am now as a married woman; I have more joy in me and peace than ever before; but it's not solely as a result of being married to a wonderful man. Primarily, it's because I'm married to a man who loves Jesus first and as we both put Him in the center of it all, the love, joy, happiness, peace, fun, adventure, purpose and calling all fall into place. There is even great fun in the mundane when the spouse the Lord has given you is by your side! But it's nothing like the emotionally charged blissful picture so many movies try to plant in our imaginations. I'm not sure I'm explaining myself very well, nor am I sure why I'm even blogging about this except that maybe some young (or even old) person out there needs to read this and bring that false picture into line with the Word of God and His reality, which is more joyful, wonderful and fulfilling than the movies portray.

Ads on my blog.....

If you are a regular blog reader of mine, then you have noticed that I decided to allow blogger to put ads at the bottom of my blogs. The reason I am doing this is to generate a bit of income for Christian missions. The drawback is that I don't believe I can 'control' what ads appear there. So, I am praying about whether to continue having ads on my blog...

But for everyone's information, I DO NOT endorse the Mormons, Scientology or any other cults/sects or religions that are not centered on Jesus Christ as the Son of God and the ONLY way, truth and life! I am actually hoping that the ad people on blogger will read this blog and refrain from placing any of those false religion ads on my blog. I will certainly have to rethink having ads if they continue to put these kind on my blog.

So, blogger ad placers, please reserve this blog for truly Christian ads only! Thank you!

So much going on!

I live such a blessed life! The Lord continues to pour out in abundance on my life, especially now as a married woman! From morning prayer at The Hartley Institute to friends near and far constantly blessing our lives to opportunities to minister at the drop of a hat, I can safely say life is not boring!

Paul and I hosted a reception/open house party yesterday for all of our friends here in KC...we were blessed with a constant flow of folks til nearly 9 p.m. Can't wait to celebrate with friends in Hungary and in Chicago!

Growing Spiritual Hunger in Hungary

Even though God called me to leave Hungary two years ago, God continues to do His mighty work there...ha...like He needs me there...ha ha ha....that sounds funny; He certainly doesn't need us, but in His great design of redemption and restoration, He chooses to use people.

A few days ago, I came across this magazine article which gives an update on what is happening in Hungary, and needless to say, I am rejoicing in all that God is doing! Please continue to pray that the Lord will fan into flame His Truth in that nation! Click on the title to this blog to get to the article, or cut and paste the link below into your browser.

http://www.charismamag.com/index.php/fire-in-my-bones/31205-a-growing-spiritual-hunger-in-hungary#.TfENs-usCwB;blogger

Rock House Church

"And they continued steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers...and breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart, praising God and having favor with all the people." (Acts 2:42,46,47)

When I first came to Kansas City from Hungary, I was encouraged to do an internship here through the International House of Prayer because that way, I would meet people and find a smaller group of friends in this very large community called IHOP. Having come from a fairly small community of believers in Hungary, I welcomed this admonition, as otherwise, navigating the waters in a community of over 2,000 people would be challenging. Indeed, I connected with a smaller number of people on deeper levels, and I adore the friendships that I continue to build with them.

However, I sorely missed the sweet, intimate community...quite literally a house church...that I shared weekly in Hungary with my precious sisters, Anita, Eszter and Gabi. We called it "Bible study", but it was really 'doing life together' on very significant levels, for 9 years. It took the Holy Spirit, hard work, commitment, sacrifice, laughter, tears and devotion to the Lord for this community to function over the long haul, but the blessings were and continue to be immense. Yes, an ocean separates us now, and communication is much less frequent, but when I receive emails from these precious sisters, it's as though not one minute of time has passed and the depth and width of our friendship remains intact. I know we will be life-long in the Holy Spirit heart friends forever!

So it was that kind of community my heart was reaching for here in Kansas City...house church. Believers meeting in homes, as they did in the early church recorded in Acts, in smaller groups, breaking bread together, fellowshipping, praying, worshiping the Lord and visioning together as to how the Lord would lead us to serve and love one another, the community and the world.

The Rock is the church where I landed. Mind you, if you come on a Sunday morning, this church is a bit similar to other gatherings around the city on a Sunday morning...well, the freedom in the Spirit might be a bit more pronounced than some. But The Rock is primarily house churches, smaller groups of 10-20 people who meet during the week in peoples' homes. It's here that 'life-on-life' begins to unfold, where vulnerability and heart-connections take place, where commitment to the Lord and to one another in the Holy Spirit is practiced and lived out. It's not perfect, and a lot more 'junk' rises to the surface because of the covenant relationships we have formed with each other. But it's worth it. I experienced it in Hungary, and I'm beginning to experience it here at The Rock with my wonderful husband, who has been a part of The Rock for nearly 8 years now.

There are many in the body of Christ who are saying that house churches is where the church is headed for a number of reasons: economic necessity, personal desire for community, and coming persecution. Truly, the house church model makes sense: needs for intimate community are met, iron sharpens iron, which advances the sanctification process, life-giving love, as well as so many other blessings including freedom in the Spirit to move with Him in what He wants to do.

The above picture is of our house church and our two adopted missionaries, who are heading to Bulgaria in just over two months. They too are part of the family, the spiritual family, and have captured our hearts. Who knows what doors the Lord is going to open for the rest of us to go and serve in Bulgaria with them, possibly, or even in other parts of the world?

As I get to know my spiritual family here in KC better, my fondness and love for my spiritual families in other locations grows more intense. I suppose it's like a mom's love...she has a child and loves it intensely to the point where she cannot imagine loving a second child as much. Yet, the second child comes along and her heart expands and there is more than enough love for that one and ALL the subsequent children. Indeed, I miss my spiritual family in Hungary and in Virginia as well, but the love we have forged for one another in the Holy Spirit binds our hearts one to another for eternity. Now, as I covenant with this part of the body of Christ, for however long the Lord has us here in KC, may Holy Spirit knit all of our hearts in love for Him, for each other, and for the world out there who is crying out for what they may not know is the touch of the Father in heaven, whose sole desire is to bring them home into His family!

Garden and Simon

Simon, chillin'!




We're excited for all the veggies to come!


Paul and I have green thumbs! We've been enjoying fresh lettuce, spinach, red chard and cilantro from our garden for a couple of weeks now! Yummy! There are two zuccinis on the vine and lots of snap peas!

Simon is surviving the heat. He has his own room now and seems to have forgotten Toby. Paul usually feeds him every morning when he gets up...I love my husband!

Gardening fun

I think Paul and I could be pretty good farmers...ha ha ha! We have planted our garden plots and have realized we need more space! This morning, Paul asked if I'm ready to have a tomato business because we are over-run with tomato plants.

Things I love about gardening: the progress one can see from one day to the next; harvesting things we can eat and that taste fabulous that once were very tiny seeds; the anticipation of what may actually burst forth into its fruit and what may not; working alongside my husband. ;-)

As my dear friend reminded me just yesterday, everything is spiritual and can be worship to God...even gardening! :-)

Video highlights from our wedding!

Click on the title of this blog to see our wedding highlights video! Thank you, David Harder, for your excellent work on this!

Culture of honor?

As my husband and I drove out of our neighborhood yesterday, we decided to count the number of American flags flying in front of people's homes. Yesterday was Memorial Day, a national holiday in our nation, dedicated to honoring all of those who have selflessly given their lives for our country through living, serving and dying in the struggle to keep and maintain the freedoms we all enjoy every day.

In a 1.5 mile stretch of driving, we counted just 12 American flags flying...and that includes flags on side-streets that we craned our necks to find and include in our overall count.

Sad.

This holiday is not about politics; it's about people and their sacrifices that we might still enjoy what much of the world does not have the privilege of enjoying. Flying a flag is not such a difficult thing to do--in fact, it takes very little effort to make a huge statement of honor.

So, my question now is what exactly are we Americans so proud of, really? Having lived in a foreign country for 11 years and heard those people say of Americans: "You are so proud of your country!" and then to see such little regard for those who gave the ultimate sacrifice on this one day of national celebration leaves me wondering: What exactly are we proud of? We often pride ourselves in being honorable, yet some of us do not honor those who have gone before us and died so that we can be free?

I'm in a bit of a quandary. Once again: "Father, forgive them, for they don't know what they do."

Wedding pics from our professional photographer

Our first dance as husband and wife!

Below, walking down the aisle with my dad...taking in every face! :-)



Our photographer, Camilla Barrett, captured some wonderful shots!


Our rings!


Yes, that is quite an impish grin I have on, isn't it?


Yes, the room was this stunning!

My precious bridesmaids, Marsha Scott, Marcie Adams and Maria Janney! What treasures these ladies were and are!

Follow-up on phone call to a stranger....

Once again, I must declare to any of you out there in blog land who don't believe in God or believe that He is intimately acquainted with us, knowing our names and phone numbers, please read on...

If you read yesterday's blog below, you will hear of a pretty amazing story; I won't repeat it here, but rather follow-up.

So, not only was the name and phone number which Bob Hartley received from the Lord and gave to me to call accurate, but the woman, who lives half-way across the country from me, and I are now friends! We spoke not once, not twice, but three times yesterday, and the Lord knit our hearts in sweet love and fellowship with each other! We got to "share our stories/histories" with one another, our journeys with the Lord, and encourage each other! I'm so excited to see how BOTH of our hearts have been ignited with the Love of the Father and encouraged in HOPE! I must admit I am still completely blown away by the specificity of God's words to His children, yet I shouldn't be because Scripture teaches that He knows the very number of the hairs on our head.

So, today, while it is still today, inquire of the Lord, seek His face, adore Him for who He is, the God who sees and knows, who hears the cries of our hearts, who loves us intimately...let us love Him in return, the One who will never leave us or forsake us! To the KING!

I am a friend of the God who knows our name and phone number!

This past weekend, I took part in a Hope to the Heart conference here in Kansas City. Deeper Waters Ministries organizes these events about quarterly, offering a business track as well as a prophetic track with the goal of loving God and equipping people with tools to take the message of Hope to every sphere of life!

Bob Hartley is a precious man of God who heads up the Hartley Institute and Deeper Waters. He has cultivated an intimate relationship with the Lord for decades and hears from God for God's people to be encouraged and propelled into their callings and destinies. I am not in any way exalting a man, but rather the God whom that man loves and serves and whose voice Bob heeds.

The apostle Paul encourages every believer to seek the gifts, especially that we would prophesy. Every believer can prophesy, but in some people, this gift is very highly developed and fine-tuned. Bob is one such person. This weekend, during the ministry time on Saturday night at the conference, Bob was telling stories and praying and prophesying when he called out my name. Mind you, he has given me prophetic words in the past which have been spot on, so I was ready. What I wasn't ready for was the odd characteristic of this word and how it would affect me if I followed through on it.

In a nutshell, the Lord's word to me through Bob was the first name of a woman and her phone number as well as two words of encouragement to her. Bob said, "Arden is someone who will actually follow through and call this person." (Amazing how true that statement is!) Of course my first reaction was, "Cool, let me call her right now and see if this is really true." You see, I'd heard that the Lord gives Bob names and phone numbers of people he doesn't even know...but I'd never experienced this myself.

The weekend passed, as did Monday, and this morning, as I was preparing to leave the house, I sensed the Lord quickening my heart to call this number. Of course doubts began to arise: What if it's not really this person? This can't be for real. (By the way, the area code was completely unknown to me) But, BY FAITH, I dialed the number...and got this person's voicemail...no name, no indication if it was a male or female. I chose not to leave a message, and I decided I would call her back later.

Well, as I was walking out the door about 15 minutes later, I noticed a missed call on my phone. It was THE NUMBER! I was floored that this person would call some unknown number back. So, I got in my car, prayed, pulled out the word I was to give this woman, and dialed the number.

A woman picked up the phone. "Hello?"

"Um, hello, my name is Arden Czaszewicz and I'm looking for (Name)"

"This is she."

GULP....in that split second, FAITH arose in me!

I continued, "Um, you don't know me, but I live in Kansas City, and I was just at a conference where a gentleman named Bob Hartley was ministering. Have you ever heard of Bob Hartley?"

"Uh, no, I have not."

"Can I ask you if you know the Lord?"

"Yes, I do, I love the Lord with all my heart!"

"Ok, let me tell you more about who I am....."

And the conversation proceeded....she was SOOOOO open from the very first moment we began to speak. When I spoke the words of encouragement to her from the Lord via Bob, she began to weep and said, "You have no idea how much this means to me...you know how you have hills and valleys in life? Well, I've been in a deep valley and to hear these words from a stranger half a continent away, whom the Lord gives my name and phone number to is just blowing me away!"

To make a long story longer, she was JUST pulling in to the parking lot of the house of prayer in Bedford, Oregon when I called. We talked for probably 15 minutes, I was able to pray for her, and the Lord even gave me more words of encouragement which were...surprise, surprise...spot on! We both were floored and amazed at this God of the details, who knows our names and phone numbers and we are planning to stay in contact! God completely knit our hearts and I know there is much more to come! She has always wanted to come to Kansas City and visit the house of prayer here so of course I told her she can come stay with me! (oops, need to clear that with my hubby!)

Needless to say, my faith in God is SOARING right now...His intimate concern for every human being simply boggles my mind. Truly, nothing is impossible with God! Hallelujah!

Contemplating

Recently, some friends came to visit...actually, a large number of friends came to help me and Paul celebrate our union as man and wife in the wedding of the year! Ha!

Some of those friends got a chance to visit a few places here, through which the Lord has dramatically impacted my life and given me greater revelation of Who He is and what He is doing in this world we call earth. Before 2004, I had a nice, compact, tight theology which seemed to work for me. Ok, stop right here. Please note the last word in that sentence: me...ME...ME....a theology that works for me? Wow, if nothing else, I've definitely had the rug of "me" ripped out from underneath my feet more than once in the last 7 years. If I've learned nothing else, I have learned this: no theology is about "me" or about "us"...it's all about God and His glory and what He is doing from eternity through eternity.

In 2004, God began to rattle my cage, shake my world and rip the rugs out from underneath me, and my 'religious spirits' didn't like it one bit. However, my spirit-man inside of me LOVED IT! Something began stirring deep inside of me, and I knew I was beginning a journey of discovery that would lead to greater love for the Father, relationship with the Son, Jesus, and intense and intimate fellowship with Holy Spirit.

Without departing from the Bible, I began this journey. In 2009, that journey landed me in Kansas City, MO where I've been stretched even further by 3 specific ministries, all of which God has used to burst open every box I've ever consciously or unconsciously tried to place God in...back to the problem that can arise when I limit God to 'my' theology.

Has it been uncomfortable? You bet! Has it caused tensions with others? For sure! Has my spirit-man been awakened to the living God of hope, who loves, I think almost more than anything, to pour out His affections on His children? Like never before! Have my biblical views changed? Indeed, they have as I have pondered and studied and realized that God is much, much bigger and much, much more involved in the nitty gritty of everything on this planet. Nothing is outside of His grasp, view, or the intentions of His heart. I've learned that I tended toward that heretical thinking of separating things into the spiritual and the secular, when truly, as Brother Lawrence clearly states, all of life is spiritual and has spiritual significance in eternity.

And so, here I stand, humbled to the core, and realizing that I need even more humility because if I begin to think that I have a 'clue' or have a corner on any market of anything to do with God, then I run the risk of placing my mind above the mind of God. Instead, I will submit everything within me to the triune God-head, bow low, and carry out the two greatest commandments as Holy Spirit leads me: Loving the Lord my God with everything, and loving my neighbor as myself.

As far as theology and all connected with it, I stand in the fear of the Lord, realizing that Matthew 24-25 and the entire book of Revelation is true, and I need to be prepared as a believer for all that is going to happen, with the end goal of loving people and pointing them to their messiah, Jesus, Yeshua, the God-man! In the process, Jesus prayed: Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. So, there is a biblical mandate to live lives here according to the Kingdom, bringing hope to the hopeless, and, as the old gospel song states: People get ready, Jesus is coming!

May God give ALL of us the spirit of wisdom and revelation from His throne room! Amen and amen.