It's been a while...

When you are waiting, it really does feel like a while. But, God is continuously working, even in our waiting. One of the things he has done for me is to make me thirst, make me hungry, make me not want to settle for less than Christ and knowing him, his love. I am reminded of a Misty Edwards song..."happy am I to live a hungry life, blessed am I to thirst..."

Circumstances have not changed too much, but I have decided to gradually step back from children's ministry at Shades Valley, to allow me to better focus on prayer. It seems like a shift is taking place, but in God's gentleness, He has been working this for over a year. I told our staff at church just this week and their response was very encouraging.

Now, we are praying for the finances to appear that will make this all possible in our day to day life. I have a peace about it all that I know is from God, because normally I would be freaking out wondering how we will make up for the loss of my pay at Shades Valley. This past Sunday, the sermon was on trusting God, and it really confirmed it all for me. Please, LORD, allow me to continue to rest in this place of obedience You have called me to.

I am excited to be able to focus more on praying with and for our body, and I will try to keep any of you who keep up with us clued in!

What are we doing now, you may ask???

Well, it has been a while, I know. It seems as if we are in process always. The LORD is faithfully crushing us and molding us... I know, does not sound like fun, but it is really good.
We actually had a great weekend. Jeff is going to be 40 on the 31st, and last night we had a surprise party for him. It was so fun, and a total surprise. He was very encouraged, and it was soo good to see some friends we have not seen in a while. It was neat for me to look around the room and be greatful for the people we have shared our lives with over the last 14 years...(wow, that's a long time)... since we moved to Birmingham.
So, we are trying to have teachable hearts as the LORD teaches us to be faithful in the little things, and we are trying to make the most of each day... attempting to be present to "I AM" and each other, our family, and friends.
We will keep you posted. Jeff is hopeful about this year of 40!!

What next.....???

We are pretty familiar with waiting as a family. Sometimes things are so clear and sometimes it feels as if we are in a fog and can only see where we are but not where we are headed. Well, we wanted to let you know, as much as is possible, what is up with us now and our immediate future.

Well, it has been 3 months since we got back from IHOP, and during that time we have really focused on making prayer a part of our every day. I have integrated into our school time by having the kids listen to worship music (or watch it online at IHOP) and praying/ journaling for 30 minutes before school every day. Then, usually after the kids go to bed, Jeff and I try to spend an hour praying, sometimes together and sometimes I get done early (like when Jeff is at Starbucks). When we are in town, it is pretty consistent, but out of town is harder. It is really a struggle to do it sometimes when all the other responsibilities are pressing in on us, but The LORD is gracious, and the peace we experience when we are consistent is a good motivator.

We had thought we would be going on staff full time with Lonesheep, but it seems that is not exactly what God wants for us now. Jeff is still planning on traveling with Beau, but not going full-time. Beau and Ashley are a huge daily part of our life, but is seems like we are supposed to continue to be for them in every way, but not "with" them as far as staff goes. This was kinda hard to realize, communicate, etc. But, we still feel that it is the right choice. We are praying for more people to help Beau in some of the daily ways that he needs it.

Now... we are waiting again. About 6 weeks ago Don Ankenbrandt approached us about heading up a prayer room for Birmingham. He would like us to be full time with his ministry (Alliance ministry) and our main responsibility would be to get a 24/7 prayer room started. We have had some meetings with him and other people interested in that vision. It feels huge, and yet, it seems like this is the road we are to walk in. It involves more waiting, but, again, we are used to it. Please pray for us, though, because sometimes we feel as if things will never change. We have felt like Jeff's time at Hillcrest is short since last May, but our short is not exactly the Lord's short, I guess. Pray that Jeff will wait well.

We will keep you updated.

He's Back...

Jeff is back from traveling. They actually had to cut the trip short because Beau needed to come home. But, he had an incredible time. He said it was good to continue relationships with vendors that he had met on previous tours. He actually spent several hours talking with a child of one of the vendors, whom he had met last year. They talked about God, Jesus, and end times just to name a few topics.
Jeff and Beau slept in the truck top camper (until pretty stinking late if you ask me... but that is because they did not usually go to bed until the wee hours of the morning). I have attached a picture of the camper and of one of the vendors street at the Charleston shows, I believe.
The trip was cut short, but they were able to go to Tallahassee, Charleston, and St. Augustine. I am hoping Jeff will add a blog entry to give you more specifics soon.

Here he goes...

Well, it is that time again- fall tour, and Jeff is very excited about going. This week Beau and Charles will head to Atlanta for some Widespread Panic (WSP) shows, but Jeff can't go because we have a ton going on this week (like a lil boy turning 10!!!). But, next Tuesday Jeff will leave with Beau to go on a southeast tour following WSP from Charleston, SC, to Miami, FL to New Orleans (and a few other places along the way). They will be traveling in Beau's truck top camper.

My prayer is that they would be an incredible place of "rest" for the weary they come into contact with. The Lord is pursuing us all the time, to bring us into his Sabbath rest, a place of peaceful power, where we get filled up instead of worn down. Pray that the LORD would be in their mouths, and they would be hands and feet also, being Christ visibly to the people they come into contact with.

On another note, we had a very generous gift that is enabling Jeff to be gone these next 2 weeks (which is a huge answer to prayer because we really did not know how he was going to travel but felt like he was supposed to). Thank you very much; you know who you are!!

On the road again...

Well, Jeff is getting excited ... because it is almost time for fall tour with Lone Sheep. Last year was the first time that Jeff was able to really travel and build relationships with people on the road, so he is looking forward to going again and hopefully re-connecting with some of those people. This year he would like to go for a total of two weeks, but that will be broken up a bit. October 15th would be the first show in Memphis, and the last will be New Orleans on November 1st; a total of nine shows in six cities in the south east. It was fun to see Jeff get so excited about going. We have really enjoyed stepping into Lone Sheep little by little. In some ways, we have eased into it so gradually that we didn't realize how "deep" we are in it, and how our hearts have been moved; God's heart is for these nomadic people who long for community- the LORD desires to walk among them, and for now, at least, he is inviting us to help be his visible hands and feet, and knees as we pray for and with these incredible people who live a lot of their life on the road. As I said, Jeff will need to be gone for about 2 weeks, which means we have to raise support for that- to cover him missing work and traveling expenses. We still have a little money saved in our Lone Sheep account, but need more. If you would like to help us out financially, please let us know.
If you want to give by a check, please make it out to Lone Sheep and memo: Stalcups and then send it Beau (call me for his address) or you could make it out to SVCC and memo it Lone Sheep-Jeff Stalcup. Thanks for sticking with us on this journey- we are blessed by your presence!

Thank you to our Supporters!

Our summer was indescribable in so many ways, but I will give it a shot. Jeff would say that one of the biggest things to him was that now he could call Jesus friend. That sounds like not a big deal, but think about it a second, let it sink in... friend. Jesus really opened Jeff up to who he is and how much he is in love with Jeff. We where both overwhelmed at times with glimpses of the glory of the LORD and the sheer awesome-ness of our God. Because we live under so much grace, sometimes we forget who this Holy God is that loves us so. I found myself at times just whispering "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty who was, and is, and is to come..." over and over. For me, the Lord grew my heart for intercession and assured me that I could do it, and that even in the midst of motherhood, that me and Him could carve out sweet time together. Also, for me the Lord showed me how manic my mind was, and he quieted it for me and he is still helping me with that area. Let's see... God dealt and continues to deal with us on how we look to people not God so often (that it is ridiculous!!!). Sometimes I was in tears by realizing how distracted I am by my desire to "know", whether that be knowing others or being known. Jesus wants us to gaze at him, to lock our eyes with him, and to behold no other. When we do it, it is glorious... to be so loved brings tears to my eyes even now!!
Well, I am not sure what else to say. We where refreshed, encouraged, built up, broken down, and built up again. We know that this was a part of the process of our life and a part of the preparation for whatever is next. We are establishing rhythms in our home now of prayer and fasting, and we are beginning to extend that into our time at Shades Valley, at the Birmingham Prayer Furnace, and to our future with Lone Sheep. Jeff has traveled with Lone Sheep a few times over the past year, and we have been praying for a while about what is next there. So... you will hear more from us on that front soon (jeff wants to travel with beau again this fall), but for now THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU!!! we can't get over the fact that we where able to soak in KC for the last 2 months because of the LORD through you!! Our prayer is that somehow you have also been blessed. we love you :)

Goodbye KC/IHOP

This is the house we lived in for 2 months- it looked bad on the outside, but the inside was great and it was truly a peaceful house. Our kids slept great for 2 months- no bad dreams, David stayed in his bed, and no matter how late we where up, no one was ever tired. It was truly amazing, and I was able to share that with the owners of the house before we left (they are IHOPers who live in another house and rent this one). Lane Lackey took these pictures before we left. We took 2 days to drive home and it was an interesting trip. Jeff and I talked about how we would describe this experience to people at home, listened to a lot of music, I cried (mainly sadness to leave and worried that life would "eat me up" when I got home), and we prayed about our future a good bit. Coming into Birmingham was strange, and when we walked into our house, I felt claustrophobic. We had been in a furnished house but with only necessities ( we packed all our family's clothes in 2 Rubbermaids) and very minimal toys. We fit it all including 2 pack n plays into the back of the suburban. So, to come home to so much stuff was overwhelming, and honestly a little sickening. We are in process now of seriously purging which feels great!

Last Week in the prayer room

Our last week in the prayer room was a "teary" one for me. I had a hard time focusing on being present because I kept thinking about leaving. But, we where able to spend a little more time than normal, also, because Jeff was done with his classes. It was a great week, and our friends Lane and Ross Lackey and their daughter Selah came for our last 3 days. We started our time off with Birmingham people and ended it with Birmingham people- it was awesome! I did not know Jeff had taken pictures until after we got back, but I remember this day, and it was one of the times when all the kids where with us at one time(something we tried to do for an hour each day). The corded off area was the free dance area or kid space when no one was dancing.

Taste and See that the Lord is Good!!!

Wow! He is so good... there are no words for it, really. Our time is winding to an end now. A week from tomorrow we will leave and head back to the 'ham. Sometimes I get real sad and shed a few tears (i know... not shocking for those of you who know me!) and sometimes I look forward to what God has for us next. Well, not that I really know what all that entails, but I do know that some of our priorities have shifted, or maybe sharpened. We are purposing to spend more time individually and as a family to pray and be in the word. Here it is almost like the feast is laid out for you, and you come, prepare yourself, taste... or feast, i should say... and then you head back to the house where you keep the aftertaste, and then you do that again and again and again... (not that it is easy, sometimes the things are a little hard to swallow and take weeks or longer to digest). Well, now we will have to go back home, and there is still a feast there, but we have to do a lil more to prepare it, to feast on it, etc. I hope that makes sense. But, now I know that it is worth it. i have tasted of the Lord, and I am savoring it. I am learning how to do it for myself, and I am realizing that I knew it all along- I had just forgotten how to do it, or maybe I have been to distracted to do it.

The Martha and Mary story has always been hard for me- I am a doer, and so many times i have been my own accuser, thinking I wish I could just be a Mary but there is so much to do (can you tell I have a mom's heart- haha!). Well, something sunk in this time while I was studying Luke. It wasn't that she was working, maybe- it was that she was distracted by the work... for some reason that part came alive to me this time. The LORD knows I have things to do with my little clan of mighty men... I started thinking...what if Martha had done her dinner preparation unto the Lord, then her heart could have been at his feet even while her hands where busy. Hmmm... I don't know, it just struck me.

It is God's grace that we have been here as a family, because it has retained some reality to it. Jeff is in class, and I am at home with the kids (not all day, but just follow me), and I remember one day (about 3 weeks ago) when I was especially frustrated with "mothering", I started crying on the phone to Jeff. he said do you want me to come home so you can go spend time alone or at the prayer room? And I said, " NO!!!! I need God to show up here for me (i was being a tad bit demanding), not just in the prayer room!!" Well, from there- once I got those words and my true heart out there- I just started pouring my heart out to God. I said this is where I am, this is my life, I need you here so that when I go home, I do not despair, and because I need you here more than anywhere else!!! Well, even though I was being demanding, and even though my heart was not too pure, He met me there... and, wow...He met me!! Since then, he has been gradually doing a lot in my life- freeing me from bondage in my heart, purifying me, and granting me extraordinary peace.
All that to say, he has been working on this lil lady, and I am loving it, even though some of it has been gut-wrenching.

ZOO!!

Today we went to the KC Zoo in Swope Park- it was a really great time, but hot like home!!

Oops!- forgot these from 4th of July

We had a great 4th of July with our Birmingham Prayer Furnace friends and our peeps from home!

Priests

Psalm 141:2
May my prayer be set before you like incense; may the lifting up of my hands be like the evening sacrifice.

that is a priest's job... that is what we are, wherever we are...

Isaiah 61:6
And you will be called priests of the LORD; you will be called ministers of our God.

2 Peter 2:9
But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God...

Revelation 5:10
You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God, and they will reign on the earth.

Wow! We are the holy priesthood... just a thought... what does that mean? Lord, you where the sacrifice, so what is our role as priests...hmmm... ask Him :)

IHOP Missions Base

This is a picture of where we spend a good portion of our day. It is just an old strip mall- converted. Nothing fancy. We live a few blocks away in the neighborhood that surrounds it, and we can even walk there or ride a (Joseph Wolnski's ) bike.

The Armor of God

OK- this is just a thought for ya. Sometimes being in the prayer room is hard... that may sound odd, but think about it. if you spend time in the LORD's presence in an intentional way, He gets more amazing, full of glory, majesty, etc.... and our crap inevitably surfaces in contrast to his holiness. Some of my crap is that I look to men to be noticed or regarded instead of doing or being wholly unto the LORD. One night in particular I felt like a 2 year old, getting popped on the hand repeatedly, but then I recognized his grace in it and that he is not letting things fester but calling me on it in the moment... basicly disciplining "those he loves", specifically me.

Well, after a while I am still having a hard time focusing, so the armor of God comes to mind, so I turn to Ephesians 6, a passage I have prayed through for many years (lots of highlights there and notes- haha!). Anyway, I read it and am impressed that the LORD says... again, parke, and meditate on it. Well, here goes (just follow my thoughts)... "the belt of truth buckled around your waist"...hmmm, truth..."i am the way, the truth, and the life"...ok, Christ is the truth...ok, Christ around my waist...next, "the breastplate of righteousness in place"...righteousness...hmmm... it is not my righteousness, it is Christ's...so, Christ is my breastplate...next, "feet fitted with...gospel of peace"...hmmm...Christ is the gospel, and he brought peace to us...reconciliation...so, Christ on my feet..Ok, Lord, i am seeing a pattern!!..."shield of faith"... my faith is in him... Christ is my covering..."helmet of salvation".... he is my salvation...Christ on my head..."sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God"...hmmm..."in the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning"... Christ is the Word....so...Christ is in my hand"...
WOW...CHRIST IS THE ARMOR OF GOD!!!!!
Christ around my waist
Christ my breastplate
Christ on my feet
Christ my shield (covering me)
Christ on my head
Christ in my hand (the sword)

He is first, preeminent, before all things, in all things, and He literally covers me from head to toe!!!!

KC sprayground

We went to a "sprayground" in our neighborhood. They have these spragrounds as part of KC's parks and recreation dept so it is free, and very fun!! The kids had a blast.

Thank you....thank you

This was a typical day for the first 2 weeks we where here, and part of an email we sent out.

Jeff gets up early and spends two hours in the prayer room, then I go for one and a half to two hours. Then, we have lunch all together and Jeff goes to class from 12-3. While he is away we have nap time and school or a field trip ( we have been to a bunch of amazing places already... i am racking up school days - haha!). Then, sometime between 3 and midnight, we each go for 2 hours, and usually some of that time is as a family. M-F we try to spend at least 1 hour as a family in the prayer room, but the older ones go a lil bit more than the twins.

It has been amazing- to have such a visual cloud of witnesses around us... they are usually not so visual on a day in day out basis. The prayer room always has some music being played/sung and most people who are not on a worship team are praying to themselves or reading their bibles. Sometimes I feel like I am just soaking or marinating as Jeff calls it. At those times, I am usually more passive, listening, being still, or just focusing on Christ. Other times, the LORD lays things, places, people, etc. on my heart to pray for/about. And other times I am agreeing with whatever they are praying or singing about. Some times it is very intense, actually. God has had Jeff and I both praying a lot for Shades Valley and Birmingham. We know that is what he has for us for our work for this season, so we think of home and our people often. My most recurring prayer is that we would just fall in love over and over with him- that we would know ALL dimensions of his love... width,length,height,depth...

Anyway, I could go on and on....

So, life is changing a bit now. Some people from Birmingham are here and we are getting to see some other aspects of ministry here in Kansas City. Tonight (actually a week ago now) Jeff went to a prayer room downtown called the Boiler Room, which is smaller but built more around community. We are going to be spending the next few weeks learning more about this ministry and about a ministry in Tampa that is also community based. Please pray for wisdom and discernment for us, that we would be able to glean whatever he has for us from what will be offered over the next few weeks (this is over what we already do at IHOP).

Anyway, more later. We love all of you and are incredibly humbled to be able to "come away" with the LORD in this way. I still can't believe it- it is such a good gift. But, of course... our Daddy does give good gifts... "every good and perfect gift" comes down from HIM!!

Pictures from fun in downtown KC

We had a few really fun-filled days with the Garrigans and the Armisteads. Beau, Jeff, and David went to Wakarusa and we stayed in KC and filled our time with 12 kids with lots of activities. These are from our day at Crown Center Plaza. We went to Kaleidoscope, Fritz cafe, and the fountain.

Welcome to KC pics

Here a few pictures from the house- the first one is through the front door, and the rest are some pics around the house (...and yes, we brought our neighbors with us, haha!).

A few pics

We had a great time at the arch, and then we went to the zoo the next day(sorry- the pics are backwards).