Reaching Out to the Great I AM! 
 

Good morning from a beautiful and sunny Antigua, Guatemala! This past week during one of my devotional times, I felt strongly impressed to reflect on the story of the bleeding woman and how Jesus healed her. It is really an impressive story where an outcast of society rises up out of her difficult circumstances to take hold of the miracle that was passing by her in the midst of large crowd. It is also an interesting story in which, despite so many people being around Jesus, that she is the only one whose "touch" absorbed the power of Jesus to the point that He stopped to find out who had touched him. 

Think about it for a moment. What are the chances that she was the only one with a need for a miracle? With such a crowd passing by with Jesus, I would imagine that there were many others longing for some sort of miracle, if not all of them. Yet she is the only one that caused the power of Jesus to be released into her body!

As I reflected on this story, I was also reminded of the encounter Moses had at the burning bush. After a conversation with God about purpose and direction, Moses asks God what His name was. God responds with "I AM". God then goes on to tell Moses that from this point forward, He was to be called "I AM" in His interactions with Moses and the Israelites. This may seem like a strange name to give Himself, but for those who understand the power and significance of names, this is a very powerful moment. When God said that His name was "I AM" He is pointing to a reality of His nature and character that He is a present tense God! He is not the great "I was" or "I will be" or "maybe". He is the great "I AM"!!

Back to the story of the bleeding woman. What I felt like "I AM" was trying to show me was that though our situations can be tough and seem impossible, He is a present tense God ready to make the miracle happen. We just need to be like this woman and rise up, reach out, and take hold of the miracle that God is already doing in our midst!

The DTS is Set to Begin, Time for Us to Reach Out!
This week we have the honor of receiving students from 4 different nations for our next edition of the Discipleship Training School (DTS). Despite still feeling a bit worn down from the previous school that ended last month, we are excited that we get the chance to reach out to Jesus and let Him work in the lives of the students through us! The theme of the school is "Rescued to Walk and Grow in Him" and the main scriptures are from Colossians 1:9-14, Phillipians 1:9-11, and John 15:7. We would like to invite everyone to pray for us and the students as we embark on this new adventure with God!