A Treasure Revisited

Whilst Treasure Hunting today we had an amazing experience! We had found a few lovely Treasures but we still had lots of clues that we hadn't found, so we kept going.  One of our clues was Golden Hair, which we didn't really know what that would look like, till we saw it.  So we were outside the back of WH Smiths, when a lady with what can only be described as Golden Hair,  walked past us.  She was moving at some pace so rather than racing after her we just followed her for a while, as sometimes people can lead you to other clues along the way.  We followed her to the front of WH Smiths and then she went off, we discussed how we were surprised we hadn't found a Silver Bag which was another clue, so we decided to go to Primark where they would sell that sort of thing, as we got close to Primark we passed a market stall which sold bags and right on the corner was a very large and prominent Silver Bag,  we stopped and looked around and realised that we were also outside a Key cutting shop!  We knew we were in the right place and as we turned back round next to the silver bag was a lady with Golden Hair!  We were so excited, so we approached the lady and her husband.  She was a little confused by what we were doing but the name Craig meant something to her and we had the name Georgina and they said they knew a Georgia so we went with that, I had obviously misheard! We went through the ailments and she said that none of them related, but her Husband pointed out she had a Bunion and I had the clue Toe.  I don't know why we didn't offer to pray,  I think I felt she was a little embarrassed, but I really should have done - thankfully with God there are a billion chances so we shall just chalk that one up to experience.  But as we started to walk away I noticed that the man sat on the bench next to them was some one who had been Treasure on a previous Treasure Hunt.  We moved away a little and I told my friend this as she hadn't been on the Treasure Hunt when we had found him the first time, and we decided we would approach him again and this time give him a leaflet.  He is an elderly man and he didn't recognise me to begin with, but when I reminded him that we had prayed for him about his wife, he remembered the encounter.  We had a bit of a chat and I asked him his name again (names are not my strong point at all!) and he said Ken and on my friends map was the name Ken!  How amazing is that! We went through the ailments with him and he said that he was fine but he kept having trouble hearing us so I knew he had some Deafness.  I asked him about it and he said that he was a little deaf in one ear and that his dog had eaten his hearing aid.  His dog, a Staffordshire Bull Terrior called Lassie, was with him and was getting increasingly fractious the more we spoke to him and sadly the dog got the better of me, as yet again we didn't offer to pray because I thought I might lose my hand in the dogs mouth! I feel a bit bad about it but we did give him a leaflet with the church details on and amazingly he even remembered where the Church met from our last conversation.  I am so amazed that he was Treasure again, maybe this isn't the last time either and next time his dog will be a little calmer and we will get to pray for him again. 

Digging For Treasure

I said in a previous Blog that each Treasure Hunting experience is totally different and our latest Hunt was definately a case in point! Before we started our Treasure Hunt, we were praying and just asking God's presence to come as that is the most important thing, so that we are able to release God's presence whilst we are walking around.  I had a clear picture of a golden spade - it was really big and I wasnt sure if it was a clue for the Hunt or a picture for us.  To cover both basis I put it as a clue but also discussed it with Lizzie, I thought it might be about digging foundations in our church for Prophetic Evangelism and Lizzie said maybe it was to do with us having to dig for Treasure!  Little did we know!

We looked at our clues and decided on the route that they seemed to be taking us on so we went through the Cathedral Green, past the Pasty Shop, and up the high street towards the Odeon.  We took a slow walk up the street expecting to see some of the clues we had for appearances, but we didn't see anybody at all, which is really unusual but undeterred we carried on.  We carried on up towards the Odeon, and began to realise that we were passing lots of clues but they weren't people, they were things in shop windows or other shops on our list.  We walked past a Flower shop, Sainsburys, an Orange jumper, and Dominoes.  Everything seemed to be leading us to the Odeon and I really felt that when we got there somebody would be outside and they would be our Treasure.  But no!  We got to the Odeon and there wasn't anybody around at all, it was really quite odd because normally we would stop a few people and then strike gold but nobody we had seen had fitted any of our clues, not even slightly! I suggested that we walked back down the same way we had come up seeing as all the clues were on the same side of the road, and revisit them.  We got a little way down when we suddenly saw her - she had crutches and was wearing a yellow top.  We squealed a little with excitement as we knew this was God's Treasure.  The lady disappeared into a shop for ages so we had to hang around outside and look a bit like stalkers, but it all comes with the territory.  After a while she came out of the shop and Lizzie approached her and explained who we were and that we had prayed before we came out and God had given us the clue of a person with crutches and a yellow top.  We explained a bit more that all our other clues had lead us to her and that we knew we had been sent to come and speak to her today as she was God's Treasure.  She was blown away!  We offered to pray for her leg and she readily agreed, so we found a bench to sit down.  She began to talk and she told how much pain she was in and how last night she had been in bed crying out with all her heart to God for the pain to go, and also to forgive her of things she had done wrong in her past and that she wanted to turn to him - that sure sounds like a Salvation prayer to me! We prayed for her leg and she said the pain was less, so we offered to pray again and she agreed but it stayed the same but she looked at us and said 'This is a miracle, God really heard me last night.' and we agreed.  She said she had always wanted to be a follower of Jesus and that now she was.  I asked her if she wanted to know God and she said she felt she already did, so I gave her a copy of the New Testament, a Why Jesus and a leaflet about Treasure Hunting with our church contact details on it.  She left us, a new women, knowing that Father God had heard her cry and that he loved her so much that he sent us the next day to find her to reaffirm to her what she had prayed alone in her bedroom the night before.  Amazing!

I think the spade was definitely about us really digging in for treasure that day, we could have given up at many points (even before we started as I wasn't feeling too well), we could have given up whilst we walked up the high street and didn't see one person to stop, we could have given up when we got to the Odeon and there wasn't anybody there, we could also have given up whilst we waited outside the shop for the lady as she was in there for ages.  But we didn't and kept digging and we definitely found Treasure.  God loves perseverance!

Baseball hat off to the side

Each time we Treasure Hunt, the technique is the same but the results and how God uses the clues are so different.  It keeps your mind active and also makes you realise how varied he is and how literal we are! We had some odd clues this time, one of the team had stilts, white, another had  plank of wood, and I had famous amongst others. We had no idea how we would see these but we did in various ways. I had also been asking God for more specific clues and I had the clue Baseball cap off to the side. So we started our hunt.

We went to Neros which was one of our locations but didn't see anything so headed a little way up the high street and there leaning against a wall were 2 shortish planks of wood which fulfulled both the clues of stilts and plank of wood in one go! I know they weren't strictly stilts but the lady who had the clue said that they were what she had seen, but had assumed they were stilts! Just as we saw the planks, we saw a lady with bright yellow shoes go steaming past us on the phone, so fast that we couldnt stop her.  By then we knew we were in the right place for some treasure.  As we looked across the street there were two young guys walking down the high street and one was wearing his baseball hat off to the side without hesitation we approached them.  We showed them the maps and all the names on one of the team members map meant something to one of the men, the names were Alun, Tim, Rosemary, James and Tom!  We were amazed! They looked at the ailments and the other guy saw migraines and said that he suffered with them so I offered to pray. I really didnt think he would take us up on the offer at all but he said yes and let me put my hand on his shoulder.  After I prayer he said thanks and they went on their way.  This treasure taught me a few things, firstly never assume that just because the people you approach are young and male that they won't want to be prayed for and secondly that God has as much fun as we do Treasure Hunting by whispering the most random clues in our ears and then helping us find them!

Another Treasure that stood out to me was a young girl we stopped who had blonde hair in a pony tail and was wearing a white top, we showed her the maps and the ailments back pain and fatigue applied to her.  She was pregnant so they were understandable ailments.  I offered to pray for her and also for God to bless her baby, she was really touched that we would do that and accepted.  I prayed and she said a heartfelt thank you and went on her way. As we looked back to the spot where we had seen the girl, the shop front we were outside was really  white.  It stood out from the rest of the shops on the high street.  Just a minute before stopping the young girl we had walked past the Calender shop which has just opened and all the calenders in the window were of famous people, my rather random clue!

It was only at the end of the hunt when I realised that my specific clue of the baseball hat was just that, really specific, as we had only seen one person wearing his hat like that all morning! There is no coincidence with God, he is amazing!

I am the Treasure

I had an email from our Church office on Friday saying that someone had phoned and had asked if they could join our Treasure Hunting Team! I only scan read the email but was excited and a little confused as well, I was excited as it was another potential Treasure Hunter but really confused how they had known to contact Frontiers Church as there are no links on our webpage, or any other links that I was aware off either! I didn't look at the email again till the next day when I thought I would contact the lady and see who she was and what it was she actually wanted to do.  I re-read the message and I began to realise that I knew who it was, the message said she was from Totnes and involved in Marketplace Ministries.  As soon as I read that, I knew who it was and was very excited as this lady is involved in the Prophetic Ministry which takes place in Totnes Market every Friday.  I contacted her and she was as amazed as I was that I was me and she was she (if you see what I mean!)  She had no idea how she got a link with our church with Treasure Hunting or that I was a member there or anything - she still cant remember how she came across Frontiers Church and Treasure Hunting on the internet!  All I know is, this is such a God thing and I am very excited! She had a clue of Ice Cream and she was amazed to find when she went to my Blog that my photo has me eating a rather large Ice Cream, so I was the Treasure she was looking for that day. 

The Fanatic in The Attic and not the Fella In The Cellar!

I just recieved this email from The Elijah List and thought it was so fantastic that I had to share it.  It is about the battle of our spirit and our mind - I want to only take notice of the Fanatic in The Attic (our spirit) than the Fella in the Cellar (our mind!) Thats where the adventure is! 

Copied and pasted from the Elijah List!

 

The Fanatic in the Attic and the Fella in the Cellar

When we were involved in a powerful move of the Spirit years ago in London, God provided us with some "Fathers" in the faith. Thank God for the fathers and mothers in the Church!
One of them, Arthur Burt, who lives now in Wales, taught us a lot about learning to hear from God. He taught us about the "fanatic in the attic" (I have retold some of his stories on the CD, The Fanatic in the Attic). The "fanatic in the attic" represents your spirit, and the "fella in the cellar" represents your mind. The fanatic in the attic can see a long way off and he can see around corners – there's no distance or time in the spirit realm. The fella in the cellar, your mind, can only see what's right in front of him because he doesn't operate in the realm of faith.
One very rainy Sunday afternoon in England, years ago, Arthur was riding on a bus in the English countryside. He was going between two towns. If you know anything at all about those Sunday afternoon buses in the English countryside – you will know that if you are very fortunate they might run about every two hours. Arthur was glad to be on the bus, out of the rain. In case you don't know, rain in England is cold, not the same as Florida rain.
Suddenly the fanatic in the attic spoke to Arthur: "Arthur, get off the bus at the next stop." Arthur looked out of the bus. Rain, cold rain, and there was NOTHING. The fella in the cellar said, "Are you crazy? There's nothing there and it's pouring with rain." The fanatic in the attic spoke again, "Arthur, get off the bus at the next stop."
Again, the fella in the cellar spoke up, "No, you will just be stuck in the rain."
But you know, the next stop was coming up and Arthur had to make a decision about "who" to listen to...

The Choice We Have to Make

We have a choice all the time, because your spirit man (the fanatic in the attic) and your mind (the fella in the cellar) both talk to you all the time. The Holy Spirit is always telling you to step out in faith, a lot of the time giving instructions that make no sense to the mind. You and I have to choose, just like Arthur on the bus.
Arthur jumped up and rang the little bell that tells the bus to stop. Shortly after that the bus came to a halt and Arthur got off. The bus pulled away and Arthur was left standing by himself in the rain. Nothing in sight – not even a house. He stood there, alone, in the rain, getting cold. The fella in the cellar spoke up, "Well, what now? I told you, you will be stuck."
But there was nowhere to go, so he stood there – getting wetter and colder, of course. After about 10 minutes, a car drove by – and then suddenly screeched to a halt and started to reverse back toward Arthur. The windows rolled down and several heads popped out of the windows. "Arthur Burt! Oh, it's Arthur Burt! Get in, Arthur! Get in, Arthur."

You Might Be the Answer to Someone Else's Problem

Arthur was happy to get out of the rain but didn't really know what was happening. "Oh praise God, Arthur," the people in the car said excitedly. "We are having a healing meeting in our village, and the man who was coming to preach called from London and said he couldn't make it."
Arthur still wasn't sure about it all.
"Arthur, we were just praying and asking God to send someone to preach at our meeting, because everyone is coming! And, Arthur, suddenly there you were – just standing there in the middle of nowhere. Isn't God so great! He sent us a preacher – you."
So, there you are – if you listen to the fanatic in the attic you can be the answer to someone else's problem.
Kathie Walters
Kathie Walters Ministry

An opportunity missed but a lesson learnt

A couple of days ago I was talking to God about the fact that I wanted more out of Treasure Hunting and I wanted to be living a supernatural life naturally, and for it to impact every part of my life - probably a dangerous prayer to pray in hindsight. I am often inspired by stories I hear of people who go out for coffee and see some one who needs prayer, they approach them and all heaven breaks loose and a mini revival starts to happen, I want to do that!  I want to be less British and more courageous and offer prayer to everyone who needs it.  So, I was going to meet a friend for coffee in town and as I got to the place where I was meeting her, there was a bit of a commotion going on outside. There was an elderly lady laying face down on the ground, with a few people around her, looking after her.  I couldn't tell what had happened and to be honest, when I first saw the scene it was so relaxed that I thought it was some sort of Police re-enactment or something random like that! But it wasn't and the lady had, previous to me getting there, fallen for some reason and now was unable to get up.  As soon as I saw this scene in front of me, the hundreds of stories I have read and listened to flew through my mind.  But I just didn't know how to approach the situation or what to say, and once the Ambulance men arrived it all seemed far to official for little old me to get involved in.  But before they arrived I sat on a nearby seat and just prayed for the lady and then thought through how I could have got involved and what could I have said.  I think, that even though I didn't get involved and pray this time the situation gave me a lot of insight into what to do in that sort of situation.  I think it was like a preview from God of things to come and my Father giving me a chance to realistically think about how does this sort of thing work in reality.  At no time did I feel bad that I hadn't prayed and I think I learnt a lot from it.  It is quite ironic really, as my usual tendency when an accident happens on the street is to run away, God is at work in me - watch this space! 

Leg Warmers and a Spotty Umbrella

It was quite a different experience Treasure Hunting this week as we were being lead to very different sorts of people and I was being pushed out of my comfort zones.  I think up until now we have been lowered in gently and only really approached older people or respectable looking men and women but yesterday wasn't like that. 

The first person we approached was a young guy who was sat on the Cathedral Green with his three mates.  He had the hugest amount of curly brown hair we had ever seen, so after much deliberation my fellow Treasure Hunter and I went to talk to him.  I have to say, they weren't too forth coming at all and not many of the other clues match up with them, but for me it was more about the going up to them than anything else and it was good to do it.  As we turned around to go to our first location I saw a man in a red top and seeing as he was on the Cathedral Green as well we thought we would approach him.  When we got closer I was really excited to see that he was a Postman which was one of my 'unusual' clues.  He was much more friendly and we chatted for a while and we found out that he suffered with back pain but didn't want prayer for it.  But we said that we really felt he was God's Treasure and he said that we had made his day. 

One of the other more prominent Treasures we found was a lady who was outside a shop which had Leg Warmers by the door and the shop next door which had a display of Spotty Umbrellas, she was also wearing a light green jacket. I was very pleased to see that she had a Fish symbol on a necklace so I felt we were on more familiar ground. She was lovely and we showed her the maps and Bob was her Husband and she had back pain due to curvature of the spine. We offered to pray and she accepted, I had a real sense that she was going to be healed.  But during the middle of us praying her phone rang and she left us quickly to speak to her daughter.  I felt quite disappointed but we don't know what happened in that short time we were praying for her or in the time afterwards.

The last person we approached was a man on a mobility scooter, this was out of my comfort zone as well but he had a red top on so we thought we would go and chat to him. He looked quite dubious about us but after a little chat he told us he had Parkinsons and accepted prayer.  We prayed, but it was only as I opened my mouth to pray that I realised that I didnt really know what Parkinsons was so it was hard to come against it.  After we had prayer we spoke to him and he explained that Parkinsons is to do with insufficient Dolpamine in the brain so I offered to pray specifically for that but he refused but he said a heart felt thank you for praying previously.

I think I learnt a lot today, I learnt that teenagers and young men aren't that scary, and can be quite open, I also learnt that you need to read the situation you are in and the person you are talking too well, and not to push to much, however well meaning it is. I also learnt the importance of finding out specifics about an illness before praying and but last but in no means least, I learnt that mobile phones really do go off at the most inopportune moments!