Ministering Together - Journey off the Map

Team Mckaney

Our preference is to always minister together. This time the Lord blessed us to minister during Vacation Bible school. We would both literally leave work and head over to the church for the meal provided for all the workers and teachers all week long. The church had classes for preschoolers through the adults! Maurice and I co-taught a class of about 20 3rd and 4th graders. Even some of them were "surprised" that we were husband and wife. We made sure to let them know! Lol!

During the course of the week, over 20 kids indicated that they had made the decision to take a journey with Jesus for the rest of their lives! All we want to do is to make disciples who make a difference. We had a blast and praise God for the opportunity!

General session before class, rec and crafts

Helping the kids remember our lesson.

Leading all the kids in our theme songs.

Having a serious discussion about Isaiah 30:21

Our usie (without Maurice)...lol

Closing session singalong

How to read the Bible basics

Maurice chats with the boys

Recreation time!!

Piecing together the puzzle  

"Holy you Are"

Right Choices

This weekend I had an opportunity to minister to a few groups of young people at the Right Choices Youth Conference hosted by the Ministry of Reconciliation in Cleveland, Ohio. 

The Teens

I shared my personal testimony about how God preserved me for marriage and encouraged the teens to be God's "selfie". If we are created in God's image then we are made to reproduce and bear much fruit. We talked about homosexuality, what husbands and wives are supposed to do and how to know if you are ready for a relationship and marriage. Many of them made the decision to wait for sex until marriage and to work on their relationships with God first. I was especially touched by one young lady who spoke to me privately after my session. She was struggling with seeing herself as good enough to be used by God. It was hard for her to give up things of the flesh. I told her to fast and pray. This will teach her how to empty herself of things that hold her back from giving herself completely to God. She had never fasted before in her life. She agreed to try it. I am hoping to get a mentor for her as well.

Bouncy houses for the little ones!

Speaking to 3-5th graders about how to study the Bible

My FUN group!

My sister Rose shares with the teenagers

Atlanta Summit - Part 4

                                                                   

                                                                              Sunday

The Lord certainly did not mean for this to be just any typical Sunday. It was the last day of the conference and God confirmed in multiple ways through multiple people that we were to go out into the city. 

After breakfast, the Lord led us to pray over the entire church building from the outside. We carried our anointing oil and as the spirit of God directed us, we were able to identify some strongholds in Atlanta in the spirit. Over the next several hours we took authority over the idolatry, prostitution, corrupt governmental systems and other sin that was identified. 

Just as the disciples were sent out to various places, as WE go, we are to also pray for God's Kingdom to come and for God's will to be done. We are Ambassadors in the spirit and we all have the ministry of reconciliation. Sometimes we may have to circle our Jericho until the walls bow down to God's rule. Discipleship is work and some things come only through prayer and fasting. 

I am expecting the Hindu temple there to come down in one way shape form or another. It will be demolished in Jesus name. Satan will not occupy a place that God says is ours. The houses and lands that God showed to us is our possession and it will not be demolished by unjust judges in Jesus name! We decreed and declared, we rebuked, claimed, anointed and took authority. We spoke, sang, prayed, whispered and hollered. 

If you have never prayer walked or spoken the word of God over a place I am here to tell you that it is a powerful thing. The enemy does not appreciate us boldly standing in opposition to what he is trying to establish in the city. God's Church cannot be afraid to battle in enemy terrritory. We are the church, God's remnant warriors. Spiritual warfare is real and a lot happens on a Sunday morning outside of the four church walls. We were not afraid to declare Jesus Christ as King of Atlanta! There were more with us than there were with our enemy. We praise God in advance for the revival to come!

                                                                             Monday

Guess what God showed me today??? I was on the plane coming home from Atlanta and I "saw" a picture in the spirit. It was two rings, but they were two eyes. One was the husband's,  the other the wife's. God spoke to my heart and said that if we lift up our eyes (become proud, haughty, independent), the sight will be off, cross-eyed, not focused. Only when a couple looks in the same direction will there be a unified vision.

We walk towards what we focus on. But if we are looking in opposite directions, there is no vision and the marriage will perish. So I pray for focus, oneness and clarity of vision in all of our marriages ladies. Two eyes, not one big "I". Two eyes headed in the same direction with the same goal & focused on Christ, our Head!

As we move as led by the Holy Spirit, we will find ourselves going places we have not been to before. Your view on marriage will change, your job, business, school and ministry will be impacted. Being sensitive to the Holy Spirit is a matter of tapping into your spiritual senses. I have learned so much on the trip, but my biggest takeaway is being led by the Holy Spirit and putting that into practice. Learning spiritual sight has changed my walk with Christ forever! 

Atlanta Summit - Part 3

                                                                                                                       FRIDAY

Reading while awaiting my flight

Quick airport selfie :)

Arriving

My escort from the airport to the Church

Shortly after getting settled, I was able to participate in the Friday night prayer service. Have you ever just spent several hours in prayer to the Lord? It's a beautiful experience. We could take any position (lying, sitting, standing, pacing) in prayer. Bibles were open, journals were open. As people felt the urging of the Holy Spirit, they would just pray. It was truly a God-led experience. We could feel the tangible presence of the Holy Spirit which brought such a peace in the atmosphere. We prayed for the city, for leaders, for ourselves and our families. We prayed for the conference, the Pastor and those who were still travelling to get there. It went on for a long time.

Missionaries with Faith International Church 

I kid you not....I was tired after prayer, but refreshed spiritually! We were excited about what the Lord would do on Saturday. We had anointed the very chairs that the women would occupy and prayed for salvation, healing and deliverance to take place. 

We actually had an overflow moment that carried over to the local Waffle House where we resumed fellowship. It was late, but we were expectant. We prayed some more, then we waited....

SATURDAY

On Saturday morning, the Lord woke me at about 6am. I found a quiet spot in the home of my hostess and sat before the Lord. I don't know about you and how God interacts with you, but I usually speak first, thanking and praising God for everything He has been doing in my life. This was the same, but then the Lord directed me to the book of Isaiah. He began to open my understanding and gave me an amazing illustration of His Word to share with the women who would be attending the conference.

I had a previous teaching that the Lord had given me that I was prepared to give, but the Lord instructed me that it was for later. (Let me just stop here and tell you that if you do not talk to the Lord like this, you really want to experience it - share your heart with Him and He will share His with you if you listen).

So, armed with what the Lord had just shown me, we all got ready to leave for the church. The conference ran all day from 9am until about 7pm. We had a wonderful fellowship and a huge buffet of spiritual and natural FOOD! It was a blessing that the Pastor was able to livestream the entire event. Here are a few pictures:

Dr. Christa Martinez ministers

Sheneaka Pugh ministers

Pamela Fennell, Dr. Christa Martinez and I

Pamela Fennell and I

Keaton - Praise dancer

We had a truly wonderful time. What impacted me most was the powerful testimony of one woman who had traveled hundreds of miles to be at the conference. She had been diagnosed with cancer and she said that the Lord told her to "take up her bed", so she did....literally. In faith she packed up her cot and pillow and left for Georgia. At the conference, she was given the Word of healing from someone who had absolutely no knowledge of her condition. She later testified that she felt the power of God flow through her body. The ladies gathered around her and prayed and gave her more than enough money for her journey to and from Atlanta, for food, gas and any other expenses. I cannot wait to hear the rest of her testimony!

Sharing my message "God is NOT Impressed"

Apostle Harris ministers

Prophetess Battle leads us in activation prayer

Worship led by Porschia Guess

The Saturday of this Women's Empowerment Summit will stay with for a very long time. This spiritually-rich experience has impacted my life in an eternal way and for that I am immensely grateful to the Lord! You think this was something,  just wait until I share about Sunday & Monday!!

Atlanta Summit - Part 2

Do you ever have those times when you are excited about one thing and them something "not so great" happens? Yeah, THAT happened! Maurice and I made plans for my upcoming weekend trip to Atlanta and told the boys. We were all happy that I would not be missing their last day of school :)

Then it rained. It rained hard. We have several thunderstorms come through the area with full-blown lightening, thunder and huge hail! We considered hiding out in the basement because we wondered if we would have any broken windows. Thank God that did not happen. We watched as hail fell like snow all over our back porch. Of course, Maurice had to go outside and grab some for the boys to investigate further. I was not even thinking of going there. My hair would hate me. Ha!

Nickel-sized hail

Looked like snow

Our flooded basement

Dangerous amounts of water

We realized that how we handled this situation in front of our boys may determine their future perspectives of how christians interpret troubles and difficulties. 

When God gives you a responsibility, a gift, a call a mission, others will look to see how you handled the hard times and the unexpected. We praise God because we were able to get this mess all cleaned up within 24 hours after the incident. We did notice that there was an odor remaining however. This let us know that sometimes there remains a residue of the storm that you must go through. It's just a reminder (like a thorn in the flesh) that God got you through a messy situation and to be prepared for the next time. Something happened here. It did not break us, but it taught us. I hid this in my heart as I prepared for my trip to Atlanta. 

Guard the good thing that God has entrusted to you Anita. It's your blessing, but it's also your responsibility!

Atlanta Summit - Part I

A few weeks back I was asked to speak at a christian women's event in Atlanta, Georgia. I have learned to always give the same response "If the Lord wills, I would love to be a speaker at your event. I will pray about this and get back to you." I do this for three reasons. First, my life is in God's hands. I have surrendered my life to Him to do with me as He pleases. I have removed myself from the equation and it makes it easier to say no if that is the Lord's desire for me. Secondly, my husband is the Lord's covering for me. We have to make decisions together because we are one. Everything I do affects him and vice versa. Plus, we have to think about the boys and what is best for them. My husband is not my father. His role is not to boss me around or make rules for me. He is the leader and protector that the Lord has established in my life. Stuff just works out better and the Lord is pleased, when we are on one accord. Trust me...I've tried to leaving him out of "my" decisions and God convicts me every time!Thirdly, not every good thing is a God-thing. Not every opportunity is for me either, Lord knows that there are a gazillion people that could have been asked to do this event. Who am I?? If God decided to allow me to be chosen as a speaker and my husband is agreed, there must be work there for me to do and I take that VERY seriously. When God sends you on an assignment, you best believe that He will pave the way!

I began to pray and to rehearse the logistics in my head. I also kept telling myself that it would not be the end of the world if I couldn't go. I have been invited to events before that I have declined, but this one already "felt" different to me. I believed that it was God's desire to send me so I acted in faith and sent in all the information that was requested of the speakers. I prayed some more. I informed my husband and I waited for his response. And I waited and waited and then he said.....no. GULP! Ummmm,,,what hun? So what do you do when your husband says no? You pray and pray and cry and pray like I did.

"Lord, pleeeeze touch my husband's heart. If this is truly Your will let him see it and hear Your voice. I don't want to nag. I will not beg. I want to be a picture of grace. Nevertheless...let Your will be done in Jesus name."

I prayed a hard, honest, heartfelt prayer to the King who holds my husband's heart. I even whined to God cuz he can take it. Lol! Then the next morning, I was over it. I refused to pick it back up off of the altar. I treated Maurice with the same amount of love and respect and did not give him the cold shoulder. Then almost 12 hours later, miraculously, he changed his mind!! Glory to God!! I praised as hard as I had prayed. Then doors began to open. Remember that thing I said about being on one accord...yeah! So, I needed to be off of work for an extra day. No problem they said. I needed someone to take the boys while Maurice was busy. The Lord provided a volunteer. My travel arrangements failed and I suddenly needed a last minute roundtrip flight. It was offered to me! I am a living witness that where God guides, He certainly provides!

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