let freedom rain

Open the FLOOD GATES of h.e.a.v.e.n. and let it <R><A><I><N>

Oh it’s raining. It’s pouring. The love of the Father is being lavished so richly out on His children.

Here we are God. Shake our nation. This is the Anthem of our Generation.

God has been shaking me up like crazy this past week- absolutely destroying every past thought or idea or concept that I have had about God and the life He is calling us to live. Destroyed. Gone.

Monday morning I woke up feeling the expectation of deliverance. I knew that I was supposed to fast because God was going to break the bonds of addiction in my life. He was going to smash the chains that held me back from the true and full life He has given me. And He did. Oh He did.

I began to pour my heart out to God, falling on my face in complete surrender and worship. He showed me this picture of my life. He showed me that I was stuck in this room, bound by the chains of addiction by the devil. I was trapped. My hands and ankles were bound so tightly that I could not move. Behind me was a fire. I could not see the fire, but I could feel like heat upon my back. I was trapped. And before me stood Jesus. He was holding the key that would unlock the chains and would lock the door to the room. He was standing, watching me, waiting for me to call out to Him to be free.

And He brought freedom. He brought deliverance. He brought what He had promised for me.

Each day continued to open up the doors of heaven. Each day drew me closer to knowing God and being known by Him. Tuesday was radical. A bunch of people from our class met together at the pool here at school. And we were baptized into God’s new life. It was the outward sign of the inward changes that were happening in our lives.

And Wednesday was even more intense. God began to open up my heart for His children. He tore me apart. He ripped out my selfish heart focused on things of this world and replaced it with His own heart. I began to see His people as He saw them.

GOD LOVES GRAND RAPIDS. His heart is beating and pounding for them to be restored to Him. He cries out for them. They are searching in everywhere possible to look for love and acceptance. They are so broken and hurting…and they don’t even know it. God is calling them by name. He has amazing plans for our city. He is rising up a new generation. The schools and universities will be restored unto God. They will be filled with His passion and love. They will strive to know Him and to share His love with those they meet. I can hardly wait.

God broke my heart for my city. He shook me up…and didn’t let me stop shaking for several hours. I fasted again on Wednesday, spending my time in prayer and intersession for the children of God in GR. I had the most intense Jesus high. I was so consumed with Him and His love. I felt like I was floating. I couldn’t stop shaking and laughing and moving. It was so incredible.

And so today. I am still fasting. I know that God is going to provide the funds I need for this time here in Kona. I know that I am called to be here. I was born for this. This is my calling and passion. And God will not let me down.

I need less than $500 for my lecture fees. Around $5-6,00 for my trip to China. And another $400 for my plane ticket from HI to MI. God can provide that.

just five dollars

Hey! I hope you are doing amazing! I am thankful for this opportunity to share what God has been doing in my life this summer. God has been calling and teaching me in many ways.

One of my favorite quotes is: “When you have the courage to let go, you don’t have to wait for God to catch you; He’s been holding your hand the whole time.” The past couple of months have been an amazing experience learning about trusting God completely with my life. I want to share what has been going on in my life.

God has been speaking into my life lately in ways which I never imagined possible. I’m choosing to step out in faith and trust that He will continue to guild my life into the future. I believe that God is calling me to join a Youth For A Mission Discipleship Training School (YWAM-DTS). This program includes 12 weeks of training at the University of Nations in Kona, HI, followed by a 12 week mission trip.

I am currently in Kona, HI and have been learning so many things about God’s grace and love and also what it really means to live out the Kingdom of God here on earth. Every day of class is an incredible challenge to learn more and to live out what I have been learning. We have already been using what we are learning in class to reach out to the people living here in Kona. It is such an incredible experience so far. The program began at the beginning of October. I arrived here September 30 and have been learning so much every day since that. I can hardly wait for what God will continue to teach me next.

Near the end of December I will be leaving Kona and flying to China. I will be in China for three months. Our team is still not sure which parts of China we will be ministering to. We may possibly be working in the cities, some universities, or working on farms near North Korea. I am so excited to see where God will lead our team when we arrive in China.

China is still a pretty closed country when referring to sharing about Jesus or God in general. We cannot openly go around talking about Jesus. We will have to show God’s love through our actions and help transform communities for Jesus. At the same time, however, many of the younger people are very eager to learn more English and more about the American culture. Many times they will approach English speaking missionaries to practice their English. This presents a perfect opportunity to tell them about the love of Jesus.

At the end of March I will return back to Kona and fly home to Michigan from there.

This whole opportunity excites me so much. I am thrilled to see what God will do through me to reach out to other people in different countries. I am hoping that you can also help be a part of this opportunity that God has given me.

The full tuition price for the school is around $10,000, including room and board at the school and also on the mission field. I am still in need of at least $8,500 just for the tuition of school. I also need to still purchase a plane ticket from HI to MI when I return in March. That ticket price is around $400. Lastly, I am in need of a new Pastport. This is an additional cost added so that I can minister to God’s children throughout the world.

I am asking you if you could partner financially and prayerfully with me in this ministry. No gift is too small. I am trusting that God will supply all the funds needed for the trip, which totals to around $13,000. I know that my God is more than apply to supply everything I need and then some. I hope and pray that you can be a part of what God is doing in my life and be blessed through this.

I am just asking if you would be willing to send at least $5. You can send more than that if you want. If each of my friends sent $5, so much of the money could be raised so quickly. What is $5? Instead of buying lunch one day, you would be helping share the gospel of Jesus Christ who have never heard of Him before. It's only FIVE DOLLARS. Send that and tell other people to know. Challenge them to make an impact to the world.

I am very excited about how God will use me and what He will teach me through this experience. I hope not only to be a blessing to those I serve but also to you. My desire is to go as your representative of Jesus Christ. I hope you will prayerfully consider being part of my ministry. Thank you so much!
In Christ’s Love and Peace,

Julianne Lanning

Donations can be sent to:
Lanning Family Ministries
576 68th Street S.E.
Grand Rapids, MI 49548

A tax write-off will also be sent to you.

so...this is love

So...this is love.
Feel the music sweep you off your feet and let yourself twirl around. This is not a fairy tale. This is real. This is love.

I'm sitting and looking out the window. I see palm trees standing tall with their huge leaves whipping around with  the breeze from the ocean. The grass is green. The leaves are green. The plants are green with burst of colored flowers. And the ocean is blue. The ocean.
So...this is love.

The ocean. Is huge. As far as I can see- I see the ocean. The blue ocean. If I were to jump into it, I would see thousands of animals. Hundreds of thousands. There are animals we don't even know about mile under the ocean. Isn't that beautiful?

As far as the ocean is...so is God's love. As deep as the ocean is...so is God's love. His love is further and deeper than the ocean.
So...this is love.

I take my gaze off of the view outside and look around inside the the room. God's children are worshiping Him. They sing and cry and shout. Some kneal; some sit; some stand; some dance. Voices raised singing, "Baptize us with the Holy Spirit. Baptize us with fire."
So...this is love.

This is a new generation rising up against the negative influence that the world has taught them. They live a new life imursed in love and grace. The old laws and chains that held them have been cut off. They worship the God who has freed them and given them life. They worship because He loves them. They love Him.
So...this is love.

They have entered into the circle dance of God- joining with millions around the world. Living a life of love. Living in the relationship with God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit, and all others who love Him.

Dance. Twirl and swirl around. God, the creator of the ocean and its creatures and also of every person, absolutely loves you. Dance. God, the son and savior gave up His very life sot hat you could experience the fullness of love, absolutely loves you. Dance. God, the Spirit that moves and breaths life into and comforts and counsels your soul when you are weary, absolutely loves you.

Dance- This is love.

"There is no one like you. You are Holy, Holy, Holy." They sing with the angels in heaven. They sing with all creation.
This is love.

Love is not a list of rules and laws. It's not a "don't do this. don't do that." It's not going to condemn you or make you feel ashamed. It does not hurt you. It doesn't force you to do something. This is not love.

Love is beautiful. Love is watching a grown man cry. Love is dancing. Love is simply living and following Jesus.
So...this is love.

Will you please come and dance with us?

this is the only race worth running

It's been over a week being here in Kona. 8 days actually. It feels like I've been here for months because God has moved our relationship to an increasing level of intimacy. Every day I grow closer to Him and want to know Him deeper and deeper. I cannot begin to describe what He has done in my life.

This being said, God has been really working hard on my heart because I have been feeling very discouraged and worn down and isolated by the devil.

So...apparently Michigan is just out of the loop with triathlons or something. Because there's this thing, and it's kinda a big deal. It's called IronMan. It's a triathlon...but the athletes swim 2.4 miles, bike 112 miles, and run a marathon...which is 26.2 miles (in case you are like me and didn't know). So yeah, that's a bit intense. Okay...so really intense.
The University was asked to volunteer to be Security for the competition. This required me to get up at 3am this morning so I could be downtown by 4am till 10am. It was super fun watching the athletes jump into the water, swim out into the distance, wait about an hour, and see them crawl out of the water and run to their bikes. I wasn't able to see the transition from bike to running, but what I did see of the race was super incredible. The passion and desire of the athletes was so intense. There was nothing that could distract them from the task at hand. I loved watching the bikers fly past, still putting on their shoes. They were just committed to the race and going as fast as they could. They didn't even have time to put their shoes.
I kinda wish I would have gone down to see the end of the race. I ended up taking a nap. Waking up at 3am kinda wears me out.

After I finished working, I did come back and take a nap. But something happened first. I felt this deep sense of rejection and isolation. I didn't want to be here. I wanted to go home. I didn't know why or what I would do if I did go home. It was this feeling of oppression- that no one wanted me to be here, that I was worthless, that there was no point in me being here.
I struggled against these feelings, knowing that they were not from God, yet not willing to rebuke the lies from the devil. It was this conflict within my soul. I went to the Prayer Room here at school and just cried out to God, telling Him what was going on inside of me. I laid it all out before the God who loves me, protects me, cares for me, wants me, desires me, adores me. I broke myself down.
I cried out to God, telling Him I wanted to go home. And He told me I was home. Whenever I'm with Him, I am where I am supposed to be; I am home. He reminded me of His everlasting love and passion for me.

And then I took my nap.

Fours hours later I got up and decided to go for a run. Watching all these crazy athletes this morning kinda motivates you...or makes you realize that you're really lazy. I stretched for a bit and then took off. I ran up a slow slopping hill and rounded the corner, running further than I had run in this direction before. I saw a metal guard rail and made that my finish point before I turned around and ran back to school. I reached the rail and decided to keep walking up the hill a bit more.
Every step along my run I just kept singing in my head and worshiping Jesus. I praised Him. But when I stopped running, I began to talk to my Lord out loud. I began to yell to Him, telling Him that I wanted to follow Him wherever He decided to lead me, that I belonged to Him and that I would trust Him to guide my life. I reached the top of the hill feeling so broken and yet healed at the same time, just simply feeling loved and accepted by my Saviour.
When I reached the top, I saw that a bit down the other side of the hill was a little portable out-house thingy...and I kinda had to go to the bathroom. I walked there and walked back up the hill. I began to sing out loud,
"Hungry I come to you for I know you satisfy. I am empty, but I know you're love does not run dry. So I wait for you. So I wait for you. I'm falling on my knees. Offering all of me. Jesus, you're all this heart is living for. Broken I run to you for your arms are open wide. I am weary, but I know your touch restores my life. So I wait for you. So I wait for you. I'm falling on my knees. Offering all of me. Jesus, you're all this heart is living for."
As I ran, I felt broken and weary, physically drained from the run and the heat. Tired. But then as I ran, something crazy happened. I was sweating like crazy and prolly looked nasty. But for some reason as I ran, this truck-full of guys drove past me on the other side of the road. And being silly boys, they honked and waved and laughed at me. I just kinda laughed inside and shook my head a bit.
And then I realized what God was trying to show me.

I'm weary, and I'm broken. I can't do this on my own. I need Jesus. I'm running this race of life that God has called us all to. Over and over in the New Testament, Paul uses the illustration of running a race. I know I had been running, and I knew that God was running with me. But I hadn't realized that I was tired. The running of the race had begin to wear me out.
And the devil was using this to his advantage. If he could get me to think that I wasn't good enough- that I wasn't running the race as well as I should have been- then he could get me to drop out, to stop running at all. The oppression I had felt all day was because I was tired and broken and weary. Running was hard.
Hebrews 12:1 "Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us." <NIV> "Do you see what this means- all these pioneers who blazed the way, all these veterans cheering us on? It means we'd better get on with it. Strip down, start running- and never quit. No extra spiritual fat, no parasitic sins." <the Message>
I was tired in this race of life, but that doesn't matter. Although I feel like crap and look awful out there running, there is a great cloud of witnesses and pioneers who are cheering me on. It doesn't matter how well I feel like I'm running or struggling; I'm being cheered on and so I'd better run.
Hebrews 12:2-3 "Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider Him who endured such opposition from sinful me, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart." <NIV> "Keep your eyes on Jesus, who both began and finished this race we're in. Study how He did it. Because He never lost sight of where He was heading- that exhilarating finish in and with God- He could put up with anything along the way. Cross, shame, whatever. And now He's there, in the pace of honor, right alongside God. When you find yourselves flagging in your faith, go over that story again, item by item, that long litany of hostitiy He plowed through. That will shoot adrenaline into your souls." <the Message>
Focus on Jesus. The race is hard and long. But He did it first. He showed us the way to run, the direction to run, how to run, and how to not grow weary.

Matthew 11:28-30 "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will five you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden in light." <NIV>

I finished my run, taking a lot longer than I expected it to be. I was so tired. I was thirsty and couldn't watch my breath very well.
"I am the Living Water." "I am the Breath of Life."
Jesus is all that I need.

Colossians 3:1-2 "So if you're serious about living this new resurrection life with Christ, act like it. Pursue the things over which Christ presides. Don't shuffle along, eyes to the ground, absorbed with the things right in front of you. Look up, and be alert to what is going on around Christ- that's where the action is. See things from His perspective." <the Message>
2 Timothy 2:22 "Run away from infantile indulgence. Run after mature righteousness- faith, love, peace- joining those who are in honest and serious prayer before God." <the Message>
2 Timothy 4:7 "This is the only race worth running. I've run hard right to finished, believed all the way. All that's left now is the shouting- God's applause! Depend on it, He's an honest judge. He'll do right not only by me, but by everyone eager for His coming." <the Message>

the God who loved me

Ahhhh....adjusting to this hot Hawaii weather and 6 hour time difference has been a wee bit interesting. I've finally been able to sleep thru the night without waking up at like 3 am Hawaii time.

This community living with 7 other girls has been a bit of a challenge as well. Our room is trashed right now, and I had to plunge a clogged toilet yesterday because no one else would. God, please teach me compassion and grace.

Monday was technically the first day of class...but our class took a field trip to the beach. :) It wasn't very warm out, but it was pretty nice still. I was so close to falling asleep lying in the sand several times. This is paradise. After we got back from the beach and cleaned up, later that night we met together as a class and just jumped into worshiping God. It was so incredible the way God met us all in the way we all needed.

So...Tuesday we actually had class. It was beautiful. I'm just going to share one thing we did and try to explain what God did...so just bear with it. lol.

One of the school leaders asked us all to close our eyes and imagine coming before the throne room of God. This is what I remember seeing and imagining:

There was a wooden door standing before me. The door was closed with a faded brass doorknob. I reached forward to grab the doorknob and open the door. As I touched the doorknob, it turned from a dark bronze to bright gold, shooting out over the whole door until it all glowed gold. I swung the door open and looked down at myself. I was instantly wearing a white, light-weight dress. I twirled it around and wondered why I was wearing a dress, feeling so beautiful. And I heard the voice of God say, "Because you are my princess." I looked around the room and saw nothing. It wasn't dark, but it wasn't bright. There was just light. And all of a sudden I felt the Spirit begin to dance with me. He pulled me wildly around the room and until He and I were one dancer. He was inside of me and moved with me. His dance was free flowing. And as quickly as it began, it ended. And the Spirit was gone. I saw Jesus walk toward me. His face was that of a groom as he stares lovingly and in awe of his beautiful bride dressed in white coming down the aisle. He looked at me and stared and smiled. His smile was constant and loving. He held me one hand and put his other hand on my waist. We began to waltz slowly around the room. He never stopped looking at me and smiling. He lead me slowly around the room. I could count the one-two-three step in my head as we danced. And then He let me go, still smiling. He stepped away from me. And then I saw the Father. He came towards me. I could not see a face or a body or anything, but I knew it was Him. He wrapped me in His arms and just swayed back and forth with me, rocking me. I wrapped my arms around His waist and just held tight to me. He said, "My daughter, I have been waiting for you. I don't care where you've been or what you've been doing. You are here now. You are with me." He took me by the hand and led me to a table. It was in a beautiful and warm place. I sat down and drank tea with my Heavenly Father. He rubbed my arm and touched my hands. He watched as I ate and drank. He stroked my face and brushed my hair out of my eyes. And then He said, "I want to show you something." He showed me the beautiful lands He had created, the beaches and mountains. He showed me the world- the green land and the blue ocean- as we looked at it from above. Then we dived into the water together, looking at the fish and the creatures under the sea. And then He led me away. We looked at the world and then continued into the galaxies. We looked at the stars and then He grabbed one and pulled it towards me. He looked at me and smiled. He said, "I made this star just for you. I knew that you would love all the beautiful stars I have made. I have created you and your eyes to sparkle like these stars so that others would see me thru you. You are beautiful." Then we returned to our table and sipped tea together with the Father just looking at me and touching me. Then I had an intense desire to worship the God who loved me. Although the Spirit nor Jesus nor the Father had said they loved me, I felt their love. I could physically feel the love of God. I got up and began to create a dance. It contained a piece of each of the dances from before. I moved freely and spirited and then slid into a three-part waltz step and then ending with a slow dance. I danced over and over before the throne room of the God who loved me.

It was beautiful. God has been teaching and showing me so many different things; and I’ve only been here for a couple days. God is good.

Home Sweet Hawaii

After the basket fulls of tears were shed, hours of riding on airplanes, crossing almost 4,000 miles, I have finally arrived in HAWAII.

I flew out Thursday morning around 11 am from GR to Chicago. From there I flew 4 and a half hours to L.A. and then another 5 and a half hours to Kona, HI. I landed here around 7:30ish HI time....which is 6 hours behind MI time. The time difference is kinda driving me bonkers. lol. I've been super tired all day long. It's almost 9 here...but almost 3 am back home. I'm prolly going to go to bed soon. lol

My room is quite lovely. lol. There are 8 girls in here. 2 are 17, 3 are 18, 2 are 19, and one 20 year old. There are four bunk beds...and of course I somehow got stuck up on the top bunk. lol. This will be an interesting 3 months. lol. We have a small bathroom with a shower and toliet, a kitchen sink, microwave, and a small fridge.

I got up early this morning 'cause I kept waking up and just lying in my bed. 5 am here is 11 am at home. So...I kinda slept in. lol. After breakfast we had orientation and a greeting from the native Hawaiian people. After all the orientation jazz finished, we had lunch...and then more orientation stuff. lol. I'm not a big fan of all this prep stuff. I'm so ready to just dive into what God wants me to learn.

My DTS school is focused around Community Transformation. About 80 people in this program...prolly 30 guys/50 girls. We had an incredible afternoon just worshiping God together and listening to Him. It was amazing.

After our lovely dinner...which I did try some sweet potatoes and coconut (good) and coconut buns (not so good)...we had a hula. It was so beautiful watching the native people show us how they worshiped God thru their culture. We then had a crazy time of worshiping God thru other songs in English. It was so amazing. God is so good.

I'm super excited to see what will tomorrow and the rest of this weekend will bring. I think I'm getting up early to run so I have to crash now in bed. Jet lag is not so much fun.

If you want to write me, my address is:

Julianne Lanning
University of the Nations
75-5851 Kuakini Hwy. #432
Kailua-Kona, HI 96740 USA