Friday, September 30, 2011

Snapshots of Life in Norway


Yet another stunning view of life on an island.



I love the Norwegian Church's undying affection and support for Israel.



I quite like the way Norwegian men are involved with their children.
They are expected to take turns caring for their children and are very involved in daily tasks.
It is not uncommon to see Dads behaving more like American Moms!
 I really like that!


A beautiful sykkel.



I don't know what this means but it is always staring at me as we drive.....



My constant companion in Norway: knekkebrød og salami.



Every entrance to a home has a stack of shoes. Norwegians seem to really, really like their shoes
and they have a million pair. I find it a koselig (cozy) sight when we enter a home.
It makes it feel lived-in.



Alise Fagerbakke


Amalie Fagerbakke

They are such lovely girls, not only beautiful on the outside but really lovely on the inside. 
We have had the pleasure of spending time in their home and they've been delightful!
Everyone should hope to have such wonderful girls!

What a lovely day off we have had today!



Thursday, September 29, 2011

Leon Timbo - A Thousand Songs of Freedom

This is Leon Timbo and we ministered with him in California right before leaving for Norway. The dude is amazing and I wanted to share his beautiful anointing with you today. Listen to him and hear the Father's heart for you today:









Love you!

Wednesday, September 28, 2011

My Life

This basically sums up my life.
I love taking photos.
It's my joy.

Tuesday, September 27, 2011

With A Grateful Heart!

We have traveled from Grimerud to Kristiansand, my 'home' in Norway. It is the most amazing thing and I don't know exactly why it happens, but as I fly closer to Kristiansand, my heart begins to leap with joy! There is just something about being in this area, so close to where my family came from, that it is satisfying and dazzling and SO good!  Everything seems like a kiss from my Father and that's a pretty sweet way to live your days.

We are staying with dear friends, Elin og Geir Fagerbakke and their beautiful (and I mean beautiful!) daughters, Alise and Amalie. Alise generously gave up her wee flat upstairs and we've loved staying there. Check out the details! It really is a lovely place. 






Are you jealous, yet? ;)

We are on the island of Flekkerøy, just outside of Kristiansand. I'm going out today in the sunshine to take some photos which I will post later. Seriously, Norway is a feast for the eyes and a photographer's heaven.


Tusen takk, Alise and the Fagerbakke family for your wonderful hospitality!

Saturday, September 24, 2011

RESTORE 24/7 in Grimerud, Norway



We've had some really good meetings with the folks who are on staff with the RESTORE 24/7 prayer ministry in Grimerud (a YWAM base outside of Hamar), Norway. Vivien has been teaching in the morning and then we've gathered together in the Upper Room for prophetic worship and prayer. Last night there was an 'open meeting' so anyone from the community could join us.  We had a prophetic worship workshop and the people really enjoyed it! 

Join us in praying that the Lord's glory would fall in all of NORWAY!

Friday, September 23, 2011

Pray for the State Church in Norway

Please pray for the Priests of the State Church in Norway. Many of them, like our friend below, are seeking the Lord passionately and want to bring Revival and Restoration to their churches. The State Church has been known as a place of the 'old ways' and is considered 'dead' to many people in Norway but God is breathing new life into these churches. He is working in and through this company of amazing men to make space for worshipers to be released and His work to be accomplished! Job 14:8-9 declares: 

"Its roots may grow old in the ground and its stump die in the soil,
yet at the scent of water it will bud and put forth shoots like a plant." 


Cause the Waterfall of Your Presence to fall upon the State Churches in Norway,
Lord, and make them spring to life once again!



Per Anton, Inger Lise and their daughters.


The State Church in Stjørdal, Norway (by Trondheim)


Why are the graveyards so stinkin' cool in other countries???


The inside of the Church. Very Beautiful!


A 'typical' light in the Church. The details are always amazing to me!











Tuesday, September 20, 2011

Olav den Hellige (Olaf the Holy)

Olav den Hellige was a Viking who became a Christian as a young man and later united Norway under the Cross. He was said to tell his men before battle, "If you are not living for Christ, I don't want you fighting with me."  He was typical for his day in that he used force to accomplish what he felt was God's will but he is responsible for uniting Norway and bringing Christianity to this land. There are multiple stories of miracles and healing surrounding his life so he is considered a Saint to the State Church. He has been memorialized at Stiklestad, the place of his last battle, and also in Nidaros Cathedral, Trondheim. 



You can see what a valiant warrior spirit he had as he held the cross high upon his noble steed. 
Restore the Ancient Pathways, Lord, as we redeem your purposes for Norge.
May Your Glory Fall In This Land!




Tusen takk, Astrid og Inger Lise, for taking us on such a beautiful adventure today!
You make my heart glad!



For more about Olav den Hellige:

Olaf the Holy


Monday, September 12, 2011

7 Things You May Not Know About Norwegians!



1. Norway is part of the Schengen Agreement (all the blue bits in the map below). Apparently, this is an agreement that allows for free entrance between countries (porous borders) and benefits anyone applying for a Visa or Residency here. You can read more about that here: 
  





2. Norway makes REALLY good cheeseburgers & fries! They actually put the salad ON the cheeseburger. No really. You bite into your bun only to discover there are pieces of cucumber, onion, lettuce, pickle, tomato and corn with a nice sauce that tastes a bit like Thousand Island (but not as tangy) added to your meat and yummy, stretchy melted cheese. The beef is so much better than ours in the U.S. which must reflect the damaged emotional state of our bovine neighbors who are often spotted standing ankle-high in muck, much to our shame. Norwegian cows are happy little beings who roam around their farms eating downy, green grass and schmoozing with the sheep. They sit down and chill when it's sunny and huddle together under trees when the rain falls.  It looks like such a happy community!





3. It doesn't matter how hard an American tries to pronounce Norwegian words, they are met with patient correction and repetition or sassy scoffings like, "It sounds like you're speaking Chinese! Bwuhahahahaaha!" Ha ha. Not.




4. Norway has excellent dairy (meieri) products which brings us back to Happy Cows.  (Well, happy, that is, until it comes time to give one's life for a cheeseburger but that's another subject for another time.)




5. While we're talking about the cows, we may as well give props to the sheep. Admit it, they are just cooler than our sheep. Look at that dude. He just exudes confidence in his glorious curly wool and knows he's gorgeous with his long, Viking legs created to leap over rocks on his way up the mountain. This is probably why Norway has such beautiful knitted goods which brings me to point number six.




6. Norway has beautiful knitted goods! This needs no explanation.





7.  Norwegians are brave, courageous, amazing people with a Viking spirit that can triumph over any adverse situations. This is a picture of a daring rescue referred to as Birkeneiner which has actually spawned a cross-country race that is run annually. This is a bit of the history of the famous rescue: 

Around the year 1200, the rival groups shared the identical but opposite goal of controlling the entire country. In 1202, when King Sverre died, he had managed to acquire most of Norway, but in Østerdalen, the Baglers were still very powerful. Sverre's death meant some decrease in power of Birkebeins. His successor, King Haakon Sverresson, died only two years later, leaving his son Haakon Haakonsson as the ultimate target for the Baglers to get rid of the pretender to the throne. In 1206, the Birkebeiners set off on a dangerous voyage through treacherous mountains and forests, taking the now two-year-old Haakon Haakonsson to safety in Trondheim. Norwegian history credits the Birkebeiners' bravery with preserving the life of the boy who later became King Haakon Haakonsson IV, ended the civil wars in 1240 and forever changed Northern Europe's history through his reign.




How do I love thee, Norway? Let me count the ways......

P.S. I can't stop counting! I just had to add another one. Did you know that the tractors lay eggs around here?








Sunday, September 11, 2011

Beautiful Mountains In The Clouds



Time for more stunning photos of Norway. The first one was taken as we drove to the top of the mountains to a restaurant/cafe called The Eagle's Nest. It is literally perched atop a mountain overlooking an incredible valley at the edge of a fjord.  As we were driving through the mountains, climbing higher and higher and weaving 'round and 'round, I commented on how ancient everything looked. We started talking about the Vikings and my friend said, "Rebecca, you are a Viking Queen leading women across Norway to fight for their land." I really dug that :) 




The second photo is of us standing on the look-out walk around the restaurant. It was so high that it made me a bit dizzy looking straight down! It was a perfect vantage point for prayer, though, and I found myself praying for God's glory to settle over the land like the clouds around me.





The third photo is one view of the valley floor below where there were farm houses, barns and a church on green, green grass nestled between the mountains like a hidden jewel. Although it was really beautiful, I wondered how cold and remote it must feel in the middle of winter when the valley is filled with snow. There were only a couple of very narrow roads leading off to somewhere up the mountains and, of course, to the edge of the Sognefjord (Norway's longest, deepest fjord, by the way).

May God's Glory Arise In Norway!












Saturday, September 10, 2011

Lovsongsskolen, Sandnes, Norway

In His Image School of Worship, Sandnes, NORWAY


Well, it's official! Norway has its first School of Worship in the Rogaland Area!  This is a 'sister' endeavor with The Worship Arts Conservatory, our online school, and we are so excited about the possibilities here! I tell you, the people here have an extraordinary hunger for God's Presence and it's goose-bumpy amazing when they start to worship. We have encountered priests in the State Church (Lutheran) who just want all of God they can get, and this from a people legendary for not even being saved most of the time. Isn't that wonderful? What an amazing God who woos our hearts with such patience!

In addition to the teaching last night, there will be teaching and practical workshops all day today and then a worship evening that is open to the public, as well. This is the foundation for the school which will meet every Sunday evening for a year.  It's off to a great start and there are 25-30 students signed up already.  Please pray for Finn Geir and Kjell who are leading the school, they are wonderful men of God.

This is a pic of the lovely folks who came out last night to find God in a wonderful, new way. Vivien was a champ, of course, and delivered an inspiring, beautiful message about our need to worship God's way, not our own.  Sorry it's a bit blurry but all I had was my Ipod Touch and the lighting was typically low. Norwegians either have candle-light or they just turn the lights down until that warm, fuzzy, warm glow just happens. I think it's a sweet defense against the rainy, cold night.

Vi vil opphøye deg,
Kong Jesus,
Hvert et kne skal bøye seg
for deg.
Vi vil opphøye deg,
Kong Jesus,
Ingen er som du,
Nei, ingen er som du.




Thursday, September 8, 2011

Bedehus Rainbow




This is a photo of a beautiful rainbow over the local Bedehus in Bryne. A Bedehus is a place established for prayer and it has been said that every city that has a Bedehus has experienced a renewal of Christian life in recent years. You can read about Hans Nielsen Hauge and the prayer movement he began in Norway at this link:



Last night we had a meeting at the Frikirke (FreeChurch) which is one step away from the State Church. It has the same form, theology and tradition as the State Church (Lutheran) but the state doesn't have any rule over them. They are free to appoint the pastor of their choice, for example. It was a meeting with the people who want to be a little freer in their worship and we expected a subdued crowd. It was really beautiful to see how many of the people stepped out to prophesy and speak of the visions the Lord gave them as we worshiped together. Many people saw visions of the Lord leading them, as His sheep, down the mountain to heal them and restore them. I posted the photo below to show what a beautiful sight the sheep on the mountainside is.





With a heritage like this it isn't any wonder that God is ready to pour out His Spirit on this land! There are many here with hungry hearts who long for a visitation of God! These are my people and my heart is wholly for them and with them. 

Jeg elsker Norge med hele mitt hjerte!









Wednesday, September 7, 2011

Attractional vs Incarnational Missions = All About Love



Being in Norway again has brought up so many thoughts about what 'missions' really is.  I have come to a very simple conclusion: It is loving people in Jesus' love and sharing His thoughts about them in the context of relationship.
Consider these words from a website I happened upon that addressed the issue of drawing people to Christ:

If Jesus were alive today and his mission was still to ‘seek out and save the lost’ what might he do?…
Would he hire a building, set up a sound system, develop a music team, drama team, and then do local letterbox drops advising people that they could come and be part of his church on Sunday? Frankly I don’t believe this approach to mission would rate a blip on his strategic radar. The so called ‘attractional’ mode of mission centres its focus on the church service and is dedicated to producing an event that pagans will want to come to. The theory goes that the more professional the service is, the funkier the music, the better the coffee, and so on” the more likely the punters will come, hence the term ‘attractional’. As such the success of mission in this mode is almost always measured by the number who attend on Sunday. While a small minority of larger churches do experience some success with this approach, the overwhelming majority of smaller churches attempting to be Hillsong [an Australian mega-church] clones continue to haemorrhage members every week because they cannot offer the same quality of music, preaching or other services that their mega-mall comrades down the road are able to provide...
I would argue that this ‘attractional mission’, while effective for a few, is actually a case of putting the cart before the horse. Deciding on a form of church and then trying to make it so that people want to come is mission in reverse....
By contrast the incarnational approach to mission is refreshingly simple. It requires us to live amongst the people in our communities, love them, share the good news of the kingdom both in action and in speech and then as people become followers of Christ to form up indigenous communities of faith that reflect the specific context. This requires no great resources or buildings, no slick marketing plans and no highly talented people. In incarnational mission the gatherings exist to support the believers as they move out in mission rather than being seen as the place to bring people to. While attractional churches will continue to dominate the landscape of the Christian world, I strongly believe that hope for the future lies increasingly with an incarnational approach to mission that takes both gospel and context seriously and sends Christians out as missionaries rather than calling pagans to come and attend church. 

Post this at all the intersections, dear friends: Lead with your ears, follow up with your tongue, and let anger straggle along in the rear. God's righteousness doesn't grow from human anger. So throw all spoiled virtue and cancerous evil in the garbage. In simple humility, let our gardener, God, landscape you with the Word, making a salvation-garden of your life.  James 1:19-21 (The Message)


Don't lose your grip on Love and Loyalty. Tie them around your neck; carve their initials on your heart. Earn a reputation for living well in God's eyes and the eyes of the people. Proverbs 3:3-4 (The Message)

I am bursting with God's love for Norway and I have determined to choose 'love' in every situation!





Monday, September 5, 2011

Prophetic Prayers for Norway


This is an example of the 'prophetic' prayer cards I made for the Kvinner i Nettverk leadership retreat. I made seven different cards with photos I've taken in Norway, added the 'word' or dream God gave me concerning the nation, and asked the leaders to join me in birthing God's heart for them. I kept everything simple so someone could just tuck the card into their Bible and pray when they saw it.  Elin Fagerbakke, the leader of KiN is going to print 3,000 cards and give them to each of the women who attend the National Conference in October. I thought that was pretty awesome!




An Open Heaven Over Norway —The Key of David (Is. 22:22; Rev. 3:7)

God’s Heart for Norway: The Key of David is a picture of the authority we, as worshipers, have to declare God’s purposes over Norway. As we are led by the Holy Spirit to intercede and worship, we open doors to Revival & Blessing and lock doors against the enemy. May the Lord open heaven over Norway in these days and release His glory!

Please join me in crying out for Revival over the beautiful land of Norway!

Med kjærlighet fra Rebecca



Saturday, September 3, 2011

Norwegian Adventures!


This is the ferry we took to begin our Adventure! 
We left mid-morning and drove along winding, one-laned roads that meandered 
through the Norwegian farms and took us to the Ferry Dock.


After we crossed the wee part of the sea to join the land,
we sat down by the shore and had a picnic.
Beautiful nectarines; lovely chicken sandwiches from Astrid;
Helga's hot chocolate w/ cream; lefse w/ lingonberry jam & sour cream;
Coffee and milk for some; Pepsi Max for others.



This was the view we had of the gathering of homes along the shore.
Really, everywhere one looks here there is a beautiful, perfect postcard scene.



As we headed for Helga's mountain apartment, we drove past many views like this one.
I can't remember the name of the valley but it was spectacular!

More to come......

Astrid og Helga, takk for deres vennlighet mot oss!
Astrid, you may correct my spelling and grammar now :)



Thursday, September 1, 2011

A Beautiful Day!


This is a typical view on the way to Sirdal, Norway.
I love these little farms that are tucked away on wee islands
in the middle of the bluest of waters, below rugged mountains.

Norge er veldig vakkert!