Hong Kong!

I’ve grown incredibly fond of my job with Campus America in the past 4 months. There is nothing I’d rather be doing at this time in my life than building relationships with college students and calling them to pray for their campuses. I’m grateful to be in Athens, giving leadership to our prayer room and encouraging the local church. Between traveling to universities, meeting up with firey college kids and scoping out what the Lord is doing around the state, China has been on my mind and in my heart. As hard as I try to keep my thoughts on Georgia I always come back to Susie, Molly, Annie and other Asian sisters I met while working at a college camp last summer.

It’s the kindness of the Lord that I have the opportunity to return to China this summer. My first experience in the mainland revolved around evangelism. The second time around was perhaps the most intimate experience I’ve had with the Father overseas, making many Chinese friends who gave their lives to the Lord.

This summer will be my first visit to Hong Kong. I've been invited to serve God’s destiny in China through mobilizing prayer and intercession at Gateway Camp. Working with international prayer and worship leaders, we’ll facilitate a 24-7 “Prayer Center” where we’ll cover the camp, Hong Kong and China in prayer and worship, provide a place or the campers to come and encounter God, offer prayer ministry, and cry out for the salvation of Asia.

Just 4 years ago a conglomerate of dreams and visions were colliding in my heart. Today I sit in my home in Northeast Georgia watching the pieces come together. This is a strategic time and I’m humbled to be in the whirlwind of what God is doing on the earth.

Financial needs: Travel to China is expensive, nearing $2500, and I have significant financial needs in this season in order to pick and go as the Lord leads. If you would like to sow financially into this work and ministry, you can do so! Tax-deductible financial gifts can be written and sent to “The Wesley Foundation” c/o Katie Cornick with my name in the note and mailed to 1196 Lumpkin St, Athens, GA 30601. If you're interested in joining my regularly monthly support team contact me personally at kcornick@tfc.edu

Andy and the Tolerable Christian

Last summer a man told me I'd have a ministry to people who'd been hurt by the church, and those who felt like they didn't fit in with the secular crowd or the religious one, odd balls he called them. Since them I've had the most wonderful conversations with eccentric personalities like my own.

Today I met Andy. You should pray for him. He's an older gentleman, a professional opera singer, screen play writer, drummer and novelist. We spoke spent 2 hours at starbucks, discussing art, music, writing, traveling and God. It was a beautiful conversation full of disagreement, personal revelation and appropriate boundaries with a solid foundation on equal listening. Such an enjoyable time. Andy doesn’t know the Lord, in fact, he opened the conversation with a disclaimer that he would not talk about religion. Twenty minutes later he felt comfortable enough to bring it up :) I could have found that to be terribly sad, but instead I was delighted the Lord had introduced us. He later told me I’m the first tolerable Christian he’s met in 20 + years. Oh how privileged I was to talk with Him about the man Christ Jesus as the one I am wasting my life getting to know! Upon hearing me explain this his face scrunched up into little bits and his eyes got lost in an expression of utter disapproval. I could see the gears in his head lock up when I agreed with him on everything from the joy of trans-Siberian train travel to the existence of psychic power and then claimed Jesus as the only source of life. I was careful to wrap every confrontational remark in expressions of love and acceptance of him, making sure he knew he was hearing from a friend. How good it was to talk with another writer in the search for inspiration! How much better it was to share Jesus as the source of inspiration! To talk about His return, the culmination of everything beautiful when the true and genuine Body of believers on the earth meets the destruction of everything we’ve ever known; when judgment and mercy are inseparable and the world awaits a final march, one man entering the gates of Jerusalem and then, then everything wrong will be made right. That's beauty.

“What if the Divine lives here on earth? What if it’s under a translucent layer and all we have to do is access it? Sometimes I feel it when I sing or when I write. Sometimes when I travel and I feel stillness, there I’ll get inspiration for my next novel and I know I just touched an energy that’s not my own.”

“Yes! “ I said. “ It’s God, it’s the Spirit of the man Jesus Christ! He is the origin or creativity, the sum of all things beautiful, He is peace and His Spirit is here on earth, residing among mankind, waiting to be known by you and me!”

He didn’t understand. But I did. And I told him that as the return of Christ grew nearer and nearer he would have more conversations with people who know the Spirit, people who've touched Beauty and tasted true Creativity. He’s a man. And he wants to be known by Andy tonight.
Please pray for dreams and visions until God sends Andy his next "tolerable Christian" (in Andy's own words) to share a cup of coffee with.

Comings and Goings

Funny Story of the Week:
I was help'n out with a yard sale in downtown Toccoa, trying to raise money to stop human trafficking. Well I had two really good interactions with homeless folk...or folks I thought were homeless...
The first guy was so fun! He stood at a distance and watched the commotion of the garage sale, just hanging out there, trying to figure out what we were doing. I went over there and struck a conversation with him. We started talking about human trafficking and the whole issue of justice. I got to share the gospel with him. He didn't give his live to Jesus or anything, but he did get pretty passionate about the issue. He started brainstorming ways he could help us raise money and end child prostitution. I loved this guy! He was ready to go! He was appalled by the statistics and was willing to spend his day asking folks to support the cause, even send money to missionaries over seas who are willing to give their life to save children. It spoke to me. This man was ready to stand for something. Within all of us is a desire to protect the weak because we're created in the image of God and that's His heart beating in our chest.
Then I met my second "homeless" friend. We talked, behind the dumpster for awhile, told him about the Lord's love for the poor, about prayer and hope and all that is good. I really liked him. He shared his story. That's when i found out he wasn't homeless at all. He's probably makes more money than me, dumpster diving and selling his findings to pawn shops. Oh well. It was a good try.

So October has been wonderful! Several challenges but way too many blessing to override them. The month started off with a bang when a group of friends and I drove up to Lee University in Cleveland (is that right?) Tennessee for an all day worship and prayer service. We went to check out what the Lord was doing up north (funny that TN is north now) and were completely taken off guard. An explosion of joy, freedom and deliverance was hitting the auditorium when we arrived. Six hours later and after the shofars had blown we started back home refreshed and restored in spirit.
Back to work in Athens for a week of prayer meetings and babysitting followed by a weekend in Savannah with the roommates. Then I was off to Florida to learn about Alpha with the Campus America team. Orlando went well, lots of good info on how to lead a group discussion for friends who want to talk about Jesus but don’t want to feel forced to get saved, lots on cultivating trust, safety and confidence (talk about stuff I love learning about!) Funny thing happened in FL, though. I found out I really love Athens. And I found out I care about Athens, which is a huge answer to prayer. I’ve struggle in times of transition in the past, but this move has been the smoothest ever!
God’s really been moving across our state as well. Campus America things are going well. This weekend a groups of friends from TFC and I are traveling down to Savannah for their day of prayer during Halloween. This group of Jesus loving friends down south is incredible! So full of the word and hungry for their city and campuses to be awakened to Love!
Next month is looking busy, but in a wonderful way, more babysitting than I’ve ever done with a GA state gathering smack dap in the middle! Friends from a several campuses are going to be coming together to talk about 24/7 and brainstorm vision for 2010. We’ll wait on the Lord and listen for his plans for the coming year. If you can’t tell I’m completely excited about it and really asking the Lord to draw us together in unity. I’d love for you to pray with us in that!
So that’s most of October for ya. Like I said, Athens is slowly becoming the puzzle that I most naturally fit in. My roommates are wonderful and I find rest and peace coming home to girls who love the Lord in a deep way. Look for my November update. With so much on the horizon it should be crazy awesome….

Happy fall! Every season is a good one to seek the Lord, but there’s something about wrapping up in a shawl, sitting down with a steaming hot chai, listening to the cold rain on the window and whipping out the Word with Jesus by your side.
Although I’m no longer in school I’m still working alongside college students through Campus America. This semester has been truly wonderful, meeting new friends at universities across the state and gearing up for 2010, a year of unbroken prayer across our nation! Little blazes of fiery passion have popped up at schools like SCAD, in Savannah, LaGrange University, Young Harris, Kennesaw State, UGA, Toccoa Falls College, Valdosta State and others! Our job now is to unify around one cry, lifting our voices and rallying around Jesus, the Man who can awaken love and resurrect dead hearts across Georgia!

Much of my time this past month has been spent building relationships, communicating back and forth with students on other campuses about prayer, about revival and about life in general. It’s such a privilege, not only to pray in the courts of the King of Kings, but to go there with people you love. As I look towards the future of prayer rooms in GA, I’m brought back to one of my favorite quotes.
“’Five years from now’, I (Pete Greig) stammered, ‘I guess we want to be friends. Still friends. And we want to be dreaming together. Still dreaming…that’s got to be the ultimate achievement, right? Still friends? Still dreaming? I guess it’s impossible to say where we’ll be in five years time. 24-7 prayer might not exist. But we do want to remain friends, still loving each other, loving God and loving his ideas into being. That would be success.’”
Red Moon Rising

Weather Report:
“The wind blows where it wishes and you hear the sound of it , but do not know where it comes from or where it’s going; so it is with everyone born of the Spirit”

There’s definitely a storm a-brew’n in October! The Spirit is blowing strong and He’s taking me all over the southeast, scouting out communities of prayer and receiving training disciple students who are going to get saved in the coming revival!
Cleveland, TN –Spent time with hundred of student from Lee University who, for 12 hours, sought God through prayer fasting and worship, asking Him for revival in their region. Awesome stories of healing and freedom!
Young Harris, GA – Spent time with a new friend at YHC. He’s now mobilizing his campus to 24/7 prayer, asking God to move on his campus!
Athens, GA – Just 24/7: week of night and day prayer, students and community signing up for 1 hour slots and praying for justice to be established primarily concerning the issue of human trafficking
Orlando, FL –Alpha’s national conference, training in discipleship
Athens, GA – Dessert with Tribe Issachar – sharing the vision with pastors, family and friends in our community, inviting them to pray and support
Keep me in prayer as I gear up to drive across the state and continue to pray with folks, encourage them and hear what God’s doing in our nation!

I now knew beyond any doubt that it wasn’t my job to save the planet and felt so grateful to be just a small part of God’s great global purposes. An army was being mobilized, but it was God’s army led not by might, nor by power, but by His Spirit. And God’s Spirit, like the wind, is unstoppable, uncontrollable, and wild.
– Pete Greig _Red Moon Rising

Why America

UNTO SOMETHING GREATER:
WHY AMERICA?
Las Vegas, January 2009:
I stood in the prayer room facing a map that stretched from one wall to the other. My hand was placed on Africa and I prayed fervently for the nations. Why had I come here, to Vegas? It’s my last year in college and I’ve been preparing for 4 years to go into missions after graduation, using the counseling degree I’ll have earned to bring healing to the broken hearted. Now, 5 months from graduation I’m at a Campus America Leadership Summit, not a Missions Sending Conference. That was my heart, but the more I allowed my eyes to open, nothing was leading me towards these things, only my own desires. Sure, I’d received a call to missions soon after salvation, but when I looked at my life, God had been wooing me a different direction, away from Africa and back to America.
Everything I was doing was everything I loved. Somehow God had worked it all out, giving me things I never knew I wanted. I was leading prayer, heading up the 24/7 initiative, traveling nearly every weekend, Oklahoma, Georgia, South Carolina and interceding for colleges, sometimes meeting with fellow leaders and sharing stories of what’s been happening in our prayer rooms. Even more, God had expanded my influence in the past year and given me a handful of freshman to travel with, love on and share my excited. I knew my grip on the nations was slipping away, but it didn’t seem to matter because He kept filling my hands with new blessings, new adventures and a new love for our generation. I truly felt that way until he sealed the deal.

Back in Las Vegas I’m still standing with my face to the wall, hand now placed on Asia, heart with the nations. The Lord spoke clearly, so I wouldn’t have the excuse that I didn’t understand. “Place your hand on America”. This would not be a simple act of obedience. I knew God was asking me to lay down my plans to go overseas, all the history I’d cultivated in prayer, all the dreams he’d given me and visions of China and India. Put them down, and adopt a new burden. Frankly, I didn’t want to. I’ve harbored a secret resentment towards America for having heard the gospel and largely rejected it. I wanted to go to the strategic places, the unreached. A straightforward command. “Move your hand”. But it ripped at my heart. I couldn’t do it.




The summer before Vegas I had spent in China. I had a funny suspicion he was sending me to the end of the world to tell me he was planning on keeping me at home. I asked him point plank, “Lord, do you want me in full time missions”. He told me, “I want you in full time love”. It didn’t scare me or threaten my call. I wanted to be in full time love as well. When I was 18 I got confirmation from him that he’d be using me overseas. It wasn’t the kind of confirmation when someone prays over you and they kinda say something that makes you think maybe, perhaps, that would have been God confirming. No, this was blatant. I would be a missionary, a woman who traveled and prayed, worshiping and bringing light to the darkest regions of the world. I just didn’t know how big his plans were.

I wept openly, no longer standing before the map but now kneeling, asking God to give me the strength to obey. Finally, by His grace, my hand slid across the Atlantic and covered America. Immediately a rush of words flowed from my lips and prayer for our nation streamed from my innermost being. Simultaneously the Lord said to me, “It’s unto something greater. Don’t cry Baby. You will go to the nations. You will bring in the lost and set captives free. But here, now, I have you in the US. And you will love it. I know you will because I’m changing your heart. But you don’t have to be afraid, because it’s unto something greater.”

That night the Campus America family was worshiping together. We’d spent all day talking and praying about how God has been moving in American College students, sweeping youth up in a the momentum of holiness and intimacy. I loved it. I soaked it up. Nonetheless, here I was in the worship service crying again, mourning the loss of my immediate plans to go overseas. A man came up behind me and laid his hand on my shoulder. “It’s not about your call”, he said. “You’re being selfish if you think it’s about your call. This whole thing has been a set up to get you to fall in love with him…It’s a ploy. He just wants you, wherever you are. Don’t cry. You act like you’ve lost something. You haven’t lost anything. He’s just gained all of you.”

“It’s unto something greater”, He said one last time before letting me fall into his arms and feel the security of his plans as they wrapped around me. In a matter of a couple minutes everything had changed. My eyes had been opened. I saw clearly. He’d set me up for this a long time ago, giving me a heart for prayer, leading me across the state and several times across the country to build unity and encourage others to do the same. But now it had meaning. Just as Robert Wilder traveled to every university 100 years back, encouraging students to seek God, so I too would gear up for a journey across America, thankfully backed by a couple hundred friends doing the same work, and call our nation to repentance, to revival. We’d call them to the nations. The Students Volunteer Movement was a result of the work Wilder and others did in the US. They understood that their call to America was “unto something greater”

Although I’ve known I’m a vagabond (a traveling worker) for as long as I can remember, it was good to hear the Lord say it. Not only that, but I found out he’s been saying it to a lot of people. A bunch of the Campus America staff is called to the nations. Turns out, God’s got them here before sending them out too. Funny how that works. Since the day I moved my hand over the US, I’ve been surprised how little has changed. He still led me to China for the summer, still has be mobilizing a missions team next year and continues to fill me with strategy to reach college campuses with the message of intimacy through prayer. I’m doing what I never had the guts to dream of. Now, with greater vision, purpose and a new zeal for our nation, I am traveling, praying and loving full time.

The Story Behind the Title

I was hanging out with the Lord one day. We had just had a pretty serious conversation and I was probably more weighed down by it than he was. He started to engage with me in some casual talk, just to get me out of myself and severity of the words he had just spoken.
My ear was tuned to his voice as he began dialoguing with me about faith.
"Your foundation is like Jello, Katie. It's formed, but not solid. It's got shape and function, but it hasn't fully set."
I was a little offended at first, but the love and patience in his voice settled me and found that I was in a sweet place with God, a place of friendship and sincerity. So I asked him,
"What's your favorite kind of Jello?"
(Some may find this in illegitimate question to ask the King of Glory. But apparently he thought it was legit, considering he answered)
"Pineapple Jello"
"But there's no such thing as pineapple Jello..."
"Yes there is", he smiled a sneaky smile that someone smile when they know something you don't. I left it at that, pleased that God had shared a secret with me, not caring the significance, just glad we were friends.
Later, much much later, years later, I told a friend about my conversation with the Lord. She thought is was interesting and started doing some research. It wasn't long before she got back to me with the scientific evidence that there's no such thing as pineapple jello, because of the enzymes in pineapple it simply cannot be put in jello. The jello will never set, it'll only remain a watery mess.

A couple things I got from this:
I, the watery mess that has not yet set, the child who's foundation was not yet firm and still needing time to solidify, am God's favorite. He loves pineapple jello in all it's inadequacy.
That was nice to know in and of itself, but when I went to the Lord in prayer, this is what he said,
"In heaven all the rules are different. Pineapple Jello exists in heaven, because I am the grand chef and when I put pineapple in gelatin the rules of physics can be broken, and it can actually solidify. "
I wanted to know the Lord's favorite kind of Jello and he gave me a theological revelation in three words, "It does exist".
And I thought about it. The Lord loves pineapple jello for the same reason he loves Israel, for the same reason he called Mary blessed and for the same reason that Abraham was credited as a righteous man, because God is all about a different reality, a reality that can't be seen, but one that is more real than anything our senses can detect. God's reality is made of unseen truth, promises that seem to have not yet been fulfilled, but already exist in the spirit. And it's the same with Pineapple Jello...it can't happen on earth, in our reality, the science we call truth. Pineapple jello is impossible with our laws. Funny things though, it's God's favorite, which means he relishes in breaking the laws of physics, he's the God of miracles, the God who bends time and space, creates energy and puts gravity on hold. Who is this King of Glory?
I asked the Lord, "What's your favorite king of jello?"
He looked at me with a grin on his face and said, "Pineapple Jello. It does exist"
But it doesn't exist. I've never heard of it. The rules can't be broken.
"Oh yes dear, the rule can be broken" he said with a wink.

I live for pineapple jello for the same reason I live for the Kingdom of God, because it's real, it does exist, and just because you've never seen it, tasted it or felt it doesn't mean it's not real. In fact, it's more real than anything here on earth. And one day, when all this is gone, we'll all live in the true reality of God. There will be no longer be any death, there will no longer be any mourning, or crying or pain because the first things will have past away. He will dwell among us and we will be his people and God himself will be among us. So when we sit down for the marriage supper of the Lamb, don't be surprised when the bowl of Pineapple Jello is empty. It is His favorite...