Natalie

All of you parents out there were right- time goes so fast when you have kids! Today I was watching Natalie figure so many things out that I ended up texting Zack throughout the day to tell him the latest on what she was up to. It feels like only a few weeks have passed since we carried our little one home from the hospital, and days since she cracked her first smile. At first I lacked the “I don’t know how I ever lived without her” perspective that I had often heard from other moms, largely due to the fact that I was so unprepared to be a mom. But now at 3 1/2 months, I can honestly confess that I have no clue what I would do without my Peanut. She is such a joy and I am so blessed to be her mommy!

Today was especially delightful because Natty had her first really good day in a week. Last Monday brought with it all the emotions you dread as a parent, and for the first time Zack and I got a taste of the gut-wrenching experience of having a sick child. No, it was not the flu. In fact, the flu would have been a welcomed relief compared to the infection our poor little girl had to deal with. The five hours we spent at the hospital last week was enough emotional and physical stress to last us a lifetime!

After watching Natalie develop a weak cry coupled with exhaustion I took her temperature only to discover that she had a fever of 103.5, so off we rushed to get professional help. As new parents with little more experience with sickness than a slight cough, we had no idea what we were in for. Sweet Natalie was subjected to all sorts of tests to discover the root of the issue; one catheter, two tubes down the nose, one vial taken of blood, two chest x-rays, two shots in her legs, and one bottle of antibiotics was more than we could handle, but had to be done. She had a severe urinary tract infection with a high white blood cell count and elevated heart rate.

It was torture for all of us, but especially for her. With each new test, she would stare deep into our eyes and cry harder than we’ve ever heard as if to ask why we weren’t helping her. All the consoling in the world wasn’t fixing the pain for her. Once we finally got her home and in bed, all my pent-up emotion turned to sobs. It made me wonder how the Lord feels each time we’re in pain.

The rest of our week was pretty rough, and Natalie was inconsolable for about five days in a row, but yesterday she turned a corner, and today she all but stood on her head! She taught herself to roll over onto her side from her back, how to take her pacifier out of her mouth and hold it in her hand, even making strides in putting it back in her mouth from time to time without dropping it, how to bend in half in her swing and lift herself back up using only her ab muscles, and has developed her laugh bit by bit. She’s back to her bubble-blowing, nose-wrinkling, wide-eyed self. Thank you to all of you who were praying for us!

I’m so thankful to the Lord for a healthy baby girl and have a renewed zeal to see that this never happens again if I can help it, but now my thought have turned to the many parents who have children with chronic debilitating illnesses, who spend countless hours with doctors and specialists, and my heart aches for them. We only got a tiny temporary glimpse of that side of parenting. If you are one of those parents, I would love to add you and your family to my prayer list.  Please tell me how I can pray for you. Your labors and tears are valued in the courts of heaven, and your Father is God. May the Grace of God through our Lord Jesus Christ and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you and your family.

 

Voila!

Three days to bake and decorate, two birthdays, twelve cupcakes, and one 3-layer cake later, I am pleased to announce a very successful weekend. Zack took pictures, and I whipped up some creations that surprised even me! Again and again over the span of the three days it took to complete my tasks, Zack would come in the kitchen, survey the projects underway and emphatically state, “Babe, I’m SO proud of you!!! Look at this!” I’m so blessed to have a husband who believes in me as much as he does. As I worked, he diligently made ensured that Natalie was rested, entertained, changed, fed, snuggled, danced with, singed to, and generally taken care of so I had both hands free to fashion and form.

I came away with some battle wounds from this weekend’s experiment- a blister from chopping chocolate, swollen and throbbing feet from standing all weekend long, arms that felt like jell-o after kneading fondant for two hours straight, and an achy back, but it was all worth it! As fun as the projects were, what was shocking to me was that I actually entered into a unique place of prayer as I worked. As funny as it sounds, with an ice cream scoop full of batter and a mouth full of chocolate, I began to quiet my heart, and as I did I began to feel as though I was anointed to do this. I’ve never taken a class for cake decorating, and all I know is based on my own research online and in a book my husband surprised me with, but everything came together as though I’d done it dozens of times before. Now, I ask you, what could be more enjoyable than building a tower of sugar while praying and feeling alive in the presence of the living God? !

I only had one very minor hang up that worked itself out (thanks to Zack’s little late night trip to the

grocery store),

These are the cupcakes I made for one birthday party

which actually taught me some very important points about this particular type of cake decorating, and forced me to problem-solve, as well as relax when I had the option to freak out.  It was when I came to bed on Sunday night with all of my aches and pains only to inform my husband that I had had a really fun weekend, that I realized I ha

And this was the chocolate cake

d stumbled upon something special. Of course, it doesn’t take a genius to spot that, but most of the time I have to see for myself whether or not my ideas are just a whim or something more.

 

 

This time, I think I struck gold and I’m having the time of my life!

The Adventure Begins

The aroma of chocolate hangs in the air in my kitchen today. I keep glancing back at my oven, viewing my creation in disbelief. The project I have dreamed of for the last several weeks is finally officially underway as my first real cake is taking form behind me, and I am clinching my jaw with excitement for the result, typing with 54% cocao-stained fingers, and bated breath.  The “Cake Experiment” is finally becoming a reality. Who knows where it will lead, but I have to agree with Lisa that I have a good feeling about this.

Seeing as Zack always does the updates on this blog, I thought I would mix it up a bit. I’m fortunate to have this experience as a creator of cakes for however long it may last, and my husband has been my greatest cheerleader in the entire project. Though it sounds funny to say, I think this may be a divine set-up from the Lord. My creativity over the past several years has been largely laid aside since most of my time has been given to study and discipleship. However, I feel my teaching skills have suffered for the lack of “right-brainedness”. I happen to be a very artsy type, and now that I have an avenue to express it, I get the impression that the Lord is up to something, not only for a therapeutic hobby to make my heart come alive, but to regain that creative edge in my teaching abilities as well.

I’m loving this new lesson, and with every success and failure thus far in my new venture, Zack has been there to applaud. In the Hensley household when we screw up badly, we celebrate how NOT to do it!! Unless of course our screw-up is sin… obviously we don’t applaud that, but that goes without saying!

So that’s a little blurb from my side of the story. I hope you enjoyed.

October update

October is the month of the year where there are many things to celebrate. The leaves on the trees are beginning to change. The air turns to a brisk chill; not cold enough to bundle up, but not warm enough to go without a sweater of some sort. Our newly founded Hensley Tribe is beginning to find a lot of reasons to love the month of October.

October 2nd was Carrie’s 26th birthday. I was fortunate to have been blessed with a little extra money to add some furniture to our mostly furniture-less living room. I had to make up for the previous birthday where I didn’t do much as everything went into our wedding that would follow only four days later.

Which leads me to October 5th, where we celebrated the closing of our first year of marriage and looked forward to the next. I was able to get a great deal, an amazing deal in fact, on a short Spa session for Carrie as a gift. She got for me something that was very meaningful and warm to my heart: The First full season of Star Trek The Next Generation!!

Three years ago neither one of us would have imagined that life would have gone the way it has. Back then both of us were fresh out of relationships, both had swore off relationships, three years later we are married with a 3 month old. God has truly been good to us. I am so grateful for Carrie and our little daughter Natalie.

Last Sunday Natalie turned 3 months! I think she celebrated by blowing as many spit bubbles as possible down her chin. A habit that she has grown very fond of these days. It’s the greatest thing in the world to watch this little human being grow before our eyes. Everyday she seems to pick up a new trait. Nothing melts my heart more then to come home from a long day of meetings and writing curriculum to my little girl who has a smile bigger than the state of Montana as I walk in the room.

The last bit of celebration news is that my parents are moving here from Phoenix. This is big news in any regard, but bigger still when you consider the fact that my Dad was born and raised in Arizona and has never lived anywhere else. It will be such a blessing to have the distance between us cut down to a few miles as opposed to the 3 hour plane ride that it is right now. Pray for them as the transition to Kansas City is coming very soon.

How to Pray and Help

Life never lets one only celebrate. As believers it is one of our greatest privileges to pray for, and give to those in need. Since we are in need, I would like to give you an opportunity to do both.

First, both of our cars need work. We were blessed with a 2001 Buick Le Sabre in January, which has been an answer to prayer. Last week the “Check Engine Light” came on and it stalls, and shakes while it drives. Our other car is a 98 Toyota Camry, it needs new struts really bad and has a massively cracked windshield. Please pray that the Buick can be fixed cheaply, and that we get the money to fix both of them  soon. We are personally praying for about $500. If you can help in any way please see the bottom of this update to see how you can.

Second, This one is rather exciting for me actually, Carrie is taking on the skill of cake decorating. She is doing it with the hope that it not only becomes a fun hobby that she can do while at home, but can also serves as a little extra money for us. Pray that doors open for her to get the opportunity to learn more, and decorate cakes for people for money. She is already pretty good!

Third, as the world talks about flu season, vaccinations, and doctor visits, it reminds me every day that neither Carrie nor I are currently covered under any sort of Health Insurance. (and no I’m not holding out for the public option! ha!) Luckily Natalie is covered under a government funded program for the next 5 years. We make just enough to cover our current expenses, with no real wiggle room aside from a date with Carrie here and there. Please join us as we are praying for an extra $300. a month for insurance. If you are able to donate it would help greatly.

Lastly, pray for me as I continue to teach and minister to teenagers locally and nation wide. I am currently developing curriculum for my weekly Christian World View class, Preaching at our weekly youth services, and soon starting an inner city youth outreach program; helping teens living in dire situations in down town Kansas City. I always need wisdom, humility, and revelation from heaven to know how to best serve those the Lord has entrusted me with.

Thank you to all those that read our updates! If you are in need of prayer or have any questions, feel free to e-mail me at zhensley@gmail.com

Bless you!

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As you may know, the purpose of this blog/site is two fold:

1. To update friends, family and supporters with the current happenings in our life and ministry.
2. To raise funds to continue our ministry to the region of Kansas City and the International House of Prayer.

Three ways to support us:

Pray- Seriously helpful to us. No I mean like really HELPFUL to us!

Invite- As a preacher I’d love to come to any church or ministry that would have me and talk about night and day prayer and how to reach this present generation of teenagers.

Invest- Partner with us through finances. In this day and age I realize everybody has a new way to ask for donations to their ministry/cause/idea/campaign. I will simply say this: Sow into our lives, and we will sow into yours. Any and every type of donation is helpful for us in being able to stay a float financially while giving 70 hours a week to ministry.

To donate online click here: ZACK’S DONATION PAGE

If you would like a tax deduction for your donation, make the check out to: IHOP-KC and mail it to:

Support ATTN: Zack Hensley

3535 E  Red Bridge Rd

Kansas City, MO 64137

Onething Phoenix at City of Grace

This last weekend I had the priviledge of traveling back to my home church City of Grace in Mesa Arizona, where we held to onething Phoenix conference. Wes Martin, Dwayne Roberts, and Myself spoke during the main sessions, and Luke Wood and Cory Asbury led worship. Having grown up sowing countless hours of fasting and prayer into that region, my heart was tender all weekend.

I preached on Saturday morning on the “Relevancy of Christ”. The primary theme of my message was that the social justice issues, and problems of this present age are only solved in the understanding and declaring the person of Jesus Christ. I declared “The wisdom of this hour is to partner with Jesus on His campaign of justice throughout the Earth, and we do that through prayer.”

When I was 14 I began fasting and praying for that church (then Word of Grace) and that region. I remember in junior high going on a week long fast in 1996. I did nothing but read the Sermon on the Mount, tell my class mates about Christ and pray for my church and school. When I was 15 I saw 10 of those class mates give their lives to Christ and many of them are in ministry now.

My prayer for this conference was that we sowed seeds into a couple of radical young people to go back to their college campuses and work places as faithful witnesses of Christ.

Conferences are funny because on one hand they feel superfluous because we have so many in the body of Christ, yet very little fruit that we can see in our nation. The goal of a conference is to be a spark and hope there is some dry wood that gets ignited.

There seemed to be a lot of hungry people at this conference, a lot of dry wood. I pray that many got ignited and the flames of revival burn throughout the Mesa/Tempe/Phoenix area. I am still praying for Mesa and City of Grace Church, and still believe the name of Jesus will glorified in that city.

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As you may know, the purpose of this blog/site is two fold:

1. To update friends, family and supporters with the current happenings in our life and ministry.
2. To raise funds to continue our ministry to the region of Kansas City and the International House of Prayer.

Three ways to support us:

Pray- Seriously helpful to us. No I mean like really HELPFUL to us!

Invite- As a preacher I’d love to come to any church or ministry that would have me and talk about night and day prayer and how to reach this present generation of teenagers.

Invest- Partner with us through finances. In this day and age I realize everybody has a new way to ask for donations to their ministry/cause/idea/campaign. I will simply say this: Sow into our lives, and we will sow into yours. Any and every type of donation is helpful for us in being able to stay a float financially while giving 70 hours a week to ministry.

To donate online click here: ZACK’S DONATION PAGE

If you would like a tax deduction for your donation, make the check out to: IHOP-KC and mail it to:

Support ATTN: Zack Hensley

3535 E  Red Bridge Rd

Kansas City, MO 64137

Update September 09: Life as a parent

Sitting down in my office. In front of me, mildly steaming my glasses is a pressed cup of my favorite Colombian roast variety. It is currently and I will say abnormally silent. To my left is a stack of books I intend to rip through this next week as I start year two in writing the curriculum for and teaching my worldview class. To my right is a stack of notes about a foot high, reminding me of the amount of sermons I preached this summer. 5,000 teenagers, 132 full services, 112 staff members, 56 messages preached, 8 weeks, 4 camps, 2 national conferences, and 1 baby; this has indeed been a full summer.

This year was yet again another year of vast change in every area of life. In October Carrie and I will have been married a single year. In 10 nearly 11 months of marriage we have not only grown extremely close as friend and spouse, but we have endured and championed the greatest gift any couple could receive; giving birth to a child.

On our wedding day last October, I wept like a baby when I saw Carrie come down the aisle. The events of that day collaborated into the most beautiful experience of my entire life. I remember I didn’t stop smiling for weeks after. 10 months later that experience was rivaled with the birth of Natalie Sage Hensley.

Watching my wife give labor made me fall in love with her in ten different ways that I never thought possible. Toward the last few pushes I found myself in tears watching my wife muster the courage to push Natalie out, with no drugs or sedatives of any kind. She had the joy of seeing little Natalie set before her, and endured such hardship to bring her here. It was like watching her walk down the aisle again; my love for Carrie overwhelmed me.

They say having a baby changes you, and they are right. Instantly I began to think differently. Where I had always been a stickler about getting enough sleep, now I gladly wake up at 2:30am and help Carrie feed, change, and rock Natalie back to sleep. Where I was concerned about what the next 5 years of life would look like, I first wonder about how to make the first 5 years and beyond of her life a success. Where I had a hard time getting motivated to cook and clean, I find pleasure in doing it so my wife can rest. Having a baby, truly, makes a man out of you.

In the last 6 months I’ve seen my ministry, influence, and leadership grow significantly. I got to preach on the main stage at 2 National IHOP conferences, I got to lead thousands and pastor hundreds. I even had a line of teens begging me to autograph their Bibles this summer. Where in times past it would have been an answer to both my prayers and ambition, it has become a small foot note in the essay of my life. Nothing has, or ever will give me such honor, and such glory as being a lover of Jesus, the husband of Carrie Hensley and the Father of Natalie Hensley. If nothing else becomes of my name and ambition I will end my days completely content.

Soli Deo Gloria

———————————————-

As you may know, the purpose of this blog/site is two fold:

1. To update friends, family and supporters with the current happenings in our life and ministry.
2. To raise funds to continue our ministry to the region of Kansas City and the International House of Prayer.

Three ways to support us:

Pray- Seriously helpful to us. No I mean like really HELPFUL to us!

Invite- As a preacher I’d love to come to any church or ministry that would have me and talk about night and day prayer and how to reach this present generation of teenagers.

Invest- Partner with us through finances. In this day and age I realize everybody has a new way to ask for donations to their ministry/cause/idea/campaign. I will simply say this: Sow into our lives, and we will sow into yours. Any and every type of donation is helpful for us in being able to stay a float financially while giving 70 hours a week to ministry.

To donate online click here: ZACK’S DONATION PAGE

If you would like a tax deduction for your donation, make the check out to: IHOP-KC and mail it to:

Support ATTN: Zack Hensley

3535 E  Red Bridge Rd

Kansas City, MO 64137

An Introduction to Zack and Carrie Hensley

If you will allow me to act like a football star and talk in the third person for just a second- it help when trying to communicate what one does without always having to say “I” at the beginning of every sentence.

Zack and Carrie Hensley are two missionaries to the city of Kansas City working with an organization called the International House of Prayer . Zack moved to Kansas City from Phoenix Arizona to work with “IHOP” in July of 2002. Carrie moved to KC from Montevideo in August of 2004 to do the same. We are here in Kansas City to give ourselves to a lifestyle of extended prayer, fasting and seeking the Lord through the spiritual disciplines outlined in the New Testament for every believer. We are also here to minister, and labor on behalf of the people of Kansas City and surrounding region.

Zack, Works specifically with teenagers. Being the Director of IHOP’s Awakening Teen Camp, he sees thousands of teens come through K.C. every summer wanting to get an understanding of how God sees them both biblically and presently; giving them a true identity of what it means to be a follower of Christ.

Among planning, organizing, and preaching at such an event, this also means building and pastoring a leadership team of about 50-60 young adults to pour into these teens lives. He takes much time mentoring, and helping them mature into Godly young leaders. A few other bullet points:

• Zack runs IHOP’s Sunday morning teen church service, preaching and and pastoring teenagers weekly
• Zack leads and is starting an inner city outreach to teenagers in downtown Kansas City. This will involve both evangelism, and pastoring teenagers in rough situations long term, and helping them get plugged into churches, and or our teen church on Sundays.
• Zack teaches at The Daniel Academy Jr. High and High School. Teaching their Biblical Worldview class, and Debate teams.

Carrie, works specifically with IHOPU and the Apostolic Preaching Program. (A program she graduated 2 years ago) There Carrie specifically gives herself to the mentoring, equipping, and shepherding young adults in the message of the gospel and how to communicate it to this present generation. She spends time teaching, and training IHOPU college at their practicum course designed to connect their lifestyle to the information about Theology and Message that they are learning in class.

More specifically now, Carrie’s main vocation is as a mother. She has recently realized the infinite blessing of raising up a child in the way of the living God. While her ministry roles still thrive, her desire in this stage of life is to serve and love little Natalie Hensley so as to rear her in the way of Christ. Never has any person been given a blessing as to teach a child how to live life in this age of history.

Zack and Carrie do not get paid for their work. It is primarily from the donations of supporters that they are able to live the life of ministry that they are called to live. With that, they have also taken a vow to live simply, meaning we don’t live outside our needs. Anything extra goes straight to the poor. Financial sheets can be available upon request.

Please consider supporting them in the following ways:

(switching back to first person )

Pray- Seriously helpful to us.

Invite- As a preacher I’d love to come to any church or ministry that would have me and talk about night and day prayer and how to reach this present generation of teenagers.

Invest- Partner with us through finances. In this day and age I realize everybody has a new way to ask for donations to their ministry/cause/idea/campaign. I will simply say this: Sow into our lives, and we will sow into yours. Any and every type of donation is helpful for us in being able to stay a float financially while giving 70 hours a week to ministry.

To donate online click here: ZACK’S DONATION PAGE

If you would like a tax deduction for your donation, make the check out to: IHOP-KC and mail it to:

Support ATTN: Zack Hensley

3535 E  Red Bridge Rd

Kansas City, MO 64137

Your support keeps our mouths feed and house warm! It’s much appreciated!