LIVE Saturday Night - coming soon

I'm EXCITED!! OK, Cautiously Excited might be more fitting.

Is it possible to be excited about going to a church service on a Saturday night? If you had asked me that a few years ago I would have asked you if you were feeling OK. I've changed. Yep, I know, it's hard to believe, but I'm ready to give up my Saturday nights, at least 1x per month to do this.

Of what am I referring? Well, LIVE Saturday Night at Grace Fellowship on March 5 of course!! A few years ago God started to tug at my heart to go deeper in prayer. I have been like a sponge wanting to learn more, experience more of Him and prayer is the way to experience a first hand relationship with the LIVING God. Jesus Christ is alive and well and more than just mildly interested in our lives, He wants to be our life blood, our oxygen, our true north.

I am also a worshiper and love how music brings expression to what I feel toward my Savior. In Revelation it speaks of the harp and bowl. (Rev. 5:8) The harp refers to worship music, the bowl holds the incense symbolizing the prayers ascending to the throne of God.  We have music symbols and the bowls of prayers rising painted on the outer walls of our worship center. I don't know how many people are aware of the significance of that painting, but it always strikes me when I take the time to really look at it.  You will also see the faint outline of a dove - the symbol of the Holy Spirit: the person of the Trinity who inspires our prayers. "And pray in the Spirit at all times." Ephesians 6

Here's what to expect when you come to LIVE. We are starting with community, invite your friends to come at 6:30 and enjoy some great coffee and fellowship. Then the music will start around 7:00 and we'll worship, leading into prayer.  There will also be some teaching about prayer - this month will focus on Spiritual warfare and how to pray effectively with the authority you have as a child of God. Then we will pray. You won't flounder though - no worries, we'll provide the help you'll need.  Even if you've never uttered a prayer in your life, you'll be OK. There will also be childcare provided for the little ones. We'll be sure to be all done by 8:30 (or sooner).

So come on out for LIVE, and bring some LIFE to your Saturday Night.

until next time...
and the greatest of these is love.

What is Your Calling?

Our Sunday morning service ended with a time of guided prayer. In Colossians 4:3 Paul asks the church to pray that "God will open the door for our message." Paul's message or call was the task of testifying to the gospel of God's grace (Acts 20:22-24). Our prayer time was asking God to clarify what our personal calling is, what task have we been given, what is our message? And like Paul, we prayed that God would open the door to our message.

So of course, I've been pondering what my message is; my overall life task while here on this earth. What part has God asked me to play in His story? Over the last several years I've been looking back over my life and allowing God to heal the broken places, to restore what was lost. I've had plenty of opportunity to take a larger view of my life - so what do I see? What have I been hearing from God through all of it?

Many years ago I attended a conference where Pastor Jack Hayford had the keynote address. There have been times in my life when the Holy Spirit has said "pay attention - this is important for you to hear". In his address he spoke about God restoring to his saints what has been lost. He referenced Joel 2:25. I've never forgotten it.

I know transformation is a lifelong process. But there are times in life when the work is much more intense and can last for several years. If you have lived long enough you have experienced this yourself. It's like being in the operating room and not being sure if you're going to survive the surgery. 

What I see is a picture of God who is continually making things new, better, transformed. 

Here is a real metaphor from my past: The farm house I grew up in is gone, burned to the ground and the people who purchased the property from my parents have built a new home. The schools and the church have also been rebuilt. Out with the old in with the new. The new buildings are equipped for the age in which we are living. They are much improved over the old.

The same is true for the inner life. The old thought patterns have had to go, the mind has needed renewal to be more in line with the mind of Christ. Old behavior patterns have had to go. Out with the old in with the new. New wine in new wine skins. God is doing A New Thing. "A New Thing" is a song I wrote a handful of years ago, before all this deep healing started. I think He was trying to tell me something. :) 

Words that people have associated with my life in recent years include: worship, prayer, faith, peace, healing, restoration. These are not words I would have associated with my past life. I wonder if my message is God is making all things new. I fuel this message through worship and prayer. I bear witness to God's healing and restoration every time I share my story. I live out the message from a place of peace and faith, trusting that God will indeed make good on every promise He has spoken. 

Even as I read that paragraph I realize how much I fall short. Very quickly I'm reminded of other words that have been associated with my life. Words that are not positive or redeemed. But that's just it isn't it? That's the tactic the devil uses to keep us from boldly going out with the task that God has given us. If you get stuck here, if you feel you are disqualified from the task, do the work to become qualified. Receive forgiveness, make amends, open up to the Lord and ask Him to qualify you and be reminded of this, "There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus." 

until next time...
and the greatest of these is love