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			<title>First Assembly Blogs and Articles</title>
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			<description>Welcome to First Assembly! You will find a feed of all the most recent blog postings from around the First Assembly Network.</description>

			<language>eng</language>
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				<title>Dreams of the Heart...A Poem...A Prayer - by Christine Beaugrand</title>
				<link>http://www.fachurch.com/fachurch/events.php?type=blog&amp;id=194</link>
				<guid>http://www.fachurch.com/fachurch/events.php?type=blog&amp;id=194</guid>
				<description><![CDATA[On the way to Tehillah last week, I was praying for the young  adults...their visions, their dreams, their paths...I asked God to set  their foundation firm...build it strong...  I love how the Spirit of God moves amongst us all. I love how there is  unity in His spirit...when there is unity in His body. During  pre-service prayer, Keith spoke of a message he recently shared with the  youth to set their foundations: repent, believe, drop our nets and  follow! Then Ed Weiss preached such a powerful message of encouragement  and one that hopefully inspired many of the young hearts listening last  night to look at the true reflection of who they are.   During the pre-service prayer and into the early part of the worship, I  started writing again...I have to say that it's been awhile since I have  been inspired to and it felt so wonderful to feel that flow!...So, it  is like a poem, but more like a prayer. A prayer for the young adults  and those who are still young at heart. I hope it blesses you and  encourages you to keep on keeping on...to step up to the plate and  follow His map for your life and to awaken the dreams in your heart! :)   Dreams of the Heart (July 12, 2010)  Reveal the maps laid out on their hearts Set a light above them to see clearly Mark the path that their steps will take  Dreams of the heart to be unveiled Visions of the soul to be discovered Clouds of the past to be dispersed  Clarity, passion, knowledge, inspiration and hope  Lord, the direction their feet shall go Spirit, the footprints they shall leave behind Jesus, the impact of your guidance  So powerful, so beautiful  Awaken their hearts Awaken their souls Awaken their dreams  Make your dreams a map upon my heart Make your dreams a map upon their hearts  Destiny, truth, power, victory and freedom  His maps will lead them to others They will lead others to Him He will draw new maps on their hearts...]]></description>
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				<title>Seek Justice - by Sara Curdie </title>
				<link>http://www.fachurch.com/fachurch/events.php?type=blog&amp;id=193</link>
				<guid>http://www.fachurch.com/fachurch/events.php?type=blog&amp;id=193</guid>
				<description><![CDATA[Isaiah 1:17 says to "seek justice, encourage the oppressed.&nbsp;  Defend the cause of the fatherless ..."  I've been thinking about this alot lately.&nbsp; How do we seek justice?&nbsp;  To seek means to look for, discover, question, find out.&nbsp; How do we live  our lives justly?&nbsp; Well, I'm thinking we need to make ourselves more  aware and find out the moral implications of our actions and how we live  our lives.&nbsp; I've been greatly challenged by the thought that I am the  last link in the supply chain for some products.&nbsp; So, when I buy a  certain chocalate bar, for instance, do I know where the cocoa beans  came from?&nbsp; Do I know if the labour practices used to farm them are  ethical and not using child labour?&nbsp; It's pretty darn inconvenient to  try to find these things out!&nbsp; And when I do find out, am I willing to  make changes in my lifestyle?&nbsp; Am I willing to consume less, give more,  and be consiously aware of what I am consuming?&nbsp; Am I willing to ask the  question "Am I wearing someone's misery?&nbsp; Did I just eat someone's  desperation?"
&nbsp;
Here are some websites that may help you in your search to seek  justice, live justly, and love others.
&nbsp;
Chain Store Reaction: www.chainstorereaction.com
10,000 villages: www.tenthousandvillages.com
Fair trade: www.fairtrade.net
Not for Sale: www.notforsalecampaign.org

...]]></description>
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				<title>Seek Justice</title>
				<link>http://www.fachurch.com/fachurch/events.php?type=blog&amp;id=192</link>
				<guid>http://www.fachurch.com/fachurch/events.php?type=blog&amp;id=192</guid>
				<description><![CDATA[Isaiah 1:17 says to "seek justice, encourage the oppressed.&nbsp; Defend the cause of the fatherless ..."
&nbsp;
I've been thinking about this alot lately.&nbsp; How do we seek justice?&nbsp; To seek means to look for, discover, question, find out.&nbsp; How do we live our lives justly?&nbsp; Well, I'm thinking we need to make ourselves more aware and find out the moral implications of our actions and how we live our lives.&nbsp; I've been greatly challenged by the thought that I am the last link in the supply chain for some products.&nbsp; So, when I buy a certain chocalate bar, for instance, do I know where the cocoa beans came from?&nbsp; Do I know if the labour practices used to farm them are ethical and not using child labour?&nbsp; It's pretty darn inconvenient to try to find these things out!&nbsp; And when I do find out, am I willing to make changes in my lifestyle?&nbsp; Am I willing to consume less, give more, and be consiously aware of what I am consuming?&nbsp; Am I willing to ask the question "Am I wearing someone's misery?&nbsp; Did I just eat someone's desperation?"
&nbsp;
Here are some websites that may help you in your search to seek justice, live justly, and love others.
Fair Trade in Canada: www.transfair.ca
Chain Store Reaction: www.chainstorereaction.com
10,000 villages: www.tenthousandvillages.com
Not for Sale: www.notforsalecampaign.org...]]></description>
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				<title>"I Need a Break!" by Dennis and Barbara Rainey </title>
				<link>http://www.fachurch.com/fachurch/events.php?type=blog&amp;id=190</link>
				<guid>http://www.fachurch.com/fachurch/events.php?type=blog&amp;id=190</guid>
				<description><![CDATA[This woman's story expresses well how Barbara and I feel too often:My husband works a night shift, while I work days. Thus our cars always pass going in opposite directions on a street just a few miles from our house. When we pass, we both yell, "I love you!" One day, after our rush-hour rendezvous, a man who had obviously witnessed this scene several times pulled up beside me at a stoplight. "Hey, lady," he said, "you two seem to like the looks of each other pretty well. Why don't you stop and introduce yourselves sometime?"Like that couple, many others live lives that flirt with exhaustion. Wayne Muller writes that the standard greeting everywhere is "I am so busy." He goes on to say, "The busier we are, the more important we seem to ourselves and, we imagine, to others. To be unavailable to our friends and family ... to whiz through our obligations without time for a single mindful breath&mdash;this has become the model of a successful life."He's right: We're a culture of weary people. And a significant part of our weariness is not because modern life is "so busy," but because we have forgotten or never learned how to rest.Early in our marriage Barbara challenged how I spent the Sabbath. She questioned me when I worked. But mostly, she modeled a quiet Sunday, retreating to our bedroom to read a good book, study the Scriptures, and take a nap.The decision to go on a Sunday night date also became part of our sabbath rest. We'd go out to eat, look over our schedules, and discuss issues in our marriage. Those dates became times of emotional and spiritual reconnection, islands of clarity for us as a couple (and later as parents).How can you and your spouse break the day-in, day-out cycle of nonstop work and weariness?Bringing Back the SabbathRest was important to God from the very beginning. He created for six days, then rested on the seventh.But contrary to this pattern God established, the idea of sabbath rest is now foreign to our culture, and a rather novel thought for most Christians too. Gordon MacDonald states bluntly, "A rest-less work style produces a restless person &hellip; We do not rest because our work is done; we rest because God commanded it and created us to have a need for it."God knew we would need to get our bearings before plunging back into the daily grind. But adjusting to a sabbath pace isn't easy. Just try it! You'll probably experience how unnatural this day of rest is to us twenty-first-century Christians. We are definitely out of practice.As I mentioned earlier, our family owes its sabbath practices almost solely to Barbara. She has fought for them in our home, and I have not always been cooperative. She wanted Sunday to be as God intended it&mdash;a day set apart to reflect and rest, to allow the soul to catch up with the body. I'll let her explain more of why the Sabbath is so important.I (Barbara) find both parts of Exodus 34:21 intriguing. The first part is familiar: "You shall work six days, but on the seventh day you shall rest." However, we often overlook the second part: "Even during plowing time and harvest you shall rest." In other words, no matter how busy we are or how long the "to do" list is, we need a regular break. We're tempted to say, "I've got these few hours on Sunday afternoon. I could get a jump-start on the laundry, or I could run a couple of errands and catch up a bit." But if we compromise, we will miss what we desperately need the most&mdash;rest.Dorothy Bass notes:[In] The Overworked American, economist Juliet Schor reported that work hours and stress are up, and sleep and family time are down for all classes of employed Americans. Wives working outside the home return to find a "second shift" of housework awaiting them. Husbands add overtime or second jobs to their schedules. Single parents stretch in so many directions that they sometimes feel they can't manage. Simultaneously, all are bombarded by messages that urge them to spend more (and so, ultimately, work more), to keep their homes cleaner (standards keep rising), and to improve themselves as lovers, investors, parents, or athletes. Supposedly to make all this possible, grocery stores stay open all night long, and entertainment options are available around the clock. We live, says Schor, in "an economy and society that are demanding too much from people."That accurately describes our culture today. We don't know how to slow down, take a day off, or rest. And I admit it's not easy for us as a large family, either. But I wanted our children to learn that something needs to be different about Sunday. I wanted them to learn the importance of rest, to have time to think, to be still. I didn't want our children to grow up and be so busy, they couldn't hear God speak to them.Suggestions for Successful Sabbath MakingOne author said about the Sabbath, "We would do well to heed three millennia of Jewish reflection on the Sabbath commandment. Not good are work and commerce and worry." That's a succinct summary of how "to do" Sabbath. Here are some other thoughts:Recognize that work is not life. Margie Haack comments on the proper attitude about work, which often inappropriately consumes us: "Work is never done. A lot of it doesn't need to be done today. If, while you are resting, someone else wants to run the country, let them do it ... While I am obeying God's command to rest, He will kindly run the universe."&nbsp;Make Sunday (or your Sabbath) special. Start preparing at least the day before the Sabbath. For example, if any of our children had homework due on Monday, we asked them to complete it by Saturday night. On Sunday, we worshipped as a family. For the remainder of the day, we limited outgoing phone calls to family members only. The house stayed quieter&mdash;time for naps, reading, recreation, relationship building. We avoided the usual activities that drain energy and time and can bring worry, such as shopping or bill paying. What if you have to work on Sunday? Many millions do&mdash;including all of those pastors who deliver sermons on Sunday morning. If necessary, observe your Sabbath on another day or part of a day. The idea, not strict observance, counts.Work together as a couple to learn what brings true rest for you as individuals, as a couple, and later as a family. For some, rest means recreation, such as a hike or jogging. For others, rest may include taking a nap or hanging out with the family.
Remember that worship is an integral part of a day of rest. Without question, worshiping in a local church is necessary on the Sabbath and can continue at home after the church service. Fill your home with the soothing sounds of hymns or praise music that exalts the Lord God Almighty and turns your heart toward Him.
Without becoming legalistic, continue to discuss and refine together the ways you experience sabbath rest. Some of the most stimulating discussions Barbara and I have had concern the activities that encourage sabbath rest. Should we rake leaves, fix meals, watch football, wax the car? To what extent will we try to protect our lives, marriage, and family from the world on this special day? Be purposeful about your day of rest together. Make it a spiritual discipline.Honoring the Sabbath is like having a family wheel alignment once a week. If you're not able on a regular basis to reflect on where the family is headed, in two or three months you can slowly drift off track and end up in a ditch. For the spiritual, emotional, and physical health of everyone in your family, take a sabbath break every week.
From Starting Your Marriage Right &copy; 2000 by Dennis and Barbara Rainey. Published by Thomas Nelson Publishers, Nashville, TN. Used by permission of the publisher. All rights reserved....]]></description>
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				<title>One Girl's Testimony - by Alexandra </title>
				<link>http://www.fachurch.com/fachurch/events.php?type=blog&amp;id=188</link>
				<guid>http://www.fachurch.com/fachurch/events.php?type=blog&amp;id=188</guid>
				<description><![CDATA[I was born into a Christian family and the neighborhood we lived in was pretty messed up; there was a lot of violence, vandalism, and secretism. At 4 years old my next door neighbor introduced me to porn and molested me. After court he told me that when I was of age he would come and find me and kill me. I lived in fear and every time I went to a new school I would changed my name around as much as I could. I lived being paranoid, always watching over my back for the day that he would find me. After that, I was sexually abused for 11 years by many different men and women. I started out in a Christian school and ended up going from school to school, 7 in total. I experienced extreme bullying and physical and sexual abuse, from both students and teachers. I began down a long road of depression.&nbsp;When I turned 8 years old I became addicted to smoking cigarettes. At age 11, I started having thoughts of suicide.&nbsp; From 12 to 15 I self-mutilated and continued to have thoughts of suicide, attempting to do so many times. In grade 9, I was introduced to alcohol, inhalants, and drugs. I was confused and began to believe that I was interested in girls. By grade 10 I was high for literally months at a time every single day. During my depression, I met a boy and after a few months I gave myself to him. Months were going by and sex had become an addiction that I truly believed I could not live without. I was failing my school classes and skipping school for this addiction. I ended up becoming pregnant, and just about 2 months later, I had a miscarriage.&nbsp; I was extremely hurt by this catastrophic event and had it set in my mind that I was a murderer. A miscarriage isn&rsquo;t planned, so how could I feel that I was a murderer? Well, I felt that it was a result from drinking, smoking, and doing drugs while pregnant. I was a murderer.&nbsp;The guy I was with had no idea that I was pregnant or had a miscarriage and we ended up breaking up. Trying to fill a void, I searched for affection from guys and I became very promiscuous. I dated someone older than me and he manipulated me and made me have sex with him.&nbsp;My parents heard about Mercy Ministries, which is a biblically-based program for young women seeking freedom from life-controlling problems.&nbsp; The program helps provide young women with a sense of their self-worth and stop destructive cycles. My parents said that if I went to Mercy that they would support my relationship with my boyfried when I got back. However, within the last month before I went to Mercy I had a change of heart and actually wanted to go. When I arrived there I was really defensive and did not want to admit that I had a problem, but the staff there gave me a chance, didn&rsquo;t quit on me, loved me, and cared for me through my whole transformation process.&nbsp;The best thing I learned while at Mercy is that I am not a mistake and that I have a purpose, and that I am beautiful and not hideous; but the best part, is that I actually believe that. I learned that faith is not believing that something can happen but that something will happen and something is happening. My faith has grown strong and I am truly a new creation. While I was at Mercy I received my second virginity, not physically but spiritually and now I am pure once again. I just want to add that God has never made a mistake, it is completely impossible. So if you really think about it, if God cannot make a mistake ever, then how can any of us on this earth be a mistake? This is what brought a change into the way that I thought and now think about myself.&nbsp;I believe my life has transformed.&nbsp; I believe for all the other young girls out there who have been abused, who self-mutilate, that they can have this life-tranformation as well. God not only loves me, he love you all too. God does not pick certain people in this world to help out, all you need to do is reach out to him, he&rsquo;s there for you, always has been, and always will be.&nbsp;At one point I felt like I was ready to leave Mercy Ministries and I yelled at God and said &ldquo;if you do not give me a Bible verse right now that will change my life forever, then I am walking out the doors to this place.&rdquo; Sure enough He gave me a verse and it was Psalms 27:14 which reads &ldquo;Don&rsquo;t be impatient. Wait for the Lord, and He will come and save you! Yes, wait and He will help you.&rdquo;&nbsp; I broke down right then and there, and continued my transformation.&nbsp;I want to go to SAIT University for journalism so that I can become a photographer. Capturing pictures brings joy to my life, because I can see things that other people may not see. I want to thank my family for never leaving my side, they were reason to live, and now that I really want to, I can spend the rest of my life with them, and of course serving Jesus Christ, my Lord and savior.
- Alexandra&nbsp; -&nbsp; 
To find out more about Mercy Ministries, go to: www.mercyministries.org
...]]></description>
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				<title>Monday's Moment - June 7th, 2010</title>
				<link>http://www.fachurch.com/fachurch/events.php?type=blog&amp;id=186</link>
				<guid>http://www.fachurch.com/fachurch/events.php?type=blog&amp;id=186</guid>
				<description><![CDATA[&ldquo;Jabez cried out to the God of Israel, "Oh, that you would bless me and enlarge my territory! Let your hand be with me, and keep me from harm so that I will be free from pain." And God granted his request.&rdquo; 
1 Chronicles 4:10 
 I was away this past week on my annual pilgrimage to the dessert for some refreshing. &nbsp;I spent some time looking at the prayer of Jabez once again and was reminded that Jabez was a man who overcame his past and triumphed and was blessed was God. &nbsp;The name Jabez means &ldquo;Pain&rdquo; - not something one would want to aspire to. &nbsp;The Bible says he was a man who was more honorable that his brothers and when he cried out to God, God answered and delivered him from his name sake. &nbsp;He did not want to be one who lived a life of pain or one who caused pain and God honored that.  The following is a breakdown of the prayer of Jabez &ndash; sort of a outline we can all use for prayer. &nbsp;This was sent to me this morning by our Dear Friend Jan Muth.   Jabez regularly, consistently, and urgently called on the covenant-keeping name of God,  1. I humbly kneel in submission before You to receive Your blessing, Yours alone. &nbsp;Impart in me the deposit of the deep humility of Jesus (Phil. 2:5-8).  2. Enlarge my view of who You are. Show Yourself for who You really are through me. Give me a greater portion in the ministry of Jesus on earth today. I don't want to work for You. I want to seek You so You can work through me on Your own behalf (Acts 13:2-4). Show me where You are at work, and I want to be where You are, in Your power of attorney.   3. You are ever-present with me. Help me to seek You and find You and never be the same (Jer. 29:11-13). I believe You for the vision, resources, strength, angelic help, people, etc., needed (Phil. 4:19). Your agenda is before mine, and I want to recognize Your divine answers. I need so much more of You and so much less of me.  4. Keep evil far from me (1 John 5:18). Keep me from making the mistakes I so easily fall into when the tempter tries to entrap me (2 Peter 2:9).  5.You delight to answer the prayers of the righteous (Prov. 15:8,29). Through the power of prayer, You defeat the enemy, give me victory, and make Your cause successful. In Jesus' name, amen.   May your week be blessed and filled with answered prayer in Jesus Name. &nbsp;Love you and looking forward to Sunshine Girls this Wednesday at Stanley Park 10:00....]]></description>
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				<title>Monday's Moment - June 7th, 2010</title>
				<link>http://www.fachurch.com/fachurch/events.php?type=blog&amp;id=185</link>
				<guid>http://www.fachurch.com/fachurch/events.php?type=blog&amp;id=185</guid>
				<description><![CDATA[&ldquo;Jabez cried out to the God of Israel, "Oh, that you would bless me and enlarge my territory! Let your hand be with me, and keep me from harm so that I will be free from pain." And God granted his request.&rdquo; 
1 Chronicles 4:10 
 I was away this past week on my annual pilgrimage to the dessert for some refreshing. &nbsp;I spent some time looking at the prayer of Jabez once again and was reminded that Jabez was a man who overcame his past and triumphed and was blessed was God. &nbsp;The name Jabez means &ldquo;Pain&rdquo; - not something one would want to aspire to. &nbsp;The Bible says he was a man who was more honorable that his brothers and when he cried out to God, God answered and delivered him from his name sake. &nbsp;He did not want to be one who lived a life of pain or one who caused pain and God honored that.  The following is a breakdown of the prayer of Jabez &ndash; sort of a outline we can all use for prayer. &nbsp;This was sent to me this morning by our Dear Friend Jan Muth.   Jabez regularly, consistently, and urgently called on the covenant-keeping name of God,  1. I humbly kneel in submission before You to receive Your blessing, Yours alone. &nbsp;Impart in me the deposit of the deep humility of Jesus (Phil. 2:5-8).  2. Enlarge my view of who You are. Show Yourself for who You really are through me. Give me a greater portion in the ministry of Jesus on earth today. I don't want to work for You. I want to seek You so You can work through me on Your own behalf (Acts 13:2-4). Show me where You are at work, and I want to be where You are, in Your power of attorney.   3. You are ever-present with me. Help me to seek You and find You and never be the same (Jer. 29:11-13). I believe You for the vision, resources, strength, angelic help, people, etc., needed (Phil. 4:19). Your agenda is before mine, and I want to recognize Your divine answers. I need so much more of You and so much less of me.  4. Keep evil far from me (1 John 5:18). Keep me from making the mistakes I so easily fall into when the tempter tries to entrap me (2 Peter 2:9).  5.You delight to answer the prayers of the righteous (Prov. 15:8,29). Through the power of prayer, You defeat the enemy, give me victory, and make Your cause successful. In Jesus' name, amen.   May your week be blessed and filled with answered prayer in Jesus Name. &nbsp;Love you and looking forward to Sunshine Girls this Wednesday at Stanley Park 10:00....]]></description>
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				<title>"In Your Name" Recording Sessions </title>
				<link>http://www.fachurch.com/fachurch/events.php?type=blog&amp;id=184</link>
				<guid>http://www.fachurch.com/fachurch/events.php?type=blog&amp;id=184</guid>
				<description><![CDATA[Hey Everyone,
We are so excited to announce that we are recording a new Tehillah Band Album. The album is called "In Your Name". It will be recorded live over two nights on June 27th &amp; 28th. We are looking forward to having powerful times of worship on both of these nights. The recording times are open to everyone. Invite all your friends and family.&nbsp;
We believe God is stirring up new songs in our midst. Songs that will speak to the hearts of both believers and unbelievers. We feel these songs will have an impact for the Kingdom and on all who hear them. So stay tuned for more details on how you get can get involved!! Be praying as we put these songs together and rehearse them that our hearts will remain yielded to him as we record HIS songs!
Below is a video clip to show you some of the process and "antics" that have been going on during the making of this record.&nbsp;
Blessings,
Pastor Keith







...]]></description>
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				<title>"The Lord Keeps Calling My Name" by Sarah Gilman</title>
				<link>http://www.fachurch.com/fachurch/events.php?type=blog&amp;id=183</link>
				<guid>http://www.fachurch.com/fachurch/events.php?type=blog&amp;id=183</guid>
				<description><![CDATA[It's just three chords; it's only three different lines; it's also the third song I've written in the past couple of months. It begins like this, &ldquo;this is only the beginning, this nation is going to change.&rdquo;  ...In our staff meeting the other day it was announced that the work our YWAM Haiti campus has completed in the last five months is equal to the same amount we would normally do in 30 years! No wonder everyone is tired. Food distribution, building tent cities, building houses, discipleship of peoples, receiving trailers, distributing items. This doesn't included the registering thousands and thousands of victims from the earthquake, delivering hundreds of ready made meals from the UN (MRE's), opening up and starting a clinic, preparing, starting, and having a prayer room on our campus, as well as hosting nearly 100 volunteers each week.  Our campus has continued to run a discipleship school through this whole time, and the school that I came down to teach at is still running, and even growing.  Through all of this, Jesus keeps calling my name.  &ldquo;Sarah,&rdquo; He says, &ldquo;will you worship me?&rdquo;  Life sounds so exciting written down. But when you are living it out, it is so hot, tiring, and well, hot and tiring. There are bug bites, and sleepless nights; there are dirty clothes, plugged toilets; there is sickness, there is miss communication, there are crazy times like yesterday...&#65279;  Four of us had gone to the market for bananas. We couldn't find any, so speaking broken creole we asked a lady sitting selling oranges. She called another lady over and had us follow her through the market for 15 minutes. The four of us girls dodged motorcycles and people pushing wheel barrows. We shuffled through fresh cut meat with flies swarming all over(I wanted to gag). Stepping over puddles of I don't know what, walking through trash all over the dirt roads we followed the lady. A couple of times we looked at each other wondering if we should keep following. A couple of times I lost two of the girls in the craziness of the market, but a young boy in a blue t-shirt was walking with us and made sure we were never out of site. We finally came across beautiful bananas which we purchased.  But that's just it, something so simple as buying bananas always turns into a crazy adventure down here. It's just that everything is so much work.  &ldquo;Sarah,&rdquo; asks the Lord, &ldquo;will you worship me?&rdquo;  I gave the message at our church service last week. I spoke on the lady in the gospels who poured the expensive perfume at the feet of Jesus. I've always wanted to be like that lady. Who knows that giving what is precious to Jesus is always worth it. I don't know why it's so difficult for me?  &ldquo;I am looking forward, to what God is going to do&rdquo; That's the second line of the song. I remember when I first arrived in Haiti back in the fall. I had so much hope; now I'm just tired. But, I've come to a place where I know that it won't be me that can bring change, it's the presence of the Lord, and only the Lord that can truly bring, change to any nation.  The last line of the song is, &ldquo;Jesus said that His presence would never leave us, and He's going to keep His word.&rdquo; &ldquo;Yes, Lord,&rdquo; I say, &ldquo;I will worship you.&rdquo;  Amen  -Sarah Gilman -...]]></description>
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				<title>Forgiven - by Christina Tupper</title>
				<link>http://www.fachurch.com/fachurch/events.php?type=blog&amp;id=182</link>
				<guid>http://www.fachurch.com/fachurch/events.php?type=blog&amp;id=182</guid>
				<description><![CDATA[&nbsp;
&nbsp;
FORGIVEN 
&nbsp;
It is a gift that comes at a great cost, A treasure that is given in place of a great loss, It is just as hard to give, as it can be to receive, But can change your life, the moment you believe. &nbsp; It can come at times of sorrow, when you need it most, It will humble your heart, at times you want to boast, It will give you hope, when you&rsquo;re filled with despair, Even the deeply broken-hearted, it can easily repair. &nbsp; There&rsquo;s no event too big or bad that it can&rsquo;t see past, No new person who deserves it, anymore than the last, It is not biased, it&rsquo;s there for everyone just the same, To anyone who seeks it, will find it in His name. &nbsp; It's at your door knocking, all you've got to do is let it in, Stop fighting your battles alone, it will help you win, You&rsquo;ll find peace and joy, where once was struggle and pain, It will be yours forever, given to you again and again. &nbsp;
&nbsp;
The bible says that the Lord is the closest to the orphan, the widow, and the prisoner. I can say from experience, the closest I have ever felt to God was from inside a jail cell. Each time I came to jail, I felt that God had rescued me from the streets and the destructive lifestyle I had been living. As my stays grew longer and longer, my relationship with God started to grow. Yet, as much as I wanted to ignore them, I had my doubts about God. Like, did he really love me? Am I really that special and important to Him, even in spite of every wrong I had done? Deep down, I wanted God to show me that He loved me and that with Him, there's nothing I can't do. I have a broken relationship with my mother, due to the bad choices I have made and the unpleasant situation I have put myself and my family in. There is nothing that I want more than my mother's forgiveness, and even through endless letters of apologies and regrets, my words go unanswered, possibly even unread. So I sat with my paper and pen, to write a poem about forgiveness, and how much it would mean for me to receive it. But, as I started to write this poem with my mother in mind, my thoughts changed and I started to think about God, and His forgiveness, and everything it means and stands for. Soon the poem was created, and although is wasn't a poem to my mother specifically, it sent the message I wanted to give. As I placed the poem in an envelope, I held it in my hands and prayed to God that He guide it, and help it's words be read. Well, I still never got a response from my mother, but my relationship with God continued to grow daily. In one of the final chapters of the Purpose Driven Life book, I read that as a child of God, a part of my purpose is to share the gift God gave me with others. God gave me the gift of poetry and even if I don&rsquo;t think it means much to anyone, it's my responsibility to share it with others. So I took my poem called Forgiven, and I shared it in my bible study group, which is facilitated by volunteers who dedicate their time to come into our remand centre and share the Word of God with inmates. It touched the hearts of everyone in the room that day, and I was surprised by how much a few words could do. I knew I was going to be sent to the penitentiary soon since I had recently been sentenced, but I really wanted to get my poem out to others. So that maybe people outside of jail could relate to my words. So when the next bible study was held, I slid the poem under the door. The facilitator wrote my words out on a scrap piece of paper, so that she could take them with her out of the jail. I got transferred out shortly after, and didn&rsquo;t think much about it after that. When I got sent to the penitentiary, I seemed to lose my connnection with God. Not for any particular reason, I just stopped praying, reading the bible, even bible studies. A few months went by and I just continued to coast along, doing my time. I started to hear rumors from girls who came from the remand centre, that some really great things were happening with my poem. I was really curious to know, but I had no way of getting in contact with her. Eventually we spoke on the phone through the Chaplain, and she told me the wonderful things that had happened. She had a beautiful picture framed with my poem on it and displayed it at her church. As people read it, they were moved by it so much that some wanted to buy it. More copies where made and sold, and it seems that my poem was meant for much more than just my mother. An agency asked for a framed copy to be donated to an auction. It sold for $175 that went to help provide medicine for families in Africa. Today, a copy of my poem is framed and hanging in the parliament building in Ottawa. When I heard all of this, everything that God had done with my poem, I realized some things......that when I gave my poem to share with others in His name, there is no limit to what He can and will do with it. That He knew when I wrote the poem, as He was guiding my words, that I was going to lose my connection with Him. I was going to lose my focus on Him. God planned for all this to happen with my poem so that later on, when I was lost again, He would bring my poem back to me, and the knowledge of everything He had done with it. To show me that I am important to Him, and everything that He had done to bring me back to Him. He can touch people all over the world, even through the weakest Christian. Not only did He use me to show His love to many others, but He used many others to show His love to me. &nbsp;&nbsp; ...]]></description>
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				<title>Heaven's Paradigm - by Renee Berdan </title>
				<link>http://www.fachurch.com/fachurch/events.php?type=blog&amp;id=180</link>
				<guid>http://www.fachurch.com/fachurch/events.php?type=blog&amp;id=180</guid>
				<description><![CDATA[Charles Spurgeon and Joseph Parker both had churches in London in the 19th century. On one occasion, Parker commented on the poor condition of children admitted to Spurgeon's orphanage. It was reported to Spurgeon however, that Parker had criticized the orphanage itself. Spurgeon blasted Parker the next week from the pulpit. The attack was printed in the newspapers and became the talk of the town. People flocked to Parker's church the next Sunday to hear his rebuttal. "I understand Dr. Spurgeon is not in his pulpit today, and this is the Sunday they use to take an offering for the orphanage. I suggest we take a love offering here instead." The crowd was delighted. The ushers had to empty the collection plates 3 times. Later that week there was a knock at Parker's study. It was Spurgeon. "You know Parker, you have practiced grace on me. You have given me not what I deserved, you have given me what I needed." (Moody Monthly, December, 1983, p. 81.)  Let's look at this story from Matthew 20. 
 For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard. When he had agreed with the laborers for a&nbsp; denarius for the day, he sent them into his vineyard. And he went out about the third hour and saw others standing idle in the market place; and to those he said, "You also go into the vineyard, and whatever is right I will give you." And so they went. Again he went out about the sixth and the ninth hour, and did the same thing. And about the eleventh hour he went out and found others standing around; and he said to them, "Why have you been standing here idle all day long?" They said to him, "Because no one hired us." He said to them, "You go into the vineyard too." When evening came, the&nbsp; owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, "Call the laborers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last group to the first." When those hired about the eleventh hour came, each one received a denarius. When those hired first came, they thought that they would receive more; but each of them also received a denarius. When they received it, they grumbled at the landowner, saying, "These last men have worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden and the scorching heat of the day." But he answered and said to one of them, "Friend, I am doing you no wrong; did you not agree with me for a denarius? Take what is yours and go, but I wish to give to this last man the same as to you. Is it not lawful for me to do what I wish with what is my own? Or is your eye envious because I am generous?" So the last shall be first, and the first last.  The tension in this story is due to conflicting paradigms; the human realm of thought vs. the reality of the Kingdom of Heaven. The human mindset is related to works; we strive to earn our place in society and with God. At the center of this struggle is sin. We were created to be in relationship with God, and that became impossible when sin entered the world. We were forced to be separated from Him, because He is holy and can&rsquo;t be around sin. Habakkuk 1:13 speaks of God&rsquo;s purity, and how His eyes cannot look on evil. Isaiah 59:2 says, &ldquo;But your iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden his face from you, so that he will not hear (NIV).&rdquo; When Adam and Eve sinned, mankind was separated from God. Enter Old Testament law; a comprehensive set of rules and regulations that God set in place to protect the people of Israel Because of this separation, God had to introduce laws as a way to cover our sin so we could be in relationship with Him. But the purpose from the very beginning was relationship. The regulations, such as sacrificing and so forth, were a &ldquo;temporary fix&rdquo; to cover our sins so that we could still be in relationship with Him. &nbsp;But somewhere along the lines, the relationship was lost and we began to focus only on the rules and laws themselves. So we began to do it on our own; we began to try to find our own ways to fill the void our separation from God left. If sin had never entered the world, we never would have had to DO anything to be fully in relationship with Him. Striving and earning is a concept that we understand as humans, because we had to create our own way to feel validated and accomplished. Because of this, it&rsquo;s difficult to understand that God works outside of our laws. He isn&rsquo;t governed by time, science, or humanity. The human paradigm says we need rules so we can properly measure whether we&rsquo;re achieving our goals but Heaven&rsquo;s paradigm tells us a very different story. 
The opposing paradigm in this story is the reality of the kingdom. God, as the creator of all things, exists outside of human reality, and therefore is not governed by laws and rules like we are. Because He created us, and longs to be in relationship with us, he sent his Son to die and redeem us from our sins so that relationship could be possible. Jesus was the Ultimate Sacrifice, the end to our human laws and works and doings. He loves us completely and perfectly; nothing we can do will make Him love us more. The kingdom reality says that we need to be covered by Jesus&rsquo; blood so that we can once again be restored to Him. &nbsp;Period. &nbsp;It doesn&rsquo;t matter if we have served him our entire lives, or if we come to Him in the last hour; He loves us the same. There are no hierarchies in Heaven; that is an earthly concept. While it is possible that some may acquire more &ldquo;treasures in Heaven (Luke 18:22)&rdquo;, it does not make anyone more deserving of grace, or of a higher value than others. Romans 3:23 says, &ldquo;For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (NASB).&rdquo; Because we are all less than perfect, we are all equally in need of forgiveness. Like a father loves his children, He loves us all equally but uniquely.  
In the end, just like in the parable, kingdom reality trumps human reality. No matter how hard we try to earn the favour of God and each other; there&rsquo;s nothing we can do to earn grace.  &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; ...]]></description>
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				<title>Contending for The Kingdom! </title>
				<link>http://www.fachurch.com/fachurch/events.php?type=blog&amp;id=179</link>
				<guid>http://www.fachurch.com/fachurch/events.php?type=blog&amp;id=179</guid>
				<description><![CDATA[Worship leaders, intercessors and singers from our community and from other believing communities came together as one voice this past Friday and Saturday at &ldquo;Freedom House&rdquo; to worship with song, prayer and sound for 24 hours without interruption. &nbsp;As I continue to study music and praise in the scriptures I am even more convinced that we are engaging in a form of spiritual warfare while we gather and sing spiritual songs. &nbsp;In light of this ever increasing revelation, we engaged in battle for a full day to see God&rsquo;s kingdom manifest through music, prayer and worship. &nbsp;I believe things happened in the unseen realm that will have eternal consequences. &nbsp;The battle is the Lord&rsquo;s and he is always victorious! &nbsp;It&rsquo;s truly amazing to be on the winning team isn&rsquo;t it? &nbsp;God&rsquo;s Spirit is being poured out in these days and I can hardly wait to see what He does in our city and in the nations in the coming days. &nbsp;Greater things are on our door step and it&rsquo;s my prayer that worshippers who at the same time have taken up the cause of the poor and hurting will have a greater impact in the heavenly places as we continue to give ourselves in passionate praise in adoration to God.
Michael Larson ...]]></description>
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				<title>Monday's Moment - February 15 2010</title>
				<link>http://www.fachurch.com/fachurch/events.php?type=blog&amp;id=71</link>
				<guid>http://www.fachurch.com/fachurch/events.php?type=blog&amp;id=71</guid>
				<description><![CDATA[&ldquo;For we are God&rsquo;s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared  in advance for us to do.&rdquo;  Ephesians 2:10   Let&rsquo;s face it ladies, we all go through tough times of trials and testing of our faith &ndash; or to put it in the words that I&rsquo;m really thinking &ndash; we all go through CRAP from time to time! Amen!  My thought for today though is, do we sincerely see these times as something God has prepared in advance for us to do &ndash; do these things look like &ldquo;good works&rdquo;?   Most likely NOT.  More often we wonder how could a good God have allowed this to happen; or why, when God knows how badly I wanted this, would He get me this close just to have it ripped out from under my feet?  I don&rsquo;t have the answers to those questions and to be honest with you I too have vocalized those thoughts more than once myself.  Now we all have an idea of what a good work looks like right.  Well what if God leads us through these difficult &ndash; even ugly times &ndash; to produce a good work in us &ndash; His good work?  Does that make sense?   Think back in your life to some of those times; now recall how when you have found yourself face to face with someone who is walking that same journey.  Scripture tells us that:  &ldquo;the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles , so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God.&rdquo; (2 Corin. 1:4)  Believe it or not, there is always a plan or purpose of God in everything.  How often though, do I give my experiences, my life lessons, my hurts or even my talents to God for His use?  Do we realize that nothing about us is accidental?  God purposes everything for a reason &ndash; it&rsquo;s all part of who God has made us to be.  How can we become angry at God, or angry at the situations in our lives, if we look at those things as something we can present to God for His use?  All of our lives God has been preparing us for kingdom service!  The good &ndash; the bad &ndash; and the ugly.  Romans 8:28 says &ldquo;for we know that in all things God works for the good to those who love Him...&rdquo;  Next time one of these &ldquo;good works&rdquo; presents itself, let&rsquo;s turn it around and offer it to God so that He can comfort us, counsel us and bring about good in us.  Father, thank You for the assurance that You are always at work in our lives.  Help us to see that to follow You never means to throw away who You have made us to be.  We are Your workmanship and we worship You, our Creator in Jesus Name.  Amen.  Loving you, and going through it with you! Sydney...]]></description>
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				<title>Monday's Moment - May 3, 2010</title>
				<link>http://www.fachurch.com/fachurch/events.php?type=blog&amp;id=178</link>
				<guid>http://www.fachurch.com/fachurch/events.php?type=blog&amp;id=178</guid>
				<description><![CDATA[&ldquo;Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God? &nbsp;Father I thank You that You have heard me. &nbsp;I know that You always hear me, but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here, that they may believe You sent me. &nbsp;When Jesus had said this He called out in a loud voice, Lazarus come out! &nbsp;The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth around his face. &nbsp;Jesus said to them, Take off the grave clothes and let him go.&rdquo; 
John 11:40-44 
 Wow, can you just imagine being at the grave sight of Lazarus that day! &nbsp;Many were gathered there weeping and sadden by the fact that their brother and friend had died. &nbsp;Then Jesus arrives and tells them to take away the stone that covered the place where they had laid him to rest four days earlier. &nbsp;Martha, the older sister of Lazarus warns Jesus that there is going to be a smell &ndash; Martha, Martha, Martha &ndash; but Jesus simply reminds them that if you believed you would see the glory of God. &nbsp;The story goes on &nbsp;and Jesus calls to the dead man and tells him to come out and what do you know &ndash; out of the tomb he comes! &nbsp;Wrapped in his grave clothes, he appears to them. &nbsp;Again Jesus instructs them to remove his grave clothes and let him go. &nbsp;What a glorious day!  Have you ever experienced a glorious day like the one we just read about? &nbsp;Most of you probably said &ldquo;no&rdquo;, but I want to challenge your answer. &nbsp;The Bible tells us that prior to accepting Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior we were &ldquo;dead in our transgressions.&rdquo; &nbsp;We, like Lazarus, were in a tomb of death and despair. &nbsp;Then one day the Holy Spirit rolled away the stone that kept us from seeing the truth and the light and we were born again. &nbsp;Jesus then begins to instruct that the grave clothes be removed from us so that we may go free.  Our belief in Jesus Christ can allow the glory of God to be revealed to us. &nbsp;The Holy Spirit rolls away the deception and lies that have bound and blinded us for all those years. &nbsp;But then many of us continue to walk around in grave clothes &ndash; the things that keep us bound, that prevent us from knowing and walking in the truth &ndash; the habits and &nbsp;things that have become the norm for us, but keep us tied to our past. &nbsp;Guilt, shame, things people have said about us or labeled us with &ndash; grave clothes; they keep our hands from doing what the Father has planned for us to do, Rags around our feet that keep us frozen in place so that we don&rsquo;t go where God calls us to go, and binding over our eyes that prevent us from seeing the glory of God, we can't see our destiny!  Jesus told those that were there to &ldquo;take off the grave clothes.&rdquo; &nbsp;We are all responsible to one another as part of the Body of Christ, to help one another take off the grave clothes. &nbsp;God sets us free, but we often times continue to walk around in circles with our grave clothes on. &nbsp;We are to help one another remove them &ndash; we are to take off our old self. &nbsp;Our spirits are free, but our minds are still wrapped in garments of death. &nbsp;Jesus reminded them that if they believed they would see the glory of God &ndash; He then prayed to the Father &ldquo;for the benefit of the people&rdquo; that they may believe.  Trust me, God has us covered. &nbsp;He has clearly and meticulously marked out a destiny for each and every one of us. Do you believe? &nbsp;How many layers of your grave clothes still cling to your body &ndash; to your mind? &nbsp;It was for freedom that Christ has set us free; no longer to be subject to a yoke of slavery &ndash; grave clothes. &nbsp;If you are finding it difficult to rid yourself of these fifthly garments, talk to a trusted friend &ndash; have them pray with you &ndash; let them help you remove the grave clothes.  Oh how He loves you and me! &nbsp;Bless you.  Pastor Sydney...]]></description>
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				<title>MY GOOD NEWS - Stories To Inspire...</title>
				<link>http://www.fachurch.com/fachurch/events.php?type=blog&amp;id=16</link>
				<guid>http://www.fachurch.com/fachurch/events.php?type=blog&amp;id=16</guid>
				<description><![CDATA["WHO CAN BE AGAINST US?"
In the fall of 1998 I had noticed that my ear was consistently plugged.&nbsp; After seeing my family doctor and being dismissed with an explanation that my seasonal allergies had continued into the fall I was finally sent to a specialist when the steroid nose spray prescribed to me was causing large amounts of bleeding.&nbsp; The specialist concluded that I still had adenoids in the back of the nasal passage and they needed to be removed.&nbsp; After receiving surgery to have them removed, the ear, nose and throat specialist found a mass of tissue in the nasal cavity.&nbsp; Out of pure curiosity he sent it away for biopsy and it came back as cancer.

Not only did I have cancer, but a type found typically in 50-60 year old men, often with Oriental background.&nbsp; Being an 18 year old female with no Oriental background completely baffled the medical community and caused concern as this type of cancer is very aggressive.&nbsp; The cancer was found at the back of the nasal cavity in a location very close to lymph nodes, optic nerve and the brain.

However, the grace of God was already moving in favor throughout my circumstances.&nbsp; The surgery that revealed the cancerous tumor was bumped up in date and so the cancer was discovered earlier.&nbsp;  I had also received one of the first prophetic words ever spoken over my life about two months earlier and that word filled me with so much certainty that the Lord was nowhere near finished with me yet!&nbsp;  Over ten years later, much of that prophetic word has come to fruition with me &ldquo;leading youth and young adults&rdquo; in various capacities and travelling to &ldquo;the hot and cold places and speaking the Word of the Lord&rdquo; in ministry.&nbsp;  I consider myself blessed to have seen the promises of God come to fruition in my life and to know that He is using me to bless others. 

Throughout the radiation and chemotherapy, I watched as my own church family and believers in Canada, Scotland, England and China (and I&rsquo;m sure other places that I don&rsquo;t even know about!) prayed diligently and lifted me constantly to the Lord.&nbsp;  I never needed to look far to find encouragement and prayer.&nbsp;  As a result, I went without pain medication for the much of my treatments; needing them only in the last stretch of treatment.&nbsp;  The doctors also advised me that I would probably lose the ability to sing clearly as the radiation and treatments would cause my voice to become raspy and rough.  However, I joined a community choir during my treatments and continued to sing first soprano.&nbsp;  My voice was never affected and of course&hellip; I&rsquo;m still singing!&nbsp;  I recovered quickly and am completely cancer free to this day.

Although the cancer treatments destroyed my saliva glands and the ability to produce saliva (which did affect everything from singing to eating), the Lord healed me while on a mission trip to Mexico shortly after my recovery. &nbsp; The believers in Juarez, Mexico had faith to pray and believe that the Lord would restore me in this area.&nbsp; Three days later, the saliva glands were functioning again and I am so grateful for every prayer of faith and encouragement that has seen me to this point of restoration.
&ldquo;What, then, shall we say in response to this?&nbsp; If God is for us, who can be against us?&rdquo;  Romans 8:31

Claire Iffla
 If you have good news to share with the First Assembly Community, give us a call at 403 253 7136 ext. 239....]]></description>
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				<title>All I Need is You Lord....by Sarah Gilman</title>
				<link>http://www.fachurch.com/fachurch/events.php?type=blog&amp;id=177</link>
				<guid>http://www.fachurch.com/fachurch/events.php?type=blog&amp;id=177</guid>
				<description><![CDATA[

Lately, in all of our prayer and worship  times here we've been singing,  &ldquo;all I need is You, Lord, is You Lord;  all I need is you.&rdquo; I've sung  this song before... But, then the Lord began to ask me. &ldquo;Sarah,  is this really true?&rdquo; I was  going to reply, &ldquo;Yes, Lord, it is.&rdquo;   But, then...   I realized it wasn't.   I also need air conditioning.  I also need to sleep through the night.  I need to have no mosquitoes flying around  me when I'm in the bathroom,  or just sitting in my house. I  need no  cockroaches crawling on me when I  sleep or take a shower. I need to not  sweat and stink at all times. I  need clean clothes. I need new  clothes. I need to not have sweat pouring  down my face while I'm  teaching in school. I need to have some  independence to be able to go  off the base and not always in larger  groups. I need to not have the  electricity go our five times when I am  watching a film. I need my food  in the fridge to not go moldy because we  only have electricity for  half the day every day. I need it to not be  so hot. I need to eat more  fruits and vegetables. I need to be able to  call my mom and tell her  that I love her.   That's  when it all started. Last week I called my family on Skype. My  mom  couldn't hear me, she kept saying, &ldquo;I can't hear you Sarah! But, I  just  need to tell you that I love you so much.&rdquo; She couldn't hear me  say,  that &ldquo;I loved her too&rdquo;. Then my sister got on the phone. For two  hours  we tried to talk. We got in about 20 minutes of talking, and that  was  mostly, &ldquo;hello, can you hear me?&rdquo; And the internet kept cutting out.  My  sister was able to talk to me, but every time I would try to talk to   her, she couldn't hear, me and Skype would cut out. My sister, (Naomi)   was telling me all about the kindness of the Lord, and there I was,   sitting in the back of our school because that's the only place I could   connect to the internet. I had sweat pouring down my face from the  heat,  and cockroaches and misquotes here and there around me. I wasn't   feeling the kindness of the Lord right then.   That's when the Lord asked me. &ldquo;Sarah, is it  true that all you need is  Me?&rdquo;   &ldquo;No, Lord&rdquo;, I replied, &ldquo;there are other things too.&rdquo;   I cried all day and the next.   I didn't know that the Lord was  actually working inside my heart.   First, as I began to share my frustrations  and fears, others started  opening up too. There seemed to be a softness  come between myself and my  friends.   And then... I was SO tired, but I decided to  go to a particular prayer  meeting we were having on Base one night. I  was an hour and a half late  (they were ending) but I had just finished  teaching a ballet class to  girls from the street so I hadn't been free  to join earlier.   As I  entered the prayer room they were all singing, &ldquo;Here O Lord, have I   prepared for You a home; long have I, desired for You to dwell; here oh   Lord, have I prepared a resting place. Here O Lord, I wait for You   alone.&rdquo; I got on my knees and started weeping.   I have sung this song, and prayed this  prayer, since I was a little  girl.   This is still the desire of my heart.   The Lord began to soften my heart.   I keep reading the  story of the lady in the Bible who came to Jesus,  poured out expensive  perfume on the feet of Jesus, and then washed His  feet with her own  hair.   The people around  were so upset, and said, &ldquo;what a waste of perfume!&rdquo;  They said things  like, &ldquo;there is so much good you can do with the money  if she had just  sold the perfume.&rdquo; &ldquo;What a waste.&rdquo;   I keep thinking about this lady. Taking  something of such value and  pouring it on the feet of Jesus.  I've  decided it's because she knew who  Jesus was. It wasn't a waste like the  people around her thought.   Whatever, and whoever this lady was. She knew who Jesus was.  She knew  that the best thing she could do, is take all she had and pour  it on at  the feet of Jesus. She didn't stop there. She then washed His  feet, with  her own hair. Her precious hair. She washed the feet of  Jesus.   I want to be  like this lady.   I wrote  in my journal yesterday. &ldquo;Lord, I want you to be all I need.  But, I am  scared to say that out loud. Oh Wow. I just realized Lord that  I have  nothing to fear. If you really are all that I need, then even if  I  really have nothing else, it will be OK. I don't need to be afraid.   Lord, I say, 'all I need is You.&rdquo;   I realized that through these days the Lord  has actually been having me  fall more in love with Him. And then as I  love Jesus more, I'm seeing  His love for me. Actually, it's who Jesus  is and His love for me, that  makes me Love Him more and more.   Lord, I am amazed by You!  
Lord Jesus, you are Good, You are Kind, You are Faithful, Your  love is Steadfast. You are the Comforter, You are my Protector, You are  my Friend, You are my Savior, You are the Lover of my soul, You are the  Healer, You are the Redeemer, You are the one that sets the captives  free, You are the Deliver, You are the Prince of Peace, the Lord of all  Lords, You are the  King of all Kings, You are the great I AM, You are  the beginning and  the end, You are always with me, You are my Provider,  You are Holy, You  are worthy, You are wonderful, You are beautiful,  You are the warrior,  You have already won the victory, you have all the  power, You are Jesus, You are the Messiah, You are Christ, You are God  Most  High. And I love you! 
Because You're Jesus. I love You.
&nbsp;- Sarah Gilman - 

...]]></description>
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				<title>All I Need is You Lord....by Sarah Gilman </title>
				<link>http://www.fachurch.com/fachurch/events.php?type=blog&amp;id=176</link>
				<guid>http://www.fachurch.com/fachurch/events.php?type=blog&amp;id=176</guid>
				<description><![CDATA[Lately, in all of our prayer and worship times here we've been singing,  &ldquo;all I need is You, Lord, is You Lord; all I need is you.&rdquo; I've sung  this song before...   But, then the Lord began to ask me. &ldquo;Sarah, is this really true?&rdquo; I was  going to reply, &ldquo;Yes, Lord, it is.&rdquo;   But, then...   I realized it wasn't.   I also need air conditioning.  I also need to sleep through the night.  I need to have no mosquitoes flying around me when I'm in the bathroom,  or just sitting in my house. I  need no cockroaches crawling on me when I  sleep or take a shower. I need to not sweat and stink at all times. I  need clean clothes. I need new clothes. I need to not have sweat pouring  down my face while I'm teaching in school. I need to have some  independence to be able to go off the base and not always in larger  groups. I need to not have the electricity go our five times when I am  watching a film. I need my food in the fridge to not go moldy because we  only have electricity for half the day every day. I need it to not be  so hot. I need to eat more fruits and vegetables. I need to be able to  call my mom and tell her that I love her.   That's when it all started. Last week I called my family on Skype. My  mom couldn't hear me, she kept saying, &ldquo;I can't hear you Sarah! But, I  just need to tell you that I love you so much.&rdquo; She couldn't hear me  say, that &ldquo;I loved her too&rdquo;. Then my sister got on the phone. For two  hours we tried to talk. We got in about 20 minutes of talking, and that  was mostly, &ldquo;hello, can you hear me?&rdquo; And the internet kept cutting out.  My sister was able to talk to me, but every time I would try to talk to  her, she couldn't hear, me and Skype would cut out. My sister, (Naomi)  was telling me all about the kindness of the Lord, and there I was,  sitting in the back of our school because that's the only place I could  connect to the internet. I had sweat pouring down my face from the heat,  and cockroaches and misquotes here and there around me. I wasn't  feeling the kindness of the Lord right then.   That's when the Lord asked me. &ldquo;Sarah, is it true that all you need is  Me?&rdquo;   &ldquo;No, Lord&rdquo;, I replied, &ldquo;there are other things too.&rdquo;   I cried all day and the next.   I didn't know that the Lord was actually working inside my heart.   First, as I began to share my frustrations and fears, others started  opening up too. There seemed to be a softness come between myself and my  friends.   And then... I was SO tired, but I decided to go to a particular prayer  meeting we were having on Base one night. I was an hour and a half late  (they were ending) but I had just finished teaching a ballet class to  girls from the street so I hadn't been free to join earlier.   As I entered the prayer room they were all singing, &ldquo;Here O Lord, have I  prepared for You a home; long have I, desired for You to dwell; here oh  Lord, have I prepared a resting place. Here O Lord, I wait for You  alone.&rdquo; I got on my knees and started weeping.   I have sung this song, and prayed this prayer, since I was a little  girl.   This is still the desire of my heart.   The Lord began to soften my heart.   I keep reading the story of the lady in the Bible who came to Jesus,  poured out expensive perfume on the feet of Jesus, and then washed His  feet with her own hair.   The people around were so upset, and said, &ldquo;what a waste of perfume!&rdquo;  They said things like, &ldquo;there is so much good you can do with the money  if she had just sold the perfume.&rdquo; &ldquo;What a waste.&rdquo;   I keep thinking about this lady. Taking something of such value and  pouring it on the feet of Jesus.  I've decided it's because she knew who  Jesus was. It wasn't a waste like the people around her thought.   Whatever, and whoever this lady was. She knew who Jesus was. She knew  that the best thing she could do, is take all she had and pour it on at  the feet of Jesus. She didn't stop there. She then washed His feet, with  her own hair. Her precious hair. She washed the feet of Jesus.   I want to be like this lady.   I wrote in my journal yesterday. &ldquo;Lord, I want you to be all I need.  But, I am scared to say that out loud. Oh Wow. I just realized Lord that  I have nothing to fear. If you really are all that I need, then even if  I really have nothing else, it will be OK. I don't need to be afraid.  Lord, I say, 'all I need is You.&rdquo;   I realized that through these days the Lord has actually been having me  fall more in love with Him. And then as I love Jesus more, I'm seeing  His love for me. Actually, it's who Jesus is and His love for me, that  makes me Love Him more and more.   Lord, I am amazed by You!  
Lord Jesus, you are Good, You are Kind, You are Faithful, Your love is Steadfast. You are the Comforter, You are my Protector, You are my Friend, You are my Savior, You are the Lover of my soul, You are the Healer, You are the Redeemer, You are the one that sets the captives free, You are the Deliver, You are the Prince of Peace, the Lord of all Lords, You are the  King of all Kings, You are the great I AM, You are the beginning and  the end, You are always with me, You are my Provider, You are Holy, You  are worthy, You are wonderful, You are beautiful, You are the warrior,  You have already won the victory, you have all the power, You are Jesus, You are the Messiah, You are Christ, You are God Most  High. And I love you! 
Because You're Jesus. I love You.
&nbsp;- Sarah Gilman - ...]]></description>
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				<title>The Time is Now! Watch This Video!</title>
				<link>http://www.fachurch.com/fachurch/events.php?type=blog&amp;id=172</link>
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				<description><![CDATA[








This is a powerful video! The time is now Tehillah....The time is now.......]]></description>
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				<title>Principles for the Prophetic</title>
				<link>http://www.fachurch.com/fachurch/events.php?type=blog&amp;id=171</link>
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				<description><![CDATA[What a wonderful nigh last night at Tehillah! We were seeing new things activated by the Holy Spirit and there was such a sweet fragrance of worship in the room. The gifts of prophecy that were being released and the prayers that were being lifted up were beautiful. I felt motivated by Keith&rsquo;s encouragement to step out of the box and not be an observer in the church but to be missional in our approach to doing church.&nbsp; So I decided to do some research on prophecy and I found the following ten principles for using prophecy. I hope they will bring you increased knowledge in this area of spiritual gifting.
1. Cleanness Before the Lord
Confess Your Sins. Since prophecy results from the combining of the human and divine, it is your responsibility to have your heart clean before God prior to both receiving and giving a prophecy. All of those who intend to use this gift should make it a habit of confessing and asking forgiveness for any area of our life or act we have committed against the Lord.
2. Unforgiveness
Unforgiveness is one of the major sins that blocks the flow of the Spirit in prophecy. Unforgiveness not only blocks you from getting a prophecy but is a chief reason why false prophecies occur. Make an effort to forgive those who have wronged you and make a commitment to work on forgiveness in all areas in your life.
3. Worship
Prophesy is poured out in worship. There is a close relationship between worship and prophesy. 1 Chron. 25:1 - certain people are set aside "for the ministry of prophesy, accompanied by musical instruments." So we need to learn how to worship in a way that creates an atmosphere that invites the Spirit to fall upon us in power.
Worship should flow from praise to intimacy with God. The underlying attitude of worship is that we are to bow down before God. Such a response is a sign of submission to God. It is an act of homage, awe, reverence, and above all, humility.
4. Insecurity
A major block to receiving prophecy is insecurity. Insecurity comes because you might have been emotional hurt in the past and feel, perhaps unconsciously, that you'll be hurt in the future. While God's intention is that the "soil of our hearts" are to be tended and nurtured first in a solid family life and next in our early interactions with others, it's a sad fact that often this isn't the case.
Negativity Towards People and Life
One result of insecurity is behavior and lifestyle that becomes negative. You avoid people and people avoid you. Your approach to life becomes defensive &mdash; an avoidance of intimacy with others. Sadly this leeches into our relationship with God. We avoid the intimacy with him too. But this isn't the only way we react to hurt.
Control
One other impediment to receiving prophecy flows from another type of defensive action-- control. The hurt person seeks to control their environment as much as possible. They want to know exactly where the body is going with the flow of the Spirit. They gain comfort in a predictable structure. But the nature of the prophetic gift is surprise. If we knew what God was saying all the time, we wouldn't need prophecy.
Worship frees us from some of the insecurities we might have. It helps us to act in an attitude in which we trust God. The worship which God delights in flows freely from the heart. Prophecy flows out of worship and adoration of God.
5. Faith
Prophecy is poured out in an atmosphere of faith. The Spirit is unleashed by our worship. We need to allow time to sense that Holy Spirit is fellowshipping among us. We need to believe with absolute faith that God is with us right now. He is among us right now.
6. Love
"Follow the way of love and eagerly desire the spiritual gifts, especially the gift of prophecy (1 Corin. 14:1)." Prophecy's purpose always stems from love and comes forth in an atmosphere of love.
Love Builds Up
The purpose of the gift of prophesy is to edify - to build up worshiping people. It's for "edification, encouragement and comfort." (1 Corin. 14:3). Prophecy can't be separated from its loving intentions.
Servant's Heart
Love emanates from having the heart of a servant. If we're servants of the King, we'll do his work. And his work is poured out through showing the love we have for others. Prophesy is no different from other acts of kindness. Other evidence that prophecy is an act of love are that it can be used to bring unbelievers to the Lord. (1 Corin. 14:24-5) or to provide a revelation of the future that aids a believer.
7. Desire It
"Do not quench the spirit's fire; do not treat prophesies with contempt (1 Thess. 5:19). It is a person's faith that allows the power of God to be manifested in prophecy. "If a man's gift is prophecy, let him use it in proportion to his faith." (Rom. 12:6).
8. Judging It
Focus on God, Not on Receiving a Word
How do I identify a word from God amidst the many thoughts that will go through your mind when the time for prophecy begins. If all can prophecy, which I believe is the case, then there must be a way to teach others to do this. Usually the first step in receiving a prophecy begins with an attitude that focuses on God, not on getting a word from him.
Forms of Hearing
The Holy Spirit will impress something upon your conscious mind. It may come in a verbal form (a particular word, thought, Scripture), visual form (image, picture, scene, vision), mood form (words, scenes, or feelings that convey to you a particular emotion or mood. The prophecy may be given either by words or by describing the visual image.
When you begin you receive one form, it may transfer into another as the anointing increases.
Submitting What You Receive
Prophecy needs to be judged and the prophet needs to be a person under authority. It is necessary for those who speak in Lord's name be accountable for what they say. This is best done when people are known by the leadership of the church or gathering. A prophet is a humble person.
9. Scripture
A prophecy must be consistent with scripture&ndash;bringing "edification, encouragement, or comfort," or it shouldn't be given. Congregational prophecy generally must be in the flow of what the Spirit has said in a preceding prophecy. Its content may be different, but words from God proceed in an easy-to-follow flow. (Ex. If the Holy Spirit gives a word of comfort, other words of comfort will follow. Next, words may take on a character of instruction for the purpose of edification.)
10. Timing
Most prophetic errors coming from humble, submitted, repentant, and righteous people are the result of problems with timing. When we enter the spiritual realm, there is an immediacy to the experience. A prophecy seems to yearn to be given so that the earthly realm might reflect the reality of the spiritual. The mature prophet recognizes two errors in this realm. First, certain words are to be given immediately while others are to be held internally, either till a "release" is given to the prophet or the realization that the purpose is for them to intercede. Secondly, the sense of immediacy in prophecy may lead the prophet to believe that the fulfillment of the prophecy is imminent. So they give the word and it doesn't seem to come to pass. If we watched for a long enough period of time, we could appreciate the truth of the word. The error was that in the giving of the word it was made to seem that the fulfillment would be more immediate.
Peace and Love
Ariel Wood...]]></description>
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				<title>Why Plant Churches?</title>
				<link>http://www.fachurch.com/fachurch/events.php?type=blog&amp;id=170</link>
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				<description><![CDATA[WHY PLANT CHURCHES
By Tim Keller
Introduction
The vigorous, continual planting of new congregations is the single most crucial strategy for 1) the numerical growth of the Body of Christ in any city, and 2) the continual corporate renewal and revival of the existing churches in a city. Nothing else--not crusades, outreach programs, para-church ministries, growing mega-churches, congregational consulting, nor church renewal processes--will have the consistent impact of dynamic, extensive church planting. This is an eyebrow raising statement. But to those who have done any study at all, it is not even controversial.
The normal response to discussions about church planting is something like this:
A.'We already have plenty of churches that have lots and lots of room for all the new people who have come to the area. Let's get them filled before we go off building any new ones."
B.'Every church in this community used to be more full than it is now. The churchgoing public is a 'shrinking pie'. A new church here will just take people from churches already hurting and weaken everyone.'
C.'Help the churches that are struggling first. A new church doesn't help the ones we have that are just keeping their nose above water. We need better churches, not more churches.'
These statements appear to be 'common sense' to many people, but they rest on several wrong assumptions. The error of this thinking will become clear if we ask 'Why is church planting so crucially important?' Because--
A. We want to be true to THE BIBLICAL MANDATE
1. Jesus' essential call was to plant churches. Virtually all the great evangelistic challenges of the New Testament are basically calls to plant churches, not simply to share the faith. The 'Great Commission' (Matt.28: 18-20) is not just a call to 'make disciples' but to 'baptize'. In Acts and elsewhere, it is clear that baptism means incorporation into a worshipping community with accountability and boundaries (cf. Acts 2:41-47). The only way to be truly sure you are increasing the number of Christians in a town is to increase the number of churches. Why? Much traditional evangelism aims to get a &lsquo;decision&rsquo; for Christ. Experience, however, shows us that many of these 'decisions' disappear and never result in changed lives. Why? Many, many decisions are not really conversions, but often only the beginning of a journey of seeking God. (Other decisions are very definitely the moment of a 'new birth', but this differs from person to person.) Only a person who is being 'evangelized' in the context of an on-going worshipping and shepherding community can be sure of finally coming home into vital, saving faith. This is why a leading missiologist like C.Peter Wagner can say, "Planting new churches is the most effective evangelistic methodology known under heaven."1 
2. Paul's whole strategy was to plant urban churches. The greatest missionary in history, St.Paul, had a rather simple, two-fold strategy. First, he went into the largest city of the region (cf. Acts 16:9,12), and second, he planted churches in each city (cf. Titus 1:5-
1 C.Peter Wagner, Strategies for Growth (Glendale: Regal, 1987), p. 168.
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"appoint elders in every town"). Once Paul had done that, he could say that he had 'fully preached' the gospel in a region and that he had 'no more work' to do there (cf. Romans 15:19,23). This means Paul had two controlling assumptions: a) that the way to most permanently influence a country was through its chief cities, and b) the way to most permanently influence a city was to plant churches in it. Once he had accomplished this in a city, he moved on. He knew that the rest that needed to happen would follow.
Response: 'But,' many people say, 'that was in the beginning. Now the country (at least our country) is filled with churches. Why is church planting important now?" We also plant churches because--
B. We want to be true to THE GREAT COMMISSION. Some facts--
1. New churches best reach a) new generations, b) new residents, and c) new people groups. First (a) younger adults have always been disproportionately found in newer congregations. Long-established congregations develop traditions (such as time of worship, length of service, emotional responsiveness, sermon topics, leadership-style, emotional atmosphere, and thousands of other tiny customs and mores), which reflect the sensibilities of long-time leaders from the older generations who have the influence and money to control the church life. This does not reach younger generations. Second, (b) new residents are almost always reached better by new congregations. In older congregations, it may require tenure of 10 years before you are allowed into places of leadership and influence, but in a new church, new residents tend to have equal power with long-time area residents.
Last, (c) new socio-cultural groups in a community are always reached better by new congregations. For example, if new white-collar commuters move into an area where the older residents were farmers, it is likely that a new church will be more receptive to the myriad of needs of the new residents, while the older churches will continue to be oriented to the original social group. And new racial groups in a community are best reached by a new church that is intentionally multi-ethnic from the start. For example: if an all-Anglo neighborhood becomes 33% Hispanic, a new, deliberately bi-racial church will be far more likely to create 'cultural space' for newcomers than will an older church in town. Finally, brand new immigrant groups nearly always can only be reached by churches ministering in their own language. If we wait until a new group is assimilated into American culture enough to come to our church, we will wait for years without reaching out to them.
[Note: Often, a new congregation for a new people-group can be planted within the overall structure of an existing church. It may be a new Sunday service at another time, or a new network of house churches that are connected to a larger, already existing congregation. Nevertheless, though it may technically not be a new independent congregation, it serves the same function.]
In summary, new congregations empower new people and new peoples much more quickly and readily than can older churches. Thus they always have and always will reach them with greater facility than long-established bodies. This means, of course, that church planting is not only for 'frontier regions' or 'pagan' countries that we are trying to see become Christian. Christian countries will have to maintain vigorous, extensive church planting simply to stay Christian!
2. New churches best reach the unchurched--period. Dozens of denominational studies have confirmed that the average new church gains most of its new members (60-80%) from the ranks of people who are not attending any worshipping body, while churches over 10-
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15 years of age gain 80-90% of new members by transfer from other congregations.2 This means that the average new congregation will bring 6-8 times more new people into the life of the Body of Christ than an older congregation of the same size.
So though established congregations provide many things that newer churches often cannot, older churches in general will never be able to match the effectiveness of new bodies in reaching people for the kingdom. Why would this be? As a congregation ages, powerful internal institutional pressures lead it to allocate most of its resources and energy toward the concerns of its members and constituents, rather than toward those outside its walls. This is natural and to a great degree desirable. Older congregations therefore have a stability and steadiness that many people thrive on and need. This does not mean that established churches cannot win new people. In fact, many non-Christians will only be reached by churches with long roots in the community and the trappings of stability and respectability.
However, new congregations, in general, are forced to focus on the needs of its non-members, simply in order to get off the ground. So many of its leaders have come very recently from the ranks of the un-churched, that the congregation is far more sensitive to the concerns of the non-believer. Also, in the first two years of our Christian walk, we have far more close, face-to-face relationships with non-Christians than we do later. Thus a congregation filled with people fresh from the ranks of the un-churched will have the power to invite and attract many more non-believers into the events and life of the church than will the members of the typical established body.
What does this mean practically? If we want to reach our city--should we try to renew older congregations to make them more evangelistic, or should we plant lots of new churches? But that question is surely a false either-or dichotomy. We should do both! Nevertheless, all we have been saying proves that, despite the occasional exceptions, the only widescale way to bring in lots of new Christians to the Body of Christ in a permanent way is to plant new churches.
To throw this into relief, imagine Town-A and Town-B and Town-C are the same size, and they each have 100 churches of 100 persons each. But in Town-A, all the churches are over 15 years old, and then the overall number of active Christian churchgoers in that town will be shrinking, even if four or five of the churches get very 'hot' and double in attendance. In Town-B, 5 of the churches are under 15 years old, and they along with several older congregations are winning new people to Christ, but this only offsets the normal declines of the older churches. Thus the overall number of active Christian churchgoers in that town will be staying the same. Finally, in Town-C, 30 of the churches are under 15 years old. In this town, the overall number of active Christian churchgoers will be on a path to grow 50% in a generation.3 
Response: 'But,' many people say, 'what about all the existing churches that need help? You seem to be ignoring them.' Not at all. We also plant churches because--
C. We want to continually RENEW THE WHOLE BODY OF CHRIST.
It is a great mistake to think that we have to choose between church planting and church renewal. Strange as it may seem, the planting of new churches in a city is one of the very best
2 Lyle Schaller, quoted in D.McGavran and G.Hunter, Church Growth: Strategies that Work (Nashville: Abingdon, 1980), p. 100. See C.Kirk Hadaway, New Churches and Church Growth in the Southern Baptist Convention (Nashville: Broadman, 1987).
3 See Lyle Schaller, 44 Questions for Church Planters (Nashville: Abingdon, 1991), p.12. Schaller talks about 'The 1% Rule'. Each year any association of churches should plant new congregations at the rate of 1% of their existing total--otherwise, that association will be in decline. That is just 'maintenance'. If an association wants to grow 50%+, it must plant 2-3% per year.
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ways to revitalize many older churches in the vicinity and renew the whole Body of Christ. Why?
1. First, the new churches bring new ideas to the whole Body. There is plenty of resistance to the idea that we need to plant new churches to reach the constant stream of 'new' groups and generations and residents. Many congregations insist that all available resources should be used to find ways of helping existing churches reach them. However, there is no better way to teach older congregations about new skills and methods for reaching new people groups than by planting new churches. It is the new churches that will have freedom to be innovative and they become the 'Research and Development' department for the whole Body in the city. Often the older congregations were too timid to try a particular approach or were absolutely sure it would 'not work here'. But when the new church in town succeeds wildly with some new method, the other churches eventually take notice and get the courage to try it themselves.
2. Second, new churches are one of the best ways to surface creative, strong leaders for the whole Body. In older congregations, leaders emphasize tradition, tenure, routine, and kinship ties. New congregations, on the other hand, attract a higher percentage of venturesome people who value creativity, risk, innovation and future orientation. Many of these men and women would never be attracted or compelled into significant ministry apart from the appearance of these new bodies. Often older churches 'box out' many people with strong leadership skills who cannot work in more traditional settings. New churches thus attract and harness many people in the city whose gifts would otherwise not be utilized in the work of the Body. These new leaders benefit the whole city-Body eventually.
3. Third, the new churches challenge other churches to self-examination. The "success" of new churches often challenges older congregations in general to evaluate themselves in substantial ways. Sometimes it is only in contrast with a new church that older churches can finally define their own vision, specialties, and identity. Often the growth of the new congregation gives the older churches hope that 'it can be done', and may even bring about humility and repentance for defeatist and pessimistic attitudes. Sometimes, new congregations can partner with older churches to mount ministries that neither could do by themselves.
4. Fourth, the new church may be an 'evangelistic feeder' for a whole community. The new church often produces many converts who end up in older churches for a variety of reasons. Sometimes the new church is very exciting and outward facing but is also very unstable or immature in its leadership. Thus some converts cannot stand the tumultuous changes that regularly come through the new church and they move to an existing church. Sometimes the new church reaches a person for Christ, but the new convert quickly discovers that he or she does not 'fit' the socio-economic make up of the new congregation, and gravitates to an established congregation where the customs and culture feels more familiar. Ordinarily, the new churches of a city produce new people not only for themselves, but for the older bodies as well.
Sum: Vigorous church planting is one of the best ways to renew the existing churches of a city, as well as the best single way to grow the whole Body of Christ in a city.
There is one more reason why it is good for the existing churches of the region to initiate or at least support the planting of churches in a given area. We plant churches&mdash;
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D. As an exercise in KINGDOM-MINDEDNESS
All in all, church planting helps an existing church the best when the new congregation is voluntarily 'birthed' by an older 'mother' congregation. Often the excitement and new leaders and new ministries and additional members and income 'washes back' into the mother church in various ways and strengthens and renews it. Though there is some pain in seeing good friends and some leaders go away to form a new church, the mother church usually experiences a surge of high self-esteem and an influx of new enthusiastic leaders and members.
However, a new church in the community usually confronts churches with a major issue--the issue of 'kingdom-mindedness'. New churches, as we have seen, draw most of their new members (up to 80%) from the ranks of the unchurched, but they will always attract some people out of existing churches. That is inevitable. At this point, the existing churches, in a sense, have a question posed to them: "Are we going to rejoice in the 80%--the new people that the kingdom has gained through this new church, or are we going to bemoan and resent the three families we lost to it?" In other words, our attitude to new church development is a test of whether our mindset is geared to our own institutional turf, or to the overall health and prosperity of the kingdom of God in the city.
Any church that is more upset by their own small losses rather than the kingdoms large gains is betraying its narrow interests. Yet, as we have seen, the benefits of new church planting to older congregations is very great, even if that may not be obvious initially.
SUMMARY
If we briefly glance at the objections to church planting in the introduction, we can now see the false premises beneath the statements. A. Assumes that older congregations can reach newcomers as well as new congregations. But to reach new generations and people groups will require both renewed older churches and lots of new churches. B. Assumes that new congregations will only reach current active churchgoers. But new churches do far better at reaching the unchurched, and thus they are the only way to increase the 'churchgoing pie'. C. Assumes that new church planting will only discourage older churches. There is a prospect of this, but new churches for a variety of ways, are one of the best ways to renew and revitalize older churches. D. Assumes that new churches only work where the population is growing. Actually, they reach people wherever the population is changing. If new people are coming in to replace former residents, or new groups of people are coming in--even though the net pop figure is stagnant--new churches are needed.
New church planting is the only way that we can be sure we are going to increase the number of believers in a city and one of the best ways to renew the whole Body of Christ. The evidence for this statement is strong--Biblically, sociologically, and historically. In the end, a lack of kingdom-mindedness may simply blind us to all this evidence. We must beware of that.
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APPENDIX A-
HISTORICAL LESSONS
If all this is true, there should be lots of evidence for these principles in church history--and there is.
In 1820, there was one Christian church for every 875 U.S. residents. But from 1860-1906, U.S. Protestant churches planted one new church for increase of 350 in the population, bringing the ratio by the start of WWI to just 1 church for every 430 persons. In 1906 over a third of all the congregations in the country were less than 25 years old.4 As a result, the percentage of the U.S. population involved in the life of the church rose steadily. For example, in 1776, 17% of the U.S. population was 'religious adherents', but that rose to 53% by 1916.5 
However, after WWI, especially among mainline Protestants, church planting plummeted, for a variety of reasons. One of the main reasons was the issue of 'turf'. Once the continental U.S. was covered by towns and settlements and churches and church buildings in each one, there was strong resistance from older churches to any new churches being planted in 'our neighborhood'. As we have seen above, new churches are commonly very effective at reaching new people and growing for its first couple of decades. But the vast majority of U.S. congregations reaches their peak in size during the first two or three decades of their existence and then remain on a plateau or slowly shrink.6 This is due to the factors mentioned above. They cannot assimilate well new people or groups of people as well as new churches. However, older churches have feared the competition from new churches. Mainline church congregations, with their centralized government, were the most effective in blocking new church development in their towns. As a result, however, the mainline churches have shrunk remarkably in the last 20-30 years.7 
What are the historical lessons? Church attendance and adherence overall in the United States is in decline and decreasing. This cannot be reversed in any other way than in the way it originally had been so remarkably increasing. We must plant churches at such a rate that the number of churches per 1,000 population begins to grow again, rather than decline, as it has since WWI.
4 Ibid, pp.14-26.
5 Roger Finke and Rodney Stark, The Churching of America 1776-1990 (New Brunswick: Rutgers, 1992) p.16.
6 Schaller, 44 Questions, p.23.
7 See Schaller's case that it is a lack of church planting that is one major cause of the decline of mainline Protestantism. Ibid, p.24-26. Finke and Stark show how independent churches, such as the Baptists, who have had freedom to plant churches without interference, have proliferated their numbers. Churching, p.248.
Used by Permission 6...]]></description>
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				<title>Update From Sarah Gilman In Haiti</title>
				<link>http://www.fachurch.com/fachurch/events.php?type=blog&amp;id=113</link>
				<guid>http://www.fachurch.com/fachurch/events.php?type=blog&amp;id=113</guid>
				<description><![CDATA[In October Sarah Gilman was accepted to work as a school teacher for an elementary  school in Haiti. It is a Ministry of Youth With a Mission, that is  located in St. Marc, Haiti. She was there during the eathquake and since then has been helping out in the makeshift hospital that the YWAM base created, as well as still teaching at the elementry school and helping out in anyway she can. She has seen many incredible things during her time there and she has been seeing God at work in each situation that she encounters.
She recently wrote us..... So there is this guy here that has this  vision for a prayer room. There was a meeting for it on Monday  evening after dinner. Everyone came to it. The meeting was from 6pm till  7pm. We were supposed to discuss about the prayer  meeting, but we ended up worshiping from 7pm till 7:55pm. So we discussed  that we would meet again the next day.
So everyone piled into  this upstairs room the next night. We met in a small area between the  girls and guys dorms. The reason why, was because there had been some  demonic activities there. We started worshiping; and then we ended up taking communion  together. One of the missionary kids who is 14 years old, begins to speak  out that the Lord was showing her that the bad spirits in the girls  dorm had begun to hide outside during our worship time and the demons in  the girls dorm were jealousy, contention, pride and that the girls were  letting these demons in. And that in the guys dorm there was this huge  spirit called lust, and it was being let in by the guys, and that if he  was gone all the other bad spirits would leave as well.Well&hellip;People  start weeping and repenting. Actually naming sins, and repenting from  them. It went on for ever, and then turned into more worship of the  Lord. Well finally two and a half hours later we know that we need to  end, but we&rsquo;d never discusses information about the prayer room again. As  we finished off, we did discuss, that we felt the Lord was showing us  His plan for the &ldquo;prayer room&rdquo;. And that we just need to start it.I&rsquo;ve  been so overwhelmed with the amazingness of the Lord. I&rsquo;ve been praying  for this kind of thing for so long here in Haiti. This morning we had  another really amazing time of prayer.Ok, so that&rsquo;s just the  last three days. Life is so full, and crazy, and well full and crazy. It  seems to me that each moment is full with adventure.
I keep being given more  responsibilities here on our campus. I&rsquo;ve discussed with the leaders  that I want to stay and work here long term. My ticket back to Calgary,  Alberta is on July 7th, and I need to know when I should return to  Haiti, figure out finances, and things like this. May you know  the Realness of the Lord Jesus Christ. May you know Him more today!
- Sarah Gillman...]]></description>
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				<title>Monday's Moment - March 30, 2010</title>
				<link>http://www.fachurch.com/fachurch/events.php?type=blog&amp;id=101</link>
				<guid>http://www.fachurch.com/fachurch/events.php?type=blog&amp;id=101</guid>
				<description><![CDATA[
&ldquo; You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in You. &nbsp;Trust in the LORD forever, for the LORD, the LORD is the Rock eternal.&rdquo;  &nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Isaiah 26: 3-4 
  Jesus walked the road to Jerusalem that took Him to the cross &ndash; but the story didn&rsquo;t end there! &nbsp;His death on the cross was followed by the resurrection and the empty tomb. &nbsp;The whole of the Easter story will never lose its appeal and emotion for me. &nbsp;How can one who knows the depth of love that Father God has for mankind not be moved when the Easter story is read? &nbsp;I want to take a moment and focus on the road we walk with the LORD, our spiritual death and our resurrection, &nbsp;and finally our walking away from the empty tomb.  For many years we could all say we lived in a tomb of unbelief. &nbsp;Yes, even though we are saved our lives can still be filled with unbelief which becomes like a tomb encasing us. &nbsp;Dark, lonely and full of fear. &nbsp;&nbsp;Perhaps some may still feel like they are in that tomb. &nbsp;The good news is, Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever. &nbsp;Those same sins, those same fears, those same doubts are now in His hands and He says to &nbsp;us &ndash; It is finished! &nbsp;I have taken away all those things that hinder you and weigh you down. Fear not, for I am with you. Do not be not afraid or dismayed; I will never leave you or forsake you. &nbsp;There is nothing that you can do that would make me love you any less. &nbsp;I have paid the price for your sins, you stand perfect and complete before Me.  It is the devils main goal and job to deceive us and capture us in the web of unbelief. &nbsp;I&rsquo;m sure this will be a life long battle for many of us. &nbsp;I am convinced though that not for one second can he strip us totally of our belief in Christ Jesus and the power of the cross, but he will do his upmost to try! &nbsp;I want to encourage you today to stand tall and look those lies in the face and say NO MORE, IT IS FINISHED! &nbsp;LORD I BELIEVE, NOW HELP MY UNBELIEF. &nbsp;Remember, faith as small as a mustard seed can move a mountain.  If you recall the story of the crucifixion, at one point Jesus cried: &ldquo;My God, My God, why have You forsaken me?&rdquo; &nbsp;I&rsquo;m not positive, but I will guess that at that moment He was struggling with some doubts, some fears and some unbelief. &nbsp;But He pushed through and chose to trust the Father&rsquo;s perfect love &ndash; He knew the ending to the story! &nbsp;We know the ending too. &nbsp;Our eternity will be spent with the Father in heaven &ndash; we just need to trust that God&rsquo;s Word is true and start using the Word of God as our weapon of defense against the lies of the devil in Jesus Name! &nbsp;Believe His Word Ladies. &nbsp;Speak it out &ndash; speak it out loud. &nbsp;Trust God to be true. &nbsp;Let God arise and His enemies be scattered. &nbsp;AMEN! &nbsp;Happy Easter to all my Believing Sisters. &nbsp;I love you with an everlasting love!  Pastor Sydney ...]]></description>
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				<title>Who Are We and The Roles We Play...</title>
				<link>http://www.fachurch.com/fachurch/events.php?type=blog&amp;id=96</link>
				<guid>http://www.fachurch.com/fachurch/events.php?type=blog&amp;id=96</guid>
				<description><![CDATA[Who we are and the roles we play.  I like to give people a picture of where I am when I ponder things like this, in hopes that you all can relate because you know that some of the most profound thoughts are actually passing ones you have in the middle of rush hour, on your coffee break or while doing something somewhere that sometime you may reflect on later. &nbsp;Usually profound life insight is found smack in the middle of what we refer to as the mundane.  That being said, I wouldn&rsquo;t exactly call my week mundane, I just had four teeth extracted from my face and look like I had botox in all the wrong places.  In fact, I dared go out in public today only to be told by a bank teller that I look like I had work done (botox). &nbsp;If I didn&rsquo;t find it so funny I may have thought &ldquo;oh, the nerve&rdquo;, but she was a cute little lady and it was true so I laughed or tried to without drooling.  Alright, where was I? &nbsp;Oh yes, that&sbquo;s just what my last five days has been like and it is totally unrelated to my thoughts but whatever. &nbsp;I got to thinking tonight about how easily a person can be replaced, say what?!?
 Things here at the church are ever changing and it is such a healthy, amazing and exciting thing because it&rsquo;s all good change as the kingdom moves forward. &nbsp;I was reflecting on how many different roles I have served in, being at the church for a few years and how transition is not unfamiliar. &nbsp;I thought of how I can be replaced and then something put my mind in &ldquo;linger mode&rdquo;. &nbsp;Its not so much that &ldquo;can be&rdquo; replaced but the &ldquo;roles I play&rdquo; can be learned and filled by someone else.  I thought this was just a valuable place to camp out for a bit because it is so easy to get these two things confused, 1) our role and 2) our identity (what we do vs. who we are).   We as people will always bring value to a role not the other way around because who we are is what is of value, and when we impart who we are into what we do only then, will we see amazing things happen should that investment of self be focused in the right direction.  I like this because honestly, the Kingdom of God is fluid, there are times when we are called to serve, then lead, then sew, then maybe reap!
 I think of those who are called to start something up, say a new ministry that works to bring the believers of a community together and reach the broken, in the beginning stages especially, there is so much time spent, tears cried, heart and effort invested into making this thing grow healthy there have been sacrifices and usually those leading would have had to wear many hats to nurture this dream. &nbsp;Once this dream starts to show growth and life and fruitfulness it may be time for that leader who planted to raise someone up and release them into the role of leadership over that ministry and step aside for something new like with Joshua and Moses. Moses got to lead the people of Israel around a mountain for 40 years (sucky but important part of the process) and Joshua succeeded him to then lead God&sbquo;s people into the actual promise.  My attitude about this kind of thing used to really stink, I would always feel so ripped off for people who would labor and labor and then have someone else enjoy the harvest of it but then I realized how my lines were so crossed.   First of all because &ldquo;being a crucial part&rdquo; in the &ldquo;BIG&rdquo; plan of God is, in itself the greatest honor you could ever ask for. To be used to link the chain from point A to point B, what a privilege to participate at all! To know that God created us for strategic roles is important, he fashioned us to fit into timely circumstances that are significant in the big picture, God says he knew each of our days intimately before we were even born. &nbsp;He thought us out, and so with little knowledge we often criticize what we think is not important where as God uses each of us as an important part of His picture for this world.  Secondly then how amazing is it when what we do causes others to succeed? Usually someone else is the cause for another&rsquo;s success, &nbsp;its true, think about it. &nbsp;In order for us to rise up to a place of impact or significance it is because someone has let their ceiling become our floor and we get to do this for others, how cool is that?  Finally, when we are secure in who we are (identity), no matter what role we are given, we can make it great because of who and what we sew into that role.  And that&rsquo;s what makes all the difference.   Blessings, Jaimee...]]></description>
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				<title>Steve Stewart of Impact Nations</title>
				<link>http://www.fachurch.com/fachurch/events.php?type=blog&amp;id=95</link>
				<guid>http://www.fachurch.com/fachurch/events.php?type=blog&amp;id=95</guid>
				<description><![CDATA[On Monday, March 22, Steve Stewart will be with us. Steve is the founding director of a world changing ministry called "Impact Nations" You will challenged and transformed. If you would like to know more about Impact Nations please check out their website.&nbsp;
http://www.impactnations.com
Blessings,
Pastor Keith...]]></description>
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				<title>One Of Our Very Own - Lauren Mann</title>
				<link>http://www.fachurch.com/fachurch/events.php?type=blog&amp;id=82</link>
				<guid>http://www.fachurch.com/fachurch/events.php?type=blog&amp;id=82</guid>
				<description><![CDATA[A Musician&rsquo;s Journey...
"Many are the plans in a man's heart, but it is the Lord's purpose that prevails." (Proverbs 19:21).
God's purpose in my life has definitely prevailed.&nbsp; When I was fourteen, I started playing piano on one of the youth bands, here at First Assembly. I was a very shy person, but the band really brought me out of my comfort zone, as I gained confidence and skill, made many mistakes, but learned from them. After playing on one of the Tehillah teams for around five years,  I realized that even though I loved leading worship and playing music in the church, I wanted to expand my musical influence.
I had been writing for years, so I began to put together a few songs and in August of 2008, I played my first show, at a friend's house. Since then, God has completely blessed me, not only monetarily, but with so many open doors and opportunities to spread His hope through my music to the rest of the world. It's not an easy road. Because I'm not a very outspoken person, talking about God's love with people is something I find difficult sometimes. In October 2009, I became an artist associate with World Vision, meaning that I promote child sponsorship, something that is very dear to my heart, at shows I play. Becoming part of this has really forced me to step outside my comfort zone, be bold, and speak about thingsthat I'm passionate about.
I don't really know where this road will take me, but with God by my side, I'm not worried about what will happen. I love writing songs that inspire other people and spread hope and peace, so I will continue on this journey God has led me on, no matter where it takes me.

Lauren Mann

www.myspace.com/laurenmannmusic
Photography by Suiiter Designs...]]></description>
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				<title>Thoughts on Worship </title>
				<link>http://www.fachurch.com/fachurch/events.php?type=blog&amp;id=89</link>
				<guid>http://www.fachurch.com/fachurch/events.php?type=blog&amp;id=89</guid>
				<description><![CDATA[Tehillah Monday this week was extraordinary! &nbsp;We were so honored to have Brian and Jenn Johnson lead our worship and minister through prayer and impartation. &nbsp;The atmosphere in the room was full of expectancy, hunger and joy! &nbsp;The musicians and technical crew were on top of their game and all who gathered in that room pulled on heaven in unity. &nbsp;As a result the sound of God&rsquo;s Kingdom filled our hearts. &nbsp;When all involved in a meeting are ready to worship with passion and abandonment, the results are life changing. &nbsp;  As we move forward in this incredibly exciting time at Tehillah Monday, I want to encourage you to give it your all when we worship through song. &nbsp;Monday&rsquo;s meeting reminded me that it&rsquo;s not about a band bringing &ldquo;it&rdquo;, but about all of us as one family making the deliberate choice to give glory to God. &nbsp;I have lead worship for many believers who are nothing more than spectators during the songs; waiting for their next fix. &nbsp;They may say it&rsquo;s hypocritical to worship when they don&rsquo;t feel like when in fact it&rsquo;s more hypocritical to not worship when you don&rsquo;t feel like it. &nbsp;Psalm 134, 1-3 says  &nbsp;&ldquo;Come, bless God, all you servants of God!  &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;You priests of God, posted to the night watch  &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;in God's shrine,  &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Lift your praising hands to the Holy Place,  &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;and bless God.  &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;In turn, may God of Zion bless you&mdash;  &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;God who made heaven and earth!&rdquo;  So in the coming weeks and months, let&rsquo;s really set our hearts and seeking and blessing Him during our songs. &nbsp;You guys are amazing!
- Michael Larson ...]]></description>
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				<title>A New Season, Digging Wells!</title>
				<link>http://www.fachurch.com/fachurch/events.php?type=blog&amp;id=83</link>
				<guid>http://www.fachurch.com/fachurch/events.php?type=blog&amp;id=83</guid>
				<description><![CDATA[It's a new season at TM and we are believing God for even "greater things" (John 14:12) as HE transforms us individually as we gather together. Our hope is, as we are transformed, we would be a people that live and speak the same message within our culture, a message of hope, of justice, of miracles and of love.&nbsp; A message that will change darkness of a man&rsquo;s hearts and that will overcome a culture driven by selfish ambition and fear.
As I have been reflecting on this new season I believe God spoke a clear word to my heart "I am digging up old wells and starting new one's". You might ask, "what does that even mean?" Let me explain.
Isaiah 12:3 says:
&ldquo;With joy you will draw water&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;from the wells of salvation.&rdquo;
John 4:13-14 says:
Jesus said, "Everyone who drinks this water will get thirsty again and again. Anyone who drinks the water I give will never thirst&mdash;not ever. The water I give will be an artesian spring within, gushing fountains of endless life."
Tehillah has a rich heritage of experiencing the presence and power of God. These experiences were not contained within the four walls of the church. It captivated the hearts of the broken, the lost, and those who believed there was more to God than just attending service. Thousands have heard and experienced the gospel message and responded with passion and zeal. I have met many people in my travels who have said their experience at Tehillah Monday set them on a journey with God that radically transformed their lives. I believe that is the Holy Spirit &ldquo;dna&rdquo; of Tehillah.
Tehillah has established wells that refreshed the church, the broken and the lost. Not just in Calgary but all over the earth. God is saying to us &ldquo;I am not done&hellip;&rdquo; He wants us to continue digging new wells that will bring times of refreshing, of salvation, of healing, of worship, of justice. He is calling us to dig wells that bring forth water to a generation who is thirsting for something more, something real, something tangible.
God wants to establish more wells through the expansion of Tehillah, in the expression of new communities and gatherings that will break new ground in new locations as the Holy Spirit leads. We are currently focused on the community of Canmore. We hope to launch a new life giving gathering that will serve the community of Canmore in the spring/summer 2010.
We can dig new wells of justice. One of our missions in this new season at TM is to bring awareness to plight of those children who are exploited all over the world. However, bringing awareness isn&rsquo;t enough. We want to respond with tenacity, wisdom and concern. So in the coming months you will see and hear more about this!
We encourage you to be intentional about digging new wells at your school, in the marketplace, your churches and remember everywhere you step is Holy ground as the spirit of God is within you! Let it out!!!
We are excited and anticipating so much in this new season. It&rsquo;s all about Him, for Him and because of Him. &ldquo;In him we live, move and have our being&rdquo; Acts 17:28
Blessings,
Pastor Keith&nbsp;...]]></description>
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				<title>Midnight Musings...</title>
				<link>http://www.fachurch.com/fachurch/events.php?type=blog&amp;id=87</link>
				<guid>http://www.fachurch.com/fachurch/events.php?type=blog&amp;id=87</guid>
				<description><![CDATA[I got home late tonight; it's just after twelve and its bedtime. I blissfully utilize my newly inherited espresso machine and make something decaf before hitting the sack. And as I am unwinding, thoughts are bidding my mind farewell like a southbound train. I'm stewing over what it means to become like a child. These days I am finding the simple things in life valuable and appealing, I guess I am tired of making things complicated and so I endeavor to learn the art of grasping simple truths..
 &nbsp; In Matthew 18 Jesus says that "unless you become like a child you will never enter the kingdom of heaven." I wonder what that means for me? &nbsp;I wonder where it applies...Tonight I think that perhaps it is speaking to the reasoning and the expectations I come to God with and how it affects my ability to perceive what he is doing. &nbsp;If you look at children they are perceptive, instinctive, discerning, vulnerable, trusting, cautious and most of all willing. &nbsp;They don't take every single thing as true yet there is such innocence because they have little life experience. &nbsp;I think about how much I have changed over the past 10 years of my life, some parts of me have become jaded by the pain of life. Other parts of me have grown deeply to know and taste the faithfulness and goodness of God through seasons of growth and blessing I could not have dreamed up. &nbsp;All of this experience good and bad has brought me to a place where I now have expectations. &nbsp;Eg. "I know how God has moved in my life before therefore...this is what it looks like." Or, "this did not work out well in the past, I am not going to try this again in a different situation"... etc... we come up with methods of perceiving life according to what we have experienced most often. &nbsp;And I wonder if God is now doing something new and I wonder if for us to fully participate with Him we need to lay down all of those things that we think we know about how he moves and just be willing to be children and he be God.  
I wonder what He will do and what we will see when all we are is open...hand in hand with being wise and discerning...deeply trusting and hoping and most of all boiling over with anticipation like a child.
&nbsp;
Blessings,
Jaimee Turner...]]></description>
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				<title>Update from Dave Sawler in Tehillah Cape Breton</title>
				<link>http://www.fachurch.com/fachurch/events.php?type=blog&amp;id=46</link>
				<guid>http://www.fachurch.com/fachurch/events.php?type=blog&amp;id=46</guid>
				<description><![CDATA[Currently Dave and Shirl sawler oversee Tehillah Cape Breton. They have a young adult ministry that has consisted of small groups. It is a separate entity from the church and has most of the leadership involvement of people from different church bodies. They are in a season of transition. He is speaking with his core of leaders to plan for the fall and envision what it will look like. They have recently seen quite a bit of growth in their small groups so are planning for expansion and looking for ways to steward their growth....]]></description>
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				<title>Monday's Moment - March 1st</title>
				<link>http://www.fachurch.com/fachurch/events.php?type=blog&amp;id=81</link>
				<guid>http://www.fachurch.com/fachurch/events.php?type=blog&amp;id=81</guid>
				<description><![CDATA[“Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.”  Hebrews 4:16 

The definition of confidence is “a trusting relationship; feeling of self assurance”  Throughout the entire book of Hebrews the writer points out that Jesus is “better than.”  Better than sacrifice, better than the angels, better than Moses and better than the former regulations.  Jesus is the High Priest of our confession and we are to hold fast to our confession of faith.  Then we are told to approach the throne of grace with confidence – that feeling of self assurance; self assured that we are in a “trusting relationship” with the One who is better than all the rest.

I  love the King James version of Hebrews 4:16 that says we are to “come boldly before the throne of grace.”  Here I go again with my imagination of coming boldly – without reservation, without inhibitions  without fear and self doubt.  I can’t imagine a child being fearful of coming to their parents when they have a need.  In writing this, Jacob Moores comes to my mind.  When he enters a room, he comes in with confidence, no fear, he just arrives and knows that this is where he belongs.  I love that boy!

Let’s face it ladies, we all have needs and we are all in need of mercy and grace.  So often thoughts of unworthiness captivate our minds and we cower away from the very place and the very One who can help us.  Our thoughts will always be colored by the attitudes of our heart.  Sometimes our heart is deceitful above all else, and we get deceived into believing it’s always right.  What is our thought life in agreement with?  Is our thought life lining up with the Word of God and in agreement with what God says, or is it tainted with thoughts of self gratification and self advancement?  Have we been deceived,  like Eve in the Garden of Eden into thinking that what God says is just a little short of the truth.

What if we dare ourselves to believe God?  What if we choose to believe that the Word of God is  living and active, sharper than a two-edged sword.  What if we believe that God’s Word will penetrate and divide our soulish self from the Spirit of God in us.  What if we take God at His Word and run boldly, trusting - with confidence and assurance, to His throne of Grace so that we might receive mercy and grace to help us in our times of need.  What if ....

I’m Believing God,
Pastor Sydney 

...]]></description>
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				<title>Vulnerable Children in Haiti </title>
				<link>http://www.fachurch.com/fachurch/events.php?type=blog&amp;id=67</link>
				<guid>http://www.fachurch.com/fachurch/events.php?type=blog&amp;id=67</guid>
				<description><![CDATA[We have all marveled at how the world is responding to the crisis in Haiti, sending money and relief efforts. Indeed there is much to celebrate. However, there is a growing dark side, those that respond to chaos with evil.
&nbsp;
I was reading today about how there is an increase in human trafficking, predators looking to exploit those that are left weak and defenseless. Aid agencies are estimating one million unaccompanied or orphaned children or children who lost one parent in Port-au-Prince. Many of these children are sleeping out on the street or in the tent cities filled with refugees. A Canadian pastor reported being offered a little boy for sale for $50.
&nbsp;
Pray Psalm 12:5
&nbsp;
&quot;Because of the oppression of the weak and the groaning of the needy, I will now arise,&quot; says the LORD. &quot;I will protect them from those who malign them.&quot; Pray that God would arise and defend the little ones. Pray that God would bring rescue and protection through the arms of His church. Pray that the eyes of those that prey on the weak will be blinded to those that are defenseless....]]></description>
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				<title>Crisis in Haiti</title>
				<link>http://www.fachurch.com/fachurch/events.php?type=blog&amp;id=63</link>
				<guid>http://www.fachurch.com/fachurch/events.php?type=blog&amp;id=63</guid>
				<description><![CDATA[The LORD is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge. He is my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.
~ Psalm 18:2
&nbsp;
&nbsp;
This week, we continue to pray for the nation of Haiti. The devastation and despair we see on TV and online is so hard to wrap our heads around.   I don&rsquo;t know about you, but I have been battling so many feelings of frustration and helplessness at not being able to do more than pray and give.  I just want to reach through the TV and rescue orphans out on the street and dig through rubble to reach those that are crying for help.  But our God can do those things, so continue to pray for:
&nbsp;
&middot;       The bottleneck of rescue workers and aid.  That the way would be cleared at the airport and on the roads, for help to get to were it is so desperately needed.
&middot;       The young children that are left defenseless, without shelter, food and water.  That God would protect them and sustain them.  That He would keep away anyone who would prey upon the weak.
&middot;       Pray for the local churches in Haiti, that they would be centres of hope and healing
&middot;       Haiti as it rebuilds.  That the government, systems, and infrastructure would be built on a solid foundation. That aid money would flow through the hands of those that are full of integrity and God&rsquo;s character.
&middot;       For security forces and the police.  That they would be able to restore calm, security and peace in the midst of growing chaos.
&nbsp;
&nbsp;
It will take more than a few weeks of fund-raising to bring Haiti back.  But we should do all we can to help with relief efforts.  We are encouraging you to give through our partners that are directly working in Haiti, in order to maximize the Canadian governments offer to match donations.  You can give through:
&nbsp;
Compassion Canada: donations will go to providing help and relief to Compassion sponsored families through the local churches.
Samaritan&rsquo;s Purse: donations will help provide drinking water, emergecy shelter, and medical supplies
PAOC Erdo: Donations will go towards relief and medical efforts of PAOC missionaries serving in Haiti.
&nbsp;
We will keep you posted of any future opportunities to travel to Haiti to help with rebuilding and restoration.  That is unavailable at the moment because all resources need to be put towards getting help, food, water to those that are in desperate need.  Also, the situation is to unstable to send anything but specialized medical and relief teams. 
&nbsp;
One of our missionaries from our church works with YWAM in Haiti.  Sarah Gilman has been writing back reports from the YWAM base.  Here is her beautiful testimony:
&nbsp;
&nbsp;
&ldquo;God is a refuge and strength an ever present help in trouble, therefore we will not fear, though the earth shall quake and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea. - Be still and know that I am God, I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!&rdquo; Psalm 46:1-3 &amp; 10
Plagues, famine, floods...
&nbsp;
Through out the Bible the Lord brought many disasters on different people. Sometimes to teach a lesson, sometimes to wipe out a people. Either way, there's a common thread. God never forgot about the people, He did not ignore what was going on on earth.
&hellip;&ldquo;then they will know that I am the Lord&rdquo;.
&nbsp;
I see that the one thing that the Lord desires for us is to know Him. I wonder, do you? Do you know Him?
My Haitian brothers and sisters do. It's so nearly almost unbelievable to watch. They are not asking how could a God let so many people die. They are saying, &ldquo;God's grace is so amazing that some of us are still alive.&rdquo; They are saying, &ldquo;God has destroyed the heart of Haiti, (which is the city of Port au Prince) so Haiti can be rebuilt now on the foundation of Jesus Christ&rdquo;.
&nbsp;
Just now I jolted up from where I was sitting at my school desk planning classes. I was sure I felt another after shake, (there have been so many) I ran to the door way and stood still trying to feel the shake. I'm sure it was my imagination, and I went back to my desk in the school. Again, I felt my desk shake, (I have a ceiling fan going above me which shakes the whole building so that's a little tricky) I was just about to jump up again. I realized, if it was an earthquake then I should feel it on the floor. So I sat still and concentrated on my feet. Were they shaking?
&nbsp;
I had a sudden thought. I felt like the Lord asked me. &ldquo;Sarah, what is your foundation on? Are you standing on my (God's) truth of who I (God) am?&rdquo; I all of a sudden thought to myself. Maybe this is so similar to when the Lord tells us to build our foundation on Him? Even when the rest of my life is falling apart, the Lord is going to be my rock. The ceiling fan was shaking the wall, and causing my desk to shake, but there was no actual earthquake. It's the same in our lives, although things around us may really be shaking, what the real danger is; is if the foundation is firm or not.
I've decided, I want my foundation on Jesus Christ.
&nbsp;
Blessings,
Pastor Sara...]]></description>
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				<title>Monday's Moment - January 11</title>
				<link>http://www.fachurch.com/fachurch/events.php?type=blog&amp;id=56</link>
				<guid>http://www.fachurch.com/fachurch/events.php?type=blog&amp;id=56</guid>
				<description><![CDATA[&ldquo;Then the LORD answered Job out of the storm.  He said; Who is this that darkens my counsel with words without knowledge?  Brace yourself like a man; I will question you, and you shall answer me.&rdquo;  Job 38:1-3

So here it is, still so early into the New Year and already I have had some pretty tough questions for the LORD.  I don&rsquo;t know about you, but sometimes life just doesn&rsquo;t work out the way I want it to &ndash; or look the way I think it should look.  Now I don&rsquo;t know who I think I am that I should go to God with my requests and questions and expect Him to answer only the way I think He should!  Perhaps that&rsquo;s why I was lead to this portion of scripture in Job. 
If we were to read on, we&rsquo;d see that God comes back at Job with questions:  &ldquo;where were you when I laid the earth&rsquo;s foundation?  Who marked off the dimensions?  Surely you know!&rdquo;  and so on.  Then when the LORD said Brace yourself like a man &ndash; that sort of scared me!    I know there would never be one question that I could ask God that would shock Him &ndash; or make Him want to slap me up side of the head.  But when He says &ldquo;brace yourself&rdquo;  it certainly reminds me of just how small I am in the whole scheme of things.  It shows me that what I worry about and stress over, is nothing He Himself cannot handle.  There are a whole lot of verses throughout scripture that remind us and command us not to worry.  Check out Matthew chapter six verses 25 to 34.  Jesus so eloquently instructs us to &ldquo;seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you.&rdquo;  Somehow, the very Presence of the Holy Spirit and the Word of God seem to strip off the cares and worries of this world.  They may not go away, but our focus and our hearts change when we see them through the light of His love and grace.
&nbsp;
Let&rsquo;s form a new habit for ourselves this New Year.  They say it takes twenty-one days to form a habit and only three to break it.  Over the next twenty-one days let&rsquo;s turn to scripture daily and seek first the kingdom of God.  Perhaps you may go to Him with praise and thanksgiving each day and the book of Psalms can truly be a spring board of praise.  Or if we have specific requests or prayers, ask Holy Spirit to lead you to the Rock that is higher than you and reveal Himself through the Word &ndash; see where God leads you.  Take out your journals and jot down each day&rsquo;s highlights.  We&rsquo;ll take a Wednesday and share some of these adventures. J  Love you ladies lots and lots &ndash; to the moon and back as my Grandson would say! 
&nbsp;
 Have a blessed week. &nbsp;
Pastor Sydney...]]></description>
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				<title>Seacoast Tehillah</title>
				<link>http://www.fachurch.com/fachurch/events.php?type=blog&amp;id=55</link>
				<guid>http://www.fachurch.com/fachurch/events.php?type=blog&amp;id=55</guid>
				<description><![CDATA[The purpose and vision of Seacoast Tehillah is to be a modern, relevant community of young adults who desire to follow Jesus, in the middle of the least-churched region of America. Church attendance in New England is alarmingly low amongst young people &ndash; Seacoast Tehillah exists so that this trend will be reversed and many young people will come to know Jesus!...]]></description>
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					<item>
				<title>Tehillah Kenya</title>
				<link>http://www.fachurch.com/fachurch/events.php?type=blog&amp;id=54</link>
				<guid>http://www.fachurch.com/fachurch/events.php?type=blog&amp;id=54</guid>
				<description><![CDATA[Tehillah Kenya ministry was officially launched on 16th August 2008. It proposes to spearhead the sensitization and mobilization of people towards the power and presence of God, availed in praise. We conduct monthly meetings every third Saturday of the month at Dandora where young people come to discuss, learn and share the word of God among each other.
&nbsp;
Tehillah Kenya was founded by Stanley and Christa Gitonga and is a partner with Tehillah Monday, Canada an arm of First Assembly Church, Canada. It is however an autonomous body with distinct operations for development, growth and sustenance. Although currently based at Dandora All Nations Church due to venue and strategic location, it is an interdenominational ministry that is designed to impact the youth culture focusing on excellent music and relevant preaching of the gospel where everyone is somebody. Tehillah Kenya plans to duplicate this module for ministry with partners across Africa.
Vision Statement

A generation of youths leading purposeful lives in submission to God&rsquo;s Word.
&nbsp;
Mission statement
&nbsp;
To reach out to the unchurched youth and impact their culture with Godly counsel, through diverse strategies for evangelism, empowerment and excellence in service....]]></description>
			</item>
					<item>
				<title>Tehillah Kenya</title>
				<link>http://www.fachurch.com/fachurch/events.php?type=blog&amp;id=53</link>
				<guid>http://www.fachurch.com/fachurch/events.php?type=blog&amp;id=53</guid>
				<description><![CDATA[Tehillah Kenya ministry was officially launched on 16th August 2008. It proposes to spearhead the sensitization and mobilization of people towards the power and presence of God, availed in praise. We conduct monthly meetings every third Saturday of the month at Dandora where young people come to discuss, learn and share the word of God among each other.
&nbsp;
Tehillah Kenya was founded by Stanley and Christa Gitonga and is a partner with Tehillah Monday, Canada an arm of First Assembly Church, Canada. It is however an autonomous body with distinct operations for development, growth and sustenance. Although currently based at Dandora All Nations Church due to venue and strategic location, it is an interdenominational ministry that is designed to impact the youth culture focusing on excellent music and relevant preaching of the gospel where everyone is somebody. Tehillah Kenya plans to duplicate this module for ministry with partners across Africa.
Vision Statement

A generation of youths leading purposeful lives in submission to God&rsquo;s Word 
&nbsp;
Mission statement
&nbsp;
To reach out to the unchurched youth and impact their culture with Godly counsel, through diverse strategies for evangelism, empowerment and excellence in service....]]></description>
			</item>
					<item>
				<title>Monday's Moment - December 21</title>
				<link>http://www.fachurch.com/fachurch/events.php?type=blog&amp;id=51</link>
				<guid>http://www.fachurch.com/fachurch/events.php?type=blog&amp;id=51</guid>
				<description><![CDATA[God, You are my shepherd! I don't need a thing. You have bedded me down in lush meadows, you find me quiet pools to drink from.  True to your word, you let me catch my breath and send me in the right direction. Even when the way goes through Death Valley,  I'm not afraid when you walk at my side. Your trusty shepherd's crook makes me feel secure.  You serve me a six-course dinner right in front of my enemies. You revive my drooping head; my cup brims with blessing. &nbsp;Your beauty and love chase after me  every day of my life.  I'm back home in the house of God for the rest of my life.
Psalm 23


&nbsp;
Well my Friends,  what&rsquo;s in store for 2010.  Are you looking forward to the new year with anticipation and excitement &ndash; perhaps you&rsquo;re expecting a new baby, maybe you have a wonderful trip planned; or perhaps you are undecided .  Maybe there are areas in your life that have created disappointments for you.  Or you feel very discouraged or depressed and really don&rsquo;t think there is much to look forward to.  So life goes, we are given the opportunity to make choices everyday in every situation.  That statement was not met to overwhelm you, but to encourage you.  God never puts us in the fire to burn us out, His sole purpose is to refine us and create a clean heart in us.  A heart that does not harbor bitterness or unforgiveness or resentment.  He wants to prove to us that He can be trusted.  Even though some crappy things have happened to you He wants to make them work out for your good &ndash; if you&rsquo;ll trust Him.  I love the portion of scripture in Mark 9 when the father of a demon possessed son comes to Jesus and desires for his son to be free and he said to Jesus &ldquo;I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief.&rdquo;  It always seems so easy to trust and believe when everything is wonderful and rosy in life, but when we are in the midst of a battle or a trial or a major disappointment trust and belief seem too hard to conjure up.  WHY becomes our favorite word.


&nbsp;
Well believe it or not, the Holy Spirit wants to be the &ldquo;batteries&rdquo; as it were for our belief system and our trust mechanism.  In John&rsquo;s gospel chapter 14 , verses 15-18 Jesus speaking says &ldquo;If you love me, you will obey what I command.  And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Counselor to be with you forever &ndash; the Spirit of truth.  The world cannot accept Him because it neither sees him nor knows Him.  But you know Him, for He lives with you and will be in you.  I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.&rdquo;  We were never meant to be alone, the Holy Spirit is always there to help us and counsel us and even give us what we need to believe.  I can&rsquo;t imagine how an orphan must feel.  Not having anyone to love them or care for them, not having any hope.  Jesus said He would not leave us as orphans; His promise is that He will come to us - an extra measure of grace, of faith and of hope &ndash;  is what He enables us to have.


&nbsp;
As we begin the countdown to a new year, know that you are not alone.  Despite how things look and how life in unfolding &ndash; know that Jesus is here.  Holy Spirit is in you.  Draw what you need from Him.  Trust Him.  I pray 2010 holds a path way of answered prayers, fulfillment of dreams and desires and a new river of life flowing from you.  Merry Christmas and Showers of Blessings in the New Year.  Love you all so much!&nbsp;


Pastor Sydney...]]></description>
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				<title>Monday's Moment - December 14</title>
				<link>http://www.fachurch.com/fachurch/events.php?type=blog&amp;id=48</link>
				<guid>http://www.fachurch.com/fachurch/events.php?type=blog&amp;id=48</guid>
				<description><![CDATA[You who sit down in the High God's presence, spend the night in Shaddai's shadow, Say this: &quot;God, you're my refuge.  I trust in you and I'm safe!&quot; That's right&mdash;he rescues you from hidden traps, shields you from deadly hazards. His huge outstretched arms protect you&mdash; under them you're perfectly safe;  his arms fend off all harm. Fear nothing&mdash;not wild wolves in the night, not flying arrows in the day, Not disease that prowls through the darkness, not disaster that erupts at high noon. Even though others succumb all around, drop like flies right and left, no harm will even graze you.   You'll stand untouched, watch it all from a distance, watch the wicked turn into corpses. Yes, because God's your refuge, the High God your very own home,  Evil can't get close to you, harm can't get through the door.  He ordered his angels to guard you wherever you go. If you stumble, they'll catch you; their job is to keep you from falling. You'll walk unharmed among lions and snakes, and kick young lions and serpents from the path. 

&quot;If you'll hold on to me for dear life,&quot; says God, &quot;I'll get you out of any trouble.  I'll give you the best of care  if you'll only get to know and trust me.  Call me and I'll answer, be at your side in bad times;  I'll rescue you, then throw you a party.  I'll give you a long life, give you a long drink of salvation!&quot;
Psalm 91

With all the fears running rampant these days; disease, destruction, loss of jobs and all the other things the media dreams up, we can turn to God and His Word to find peace of mind and a refuge for our soul.  I gave you Psalm 91 today from the Message version of the Bible because I love how it covers everything &ndash; and it says that after God does all this for us, then He&rsquo;s gonna throw us a party &ndash; woo-who!  God is so awesome &ndash; Amen.

I pray that you would take hold of the Word of God, that you&rsquo;ll &ldquo;hold on for dear life&rdquo; to the Giver of life and trust that God will do what He says He will do.  This is only one example of His promise that He has us covered; that we don&rsquo;t need to fear. So I pray today that all your fears would fall by the wayside and that faith would arise in you and Holy Spirit would empower you to trust in the LORD with all your heart in Jesus Name.  Be at peace Little Ones!
&nbsp;
Pastor Sydney
...]]></description>
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				<title>Monday's Moment - December 7</title>
				<link>http://www.fachurch.com/fachurch/events.php?type=blog&amp;id=47</link>
				<guid>http://www.fachurch.com/fachurch/events.php?type=blog&amp;id=47</guid>
				<description><![CDATA[&ldquo;For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.&rdquo;

What part does busy-ness play in your life?  For some people being busy energizes them, while for others they find it absolutely exhausting.  For me I find it all consuming &ndash; and in that I neglect the things that truly matter to me.  For many young Mom&rsquo;s  your children consume most of your time and energy.  What little you have left at the end of the day is then spent on your hubby and then there is usually a tiny portion if any left for yourself. Did you notice I totally made no mention of God in that whole breakdown?  

With the Christmas season upon us things usually rev up and we find ourselves going from morning to evening day after day without stopping.  Things to do, places to go, people to see &hellip;. Then we get home and crash into bed only to get up the next day and start all over again.  By the time Christmas day gets here we can&rsquo;t wait for the day to end.  Let&rsquo;s stop for a moment and ask ourselves what are the top three things that really, truly matter to us within the Christmas season?

Our scripture verse speaks to us of our Lord Jesus Christ, a Son &ndash; the only Son of God being given to us.  The Gift of God given to us for our redemption (release, deliverance, liberation) and the government will be upon His shoulders. Jesus taking the old order of things and making them new.  No longer was man&rsquo;s law or the Jewish law going to be the way things would be governed, but Jesus introduced the New Covenant, the covenant of grace and mercy.  His name shall be called Wonderful (magnificent, breathtaking, amazing, astonishing, brilliant) Counselor; (our Counselor is the One who exposes areas in our heart to rid us of the things that are not under His Lordship.  He will also instruct us).  Mighty God (powerful, strong) Everlasting Father  (as a Father, the One who nurtures us).  Prince of Peace (Jesus not only purchased our peace, He protects our peace).

God has given to us His only Son &ndash; our receiving and perceiving  His Son should be our number one.  Number two is aligning ourselves with His Government.  The law of love is God&rsquo;s fist command:  loving God and loving others.  Our families, our friends and others.  Being open to the Counselor searching our hearts.  Are we pursuing the things of this world &ndash; are we busying ourselves to get affirmation and acceptance from man, or are we running from hurts and heartaches within that we don&rsquo;t want to address.  The Prince of Peace so longs for us to be at peace with Him and peace with ourselves.  In that will we find true peace for our lives &ndash; body, soul and spirit.

Let&rsquo;s not become so busy that we miss the gift God has given us.  He loves us so much and He longs to be our Lover. Father thank You for the gift of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  We commit ourselves into Your hands this Christmas season that we may behold and embrace the Gift and the Gift Giver.  We love You Lord and we rest secure in You in Jesus Name Amen.
&nbsp;
We love you!
Pastor Sydney...]]></description>
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