New Series: The Church is Born

June 22, 2011 Leave a comment

In our most recent series at New Life, we were re-introduced to the “Miracle Jesus”, uncovering again the power of Jesus for supernatural change in those lives he came in contact with.  Jesus changed water into wine, walked on water, healed the sick, raised the dead and cast out demons.  He was indeed anointed for powerful minsitry.  When Peter later recalled the life of Jesus for the Gentiles who were coming to know him, he stated it this way:

“you yourselves know what happened throughout all Judea, beginning from Galilee after the baptism that John proclaimed: how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power. He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him.  (Acts 10:37-28)

 While it is encouraging to recall the power and anointing of Jesus, one could perhaps become discouraged since all of us know … Jesus was God!  Jesus was God’s Son … that’s great for then … but what about now?  The great news is that Jesus intended for just such power and anointing to continue in and through HIS Church … His body on earth … His followers … His disciples … You and Me!  When the Holy Spirit was poured out at pentecost the church was born and the power of Jesus was made manifest again!

God has continued to make a way for His name to be known through His word, through His church and how we relate to one another, and through the power of the Holy Spirit filling us and flowing through us for miracles, signs, wonders, and genuinely transformed lives.

 I look forward to continuing our study of God’s as we enter this series on the church based on the book of Acts.  This is not simply a religious exercise which we are called to … but a powerful, connected, anointed, life-filled relationship with God through His Son Jesus, and empowered by His Holy Spirit.  I pray that all of us will be challenged at new levels to engage again at the most important work we could ever be called to … that of being embassadors for Jesus Christ in our world that so desparately needs to know and receive Him as savior and Lord.

Series Titles and Dates:

  • June 26 – Empowered to Witness (Acts 2)
  • July 3 – Power in Unity (Acts 3-4)
  • July 10 – Relationship, not Religion (Acts 6-8:8)
  • July 17 – Supernatural Sharing (Acts 8:26-40)

Filed under NLSV News

Sometimes we need to look back at what was promised!

June 7, 2011 Leave a comment

Amazing … and revealing numbers on the economy from E21.

Filed under Politics

How Can We? (From A Place Called Simplicity)

June 1, 2011 Leave a comment

So thankful for the many families who are actively pursuing the ministry of caring for the orphan around the world.  For great reading and challenging thoughts, “A Place Called Simplicity” is a good place to land every now and again.

Trays at a Wedding in Uganda

Recently, Linny wrote a compelling summary of an experience during a wedding in Uganda.  As the plates were scraped off onto trays so that they could be washed for new guests, some of the orphaned children gathered up the “garbage trays” and were eating as fast as possible.

It hurts to even try to imagine being that hungry, yet children around the world experience it every day.

How has the Lord equipped you and I to join the fight for the most helpless?

Click here to read the entire post.  Then pray and ask God, “How can I help”?  I’m sure He has plenty of “ideas”.

 

Filed under Adoption, Christian Issues

Thinking Locally – WORLD MAGAZINE

March 9, 2011 Leave a comment

Another article from our “Magazine Monday” came from World Magazine.  Mindy Belz details a trend that continues toward our roots.

At New Life, our vision is to “Reclaim Family and Empower Households to Change the World“

How does one go about changing the world exactly?  This article is an excellent overview of the need to think locally.  Start with a small group … build momentum and add a larger group … from that group begin to influence and spread until it is reaching the world.

Hey, you know what … that sounds like Jesus’ plan …

Or turn to the New Testament and think of Peter, James, and John—the disciples (part of the 12) arguably closest to Jesus. Working outward, Jesus sent 72 disciples in pairs in Luke 10, and at Pentecost 120 believers gathered in Jerusalem to await the Holy Spirit. “Through these concentric circles of men and women,” writes Crouch, “the kingdom’s distinctive cultural good like parables, deeds of miraculous power, and new ways of organizing everything . . . reshape the cultural horizons.”

Belz refers to a book by Andy Crouch Culture Making: Recovering Our Creative Calling in which he proports that all culture making is local.

“Every cultural good, whether a new word, law, recipe, song or gadget, begins with a small group of people.” He insists: “A small group is enough.” This will be shocking news to those counting friends on Facebook.

Crouch dubs his formula for culture-making “The 3, the 12, and the 120″ suggesting those are the optimal numbers for concentric circles of influence. The most obvious biblical examples are Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. From them the Judaic culture widens to Jacob’s 12 sons and then to their families, the 120. Think of the world-shaping changes to geography, politics, government, architecture, philosophy, music, literature, and visual arts that flowed from those few.

I had to think of the dreams my own kids have and the dreams/callings that are evident in the kids in your homes as well.  Or what about our own dreams/desires/callings to “Change the World” … what will we do with the “big ideas”?  According to Belz .. begin locally!

So, want to start a school, plant a church, run a soup kitchen, open a bakery, make a movie, change your community’s perception of Christians, treat cancer, protect marriage, petition city council, launch a rock band, create a website, develop land, improve a city? Want to aim wide, invent the next social network, be president, solve gridlock, cure cancer, retrofit the multiplex? The pattern of the 3, the 12, and the 120 is good news to all. Faced with the immensity and impersonal nature of mass culture, we don’t have to retreat, as Crouch says, into “postures ranging from condemnation to consumption.” At the same time, there’s no going it alone. Take two like-minded companions, add a dozen experts and loyalists. Watch what happens

Read the entire article from WORLD MAGAZINE here.

Filed under Christian "Thinkers", Christian Issues, Disciple Making

Christianity in Restricted Nations – Voice of the Martyrs

March 8, 2011 Leave a comment

It is a pattern in our home to begin our school week with “Magazine Monday”.  On Mondays Lynda will read articles from several magazines as a way of keeping our kids and family connected with the world at large.  One of the magazines she reads from is Voice of the Martyrs.  This week, I filled in as the “reader” and I wanted to tell you about one of the articles.

Today I’m highlighting a “Special Update” that was included in our mailing this month.  It is entitled “The Rejected Become the Cornerstones” and it highlighted the plight of young women in North Korea.  The article details the life of Soon Lee (name changed), a 19 year old living in North Korea.  The crux of the article is that the North Korean government pays “handlers” to befriend young women such as Soon.  They come alongside for a season and offer support and encouragement for a season.  Once they have become “friends”, they begin to speak of employment opportunities in other villages.  Soon, like so many of the young women, sees no hope in staying where she is, so she sets off with the new “friends” to find employment to support her family.

Things take a turn for the worse when Soon realizes that these “friends” have actually led her to the border with China, where many North Korean’s cross in hopes of finding a better life.  The crossing is extremely dangerous with the North Koreans employing bunkers and towers to guard the border.   When Soon realizes the option is to cross into China, she asks her “friends” to take her back to her village, only to have them turn demanding and to tell her that the consequences of her not going through with the plan will be devastation and the loss of her own father’s life.

Trapped and seeing no other options, Soon crosses the border only to be sold for $3,000 to an older chinese man as a “wife”.   If the young women like Soon refuse to marry, they are turned over to North Korean spies who then take them back to North Korea to be arrested and tried as “defectors” which results in imprisonment.

These “wives” go on to bear children, but since they (the women) are not Chinese Citizens, their children have no citizenship either, leading to the abandonment of many and the rise of orphans with no hope.

Voice of the Martyrs has stepped in to begin offering hope and ministry to these women and children.  The article actually goes on to say that some of these children and women have actually become very effective evangelists to the North Korean people.

As we read the article, we were led to pray for these women, their children, those who are carrying out this horrible practice, and for North Korea and China as a whole.

If you are not a subscriber to Voice of the Martyrs, I encourage you to become one as well as a supporter of their ministry if possible.  The people they are ministering to and with are some of the most oppressed Christians in our day.  While most of us will never set foot in any of these highly restricted areas, we can, and I think we must, be aware and a part of helping organizations like VOM and others who are actively sharing hope and the good news of Jesus in these dark and hopeless places.

Consider reading more at www.persecution.com, or go here to subscribe to their monthly newsletter by mail.

Filed under Christian Issues

Updates from the Zook Family in Papua, New Guinea

March 3, 2011 Leave a comment

Rick and Anji Zook Photo

Rick and Anji Zook Family

Recently Rick and Anji have added blogging to their mission experience.  This is a great way to keep up with what they are experiencing as the continue to labor on the mission field in Papua, New Guinea.

Two recent posts included a “cooking” update (click to read), and an update on travel experiences they have (click to read).

We are grateful that the Zook family continues to follow God’s calling and leading and for all they are doing to share the good news of Jesus Christ with the Lusi people.

Please continue to pray for them and join in the work that God is doing so far away from here.

 

Filed under MISSIONS

Some people say the right things so well …

February 8, 2011 Leave a comment

As adoptive parents, we have faced interesting questions from well meaning people.  While I can’t say for sure that we’ve heard these exact questions, we have heard some similar.  Whether it is family or friends, the questions can come as a shock, but generally they reveal how hard it is to walk in another’s shoes and to truly feel what they are feeling.

The post below is very well written and comes from the blog, 5millionminus1 … enjoy

 

I hear Tedi say, “My Mommy, I need you” or “Mommy, I love you” or “Yes ma’am, Mommy”, I melt.  When I see him hug my

The Henderson Family

friends and give them kisses and hear him sing “Lay ‘em Down” to Jesus, I wonder how in the world someone could not love this child based on the color of skin or because he did not “come from me.”  Even now, seven months later, I still have people ask me, “Don’t you want children of your own?”  I know these people do not mean any harm, especially those close to me who ask.  I know they really mean “Don’t you want to have children come your private parts that look like you?” and still, they mean no harm. If you have read any of our blog, you will realize that we did try for about one year to conceive.  I did not seek in vitro or in utero fertilization procedures…I felt called to something different….adoption. (as a disclaimer, I am not in opposition to these whatsoever.  I was just called differently) But that year of trying left a scar on my heart.  A scar that a good dose of kisses from Tedi will mask like middle-aged women and their anti-wrinkle makeup.  However, these words uttered, often in curiosity, cause a slight bit of pain where in the healing scar hides. I often wonder how these people hear Tedi say “Mommy or Daddy” and think he is not actually mine.  I love to talk about my adoption and love entertaining questions about all aspects, even the dirty stuff like this.  However, I still find this question hurtful when flippantly uttered.

So in rebuttal, Tedros James Henderson is MY son.  He did not pass from my body, was not created by the DNA combo of a Stewart and a Henderson, but was intricately created by the Creator for our family.  He is as OCD as his father and is as loving as me, if not more.  He is as determined as JT and a jokester like his daddy too.  He does not share my chromosomes, my skin color, my hair texture, but if you spend time with him, you know he is ours.

To answer the initial question, the one everyone either haphazardly asks or wants to…. “Do I want biological children?”   Here is my answer…. If God gifts me with a child of our bodies, I will feel blessed. However, I will not love that child any more dearly than I do Tedi.  I have vowed that I will not let the pangs of infertility, the absence of a child in my womb, steal joy from me another day.  I will not allow it to make me despise pregnant women as it did when I was in the midst of its fog.  I will not allow it to place a wedge in my marriage like it started to do during our struggle.  Thank God for His peace and granting me a heart that now knows of the blessings (and struggles) of being an adoptive parent.   When I look into my son’s face, I know there are millions more orphans like him needing a mommy to brush their teeth and kiss their cheeks and feed their bellies. If my inability to conceive (and the pain it created in the past) is what it takes to slowly place the lonely in families than it is the cross I am willing to bear… For  if at the end of my life, I look into the eyes of my children and two are African, two are Chinese, and one is Hispanic, I will not be disappointed that my own green eyes are not staring back at me.  I will feel blessed that I have actually listened to the whispers of a Christ who made me his “own”, His “own” child.

Filed under Adoption

I Wonder if You Know Him …

January 5, 2011 Leave a comment

This past Sunday I played another version of “That’s My King” video near the end of the service.  Every time I hear the audio from Dr. S.M. Lockridge, I am drawn to ask the question, “Is that the way I feel about Jesus?”

“I Wonder If You Know Him” is becoming more and more for me a theme for the upcoming 21 days of prayer and fasting.  What would happen if we were to encounter Jesus on a new level and get to know Him in deeper ways?  How could our life be transformed if we knew HIM in all the ways Dr. Lockridge describes him in the video?  I wonder …

Since Sunday, several of you asked about getting the video, or at least having a link to it.  I have good news!  After a search of the internet yesterday, I discovered what I believe to be the best one yet!  It can be found and viewed here.  I’ve also placed it on the front of our webpage at www.newlifesv.org.

According to the author, it is also available for you to download for personal use.  I encourage you to download it and add it to the videos on your ipod or computer.  Play it every now and then to remind yourself of just who Jesus is.

21 Days of Prayer and Fasting  (January 9 – 29)

Over the 21 day prayer and fasting period, I hope to send a daily “devotional” to help us all stay connected with some common themes.  In the mean time, in preparation for prayer and fasting, I want to encourage you this week to be doing the following:  (Taken from Bill Bright’s “Seven Steps to Successful Fasting and Prayer” – Link Here)

STEP 1: Set Your Objective

Why are you fasting? Is it for spiritual renewal, for guidance, for healing, for the resolution of problems, for special grace to handle a difficult situation? Ask the Holy Spirit to clarify His leading and objectives for your prayer fast. This will enable you to pray more specifically and strategically.

Through fasting and prayer we humble ourselves before God so the Holy Spirit will stir our souls, awaken our churches, and heal our land according to 2 Chronicles 7:14. Make this a priority in your fasting.

STEP 2: Make Your Commitment

Pray about the kind of fast you should undertake. Jesus implied that all of His followers should fast (Matthew 6:16-18; 9:14,15) For Him it was a matter of when believers would fast, not if they would do it. Before you fast, decide the following up front:

    • How long you will fast – one meal, one day, a week, several weeks, forty days (Beginners should start slowly, building up to longer fasts.)
    • The type of fast God wants you to undertake (such as water only, or water and juices; what kinds of juices you will drink and how often)
    • What physical or social activities you will restrict
    • How much time each day you will devote to prayer and God’s Word

Making these commitments ahead of time will help you sustain your fast when physical temptations and life’s pressures tempt you to abandon it.

STEP 3: Prepare Yourself Spiritually

The very foundation of fasting and prayer is repentance. Unconfessed sin will hinder your prayers. Here are several things you can do to prepare your heart:

    • Ask God to help you make a comprehensive list of your sins.
    • Confess every sin that the Holy Spirit calls to your remembrance and accept God’s forgiveness (1 John 1:9).
    • Seek forgiveness from all whom you have offended, and forgive all who have hurt you (Mark 11:25; Luke 11:4; 17:3,4).
    • Make restitution as the Holy Spirit leads you.
    • Ask God to fill you with His Holy Spirit according to His command in Ephesians 5:18 and His promise in 1 John 5:14,15.
    • Surrender your life fully to Jesus Christ as your Lord and Master; refuse to obey your worldly nature (Romans 12:1,2).
    • Meditate on the attributes of God, His love, sovereignty, power, wisdom, faithfulness, grace, compassion, and others (Psalm 48:9,10; 103:1-8, 11-13).
    • Begin your time of fasting and prayer with an expectant heart (Hebrews 11:6).
    • Do not underestimate spiritual opposition. Satan sometimes intensifies the natural battle between body and spirit (Galatians 5:16,17).

STEP 4: Prepare Yourself Physically

Fasting requires reasonable precautions. Consult your physician first, especially if you take prescription medication or have a chronic ailment. Some persons should never fast without professional supervision.

Physical preparation makes the drastic change in your eating routine a little easier so that you can turn your full attention to the Lord in prayer.

    • Do not rush into your fast.
    • Prepare your body. Eat smaller meals before starting a fast. Avoid high-fat and sugary foods.
    • Eat raw fruit and vegetables for two days before starting a fast.

 

 

 

Filed under Prayer and Fasting

21 Days of Prayer for your Kids

December 1, 2010 Leave a comment

Totally stolen from Pastor Mario Baizon’s blog (Living Faith Christian Fellowship – a New Life Church)

Join with us and many couples in LFCF in taking the challenge to pray for our children using the 7 Absolutes To Pray Over Your Kids (model prayer).

What is the 21 Day Prayer Challenge? It is a prayer movement to stir the hearts of the parents toward their children and realized God’s promises given to our children by praying for them regularly and consistently. To learn and understand more about this movement please listen to the message and get a copy of 7 Absolutes Prayer Over Our Kids model prayer in our website at www.livingf8.com

7 ABSOLUTES TO PRAY FOR OVER YOUR KIDS
BY BLAINE BARTEL

1. PRAYER FOR WISDOM
Father, in the name of Jesus, we thank You for giving our children a spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of You. We believe that their heads are covered with the helmet of salvation, and that they have the mind of our Lord Jesus Christ. We pray that our children will make intelligent, informed, and Spirit-inspired decisions today and every day. Father, please give them supernatural discernment and godly evaluation of every situation they encounter. And surround them with counselors who abide in Your Word and walk according to Your Spirit. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

2. PRAYER FOR PROTECTION
Father, in the name of Jesus, we thank You for our kids, and we pray that You would be their refuge and fortress, that their protection would be in You. We pray that no evil will come upon them. Neither will any sickness, evil, or calamity come near their dwelling. Thank You for commissioning Your angels to guard, to protect, and to defend them from all harm. We pray that no weapon that is designed against them will succeed, and every tongue that would rise against them will be silenced. Great will be their peace and undisturbed composure because their righteousness is from You. We thank You for Your delivering hand of protection in whatever challenge or attack they face. In the name of Jesus we pray, Amen.

3. PRAYER FOR FAVOR
Father in the name of Jesus we believe that our children are blessed of You, that they are surrounded with Your favor as a shield. We believe that Your face shines upon them, that You are gracious to them in all circumstances. We thank You for nurturing Your face to them whenever they call Your name, that they have Your full attention and assistance in all situations. We pray that throughout the day people in their lives will predisposed to want to bless and encourage them. We pray that they will enjoy unusual cooperation and overwhelming goodwill in all their activities. We thank You that they will walk in favor with You, shining the light of the gospel into others’ lives and therefore be complemented with favor and promotion from others. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

4. PRAYER FOR BOLDNESS
Father, in the name of Jesus we pray that You will give each one of our kids a spirit of boldness as they walk with You. We pray that the power of the Holy Spirit will rise up within them to be witnesses for Jesus Christ in all they do. We pray that they will never be ashamed of the gospel, but they will realize it is Your power working in their salvation, as well as the salvation of hurting people. We thank You that they don’t operate with fear, intimidation, or apprehension. Instead, they are as bold as lions, possessing strength, confidence, and steadfast minds and hearts. We thank You, Father, for Your love toward us and our kids, that Your love never fails, and that Your love transforms our kids into powerful, bold witnesses for Jesus Christ and Your kingdom. In the name of Jesus we pray. Amen.

5. PRAYER FOR STRENGTH
Father in the name of Jesus we ask You to strengthen our kids with extraordinary might in their inner man. Fill them with the revelation of Your love for them, that they will trust You to lead them and guide them in whatever circumstances they face. As they go into this evil world and encounter temptation to sin from their flesh or the enemy, give them that supernatural power of grace to resist and overcome temptation. We pray that they will always be dressed in Your armor, Father, to stand against all the wiles of the extinguish every fiery dart of the devil. Remind them that with every temptation they face, You will provided a way to escape. We pray and believe that they will see that way of escape and prove to be more than conquerors in Your name. Thank You that today and every day their hearts and minds are focused on Jesus, the author and finisher of their faith, and they walk steadfastly in Your Word and by the leading of Your Holy Spirit. We praise You and thank You for their great victories over temptation! In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

6. PRAYER TO FIND AND FULFILL THEIR ASSIGNMENT
Father, we thank You for blessing our kids and empowering them to do the right things, to find their gifts and assignments from heaven. We pray that the unique abilities You have placed in them will make room for them and bring them before the great leaders of our day. We pray that they will walk in accuracy and obedience to accomplish Your perfect will for their lives. We know that You have given them a holy and distinct calling, and that You will reveal the specific steps they are to take in fulfilling that call. Help them to faithfully develop their talents and their gifts in such a way that will place them in high regard and great demand in this world. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

7. PRAYER FOR FUTURE MATE
Father in the name of Jesus, we pray for the right mate for each our children and for the kids in our life, that they will marry in the right time and in the right way. We pray that You will cultivate and mature the love of God in their lives. Thank You for Your love, which abides and grows in their hearts by the Holy Spirit. We pray for that love to become apparent in their thoughts and actions daily. We pray that they will learn to esteem each other above themselves, to be composed, generous, truthful, and honorable in all they say and do. We thank You that they will be like Aquila and Priscilla, powerful partners in ministry. We pray that their courtship and engagement will be marked by poise and purity, and that their marriage will be tied and orchestrated in You. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

PRAYER FOR SON OR DAUGHTER WHO ARE NOT BORN AGAIN OR NOT SERVING THE LORD.

Father in the mighty name of Jesus, we pray for our [kid’s name], who is out in the world and not serving You. We pray that You will bring them from the land of the enemy back into Your family. We thank You that we have the hope that their future is in You because You are bringing them into the borders of Your kingdom.
In the name of Jesus, we command Satan and all his demons to take their hands off of them, that the blinders will come off their eyes and they will see the truth of the Word of God. We pray for them to see the goodness of God unto salvation and pray for laborers to cross their path.
Thank You, Father that they will see Jesus as their Savior and their Lord. They will know how much You love them, how good You are, and that You have a great life for them. Through the eyes of faith we see them saved, healed, delivered, and set free. We see them loving You and serving You joyfully and faithfully in the body of Christ. We see them in church, and we see them living a righteous life. We will not weep or worry any longer because Your Word will not come back void, but it will accomplish Your purpose in their life. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

Filed under Disciple Making

Good response to an embarrassing moment …

October 6, 2010 1 Comment

The following moment happened as President Obama was making a speech.  Say what you want, but I think his “you all know who I am” comment is pretty funny.

Oh, and I also think the cackle laugh is funny too… (right before the “all of you know who I am” line)

Enjoy

Filed under Uncategorized

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