September Prophecy: Living Out

As a local church pastor, I teach that God has not only spoken (scripture), but that He is continuing to speak to those who desire to hear His voice.  Sunday I made mention to a word that we believe God spoke to us corporately in Sept. 2010.  As I spoke Sunday, here is the prophetic word that was released to the church on the 5th of September in 2010.  We believe that we are at the Harvest time now, so it is time for us to get the invitation to all.  Pray through this word as we continue to walk it out as a church.....


"Come unto me, I have many things to show you.  Now is the hour!  Gather together my sheep and feed them, pray over them. The times are going to get turbulent.  The sheep need to be on solid ground, so they will stand in the days ahead.  My ways are not your ways, I have plans for my people.  Look unto Me for direction, stay close, keep your eyes fixed on my face.  The tempter is out to snare and destroy!  Listen for My voice in the darkess to lead you into the light.  Hold on and don't let go!  I will be right by your side.  My ways are higher and they are brighter, they are peace, happiness, they are narrow, self-less and full of LOVE.  Find my way and you will find my Glory!  Desire Me and Me alone and you will find Me.  Knock and I will answer, seek and you will find Me.  Let your hearts be ablaze for Me.  Not the world!  Spend time with me, sup with me, get to know Me.  Our time will be sweet, like the fragrance of honeysuckle.  For you are my bride and its time to prepare yourself, for the Groom is coming!  I am coming for my bride that is ready.  Fill your lamps with oil, cleanse yourself, soak in my presence, put on your wedding apparel of holiness and purity.  For the hour is drawing near.  I am preparing a place for my bride and I am ready to receive her.  Send out the 'invitation' to all, invite them all!  Go to the highways and byways, the hedges and the ditches, the high places and the low places.  It is time to gather, for the wedding will soon begin."

Failures Ain't That Bad

Ok, Heather hates this picture.  I wanted to make it my email picture, but she absolutely refused to get in agreement on it.  So here it is in a lone cameo.  I have no idea what I was saying but it had to do with something about "4".  A cookout/outreach to the Fresh Brewed community last summer.

Was reading from a new friends book, From Crackers to Caviar (James Cooper).  He writes about failure/success..... 

"If you haven't failed, it's because you haven't tried anything.  You have to get out there and become comfortable with the fact that there are times where you will miss the mark if you want to become a success.  You have to learn from your mistakes and you have to get your mistakes quickly out of the way so you can try again.  You can't fear failure, quite the opposite, you have to embrace it.  One of the key differences between successful and unsuccessful people is that unsuccessful people fear failing; they fear trying, because there may be a chance of failing.  But successful people understand that there's a lesson in their failure.  Michael Jordan says this, 'I've missed more than 9000 shots in my career.  I've lost almost 300 games.  26 times, I've been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed.  I've failed over, and over, and over again in my life, and that is why I succeed.'

You have to become comfortable with failure because failure is the incubator for success.....We know that Edison had 2000 failed attempts before he finally found the right material (for light bulb filament)  Edison continually questioned about his repeated attempts and subsequent failures by reporters.  When asked about all his failures he said this, "I have not failed.  Not once.  I've just found 10,000 ways that didn't work."

Don't be afraid to fail...Go for it!!! You can do it!   Stu

Charlies Angels and Membership

OK, so I do not have a clue about this picture except it totally is absolutely confusing.  And funny. Caitlin reminds me of Charlies Angel girl and Kelly like Vanna White.  So if either of you dare, you can post comment to explain.  Or not.

The Lord has been speaking to me this week, and we discussed in detail that God truly has a plan for you and not only is that plan individual in nature, but it is corporate in blessing.  By that I mean the church is to be working together by what, "every joint supplies" as in the context of being a body.  Scripture throughout, tells us that the church is a body and we are members.  Somewhere along the way, even "sensitive churches" are dropping that label altogether because of the negative connotation that "member"  brings with it:  country club, moose lodge;  and AARP (exclusivity).  Membership in church is not like that of exclusive society, it is connection and effection.  Connection meaning, when you surrender your life to Jesus, you immediately become part of His body and thus you become a "member".  Not a membership like club,  but a breathing, life giving and essential part of what God is doing, like in the human body.  Why is that important?  Because you have to now FUNCTION in a new way.  Before Christ we do as we want when we want and how we want...now??? you are a part of something greater than yourself.  But really? Sure...just read Ephesians 4: 11 thru - Chapter 5.  You have to give something only you can give.  Some of us are like a voice box, some like a tendon in the knee, some like an ear and some like a kidney.  We have to know our part and do it.

So what does that mean for me?  How do I get to understand that and flow in it?  In proverbs, the scripture says that your "gift will make room for you."  Don't sweat it...just get involved and start to do what you can do and do it well.  Listen to your passion and take a step there.  If you are unsure, find out where there is a need to be filled and serve there diligently until God releases more insight to what you are to do and what you do well.  God will begin to make a way for you to be used greater and greater in the corporate calling you have.  It is important not to forsake this calling because we need each other to fulfill the will of God in the earth.  So understand God's heart- you matter and you are needed, so get in place and let your gift "make room for you."

What do the pictures have to do with this post?  Absolutely nothing except part of Caitlin's call in the body is to be goofy and make people laugh.  Other than that the pictures don't match the articles...as you can see somebody needs to get to work in the body at 180 because I continue the legacy of random photo placement in my blog posts!

Get connected and know you matter as a MEMBER!

Stu

Second Gathering @ our New Home: And A Huge Testimony

Our second gathering at the Sea Mist Resort was awesome.  We were able to put into place 4 or 5 new positions of leadership.  The Lord is speaking to us that we are right in the timing of harvest so of course that is an amazing time.  The past 6 years have totally been groundbreaking, relational building and sometimes taking two steps forward and one step back.  There seems to be a momentum and a building that we have not seen to this level.  Spending all night Saturday with about 20 core leaders at our Community Life Kickoff was great as we are strategically aligning ourselves to better care for and nurture new believers in the Lord. One value that is huge in the ministry is COMMUNITY.  Without it, people struggle.  With so many opportunities to make connections all around us, we know the church needs to be a family dedicated to love, care and cover one another, and that not just on a Sunday morning. 

One of our immediate needs was met this past week and I just wanted to celebrate that with you.  Kelly Edwards, our Song Leader came to me at our Kickoff Event Saturday night and informed me that an annonomous donor sowed the needed $6,000 for our sound equipment!!!!!!  That was such an amazing breakthrough for our ministry and how we are looking to worship God together with a quality system.  I have always seen God work with Heather and myself on a family level, but never have I seen God move on behalf of a corporate group of people like I am eyewitnessing now.  I am seeing the community rally together in one accord, with one mind and heart and with that, much is going to be birthed in this season.

Thank all of you for your prayers as we do believe we are in the center of His will right now.

If you would like to, look below a couple of posts and see the investment we are about to make in the sound systems/A/V stuff.  I posted it right around the holiday.

Happy New Year

I spoke to a lady in the parking lot the other day, "happy New Year!" and she said, "just the New?"  Talk about speechless.....180-degrees has truly turned a corner in the Spirit, and for sure we are moving in a new level of momentum.  As we all move forward in each of our lives, I thought I would post a writing from Jonathan Edwards, the great preacher and theologian whom God used to bring revival to colonal America:



"I claim no right to myself, no right to this understanding, this will, these affections that are in me.  Neither do I have any right to this body or its members, no right to this tongue, to these hands, feet, ears or eyes.  I have given myself clear away and not retained anything of my own.  I have been to God this morning and told Him I have given myself wholly to Him, I have given every power so that for the future I claim no right to myself in any respect.  I have expressly promised Him, for by His grace I will not fail.  I take Him as my whole portion and felicity, looking upon nothing else as any part of my happiness.  His law is the constant rule of my obedience.  I will fight with all my might against the world, the flesh and the devil to the end of my life.  I will adhere to the faith of the gospel however hazardous and difficult the profession and practice of it may be.  I pray God for the sake of others to look on this as self-dedication.  Henceforth, I am not to act in any respect as my own.  I shall act as my own if I ever make use of any of my powers to do anything that is not to the glory of God or to fail to make the glorifying of Him my whole and entire business.  If I murmur in the least at affliction, if I  am in any way uncharitable, if I revenge my own case, if I do anything purely to please myself or omit anything because it is a great denial, if I trust myself, if I take any praise for any good which Christ does by me, or if I am in any way proud, I shall act as my own and not God's.  But I purpose to be absolutely His."

I pray that we could be Wholly His in 2011.  To God be the glory.....Stu

COMMUNITY LIFE KICKOFF EVENT THIS SATURDAY!!!

A little out of focus...but whatever Jaimie and Heather are getting....I want it.  Thank God for laughter.  Below is a redo of an email I sent out for our community kick off at the Springmaid Beach Resort.  Check the link above to get directions.  It is the Resort Conference Center 3rd floor (top)

RSVP LIST FOR SATURDAY KICKOFF


1) Michael Tucholski

2) Jennifer Tucholski

3) Trevor T

4) Christopher T

5) Kelly Edwards

6) Kristen Bowers

7) Karen Roady

8) Elizabeth Fletcher

9) Jaimie Baskins

10) Louis Sirvent

11) Nicole Sirvent

12) Landen

13) Maddie

14) Janet Greene

15) Zeke

16) Rayne

17) Debbie Benedict

18) Skip Benedict

19) Tom Ditzler

20) John Mashburn

21) Tim McCray

22) Ray Dynia

23) Alberto Gomez

24) Rosa Gomez

25) Tiana

26) Cassey Maye

27) Berto

28) Stuart Royall

29) Heather Royall

30) Jeremiah

31) Alexandra

32) Sydney

33) Caitlin Beidler

SEA MIST- 180 Meeting Place

Ok, here it is in HI-Def!!!  This animated looking map is much better.  Notice where the ocean front highrise entitled: The Tides is located.  Right behind it to the back left is a little building "Movie Theater".  THATS US!!!  There is a little sign that is in front of the theater entrance.  Just go up the stairs.  I will be so excited, I will probably be standing outside waving you all in so don't worry about it.  We will try to have the 180 sign out front to help too!  Thanks- Stu

180-Degrees Worship Meeting Space

180-Degrees is planning to have a great start to the new year by holding our services at the SEA MIST RESORT.  The map to the right is awfully small, but it is the best I could come up with.  Look at the link above and click on the SEA MIST website to view the map a little bit better (on the maps link at the top of the page.   For all you Myrtle Beacheans, the Sea Mist is located between 12th and 13th Ave. South and Ocean Blvd.  We will be meeting in the "Movie Theater" attached to the high rise right near the oceanfront.  Services will be at the same time as usual, 600-7:30 p.m.  Parking is available on the street and in two parking decks nearby.  HERE WE GO 2011!!!!

Stuart. 

180-Worship Time: 6-7:30 as usual

I have had a lot of questions about our meeting times for this sunday.    Please note that our regular time of 6-7:30 p.m. is still in effect.  Solidifying our location hopefully by Thursday so keep your ear out!  More later-  Stu

Snow!!!

Well, our last meeting at the current facility for church was done, largely because of the Christmas season travel, a snow storm on the East coast and a bit of tricky weather for frozen roads in Myrtle Beach.  We decided to hunker down in Clayton, NC and take advantage of the snow with our family.  Hope you all were able to enjoy some of the snow too.  I laugh because in a time when many presents could have been scarce, the Lord provided a "white Christmas"....something that you just can't buy.  My kid' this have been telling me this is the best Christmas they ever remembered!

Enjoy the video clip of sledding Royall's...ok. the video won't load.  I will work on that tomorrow :)

180-Cancellation

Ok,  Myrtle Beach is a beach....but tonight, our last meeting in Fresh Brewed Coffee House is cancelled due to cold and wet weather.

I've already heard it from a few folks, but I am on snow lock down in N.C. and it is to get a little slippery tonight on the roads.

God bless you all and we will see you in the new year.


Peace-  Stuart

New Facility....Pray in the equipment!!!

Ok guys, Merry Christmas EVE!  Loving being with my family.  Pricie and little Syd on the left goofin off.  Looking forward to being with mom and dad, kids, and some of the family.

Just an update....wanted to keep you all in the loop.  We are not official yet, but have the papers in the mail for me to sign for contract.   It will be a year contract (something we have never done!)  A little concerned about price and time, but for the most part feeling awesome to be in Myrtle Beach and even in the resort area.  Our ministry focus is not so much on tourists, so it will be interesting to be down with the millions of them in the summer.  Our focus continues to be on the community that God has called us to in MB.  We focus on community, reaching unbelievers and then Biblical training (discipleship/life transformation).  One of the things our Sunday services have taken on is a very artsy feel.  One of the values that has developed (not due to my gifts but by the people around me).  In the coffee house everything we needed was provided, so stepping out on our own means getting ahold of the equipment we need.  Michael Tucholski, our Techy put together a needs list for the ministry moving on for 2011.  Please pray over this list and if you know of any of this stuff laying around, please know a little church developing in myrtle beach can make use of it!

Thanks for all your prayers, support and interactions in 2010.  God has been so faithful and so have you all.  I am hoping for more blogging and interaction about all the goings on in 2011, so keep giving me your feedback and thoughts.

See our prayer list for audio/visual below:
Merry Christmas. - Stu

	A	B	C	D	E
1	Equipment	Quantity	Unit Cost	Cost	Notes
2	Stage Wash Flown Lighting Package	1	$1,500.00	$1,500.00	(8) PAR 64 Lights, (8) Clamps, Cabling, (2) Dimmer Packs, Control Board
3	15” Self-Powered Speaker w/Stand	2	$400.00	$800.00	Front of house sound
4	Self-Powered Sub	1	$650.00	$650.00	Front of house sound
5	24 Channel Mixer	1	$350.00	$350.00	Front of house sound
6	15” Self-Powered Speaker	1	$350.00	$350.00	Second monitor speaker for band (We already own one)
7	Wired Microphone with floor stand	3	$50.00	$150.00	Band microphones
8	Podium	1	$200.00	$200.00
9	Wireless LAV Microphone	1	$100.00	$100.00	Pastor
10	8’x8’ Screen w/Skirt	1	$450.00	$450.00
11	Projector Cart w/Skirt	1	$150.00	$150.00
12	LCD Projector				We already own, correct?
13	Music Stands	3	$40.00	$120.00
14	Wireless Remote	1	$50.00	$50.00
15	Video Camera				We already own
16	Tripod	1	$50.00	$50.00
17	Direct Box (PC Sound & Video Camera Audio)	2	$15.00	$30.00
18	Power Cabling	1	$200.00	$200.00	Ball Park
19	XLR Audio Cabling	1	$300.00	$300.00	Ball Park
20	Audio Snake				We already own, correct?
21				$5,450.00
22
23	Children's Space
24	42” LCD TV	1	$400.00	$400.00
25	TV Cart	1	$115.00	$115.00
26	DVD Player	1	$50.00	$50.00
27				$565.00
28
29	Additional House Lights for Theater		TBD
30

Drummer Boy

Sunday night worship at 180 was a sweet fellowship.  Counting down to one more Sunday and we will be in a new venue.  A highlight for the night was Jeremiah on drum for the "little drummer boy" song.  We were sorry to not have Christopher Tucholski with him tonight.  Get well little brother.  The video is a snippet of the song.  Forgive the sound, it is not true to sound in the crowd.  The mics are alot louder in the video.  Have a wonderful holiday season and remember to "play your best for Him!".  Tim Turesco is "helping" JJ and is the majority of the jam out...JJ is helping keep time.

Church Moving On From Coffee House

Well, it has been a terrific run so far at the Fresh Brewed Coffee House.  We have been there for two years and made some great relationships.  After much prayer and a push from circumstances, 180 will be moving into a new location for ministry for 2011. 

We are excited about our new venture as we were coming into FB.  Please keep an eye out for where we will be going as we hope to have a place locked in by Dec. 26th.  January 2nd will be held in a new location!!!

Thanks for keeping us up in your prayers as we have a meeting on Monday @ 1 with a possible venue. 

Peace:  Stuart

Sincerity in Prayer

Two blog posts in one day...feelin it.  Sorry if this offends some, but it is so stinking authentic I had to give it out.  Again from Spurgeoun, Praying Successfully:

"Real prayer is far better than mere ritual because there is meaning in it.  When grace is absent, there is no meaning in ritual.  It is as senseless as a fool's game.  Did you ever stand in a Roman Catholic cathedral and watch the daily service, especially if it happens to be on a holiday?  With the boys in white, and the men in violet, pink, red or black, there are enough performers to entertain a city.  There are those who carry candlesticks, those who carry crosses, those who carry cushions and books, those who ring bells, those who sprinkle water, those who bob their heads, and those who bow their knees.  The whole scene is very strange to look at- very amazing, very amusing, very childish.  One wonders, when he sees it, what it is all about, and what kind of people are really made better by it.  One wonders also what an idea Roman Catholics must have of God if they imagine that He is pleased with such perfomances.  Do you wonder how the Lord endures it?  What must His glorious mind think of it all?  The glorious God cares nothing for pomp and show.  But when you call upon him in the day of trouble and ask Him to deliever you, there is meaning in your groan of anguish.  This is no empty formality.  There is heart in it, is there not?  There is meaning in the sorrowful appeal.  Therefore, God prefers the prayer of a broken heart to the finest service that was ever performed by priests and choirs."  And more: "How we mock God when we do not discern Him as present and do not come near to the Lord Himself!  When the heart or the mind or the soul breaks through itself to get to its God, then God is glorified.  But He is not glorified when we merely perfom ritualistic exercises and forget about Him.  Oh, how real God is to a person who is perishing and feels that only God can save him!  He truly believes that God exists, or else he would not make so passionate a prayer to Him.  When he said his prayers before, he cared little whether God heard or not .  But he genuinely prays now, and God's hearing is his chief concern."  Let us pray real prayers to a REAL GOD!- Stu

Troubled Prayer

It has been a good long while since putting out a post.  Busy, challenged, overwhelmed or whatever, it is good to process some stuff.  In an overwhelming time personally right now.  So much resistance in the reality of life.  Don't get me wrong, not in a bad way but in a good one.  Been learning alot about depending on God.  Running out of what I can do.  Knowing that God brought me to a place where He wants me to be and all I can do is wait.  The Lord is amazing and teaching me about learning how to TOTALLY TRUST HIM.  Here is a great excerpt from the book: Praying Successfully from the Preacher of Preachers, Charles Spurgeon,

"God Himself cannot deliver a person who is not in trouble.  Therefore, it is to some advantage to be in distress, because God can then deliver you.  Even Jesus Christ the Healer of men, cannot heal a person who is not sick.  Therefore, sickness is not an adversity for us, but rather an advantageous opportunity for Christ to heal us....I have sometimes wished that very comfortable Christians, who seem to treat religion as if it were a bed of roses, could have just a little time of "roughing it" and really come into actual difficulties.  A life of ease breeds hosts of falsehoods and pretenses which would soon vanish in the presence of matter-of-fact trials.  Many a man has been converted to God by hunger, weariness, and lonelines, who, when he was a wealthy man, surrounded by frivolous flatterers never thought of God at all.  Many a man on board a ship out on the ocean has learned to pray in the cold chill of an iceberg, or in the horrors of a tidal wave out of which the ship could not rise.  When the mast has gone by the board and every timber has been strained and the ship has seemed doomed, then hearts have begun to pray in sincerity.  God loves sincerity.  When we mean it; when the soul melts in prayer; when we say, 'I must have it or be lost'; when it is no sham, no vain performance but a real heartbreaking, agonizing cry, then God accepts it.  That is why He says, "Call upon me in the day of trouble."  Such a cry is the kind of worship that He cares for, because there is sincerity in it, and this is acceptable with the God of truth." p55.

40-Strong

Birthday thoughts from Stu:

Many well wishers hit me up today with some subtle jabs and some with encouragements and then there is my wife who absolutely went over the top by putting an over 40 slogan on my car windows......all of them.  Ok, and filled the car with black balloons.  Did I mention I had to take the kids to school- listening to car horns honking at 7 30 am?  That is my birthday so far.  Looking forward to my Montana sis coming in, couple of family members and mom and dad.

40 is cool.  Not too worried about it.  Most people freak when they hit 28, but for me- hey, one step closer to Jesus.  Bones are pretty strong.  Think my mind is in there too.  Thinking about a physical fitness comeback.  Been thinking about that for a long time.  Regardless, I'll take the 40.  I think there is an anticipation for more now.   More of God.  More influence.  More substance in Jesus.  More obedience, quicker obedience.  A willingness to be teachable and go wherever God wants me to go.  More kindness....more gentleness; especially to the "Sprint" customer care lady.  Much more gentleness now that I think of it.  Some get mellow with age, and some get cranky and peel.  I think I want to be more refined.  Like an old iron.  You know the classic metal ones with black handles and turn knobs for the heat setting.  You know the ones that weigh like 9 1/2 pounds.  The modern plastic ones just won't compare with how those things roll.  I think I want to age like one of those.  It is ok to be outdated, but still be valued and effective! 

How bout furniture.  The new stuff is cheap and light when you move, but the knobs break off.  Give me a solid wood furniture piece.  Skip the old cars.  They are sweet, but the gas is really not realistic.  Blankets are better old, unless they never get washed.  Old cutlery (like grandma's peach knife) is greater with age.  Puppies are cute, but an old dog just, well, you know it is all about relationship and time and such.

So no more subtle digs on geriatrics and canes and metamucil and such please.  This old iron is rollin!

Peace- Stuart

Your LIfe is Being Built

Tiana Gomez, one of our sweet youngsters in 180, taking time to goof off with Sydney at my son's football game.  Preparing for a weekend of family and birthday celebration and church family stuff.... praying for the fulness of God over our time.  As I am preparing for the weekend, the scripture that I will be speaking on this week is,

 “therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: and the rain descended, the floods came and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock.  But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who build his house on the sand: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell.  And great was its fall.   And so it was, when Jesus had ended these sayings, that the people were astonished at His teaching, for He taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes. ”  Matthew 7:24-29

This text is the real deal and is loaded with some powerful truth.  Jesus states that there are two kinds of people:  those that hear his word and those who don't.  You know, the world will tell us there are more voices than this.  Buddah, self, allah, totem pole, inner self, etc... But Jesus claim is that there really is only one voice.  And that is His.  This enfuriates some, and is laughable to others, yet I still have to hold out the quote often used, "Jesus is either lunatic, liar or Lord."  Either way, this scripture points out that there is only One voice.  And there are only two responses to that voice.... heeding or dissing.  The heeding response is the person about listening and doing the will of God in the earth.  It is about building a house on the Rock, JESUS.  That foundation will surely stand through the end of time and eternity.  Then there is the dissing response.  It looks like more than one response.  Some ignore the voice, some curse it, some deny it.  Yet Jesus says, if you diss my voice, you will be dissed.  Sandy foundations make for HARD FALLS.  Thing is, everything is fine until the storm.  One writer infers that the storm is the day of judgment.  My concern is for the people thinking their house is good to go.  Question for the week and as we come into more discussion on Sunday, "Is what you are building made to stand?"....

Peace.

MEMBERSHIP HAS IT'S PRIVILEGES ...AND HEADACHES

It is wednesday pm and the kids are coming on home from school.  Just had a minute of down time and wanted to type a bit.  Contemplating today about community and being a family of faith.  I have been preparing a 12 week training video series that we are hosting in homes of our church members.  Each week is basically fly by the seat of my pants.  Shooting the video session (40-60 minutes); running off homework papers and editing the guidebook each week as we go.  The video is accompanied by a powerpoint series that also needs to be updated and such.  Pretty much that takes up to 3 days to complete (even with Heather helping with the typing) every week.  The goal is to communicate the need of knowing how to function as a healthy and loving and powerful/authentic Christian community.  As we began 180, the church, nearly 6 years ago, many people were interested in our church and how we developed small groups and such, but as we began to move on through the months, it seemed that community would wane with lack of commitment and involvement.  Hence the training.  We have learned that not much can be accomplished in the church when people look at it (church) like another activity.  Church is not an activity it is a living body.  When the church is passive and uncommitted to one another, there is little of lasting value that can be attained in the earth.  Christ, works on an individual level, but Christ surely works in a corporate "body level" even more so.  The church is compared to the body with Christ as the head.  Can you imagine a body being disconnected.  Or worse yet, being connected but not active?  Anemic....paralyzed.  So right now we are in a challenge phase...we are asking people to come in covenant with the church.  We are all excited to be in covenant with Jesus, but because we are in covenant with Jesus, that makes us in covenant with each other.  People are quite unsure about that type of deal.  It just wiggs people out.  Especially difficult people, loud people, obnoxious people.....But that is the type of people that Jesus partnered with.  Loud mouth Peter, lovey dovey John, heady Luke.  Jesus loves people and for the church to connect to who they want to instead of who they are called to, it becomes a membership like a country club instead of the body of the living God.  Praying for a revelation for our church that we can love each other, love Jesus and COMMIT to standing with each other together in the days ahead.  I think we will!  GLORY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

NOVA Part II- Confession

Here are a few of the mighty young men of God out of Northern Virginia.  Anderson, Jason, Daniel and in the back Abraham.  In sharing with you a few more memories from our time together on Columbus day, I thought you would like to hear about a very defining moment at the retreat.

As we were in a breakout session, trying to process all that God was doing through our times together in worship, Heather and I felt the need to lead the group in a time of personal reflection and such.  I was able to take the young guys and Heather the ladies.  As we huddled on the outside of the meeting space in the grass, I shared with the men how the scriptures teach us a truth about confession.
  

13 Is anyone among you suffering? Then he must pray. Is anyone cheerful? He is to sing praises.14 Is anyone among you sick? Then he must call for the elders of the church and they are to pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord;15 and the prayer offered in faith will restore the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up, and if he has committed sins, they will be forgiven him.16 Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another so that you may be healed. The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much.17     James 5:13-17

From this scripture I explained how important it is for us to confess our sins to each other.  The catholics have it right in one way, by having the confessional box.  The reality is though, that what we all struggle with is this shame and guilt that comes with sin.  Sin always brings pleasure in some way, be it drugs, sexual perversion, drinking, cheating.  The immediate satisfaction is right away, but the end result is shame and hiding.  That is how Satan operates.  He lulls us by giving us candy so he can give us cavaties.  We are lulled in by constant tv, only to lose our families.  We are lulled by materialism so we work out of proportion to a balanced lifestyle and we lose our wives and husbands.  We are lulled by interenet porn for the immediate satisfaction of a hidden rendezvous, and we receive the guilt that makes it impossible for us to have any confidence before God and man.  The reality is that we know that sin SEPARATES us from God, but we are not getting out of the junk.  And it doesn't go away....it stacks up and guilt gives way to shame gives way to heaviness, and then depression and before you know it the church is anemic and without power, and the glory of God is substitued by forms and liturgy.  This dying world is in need to see God's radiant bride marching victorious in a sin scarred land.

Jesus teaches us that if we confess to Him, He is faithful to FORGIVE us.  If we confess to each other, we can be HEALED.  Some would argue that I don't need to go to anyone but Jesus, but scripture actually teaches us that we do.  Not for anyone but us.  I think it is harder for us to go to man.  We lose our pride, because we can't hide behind our paper walls and straw houses of pretention.  When we confess to our bros and sis's we have to realize we are not "all that", and it puts the glory with whom it belongs,  God.  When God is the one we hope in, we can strip ourselves.  And in a very mysterious way, when we show our sordid lifestyles, reveal our hidden motives and tell on ourselves, God recognizes a humility and brings a healing in our lives.  To man, we may look shameful, but at that moment, God declares us righteous, forgiven, healed and made whole.  Now from this point, we can begin to say, that I can move forward from the sin that HAD a hold of me!  Victory only comes from being raw with ourselves and our brothers.

How did my boys do from NOVA?  One boy stepped forward and got some of his.  Yes he looked the most "un"spiritual as he confessed his dark issues.  But in reality, he was OBEDIENT and truth known, he probably got the most momentum from the conference.  I was floored that any young man would do this in front of his peers, but when the Spirit of God and the Word agree....and God's people respond, REVIVAL is alive in the church.  THERE IS HOPE.

Have you need of confession? Get some.   - Stu