Community, Family Life & the 10 Commandments by Phil Tiews

Over the last decade or so we have entered into a new reality in community life. The nuclear family has blossomed into the extended family, even the overlapping extended family, or clan, as the second generation of community folks have sometimes married one another and started having children of their own. The ‘grandkid’ link ties those first generation folks together with family-, as well as community-ties. Some of us are also being called upon to care for aging parents or relatives, drawing us into deeper relationship with the ‘pre-first’ generation! This is a wonderful development. In the past we have invested in building intentional community together in no small part because of the loss of more natural community in our culture. Now we are experiencing the most natural of community structures, the extended family, growing up right in our midst. What a blessing! What a multiplication of dinners, birthdays, anniversaries, holidays, exchange of life on every level through these family networks.

Ah, but there lies a bit of a rub. ‘Natural community’ competes with ‘intentional community’ for time, energy, resources. In the early days of our community we resolved this potential conflict by largely withholding ourselves from investment in our families of origin. As we were building a new set of relationships together rooted in Christ, participation in community activities almost always took precedence. We have become far less intense in our time commitment over the years, of course, but the number of places where community and family intersect has actually increased with the emergence of interwoven family connections. There might be less community ‘stuff’, but there is a lot more family ‘stuff’!

What do we make of this and how can we walk out this new reality fruitfully? I am sure that the Lord has a lot to show us still, but here are a couple of thoughts. Let’s keep seeking the Lord and talking about this together:

1. Family is very important to God & it must be to us

Family is important enough to God that it makes it into the ‘Top Ten’ of his commandments. Ephesians 3 speaks of every family on earth being connected to the Fatherhood of God. Much can be said on this point, but it is clear that there is a significant, holy, spiritual reality about family. As a community we must not disparage or diminish family by viewing it as ‘competition’ to ‘real’ community. We should find ways to encourage and build up families as they seek to understand how to engage with God.

2. Family is not and end in itself but is part of the fabric of the Kingdom

Just as we as individuals are called to ‘lay down our lives, take up our cross and follow’ when we enter into being disciples of Jesus, so families do not exist solely for their own benefit but must lay down their (corporate) life, take up their cross, and follow. It is the wonderful pastoral challenge of ‘patriarchs & matriarchs’ to instill this Gospel ethic into the culture of their families. We have plenty of models and experience with fleshly or worldly extended family life. Let’s help one another grow into a Kingdom-centered culture of extended family life. Hopefully this is a place the rest of the community can provide support and encouragement.

3. There is a powerful mission / Kingdom potential in community-embedded extended families

Family life is in tatters in American culture. This has not gotten better in the 40 years we have been together, it has gotten far worse. The witness of healthy, Christ-centered extended families who are not living for themselves but are engaged with God’s broader people can be huge. One response people in the culture make to the family fiasco is to try to ‘cocoon’, to draw Mom, Dad and 1.75 children into an isolated family haven. This is doomed. Interacting with vital family networks that which also have living connection to others can give a whole new vision and provide a place of life to emerge from the cocoon.

In addition, in almost all our extended family networks, there are those who are not walking with Christ, or who do not really have him at the center of their lives. Healthy, loving connections to their broader family which has an authentic Christ-centered culture provide a bridge ‘back home’ for these loved ones. Sometimes, though, they need interaction with someone outside their immediate family, but who knows and loves both them and their family. This is where the community connection can help with the mission to the extended family’s skeptical members.

These are just a few thoughts, and many of you, especially those in our ‘clans’, probably have more. The bottom line is that we should embrace this new era that the Lord has brought us into, viewing it from a broad Kingdom perspective, not as a ‘problem’ it raises for ‘our way of doing things’. God is restoring something to his people – extended families in mutual partnership with broader community life sharing together in the Kingdom mission to reconcile the world to himself. Challenging, exciting, wonderful.

Time and Life in the Spirit, by Mary Denise Curran

With all the life and death moments Vince and I have faced since moving back to Pennsylvania from Michigan, seven years ago in 2004, I have learned something very valuable. . . to treasure life as the gift that it is, in ways I did not know before. Some might call this learning how to live “Life in the Spirit.” . The gift of TIME is at the top of the list. I no longer take for granted the time that Vince and I have together. I am learning to treasure the time that we have. . . just to be with each other. I see now that God has given us the gift of Time to become the man and woman He created us to be. God has given us the Gift of Love to become the husband and wife He created us to be. God has given us the gift of Talent and Treasure to become the parents that He created us to be. And, God has given us the Gift of Grace to become His children, his son and daughter so we can help others become who they are created to be.

Kingdom Infusion – making 'Son tea', by Phil Tiews

Years ago I used to work as a repair man at a local apartment complex. When I first started, the lunchroom talk was often vulgar and profanity-laced. It was pretty uncomfortable for me. On a couple of occasions I said something like ‘I’m not interested’ to an inquiry, but mainly I tried to ignore what was objectionable or change the topic and just be myself. I didn’t preach to anyone. After the guys got to know me and I had been there a while I noticed that the discussion often changed when I came in the room and sometimes someone would apologize to me for a comment – often half-jokingly, but an apology nonetheless. What I was experiencing was not conversion or transferal from the kingdom of darkness to the Kingdom of God, but I would call it an example of the ‘infusion’ of the Kingdom of God. You may have made ‘sun tea’ at some time. You put a tea bag in a jar of water and put it out in the sun. Slowly the tea leaches out into the water and with the solar influence it begins to infuse the whole jar. You can see treads and streams of the tea spreading out in the early stages. Eventually the whole jar is tea!

Sometimes the Lord gives us the calling and opportunity to take a direct ‘Kingdom action’. It could be sharing the Gospel with someone, changing the priorities of our department at work, or ministering in the jail. But I believe the Lord wants to always be ‘infusing’ the environments that we are in for the Kingdom. Paul tells us:

Do everything without complaining or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe as you hold out the word of life—in order that I may boast on the day of Christ that I did not run or labor for nothing.     Phil 2:14-16

Part of sharing the Good News is to BE good news. It ought to be good news that Christians are in any situation because we bring with us blessing, encouragement, kindness, helpfulness, respectfulness, joy … life! Often without having to say anything directly, our presence will check people’s baser behavior and call to their mind their better instincts. Our example can model a different way, a life-affirming way.

The Lord told Israel to live thelaws of the way of life He was giving them for this very reason:

Observe them carefully, for this will show your wisdom and understanding to the nations, who will hear about all these decrees and say, “Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people.” 7What other nation is so great as to have their gods near them the way the LORD our God is near us whenever we pray to him? 8And what other nation is so great as to have such righteous decrees and laws as this body of laws I am setting before you today?    Deut 4:6-8

There is no guarantee that all our efforts will always meet with a positive response – in fact, we are promised that we can expect at least some persecution! However, we live Kingdom life openly because it is who we are in Christ, no matter the response. And often, we will be blessed to be part of the infusion of the Kingdom into situations and environments, a change that is a blessing in and of itself and can pave the way for deeper transformation and eventual Kingdom transfer!

The view from the registration table, by Joan K. O’Connell

A joyful thing, recognizing people as they wrestle their way through the red metal door of the Chalet at FaHoLo conference and retreat center, gaze around the room and ‘check in’. Some I saw only last week at a prayer meeting. Others self-identify that they “haven’t been around much lately,” which isn’t to say they have abandoned Kingdom territory or put down their spiritual weapons. In addition to a gently-aging population, there were children and babies, young families, a few people we got to meet perhaps for the first time, and two venerable seniors, Winslow Fox and Bren Quilter. What about the people whose names I never checked off? Well, I missed them. And, I missed the people who weren’t on the pre-registration list. It was a very full weekend of wonderful things to do; some of us were doing other things. I trust you had a good time wherever you were, but you were missed. I especially missed our friends Terry Johnson, Mary Quilter, and Elizabeth Fox who were with us in recent years, are now gone to their eternal home, God rest their souls.

While the children scurried off to various-aged childcare settings, Billy Kangas ably led us through a “what’s it all about?” construct, encouraging us see the bigger Kingdom picture: it is not about me -- Oh, my! As we enter into our part in God’s Story, Billy helped us see how to combine Divine Initiative and Human Effort with Holy Spirit empowering and our unique gifting. We get off-story when we emphasize these in wrong combinations, but when all are at work in our lives, we have the exhilaration of flowing with the movement of God’s Kingdom Story.

How to pursue the Lord’s priorities for us? Billy made some practical suggestions in the afternoon. Make a list on paper what you love to do. What stirs your heart? Keep adding to it. In addition to giving us opportunities to work out areas of challenge or growth, it is out of these heart-rooted joys, that we might perceive the Lord preparing and nudging us into our places in Kingdom service. “I have a heart for….” we say. Is it preparing the way for prisoners to meet the Lord, or to deepen their walk with him? Is it creating a hospitable environment for dinner guests? Former inmates? People with disabilities? Is it teaching children or adults to read? Taking photographs? Caring for the sick? Working out? Writing or illustrating short stories? Running a business? Walking? Talking over tea? Making quilts? Building things? Build in rhythms to our lives which bring us back to the things the Lord has made a priority for us.

Rob and Mary Carpenter and Bob Roleke told us about “Our Father’s House.” Carol Magill described “His Eye is on the Sparrow.” At some future time maybe we will also hear about “Emmanuel House”. Among other things it appears that the Lord is allowing some of us to help Him prepare a place where others may lay their heads in peace, in hope, in expectation of love. To hear Rob describe the basis for setting up one of these homes, one could say that we have resident among us some measure of wisdom and experience gained from living Kingdom life together in households and Christian Living Situations. How awesome is God’s economy! What a privilege to share what we know.

The Saturday afternoon sessions were participatory. We gathered in smallish groups by interest areas and shared ideas, inspiration, perspectives on living Kingdom life in our neighborhoods, in offering hospitality, in the business world, in education, in health care settings. The evening ‘entertainment’ was ‘do it ourselves / community style’ too! Barb Brown led us in a round-the-room series of three games played by teams or 6-8 people each. It was engaging and as competitive as you wanted to be –sometimes perhaps more than you wanted—affording me opportunities for apologies and forgiveness as the teams faced off. Politely coming and going to prayer gatherings, where else would we encounter a chance to test our love under the fire of competition? Barb prepared a time of community entertainment for the kids, too, getting the older to help them younger in a special ‘fishing’ expedition for them where they hooked prizes and other games.

The facility was familiar. Some of the staff even recognized us by now. FaHoLo outdid themselves, once again, with their clean, well-run facility and good food. Speaking of food, Patrick O’Connell, back by popular demand, served a pancake breakfast (with an egg, upon request) to about 30 people Saturday morning before the sessions began.

By the afternoon on Saturday, just in time for the recreation period, the weather was Michigan Fall-cool-and-windy and the sun was out! I believe Billy gave us some things to think about over the coming months: a way to look at what we’re doing with our lives, and a way to balance Divine initiative, the Holy Spirit, the sweat of our brows, and our individual giftings. You can listen to a recording online at our web site www.thewordofGodcommunity.org

Fall Retreat: Thy Kingdom come …

Jesus taught us to pray for the Lord’s kingdom to come on earth — and He intends that we be part of the answer to our prayers! We have been saved and empowered to partner with Him in that process, to walk in the works He has prepared for us. This is the calling that we have heard and responded to over the years. We didn’t hear an invitation to a comfortable Christianity focused on our needs, but a summons to join the King on His mission.

This is what we want to explore at the upcoming Fall Retreat. Our theme is ‘Thy Kingdom come … Being part of the answer to our prayer’. Jesus taught us to pray for the Lord’s Kingdom to come here and now, and we need to be ready to be used to fulfill that prayer. What does this look like in our daily lives as family members, workers, neighbors? How can we be more deliberate about it? What might this mean for us not only in Washtenaw County, but in the world beyond? How does the Spirit empower us for this calling?

Join us to explore these issues together at the Fall Retreat on Friday 9/30 and Saturday 10/1 at Faholo Conference Center in Grass Lake. We will engage these issues through several means:

Guest Speaker Billy Kangas Billy formerly led MissionChrist and brings insights from his study at North Park seminary in Chicago. Taking the Gospel to the ‘marketplace’ has been a passion of his for years..

Sharings from folks actively involved in a variety of ways of seeing ‘Kingdom come’

Workshops where we can talk together how to be Kingdom leaven in different settings like our work, families, neighborhood, and beyond.

Prayer! Presenting ourselves before the Lord for His instruction, commissioning and empowering..

In addition to the serious business of seeking the Lord, we are also going to enjoy the life of the Kingdom through meals, fellowship and recreation. There are options for spending the night Friday or commuting out to Faholo. For more information you can go to these pages or click here to register on line.

United Public School Outreach this fall

The students of Washtenaw County have been a prayer focus for the IMPACT prayer room and intercession in general for many years. It is looking like the Spirit is moving now in response to our prayer as doors are opening and churches are coming together for an outreach to public schools this fall. Churches in PACT and others are working together to bring Reggie Dabbs to speak at school assemblies September 26-28. (go to http://reggiedabbsonline.com/ for more info) Reggie is the #1 school motivational speaker in the nation and will be addressing the vital issue of bullying. He has a big impact on kids at their school assemblies, and then he invites them to evening rallies where he can preach the Gospel as the true answer to their issues. Area churches will be sponsoring his appearances and working together to follow up with young people who respond at the evening meetings. The goal is to not only bring the students to a point of decision but to get them into a living connection with a local body where they can receive support and discipleship. MissionChrist will be doing what we can to support this outreach. In the process of talking with local schools, we have discovered that the Lord has His servants in many strategic places in the County. The new principal at Ypsilanti High School is a committed Christian who has worked with Young Life in the past and is eager to have the churches involved in reaching out to kids at his school. He even gave some great ideas for how to go about it! The wife of one area pastor is the principal at Ypsilanti Middle School and there are also Christian principals serving at least two Ann Arbor middle schools. These are examples of how the Lord deploys His people into all of society to bring the influence of His Kingdom—the theme for our Fall Retreat!

Let’s pray for a great mobilization of the churches to reach the young people in our public schools and for the Spirit to grant them the grace of repentance and faith! This is a major front on the spiritual battle in our day and we need to Lord to supply a break through!

Living Out Loud -- Pat O'Connell

Often when I come to God with deep questions and a pen in my hand; a blank sheet of paper before me, he seems to address my heart’s concerns as I simply begin to write whatever comes to mind. The question on my heart when I recorded the following was, ‘Lord Jesus, why do I fail so often to allow the truth within to influence or be exposed to the reality without?’

Oh, how mighty, how benevolently motivated is the King, your King, Patrick. Your sovereign Lord, your kind, all knowing, all loving, all pure, all perceiving, totally real God. Keep pursuing me as the real, all human/ all God Creator that I am.

Consider what motivates. You’ve read, ‘God is love’; and as you know, Love motivates. So when you are motivated by love, you may be sure that it is I who motivates. Power motivates, greed motivates, control motivates. Fear of injury, fear of ridicule, fear of failure, fear of rejection motivate. Resist/ reject/ renounce [using my name] all sources of motivation except Love. Then stand. Stand, confident in your salvation. Stand in the limited knowledge given, content with the resultant mystery to be revealed at the proper time.

Live out-loud. Be my witness. Haven’t I made my home in you? Don’t you daily surrender to me? Haven’t we shared multiple, marvelous life-giving moments recently? So why won’t you let this light, this ongoing life in you be seen by those around you? Has any part of you bought the liar’s lie that I may be ‘right’ for you but not for another one of my creatures? If so, choose again and stand in the truth found in Acts 4:12… “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.”

Do you disqualify your witness as not pure enough for ‘public display’? Think again. Isn’t it more attractive, more credible when you see my peace, my joy, my enthusiasm, my compassion emanating from someone who has obvious weaknesses and unanswered questions? Someone who readily agrees with Paul’s desire stated in Galatians 6:14 “May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.” Then ask the Father for grace to let your light, the life of Jesus in you shine brightly. Live out-loud!

Watching the Kingdom Bobber -- Phil Tiews

Its summer and a lot of us will go fishing, or at least that is what we call it! Maybe it is just a good excuse to sit quietly and enjoy the sun and water – hoping we don’t actually catch anything that we will have to clean. Whether you are a serious fisher or a serious lounger, you have possibly fished with a float or bobber at some time, that little red and white ball you attach to your line which floats on the surface. When a fish strikes your bait the ball ‘bobs’ down, you know you have caught something and you go into action, pulling on your rod.

Recently I have been thinking about the prayer Jesus gave us – called the Lord’s Prayer, but really the disciples’ prayer. We are to ask the Father, ‘Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.’ I am sure this is not just a pious sentiment, but that the Father and Jesus want to see their Kingdom breaking in here and now. Eventually it will completely break in, but we are to pray for it with an expectation that we will see signs of it in the present.

In addition, I am sure that we are supposed to be prepared to be part of the answer to that prayer! God wants to work through us to bring His Kingdom and will to people and situations. A word of life, peace out of chaos, healing, deliverance, repentance, shaping enterprises and institutions according to His values, all the different works of the Kingdom. Our whole life is maybe best understood as being ambassadors of His Kingdom in the different spheres He has places us as parents, students, workers, neighbors and more. There is much to say on this at another time.

I am also sure that we are to be partners with the Lord in more immediate, instantaneous expressions of the Kingdom. Things like an inspiration to pray for someone in the middle of the day and you later find out they were facing a great temptation just then. Stopping to talk with a stranger which leads to praying for them. Giving money to someone because the Spirit prompts you.

This is where the bobber comes in. You could call it a Kingdom bobber. The idea is that as we go through our days, let’s keep an eye on that Kingdom bobber. Most of the time it is just going to sit there riding the current of the overall flow of life. But every once in a while it is going to bob down because the Lord and His Kingdom is breaking in at that moment and if we go into action, we will get to be partners in the Lord’s catch.

John Wimber used to speak of ‘seeing what the Father is doing’ and joining in. That is maybe a better and more biblical way of describing the same idea. However we describe it, let’s not go through out days with our head down, about our business, even our overall God-given business, without keeping at least a corner of an eye on the Kingdom bobber. When we see it bob down -- when the Spirit gives us that nudge, speaks to us, or draws our attention – take a moment and ‘strike’ and we will get to partner with the Lord causing His Kingdom to come and His will to be done here, now, and in someone’s life.

Dawn Service Night

Community Service Night

4:30 – 7 pm, Saturday: July 23

@ Dawn Farm — 6633 Stony Creek Rd., Ypsilanti, MI 48197

 Help with Dawn Farm’s new sustainable, long term garden vision

 OR Work in an air-conditioned ‘barn’ preparing mailings for Dawn Farm supporters

 Picnic Dinner with the extended community family & Dawn clients

Bring a dessert to share. Main dish, salad & beverage will be provided

 No child care provided—kids can help with the service

A great event to bring a friend to!

Aggressive Grace

In order to protect my bald head, I wear a ball cap when I’m mowing the lawn.  To protect from the loud noise and to protect from boredom I wear ear muffs with a radio in them.  My head is down and I’m focused on the five feet of lawn ahead of me to make sure my lines are straight and I don’t run over any rocks or roots.  Somebody could be passed out and I wouldn’t notice them until I got ready to mow right over them!  At that point I hope I would be quick to shut off everything and rush to their aid.

&

Jesus told the story of the man mugged on the road to Jericho. (Luke 10:30-36)  A priest and a Levite came along with their heads down, focused on the task before them and passed on by.  A Samaritan came along.  No doubt he had plenty on his plate, as well, but he not only noticed the man, but ‘went to him’, fixed him up as best he could, took him to an inn, cared for him overnight and left money for an extended stay, and said he would pay more, if it was needed.  Jesus’ punch line?  ‘Go and do likewise.’

 &

I think the Lord has been speaking to me, and maybe to us as a community, through involving us in the EACH campaign earlier this spring.  540 churches and ministries deliberately reaching out to our region with Good News and good deeds.  I know that we are gracious people.  If, as we are mowing along through life we see someone right in our path, we will show them grace in whatever form needed.  However, what the Samaritan demonstrated might be called ‘aggressive grace’.  He didn’t wait to actually stumble over the man, and didn’t stop at just getting him to the inn and leaving others to care for him.

I think the Lord wants us to get into the habit, or back in the habit, of going through our days with our heads up and our spiritual ears open.  How does the Lord want to answer the prayer for His kingdom to come and His will to be done on earth as in heaven—through us, in the circumstances of our daily lives which He has prepared for us to walk in, today.

Go and do likewise.

An Inside Look at Pine Hills Boys Camp -- Russ Raney

I recently had a unique opportunity to be an adult observer at Pine Hills Boys Camp. Late last year, my son (now entering 7th grade) expressed an interest in attending Pine Hills after hearing about the fun time a friend had there last summer. We wanted him to be able to participate in this experience, but because of dietary restrictions the only way he could attend would be if Dad went along to help with his food. Thus, I became the oldest ‘camper’ at Pine Hills this year and had the opportunity to watch the boys immerse themselves in the Pine Hills experience. And what I saw made me glad my son was able to be there. Here is a taste of what I observed:

• Boys learning to work together as a team to accomplish a goal.
• Boys being given opportunities to be leaders and develop leadership skills.
• Boys learning to respect authority and building new friendships.
• Boys engaged in healthy physical activity that sometimes challenged them beyond their comfort zones as they learned what they can do when they dig deeper.
• Boys having fun at the beautiful YMCA Camp facility (where Pine Hills is held) with cool activities like a 50’ climbing wall, a high ropes course, a high dive platform, and much more.
• A good relationship between the Pine Hills Camp and the YMCA Camp staff because of the way the Pine Hills kids conduct themselves and care for the facilities.
• A very capable team of men who directed, organized, and led Pine Hills Camp with a maturity beyond their years, and with an obvious desire to keep the campers safe, and to see them grow in faith, know God’s love, and experience the Holy Spirit at work in their lives.
• Speakers who encouraged and challenged the boys in their faith.
• Boys who were excited about worshipping the Lord.
• Prayer meetings where the Holy Spirit was moving and impacting lives.
• A fun ‘gong’ show where boys (of all ages) got to showcase their ‘talents’ (I use that word loosely in some instances). 
• Former campers who continue to return year after year to help on the service team, or as a counselor, or in some other capacity because of the great time they have.
• Boys learning that pursuing God wholeheartedly is a lifelong adventure for real, manly men.

It’s no wonder so many former campers keep coming back. This was a great experience for my son and all the boys there; one they won’t forget, one that moves them along the path of Godly manhood, and one which brings glory to our Awesome God.

Create in me a clean heart -- by Mary Denise Curran

Through the Word of God Community, we have experienced a people, chosen by God.  We are blessed beyond measure to have friends who know the Lord and seek to follow Him all of the days of their lives.   Through the spirit of friendship, “koinonia” … (a word I heard for the first time in a Word of God teaching given by Peter Williamson), I have glimpsed the hind’s feet on high places and been touched by the Presence of God.  I pray that every member of the Community past and present be touched by the Fire that has blazed through the heart and soul of the Community to Vince and me. It’s eternal, Life-giving Life-sustaining.   When we arrived in Michigan in 1997, fourteen years ago, we had no idea of what the Lord had in store for us. That’s a story for another day.  Seven glorious years later of living and learning how to flourish and thrive and to live Life in the Spirit, we returned home.   While living in your midst, we learned that we needed to be pruned, stripped, changed, healed, die to ourselves and trust God.  We also learned that we  needed to be revived, brought back to life and cared for by God Himself so that we could learn how to do things God’s Way. We needed to learn to turn to God in all things we needed to learn to be humble before our God if we hoped to receive the miracles that God desires for us.  Psalm 51 describes so well what God desires for each of us and how to receive what God desires to give us.  Our sacrifice is a broken spirit…a broken humbled heart. God hears us when we come before Him, take responsibility for what we have done or failed to do and throw ourselves on God’s Mercy. As I read, I realized that each line has come to life for us as we have learned to live Life in the Spirit. “Create in me a clean heart” are the words of the Curran family crest.  I include most of Psalm 51 because of the Power that flows through them. God desires to restore His Life within us …no matter how we have sinned. TRUE LOVE, the nature and essence of Father, Son and Holy Spirit loves us back to life…if we open ourselves and let them in.      

                                                Psalm 51      Verses 1-19

A psalm of David, when Nathan the prophet came to him after his affair with Bathsheba.

Have mercy on me, God, in your goodness; in your abundant compassion blot out my offense. Wash away all my guilt; from my sin cleanse me.

For I know my offense; my sin is always before me. Against you alone have I sinned; I have done such evil in your sight

That you are just in your sentence, blameless when you condemn.  True, I was born guilty, a sinner, even as my mother conceived me.

Still, you insist on sincerity of heart; in my inmost being teach me wisdom. Cleanse me with hyssop, that I may be pure; wash me, make me whiter than snow.

Let me hear sounds of joy and gladness; let the bones you have crushed rejoice.

Turn away your face from my sins; blot out all my guilt.

A clean heart create for me, God; renew in me a steadfast spirit.

Do not drive me from your presence, nor take from me your holy spirit.

Restore my joy in your salvation; sustain in me a willing spirit. I will teach the wicked your ways, that sinners may return to you.

Rescue me from death, God, my saving God, that my tongue may praise your healing power.

Lord, open my lips; my mouth will proclaim your praise.

For you do not desire sacrifice; a burnt offering you would not accept.

My sacrifice, God, is a broken spirit; God, do not spurn a broken, humbled heart.

 GLORY to God!

Mary Denise

Community Life Nights -- 2011

Join us for this summer’s first Word of God  -

 Community Life Night

5:30 – 8 pm, Saturday: June 18

@ Westminster Presbyterian Church

1500 Scio Church Rd

Ann Arbor, MI 48103

What’s it all about?

þ Pot-luck Dinner with the extended community family

• Bring a dessert or salad to share. 
• Main dish & beverage will be provided

þ Program for youth of all ages        

þ Great groups & activities for adults & teens

• C S Lewis,  The Great Divorce ~Part 1- Marsha Williamson
• Visit and craft- Terri & Michelle Flanagan bring a craft or learn a new one.  We will also learn finger knitting, for children.
• Line Dancing for all ages –
• Digital Photography. ‘Hands-on’ guided practice ~bring a camera with charged battery & manual – Coral Lee & Kristen Johnson
• Optional [based on interest] Soccer/ Basketball & Board game(s)

 þ A taste of community life in the rush of our week!

Body Life Evangelism – Bring a Friend!

Come and see.  The best way for folks to find out about Jesus and his people is to hang out with them.  It worked for the New Testament church.  It worked for the early community.  It works today!

Bring your friends, relatives, neighbors … even your enemies! and let them taste Kingdom life and a little potluck dinner for themselves.  If they try it, they’ll like it!

EACH at work!

Giving Everyone a Chance to Hear – and to experience- God’s love in Southeast Michigan is the goal of EACH. It really amounts to the Church being the Church, witnessing in word and deed to God’s saving work in Jesus Christ. And a lot is happening. The 530+ churches and ministries involved in EACH have been telling their 2WordStories, tens of thousands of folks have come to the 2WordStory.com site, there have been medical clinics and resource fairs, site clean-ups, and even flash mobs! Many of us in The Word of God have been wearing our 2WordStory shirts and have gotten into conversations with folks who are curious what all the buzz is about. Often these exchanges are brief, but a few have developed into meaningful discussions. Look for sharings from folks at this site in the days ahead.

Several EACH groups in Washtenaw County decided to join in serving our neighbors through the YpsiPride Day on Saturday, May 21. We worked alongside other volunteers to cleanup and beautify sites all over town. A great opportunity to show some practical love, and get in yet more conversations about our 2WordStories, and some of our co-workers’ stories, too!

This coming Saturday, 5/28, Teresa Reimer has spearheaded an outreach to collect deposit bottles and cans to support a clinic in the Congo and non-perishable food for the local food pantry at Hope Clinic. We will be going through the Geyer’s neighborhood inviting folks to join in helping those in need – the Lord’s compassion in us mobilizing compassion in others.

This is a season when the Lord is stirring the Church in Southeast Michigan, and preparing folks’ hearts for the seed of the Gospel. Let’s be actively praying, sharing, and serving and see what God will do!

EACH Detroit Prayer Walk

20,000 people crowded outside Comerica Park in downtown Detroit, but they weren’t waiting for the Tigers to play. There were there to pray for the Lion to roar! Saturday April 16, the day before Christians celebrate Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem, people from all over Southeast Michigan gathered in Detroit to cry out for the Lion of Judah to enter and heal our region. They came from city and suburb, from different races, and from different denominations, but they came together with one heart. Everyone A Chance to Hear (EACH) had united them in a common vision to pray for our region, to share the good news, and to express the Gospel in good deeds over the 40 days after Easter. Now was the time to root the campaign in prayer with one voice.

The day didn’t start out promisingly. It was pouring down rain. This was particularly ironic because Chuck Gaidica, the weatherman for Channel 4 TV, was the moving force behind the prayer walk! As a sign of blessing, though, God the true Weatherman, caused the rain to stop and the sun to break out just as worship began that morning. The rain held off during the whole prayer walk down Woodward to Hart Plaza and back, and then began again afterward. There has been a sense of the Spirit moving as EACH has developed from a handful of churches to over 500, and this seemed to be a further confirmation that the Lord wants to visit Detroit and Southeast Michigan at this time.

For more information on the EACH campaign go here and here or to the www.eachtoday.com web site. Let’s keep praying for the Lord to open hearts and bring people to life in the Son in the coming days. Detroit and our region has been dying in the natural. May the Kingdom of God break in to bring it back to life!

Telling our Story – quickly!

But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, 1 Peter 3:15 This could stand as the theme verse for the ‘2WordStory’ strategy of the EACH outreach. Through all the prayer and the ‘2WordStory’ signs and gear we hope to create an environment where people will be asking us for ‘the reason for the hope we have’, and we will be prepared to share our story of God’s loving action in our lives – with gentleness and respect. Someone has rightly said that the goal of telling our story isn’t really to get information to folks but to build a bridge so that they might tell us their story. After all, they don’t so much need to know about how God saved us, as about how he wants to come into their life to save.

So, let’s get prepared (or brush up) on how to share our story in a way that just might get us into those sorts of conversations with folks. Many of us have worked on this before, but unless we are regularly using the skill, we are probably a bit rusty.

First, I urge you to develop 3 different versions!

1. A 30 second version – that is really short! Think of it as a trailer for the movie, just enough to give people the idea and be a teaser for more. You can probably slip this into normal conversion without having to ask whether they want to hear your story first. Useful for brief encounters. Write it out and practice it until it is natural.
2. 2 to 3 Minute version – this is what you may be used to. You get to put in more information, but still not your whole life story! You will have to work to focus it down to just 3 minutes. Even at this length you should probably expect to ask folks ‘would you like to hear my story’ before you launch into it. It would be good to write out and practice this, too.
3. 30 minute version – now we are talking about sitting down over lunch or coffee. Obviously this is for the occasion when people really want to hear more. Even in this case it is good to think beforehand about what to include and what to leave for some other time. You don’t want to bury people with information but to tailor your story to highlight what God has done and to address issues and questions they may have.

Secondly what should you include? The basic outline should be: Before, How, After.·

Before –not all of us have a clear ‘before I gave my life to Christ’ point in our lives. Maybe for you it is ‘before I got serious about following Jesus’ or ‘before I was baptized in the Holy Spirit’ or ‘before my faith was renewed’. Whatever it is for you, think about where you have come from, the issues and problems you faced, where your life was just ‘wrong’. How – how did God break in on your life, draw you to himself in Jesus, fill you with his Spirit, etc.. What means did he use. What were you experiencing. What did you do. What did He do? After – What has changed in your life? How do you experience him in an ongoing way. What have you seen him do. How is your experience of facing problems different than before?

I think that this quote gets at a very important point about where our emphasis should be as we think about dividing time between these three topics.

After hearing countless people share their faith, I’ve recognized that the typical structure for telling a personal story of salvation is skewed. About 80 percent of the story focuses on the “before” period — what life was like before accepting Christ as Savior. Another 15 percent of the emphasis is given to the process — how the individual came to Christ and the mechanics of asking Christ into your life. That leaves only 5 percent for grace — the transforming power of God in your life since becoming a Christian. This pattern also reflects many of the commonly taught methods of evangelism. What it most painfully ignores is that part of the story that is most appealing to the lost — grace and resulting hope for the future. After all, our call is not to always be prepared to give an answer for the sins of our past, is it?    Michael Simpson, Permission Evangelism

Lastly, some practical pointers. These really apply to most situations where we are speaking with who are not yet Christians.

Speak in everyday language – When we hang around Christians all the time we develop our own jargon which makes no sense to others and makes what we have to say sound ‘preachy’. No phrases like: ‘He laid a burden on my heart’, ‘I was convicted’, ‘it was edifying’, ‘I was really blessed’, etc.. There are normal language alternatives – let’s use them! Avoid negativity toward people & groups – folks outside Christianity view us as narrow, bigoted, judgmental. May it not be true of us! Time for a heart check. But let’s be careful not to give them ammunition to reinforce a stereotype which might keep them from hearing the story of God’s grace toward us – and toward them. Pray – before, during & after. It is not our job to convince folks or change their hearts. The Father draws people to Jesus. The Holy Spirit brings conviction of sin and revelation regarding salvation. If we don’t put pressure on ourselves, we probably won’t put pressure on folks we talking with. Let God do any pressurizing that is needed! And if we are praying even while we share, He can guide us what to say.

Start praying and thinking, and maybe even writing, now so that you will be ready for the start of the EACH outreach on Easter, and for the rest of your life as a witness! It really helps to do this with others so take some time in your family or small group to work on telling your story in a compelling way so that you are ‘Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have’.

May we be part of Everyone getting a Chance to Hear in SE Michigan!

Who are you pouring out your thoughts to?

Twittering? ? ?As an old-timer (anyone over 50 or 40 or . . .?) I've watched the twittering and texting phenomena with a bit of bewilderment.  What is twittering, what drives people to text or twitter, what do they get out of it?

The who and what are pretty easy.  A twitterer is anyone connected (seemingly constantly!) to the internet sharing what they are doing NOW.  Their thoughts about what they're doing.  What they're thinking, feeling . . .  It seems almost like forever, but first we had email, then the internet followed by Facebook.  We all used to have pure landline phones — hardwired to the phone company.  For those with a need and lots of $$$ there were satellite phones (bulky, expensive to buy, and even more expensive to use).  Finally low-priced cell phones emerged and for many cellphones have now turned out to be cheaper than 'old style' phones.  Cellphones morphed into cellphone/internet devices and the next step seemingly naturally was using the phone for texting and twittering...

What's the attraction? Why, why, why???  Why do people find it so necessary to share so much (everything!!!) about their lives with not only friends but . . . anybody who cares to take the time to look?  Why spend so much time and energy? ? ?  I'm sure that for at least some, it's just because they can.  Am I asking JUST because I'm not with IT  . . . ?

A while ago, I heard a Christian broadcaster speaking about the twittering phenomenon.  They raised the interesting thought that perhaps there is a deeper need/desire to share with friends and others.  Maybe with the crumbling of family life there is some sort of psychological need to reach out and connect to SOME sort of family, even if only an online family.  Perhaps there's an unmet need to find friends and acceptance.  THAT made a certain amount of sense to me and got me thinking about what they were saying.  

Do Christians Tweet? NOT ONLY DID IT MAKE SENSE . . . **BUT** perhaps there was a deeper reason!  Could there be a relationship between twittering and Christianity?

Scripture tells us:           rejoice always, pray constantly,           give thanks in all circumstances,          for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you   (I Thess 5:16-18)

Doesn't that sound just a bit like twittering — with God???   Scripture tells us that as we live our lives we should always practice the presence of God!

Jesus is and/or should be the most important person in our lives.  He cares about us more than anybody else in this world can!   He is always there willing to listen.  He is always there with a kind word and wisdom to help with whatever problem or issue we have to face.  He is always there to rejoice with us in good times and comfort us in bad times.  MOST importantly — what he tells us is always TRUE and exactly just what we need to hear at the moment...

Unbelievably, twittering with God the Father or Jesus or the Holy Spirit requires absolutely NO special equipment.  There are no batteries to run out.  Even those of us who never learned to type or type with so many misspellings that our messages are unintelligible —  the Lord always understands.  Not only does he understand what we're saying — more importantly he KNOWS what we really meant to say!  Typing takes time and for some can lead to carpal tunnel syndrome — twittering with God leads only to peace!  It can be done anywhere, anytime, by anyone, at any age…  Twittering with God can be done while driving, at the gas pump, working, washing dishes, setting the table, cooking, in the middle of night in our beds without any need to turn the lights on or to use any electricity or any mechanical device!

I encourage you to try it!!!   Spend some moments twittering — with God.  Fill your empty time twittering — with Jesus!  Twitter away your innermost thoughts and needs — to our loving Father.   Need power to overcome some temptation or for healing?  Twitter your need to the Holy Spirit...

Try it — I'm sure you'll like it.  Better yet — make it a habit!

Count me — all a-twitter for God!

Stephen Lucchetti

What will Jesus find when he visits SE Michigan?

The churches and ministries which are involved in the EACH outreach, including us in The Word of God,  are convinced that this is a critical hour for Detroit and the SE Michigan region.  The practical, economic and human crises are obvious.  But the question is ‘What is God doing in this hour?’  Our answer is that he has allowed us to come to this pass so that we are prepared for a visitation.  In this hour he wants to come to our region to bring transformation to people and through them to our area.  This is an exciting & hopeful thought!  But the questions arises, ‘what will Jesus find when he visits SE Michigan?’  In Luke 18 Jesus tells the parable of the persistent or,  to use the old word,  importunate widow who pesters the unjust judge until he gives her justice.  Encouraging us to be equally persistent in prayer he concludes, ‘I tell you, he (God) will see that they get justice, and quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?’   That is a haunting question.  When the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?  Jesus was amazed by the faith of the Centurion with the sick servant, but he agonized over the ‘little faith’ of his disciples at times.  In Matthew 13 Jesus visits his hometown of Nazareth and we are told in v 58, ‘And he did not do many miracles there because of their lack of faith.’    We know our region needs the powerful in-breaking of the Kingdom of God.  We need lots of miracles when Jesus comes.  He is coming, but what will he find among his people?  We do not expect those who have yet to know him to receive him with faith, but how about we who do?  It would be very possible for us to go through the motions with the EACH campaign, sort of give it a quick nod while we go about normal life, thinking it would be nice if something happened, but we don’t expect much.  Jesus could come and find little faith – and so not do many miracles in our hometown.   But we have a choice.  We can turn our hearts to the Lord in great earnestness for our region and cry out in prayer.  We can be persistent like the widow and the saints who cry out night in day in Luke 18.  We can invest ourselves in being a witness in words and in deeds of service – sacrificially for the 40 Days of the EACH campaign.  We can respond to Jesus’ coming with faith expressed in prayer and action.  And he could do more than just a few miracles, he could do wonderful things, transforming things in the lives of people and our region.   Jesus is coming to our region with a desire to save.  Let him find faith among his people to join him in his mission.   --  Phil Tiews

What's your Story? . . . What's your Word?

What’s your story? … What’s your word?  All of us have a story of how God has worked in our lives.  Christianity isn’t a set of principles that we assent to, but the story of how the personal God interacts with people – with us!  The Bible is really the extended story of God acting to save told through the stories of countless folks.  Abraham hears God call him to pull up stakes and follow.  He does and so begins a journey of discovery of God and establishment.  Joseph gets himself in deep trouble and God delivers him so that he can become a deliverer.  Generation after generation the stories go on of God revealing himself, showing steadfast love, and recuing people right up to the story of Jesus – and beyond to you and me today.   People aren’t interested in lists of rules and most don’t care for religious dogma, but they are almost universally attentive to stories.  And really this is what people need to know about God, that he wants to enter into their story!   This is why the Southeast Michigan outreach to give Everyone A Chance to Hear (EACH) is using the ‘2 Word Story’ as the central thrust.  Over 400 churches in the region are mobilizing their folks to share their stories with people around them and ask folks, ‘What’s your story?’  The hope is that we will be able to engage in a dialog with people where they can reflect on their lives and maybe start considering how God has already been at work or what his story could mean for them.   So, what is your story?  Has it been a while since you reflected on what God has done for you?  Take some time and prayerfully recollect – and do plenty of thanksgiving along the way!  Pray about how you could distill your story to a couple of minutes so that you could actually get it out in a normal conversation.  If people want to hear more, they can always ask!  Ask the Lord to show you a key issue he addressed as he broke into your story.  This is what we will be turning into our ‘2 word story’.

For Abraham it might be -- Called?    Called.        For Joseph it might be -- ‘Accepted?    Accepted.                For me it is --  Purpose?    Purpose.   What about you?  What is your story?  What is your word?

-- Phil Tiews

EACH -- Why

What is EACH and why would we want to get involved?

When I first heard about EACH, Everyone A Chance to Hear, I admit that I was skeptical. ‘Another over-hyped, evangelistic program that will blow over without much effect’. But the Spirit moved me to take a closer look. This was different and seemed to have the ‘aroma of life’ about it. What makes it different?

• It didn’t start out as a grand scheme to impact the whole region, one church shared their vision for reaching their vicinity and the Spirit stirred dozens of others to join and expanded the vision
• The most basic strategy is ‘incarnational evangelism’, equipping the people of God to share their story and hear their non-Christian friends stories, building a relational foundation.
• EACH is not looking to become an ongoing institution. It is focused on saturating our region with the Good News in the 40 days after Easter. And then it is over!
• However, a key aspect of EACH is the relationships being built between churches across denominational, racial, urban-suburban, and other divides. These will carry on beyond EACH and impact the destiny of our region.
• There is a conviction that ‘good news’ must be combined with ‘good deeds’ and so multiple projects of service are being developed by individual churches, churches working in groups, and the overall EACH network.
• Everything is being undergirded by prayer. What is needed is for God to break in, using His people, but exceeding anything that human effort could organize.

These are just some of the reasons I sense God at work in the EACH movement. As the Leadership Team has learned about it, we are excited about The Word of God playing a part along with other churches and ministries in Washtenaw County, and in partnership with churches across the region. Stay tuned for lots more information, but if you want to learn more now, you can go to www.EACHtoday.com.

We want to put together a team of folks to lead our involvement with EACH, so if you would like to help, please contact Phil Tiews at 994-3243 or phil@thewordofGodcommunity.org right away!