God is GOOD!

By Pastor R

Here are some of my thoughts on Haiti and specifically how God prepared the team and I for our trip. It was (and still is) an incredible journey of seeing God move and work. I hope that you'll come back throughout the next few weeks to read my blogs on Haiti as we will continue to post them every few days. You'll also be hearing from some of the members of the team and what God did in and through them as well.

Ecclesiastes 3:1 & 11– “There is a time for everything and a season for every activity under heaven.” and “He has made all things beautiful in His time.”

I knew that my mission when I returned home was to deliver the coffee samples I had collected to the President of Just Haiti. I felt sure that they would adopt the Baptist Block as they had produced a coffee that the French and Japanese loved.  They had 42,000 pounds in their warehouse ready to be shipped and they were already organized into trade associations.

So last Friday I sat with the President of JustHaiti.org.  I showed her three samples of coffee.  The first sample I showed her was from Cap Haitian; which is from an uncle of a Food for the Hungry staff member who had grown the coffee.  However, JustHaiti.org wasn’t interested in working with Cap Haitian.

So the second sample I showed the president was from the Baptist Block.  And to my surprise she rejected that coffee as well! Only this time she said it’s because their coffee is already an international grade coffee; which is really awesome.  So understanding Just Haiti’s mission (which is help families break loose from the economic injustice at the root of so much of their poverty) they didn’t want to work with the Baptist Block because they can already sell this coffee to a buyer very easily.

The third sample I showed her was from the town of Belladere; where our church was working and partnering.  Some of the beans were black.  Some of the beans were speckled.  The eyes of the president of Just Haiti lit up when she saw these coffee beans.  She said “this is exactly the kind of coffee we found in Baraderes when we started’.  She explained that we can greatly help them by taking their growers and train them how to grow export quality coffee.  It may take us optimistically two years or realistically 5 years but this is the group I believe we can help.

We are seeing how beautiful the heart of God is!  We see the hand of God orchestrating, arranging and working.  We are in the process of building a partnership with JustHaiti.org, Food for the Hungry, and Grace Community Church to spiritually and economically help the people of Belladere.  This will involve Kim, President of JustHaiti.org and the growers of Baraderes traveling 8 hours up to the mountains of Belladere and explaining how to grow export quality coffee.  This will involve building relationships and learning to trust one another.  Eventually when they know we are sincere and they begin to produce export quality coffee their town of Belladere will be transformed.  We will pay the farmers the fair trade price and they will be incentivized to increase their production.  We will use the profits of the sales in Haiti to build schools, hire teachers and buy curriculum.  He has made all things beautiful in His time!

Haitian Coffee

By Pastor R

Here are some of my thoughts on Haiti and specifically how God prepared the team and I for our trip. It was (and still is) an incredible journey of seeing God move and work. I hope that you'll come back throughout the next few weeks to read my blogs on Haiti as we will continue to post them every few days. You'll also be hearing from some of the members of the team and what God did in and through them as well.

John 19:30 “When he had received the drink, Jesus said ‘It is finished’.  With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.”

By now it was Good Friday and we were in Haiti.  The day before I had met with the mango growers.  What I did not know was that we were staying right beside the Belladere office for Economic Development.  The President, Emond Jean Resis, had heard that I was looking to find the subsistence coffee growers.

Somehow, Emond arranged a meeting with a coffee grower, Reliva Jolibrun.  He and his wife travelled 19 kilometers to see me carrying a 30 pound container of fresh ground coffee from the mountains.  His town is called the Baptist Block.

Before that meeting the mayor and his two assistants had come to the Guest House and we sat together for 2 hours while he listened to me share my heart.  The mayor gave the proposal his full endorsement and support.  I was feeling that God was orchestrating and superintending the process.  I learned that this was not ordinary coffee.  It grows in the chalky limestone of the Haitian mountains and has a deep rich flavor.  The Japanese and French fly in and buy their coffee and take it back to their countries.

I told them about JustHaiti.org and their desire to pay coffee farmers a fair trade price giving them the best hope for the future.  In that future farm families can break the stronghold of poverty that has choked the development of rural Haiti for hundreds of years.  In that future farmers would build economic independence and social justice.

We bought their coffee for $3 a pound, that is ninety cents higher than the international fair trade price promised.  I would arrange a meeting with JustHaiti.org to see if they would be adopted.

Haitian Mangoes

By Pastor R

Here are some of my thoughts on Haiti and specifically how God prepared the team and I for our trip. It was (and still is) an incredible journey of seeing God move and work. I hope that you'll come back throughout the next few weeks to read my blogs on Haiti as we will continue to post them every few days. You'll also be hearing from some of the members of the team and what God did in and through them as well.

John 4:25 “I tell you open your eyes and look at the fields.  They are ripe for harvest.”

When we arrived at the town of Belladere, we stayed at the Germain Guest House.  Right across the street was a 60 foot tall mango tree laden with mangoes about 25 days away from harvest.  I had read the Catholic Relief Service Assessment on the Value chain of Mangoes before I left.  I had learned that the mango is the most exported fruit in the world.  Asia, China, India and the Philippines export the most mangoes.  In the Americas, Mexico, Brazil and Peru import the most into the U.S.

It began to dawn on me that God has blessed Haiti with 10 million mango trees and 80% of their harvest goes un-harvested.  They have so many mangoes they feed mangoes to the pigs!  They sell them in their markets a half-bushel of mangos for a dollar.

I asked Odines and Wilson if a meeting could be arranged to meet with the mango and coffee growers of the Belladere region.

On a Thursday afternoon I sat with the mango growers under a mango tree and we talked mangoes.  I explained to them that in America we pay $1 to $2 for a fresh mango.  They looked at me like I stepped off a space ship! They were selling their whole tree of mangoes to the Dominicans for $10 and then trying to take them to the market and selling a whole basket for a $1.

I explained to them I did not know how we could make this happen but would they be willing to pray that we could find a way to pay them ‘the fair trade price’ for their mangoes, dehydrate them, export them to America and then return some of the profits to them for community development.  Then we prayed and asked God to move a mountain.  When we finished one elderly mango grower with a big smile on his face said “Can you make this happen in my lifetime?  I am an old man and I don’t know how many more harvests I have.”

It was an amazing encounter.  By now Wilson, my translator, understood the concept very well.  He was explaining that we were only in the talking and the praying phase.  I left hearing their hope for a better life, their dream of educating their children, their faith in a very big God began to grow.

Travel to Haiti

By Pastor R

Here are some of my thoughts on Haiti and specifically how God prepared the team and I for our trip. It was (and still is) an incredible journey of seeing God move and work. I hope that you'll come back throughout the next few weeks to read my blogs on Haiti as we will continue to post them every few days. You'll also be hearing from some of the members of the team and what God did in and through them as well.

John 2:5 “His mother said to the servants: Do whatever he tells you to do”

So on Monday, April 2, our team of 14 members & myself tried to make the journey down from Washington Dulles Airport to Port au Prince, Haiti.  The airplane we were supposed to fly didn’t make it.  But the airline said they had a replacement.  The problem with the replacement was that it was fueled to fly to California.  It had too much fuel to fly to Miami and therefore; the airline would have to take fuel out of our airplane.  The only problem was all of the fuel tankers were full!  So we had to wait for one of those tankers to remove the extra fuel on our plane so that we could finally depart!

When it was all said and done our plane was delayed an extra couple of hours.  That would have been okay except once we got to Miami, we had to catch our connection flight to Port au Prince right away.  When we arrived a couple of hours later, our connector flight had already left.  So we wound up spending the night in Miami!

While some may find such a moment upsetting, I found it quite encouraging that we were encountering opposition from the earliest part of the journey.  Our enemy is relentless in his quest to discourage God’s children from doing God’s work.  The reality, however, was that we had one less day in Haiti!

When we finally arrived in Haiti we met our Food for the Hungry Program Director, Odines and translator, Wilson.  I began to tell them what God had put in my heart to do for Haiti and it was amazing to see God at work through them as our hearts became more and more unified. 

SOAP on Mark 5:21-43

By Nicole Gibson

Scripture: 

Mark 5:34- He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from your suffering.”

Observation: 

- faith alone could heal in Jesus’ time and it can heal in ours

- healing can take place in our physical bodies and in our spirit

- if we have faith that God never leaves us then we can view any storm as an opportunity to glorify God by our peace and take comfort that these things are in His capable hands, Mark 5:36

Application:

- Do I speak my own strong convictions about faith in a manner that glorifies God?

- Our words have power and either glorify God or take credit from Him.  Do my words speak to the power of God?

- I realize that when Jesus left his Holy Spirit here to guide us through this sin filled world it was not for my benefit alone. 

Prayer:

Lord, help my faith in You to strengthen each day as I see miracles in physical and in spiritual healing happening all around.  Help me to be bold and to share the numerous scriptures that speak to the power You have given each one of us through the gift of the Holy Spirit.  May I take note of all the ways that I see you moving situations which may seem bad and turning them for Your glory.  Amen. 

By Pastor R


Here are some of my thoughts on Haiti and specifically how God prepared the team and I for our trip. It was (and still is) an incredible journey of seeing God move and work. I hope that you'll come back throughout the next few weeks to read my blogs on Haiti as we will continue to post them every few days. You'll also be hearing from some of the members of the team and what God did in and through them as well.


Proverbs 17:17 “A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.”


I have a friend who embodies Proverbs 17:17 to me.  His name is Paul Foss.  Paul has a knack for listening to your story and holding your story close to his heart.  Paul prays for people while he cuts his grass.  One day Paul was cutting his grass and praying for me.

Paul is the founder of the Waterboyz for Jesus.  We have done a Waterboyz table for the past seven months.  One day Paul said to me with all earnestness:  “R, how can Waterboyz help you with the vision God gave you?”  I reflected on his question for a couple of days, called him and said “Paul, put me at a table with people with a heart for God and business savvy.”

One of the men at that table was named Phil.  He has been to Haiti many times.  He knows the landscape well.  When he heard what God had put into my heart, he suggested I look at a website called JustHaiti.org.

JustHaiti, I learned was a non-profit organization that has built a coffee growers association in Baraderes, Haiti and exported Kafe Lepawa (the coffee of hope) to America.  When they started their work, the farmers lived in abject poverty.  Last year, JustHaiti paid their farmers the fair trade price for their coffee ($2.10 per pound) and then once the coffee was sold in America sent back the profits of about $5 per pound for community development.

I began to pray that the fair trade coffee-plus deal the town of Baraderes experienced with Just Haiti might be transferred to Belladere.

I was so thankful that my friend Paul Foss made that connection.

God Opens Doors

By Pastor R


Here are some of my thoughts on Haiti and specifically how God prepared the team and I for our trip. It was (and still is) an incredible journey of seeing God move and work. I hope that you'll come back throughout the next few weeks to read my blogs on Haiti as we will continue to post them every few days. You'll also be hearing from some of the members of the team and what God did in and through them as well.


Hebrews 10:24 “And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds.”

About a month after my fast and vision experience, I was invited by Scott Avey’s father, Tom, to come to New York City.  Our host while we were there was Mac Pier.  Mac took us to two very influential churches in the Big Apple:  Redeemer and the Christian Cultural Center.  While Marc and I were eating lunch, I shared the vision God gave me to transform the city of Belladere by dehydrating mangoes.  Marc’s gift is putting people together.  He gave me the name and email of the leader of the NY Leadership Institute on Haiti.  His name is Tom Nolan.

Tom and I began emailing and talking on the phone.  It wasn’t long before I was hearing about initiatives happening all around Haiti.   I would learn about plastic recycling centers enabling Haitians to earn money gathering discarded plastic.  I would learn about Haitian workers building chicken houses all over Haiti.  I would learn of the Soleil Group building a solar power dehydrated mango plant in the central region.  I would meet Dave Genzling with Partners Worldwide who had been involved as an engineer with mango initiatives.

It was occurring to me that Tom was opening a door to let me see how God is moving in Haiti’s direction.  I was seeing the heart of God showing compassion to the Haitians.  I was meeting people with the very same heart.

It was becoming clear to me that the problems of Haiti were too big for any of us to solve alone.  But, the problems were not too big for God.  God is bigger than the problems they face.  If we get next to God’s heart and release God’s love and power, great breakthroughs will happen.

Preparing for Haiti ...

By Pastor R Dallas Greene

Here are some of my thoughts on Haiti and specifically how God prepared the team and I for our trip. It was (and still is) an incredible journey of seeing God move and work. I hope that you'll come back throughout the next few weeks to read my blogs on Haiti as we will continue to post them every few days. You'll also be hearing from some of the members of the team and what God did in and through them as well.

Isaiah 58:6 “Is this not the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loosen the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke?”

I decided to spend the first three weeks of this year fasting and praying.  I know that I would be going down to Belladere, Haiti in April and I was praying this Scripture back to God.  Here were some of my questions and God’s answers:

Q.            How do you want me to fast?

A.            Fast like Daniel eating only fruit, vegetables and drinking water

Q.            What kinds of chains of injustice do you want to unloosen?

A.            The people of Haiti have been exploited unjustly

Q.            What cords of the yoke do you want to untie?

A1            The people of Haiti to break the yoke of slavery to France-made agreement with Satan to owe their allegiance to him if they could be granted independence.

A2            The people of Haiti to experience freedom must renounce their agreement with Satan

Q.            How do you want the oppressed set free?

A.            I want to free them from oppression from the enemy by showing them that I have already blessed them with abundance.  I have already given them plenty of sunshine and 10 million mango trees.

Q.            How do you want to break every yoke?

A.            About 14 days into my fast, I was really hungry.  I had allowed my hunger pains to be a signal to pray.  This time, however, I went to the kitchen to look for food.  On the counter, there was a bag of dehydrated mangos from Costco.  The brand name was Phillipino mangos.  I had learned that a dozen export quality mangoes goes for $1.25.  I figured we could pay the farmers a fair trade price, dehydrate them, export them to America, sell them and return the profits to Haiti.  The profits would be used to transform communities.

SOAP on Mark 8

By Jim Peterson

Scripture:  Mark 8:4  “His disciples answered, “but where in this remote place can anyone get enough bread to feed them?”

My observation:  Even after witnessing the feeding of the 5,000 noted in Mark Chapter 6, the disciples still didn’t understand the power Jesus had to handle a seemingly impossible situation.  I wonder if my reply would have been different.

Application:  when faced with difficult or even impossible situations, I need to take comfort in the fact that God has the power to overcome anything if, in faith, I just ask.

Prayer:  Father, thank you for revealing your power and your love for me through your Word.  I am encouraged to know that you care about what is going on in my life and that you will listen to even my simplest request.  

S.O.A.P. on Mark 6

by Ali Berger (our new youth intern!)

Scripture:

Mark 6: 49-50: “but when they saw him walking on the lake, they thought he was a ghost. They cried out, because they all saw him and were terrified. Immediately he spoke to them and said, “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.”

Observation:

- Jesus had told the disciples to get in their boat and begin to go to Bethsaida, while Jesus stayed behind and went to the mountainside to pray.

- Jesus saw the disciples struggling to travel against the wind, so He walked out on the water to them. - Jesus meets us where we are at. He desires to carry us through the “storms” of life.

- The disciples are filled with unbelief and are scared, thinking that Jesus is a ghost. -A perfect example of how we react in situations that we do not trust God with and do not expect Him to show up in. When He does reveal Himself in those situations, sometimes we do not recognize that it is Him, and the love and compassion that He has for us.

- Jesus speaks to them and commands them to take courage, affirms His presence, and tells them not to be afraid.

- When Jesus commands His disciples to “take courage” He uses and explanation point. They are seldom used throughout the Bible. This stresses the importance of His command to take courage!

- Courage is defined as: the quality of mind or spirit that enables a person to face difficulty, danger, pain, etc., without fear; bravery.

Application:

- What am I fearful of?

- Do I try to take care of my fears by myself, or do I give God control of my fears?

- Do I look for God’s presence in every situation, or am I filled with unbelief?

- In the storms of life, am I courageous in Christ?

- I can give control of my fears to God, and let Him begin to conquer my fears. I can look for God’s presence in every situation. I can spend more time studying God’s word so that when storms come my way, my faith is rooted in Christ and I will have the courage to face the storms and conquer them with God by my side. 

Prayer:

Lord, thank You for Your desire to meet me where I’m at. Thank You that You do reveal Yourself not only amidst our storms, but daily. Help me to recognize Your presence in my life and to make decisions as a courageous believer. I give You control of my fears, and I ask that you calm and heal them, so that I may no longer be afraid, but be able to face trials courageously. I love You, Lord. Thank you for delivering me. 

SOAP on Mark 2:1-12

By Erin O'Hara

Scripture:

Mark 2:5 When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralyzed man, “Son, your sins are forgiven.”

Observation:

-          “Their” refers to four friends of a paralytic man were not stopped by a full house or blocked doorway.

-          Spurred on by faith, these four men broke open a hole in the ceiling of this house and dropped their friend in need of healing at the feet of Jesus

-          Jesus recognizes a need (the paralytic man) and responds to faith (of the man’s four friends)

-          Jesus extends forgiveness to the man first.

o   We don’t know if the man was paralyzed by fear, unbelief or even if his physical condition was a result of sin in his life. But Jesus first addresses the brokenness of his soul before his broken body.

-          Later in the passage, Jesus gives complete physical healing.

Application:

-          What kind of friend am I?

-          Do I bring my friends, their sins and/or their needs before my Savior?

-          If a door is blocked or life is busy, does my faith spur me to hack through a roof, interrupt a meeting and take my friend to the Source of all answers?

-          I realize that many around me may be living in sin, unbelief or even paralysis – unable to have faith or bring themselves, their needs to the Great Healer.  I can have faith on behalf of those dear to me. I can pray fervently, believe on their behalf, bring them before Jesus and allow Him to respond to MY faith.

Prayer:

Oh Jesus, Healer, Compassionate Savior – Forgive me for the many times I only think of myself. Help me to have big faith for others. May I be challenged to invade a rooftop to bring my loved ones needs to you for complete healing. I believe you are the only One who can heal. Thank you for teaching me, using me and answering me.

Rescued & Adopted!

By Verlyn Mahaffey

It’s Wednesday, May 9, and I am here at my desk as usual waiting for my early morning friends to arrive to share together our lives, the Word, and a great book we are going through together.  I start to look at my email and I see one that seems so unusual, “Blind dog living in a trash pile gets the most beautiful rescue – The end is amazing.”   I am always a sucker for stories about animals!  I bring it up and begin to watch this amazing, loving rescue of the cutest little dog!  I am hooked and watch as people find him, discover he is blind, dirty and lying in the trash.  They pick him up and take him to a safe place where they wash him, cut his hair, take him to the doctors where it is discovered that an operation could restore sight to him so he could see!!!  And the operation is successful!  For the first time he sees.  You now see not a lonely, afraid little dog but a happy, beautiful little white dog, running, jumping for joy because someone loves him.  And he is ADOPTED!

Immediately as I watch, I think of the hymn, “Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me!  I once was lost, but now am found, was blind, but now I see.”

God through His Son reached down and saved me from the trash of this world, I was lost but He found me.  I was blind, but now I SEE.  Rescued!  Adopted!  What joy!  What love!  The end is Amazing!

If you would like to see this video just click here!

SOAP on Mark 4

By Pastor Mike Brubaker

SCRIPTURE:
Mark 4:1-20 (especially verse 9)
"And Jesus was saying, "He (or she) who has ears to hear, let them hear."

OBSERVATION:
- A repeat of the thought, "Listen to this!" in verse 3.
- It is more than a thought ... it's an exhortation, "Hear this."
- If you have ears ... use them. An expression in Biblical times "don't miss this" or "catch this."
- Not the repetition ... verses 3, 9 & 23 all in the same chapter of Mark.
- Contrast with the people in the Old Testament and New Testament who listened to the Word of the Lord but did not truly hear it ... they did not understand it, more did they obey it. Very tragic!
- There is an implication here about Jesus. He is claiming to be the Authoritative One saying this parable about the Sower & the Seed ... listen to Him as the Lord! The way we know that about Jesus' Authority is this clause ... "he who has an ear let him hear" is used at least 7 times at the end of each message to the 7 churches in Revelation chapters 2 & 3.

APPLICATION:
- Mike (and church family) ... use your ears to truly hear this parable!
- Mike, (and church family) ... don't miss this!
- Mike, (and church family) ... I, the Lord of the Word and the Lord of the church have given you spiritual understanding ... now use it!
- Mike, (and church family) ... you are sowers of the seed (v. 14), the seed is the Word of God, now go sow the Word in people's lives.
- Mike, (and church family) ... hear this, preach it & teach it; know it & show it; live it & give it and say it & pray it.
- Mike, (and church family) ... you are not responsible for the soil in other people's lives ... you are responsible only for the soil of your own life
- Mike, (and church family) ... sow the Word regularly into the soil of other lives.

PRAYER:
Lord God, help me to submit my heart to King Jesus and receive this teaching from Him. Lord, forgive me when I keep the seed (Word of God) from other people out of fear or busyness. May I humbly and daily, truly listen to you, Lord, and obey Your Word.
Lord God, please give us receptive hearts and listening ears to understand and obey Your Word through Pastor Eric on Sunday, May 6! Amen.

Mid-Week Moment

April 29, 2012

Pastor R. Greene

“The Marks of the Kingdom”

Mark 1:40-45;  Mark 3:1-6

SOAP:      S:  Scripture     O:   Observations    A:  Application   P:  Prayer

IS THERE ANY PLACE IN YOUR LIFE THAT NEEDS HEALING?            

·      God is the Great Physician

·      He can heal any disease

·      God uses many means for healing us.

S:   Mark 1:40-45

A man with leprosy came to him and begged him on his knees, “If you are willing, you can make me clean.”⁴¹ Jesus was indignant.   He reached out his hand and touched the man. “I am willing,” he said. “Be clean!” ⁴² Immediately the leprosy left him and he was cleansed.⁴³ Jesus sent him away at once with a strong warning: ⁴⁴ “See that you don’t tell this to anyone. But go, show yourself to the priest and offer the sacrifices that Moses commanded for your cleansing, as a testimony to them.” ⁴⁵ Instead he went out and began to talk freely, spreading the news. As a result, Jesus could no longer enter a town openly but stayed outside in lonely places. Yet the people still came to him from everywhere.

Observations: 

·      Need for healing:  numbness,  unfeeling,  lacking compassionate

·      The leper was an “untouchable”; alone, lonely,  distressed.

·      The leper got down on his knees;   he called on the name of the Lord.

·      The leper believed that Jesus could heal him. (v. 40)

·      “You will never know what God can do until you ask Him. “  (Pastor R.)

·      Jesus was angry at the disease, at sin, at the effects of sin.

·      Jesus was compassionate at the same time.

Mark 3: 1-6

Another time Jesus went into the synagogue, and a man with a shriveled hand was there. ² Some of them were looking for a reason to accuse Jesus, so they watched him closely to see if he would heal him on the Sabbath. ³ Jesus said to the man with the shriveled hand, “Stand up in front of everyone”.  ⁴ Then Jesus asked them, “Which is lawful on the Sabbath: to do good or to do evil, to save life or to kill?” But they remained silent.
⁵ He looked around at them in anger and, deeply distressed at their stubborn hearts, said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” He stretched it out, and his hand was completely restored. ⁶ Then the Pharisees went out and began to plot with the Herodians how they might kill Jesus.

Observations: 

·      Jesus’ enemies were looking for something to accuse Him about

·      Jesus was bold in asking the man to stand up in front of everyone.

·      Jesus was angry at the hardness of the Pharisees hearts.

·      The man had to admit his need “He stretched out his hand”.

Application/Action

·      Are you willing to stand up and admit you have a need?

·      Are you willing to pray for others who have needs?

IS THERE ANY PLACE IN YOUR LIFE THAT NEEDS HEALING?

ARE YOU READY TO PRAY OVER THOSE WHO NEED HEALING?

SOAP on Mark 3

By Pastor Dan Haffey

Scripture:  Mark 3: 1 – 6

Observation:  Jesus chose to confront the hardness of the Pharisees hearts by showing healing compassion to the man with the “shriveled hand”.  He was not afraid of their condemnation for breaking the Sabbath law.  He was hurt and distressed by their “stubborn hearts”.

Application:  I need to ask God to help me put love, compassion and healing before my personal preferences or manmade “laws”.  I need to see the needs of the hurting people around me and respond boldly to those needs as Jesus did.  I want to be distressed, as Jesus was, with the callousness of my own legalism and stubbornness of heart.

Prayer:  Lord, help me to be compassionate and bold in my love for others and to not be swayed by the preferences or approval of men.  I want to respond with a tender yet bold heart to the needs around me by following your example.  Forgive me for making up my own “rules” and blocking out the needs of others.  May I be a conduit of your healing love.   

AWANA

By Brenda Rota

Erin O’Hara asked me to teach the Bible time at AWANA.  As she handed me the curriculum, she explained that I would teach two, 20-minute segments to children in grades K through 4^th grade.  I could expect anywhere from 20 kids/session to 40 kids!  Erin had a good suggestion, get a teen to help me so I snared my own teen, Jessie.

The main point that I was asked to teach the kids was that God speaks through the Bible and through prayer.   Two very profound truths!

So I thought I would ask the kids what they already knew about the Bible and prayer.  I was overwhelmed by the children’s response!  They were excited to learn, eager to participate and most of all….they knew that the Bible and prayer are two important ways they use to talk with Jesus.

I literally floated out of AWANA that night!  Later in my quiet time, as I thanked the Lord for this opportunity, he challenged me:

The students came expecting to learn something new.  Do I do that each and every Sunday?  Is that my expectation when I pray for my day in the early morning?

The students eagerly shared what they knew about the Bible.  Do I do that?  Do I eagerly share a truth from Scripture with my neighbor?  Friend?

The students committed verses to memory.  Do I?  Or, do I simply carry my Bible around?

The students actively participated.  Do I actively participate in the ministries in my church?

The students learned through the drama that my daughter facilitated.  Do I respect different people’s learning/worship styles?

Talk to Jesus…and use the Bible and prayer to do so!

The King will establish His Kingdom by casting out demons

By Brenda Rota

Pastor R introduced the S.O.A.P. method to the staff several weeks ago. He has been using this method at a Waterboyz table and has grown to love it. I think he knew the staff would as well.

When I study a passage I always start with prayer. Putting God in His rightful place and me in mine, I ask Him to use His Word to speak to me. Then I trust Him to do just that!

Next I read the assigned passage. (Scripture) This week Pastor R is preaching on Mark 1:21-34. I typically read the NIV version; but I have several versions around my home so I am often peaking into those as well.

Unlike many others, I still love holding the Word of God in my hand and turning the pages.

I then ask the Lord if there is a Truth that He would like to show me. Perhaps it is an example that I should follow. Maybe it is an example I should not follow. Or, it might be an attribute of our Savior that is clearly shown in the passage. (Observation)

This week I read Mark 1:21-34 in the NASB version. All great verses, but I felt the Lord point me to verse 22 “And they were amazed at His teaching; for He was teaching them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.”

The people that were ‘amazed’ in this passage all went to the Temple on the Sabbath. It was probably in their weekly routine as it is mine. But on this particular Sabbath, the teaching amazed them. The passage tells why it did. Jesus was not like the other scribes they had heard before. He spoke with authority. Since God’s Word does not change, then that same authority is behind every Word we read today in our Bibles. That’s when I sensed the Lord say, “Brenda, does my Word amaze you?” I read God’s Word every day, but does it impact me enough to be obedient to it? Webster defines ‘amaze’ as ‘to fill with wonder’. Does His Word fill me with wonder? Do I have that attitude each and every morning when I open His Word? (Application)

Suddenly, it is a convicting passage. Not one that I want to ignore. Rather, a Word from a Teacher that does, in fact, amaze me. My response is to Pray. “Lord, you are Holy; you are Truth; and you are Amazing. As you teach me each and every time I open my Bible, would you cause your Word to amaze me. Would you cause me to not only read it, but live it as well?
Father, would your Word impact me so much that just like those that heard it from our Savior Himself in the Temple, to leave changed and spread the Word.”

The Kingdom will have a King

S.O.A.P. on Mark 1:1-18 by Eric Miller

Here's how I use the S.O.A.P. method. There's not necessarily any right or wrong way, but here's an example of what I do.

First - PRAY.
God, would you speak to me through these verses that I'm about to read. Please reveal the truth of your word to me in my life today. Help me to understand what I'm reading and to be obedient to the things that your calling me to do today.

Second - READ. After praying a simple prayer, I like to read all of the verses for the day straight through. Sometimes I'll read it in a different translation or I'll have to read it through a couple times. I like to use a Bible app on my phone called "YouVersion" to do so. They also have a website (www.youversion.com) that comes in handy as well. 

Third - SCRIPTURE. What one verse or idea really strikes me or speaks to me? Write it down. 
Today it's verse 7, which says, "And this was his message: 'After me will come one more powerful than I, the thongs of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie."

Fourth - OBSERVATION. Write down what I observe about this verse. Why does it stick out to me? What speaks to me about it? 
At first glance, this verse was interesting to me for a very non-spiritual reason. Truthfully, my mind wandered and I was puzzled with this thought ... "I wonder if in New Testament times their sandals had laces! That's weird!" Haha yes, even pastors minds wander when reading the Bible :) but as I thought about this verse more, I realized something much more profound. If I'm John the Baptist and all these people were coming out to hear me speak (v. 5) I'm pretty sure that in my pride my message would probably be much different than John's. I would be tempted to make much of myself. It would be easy to make a big deal about myself and all the things that God was doing through ME. Yet that's not John's response at all. He humbles himself. He deflects the power and pride and points to Jesus.

Fifth - APPLICATION. Write out what application you want to apply from this verse and observation. 
I want to be like John and allow my message to be one that makes much of Jesus and humble myself. I want to point people to Jesus through everything I do and say.

Sixth - PRAYER. Write out your prayer to God.
God, help me to humble myself so that You don't have to. Help me to be like your messenger John who points people to Jesus. Help me to be bolder than I am in proclaiming the message of Christ and what He wants to do for us. Use me.

I would LOVE to hear how God has uses Mark 1:1-18 to speak to you. Would you be willing to post some of your SOAP in the comments below?

Children's Ministry

by Erin O'Hara - Children's Director

From a child’s perspective…

Psalm 119:105 – “Your Word is a lamp to my feet, and a light for my path.”

We celebrated children this past Sunday and the ministries of GCC that bring the light of God’s Word to our children and their families. It is a great blessing and privilege to share God with children and to see God from their perspective. We are called to come to Him as little children. Being around children allows me to remember what it was like to be a child – their view of God is huge, their requests of God are boundless, their love for God is no-strings attached.  It is an amazing sight to see a child “get it” – get a spiritual truth, understand the gospel and take home the faith that we teach.

I want to share the testimony below from the Utley Family. Michael & Tracy Utley have 4 boys – Jack, Charlie, Harry & George.  Enjoy processing the Christian walk from an 8 year olds perspective:

Last night as we drove home from Awana, Harry (age 8) said, "You know it's kind of like Star Wars." I asked, "What do you mean?" He explained, "Well, Pastor R.,  Pastor Mike, Pastor Eric and the other guy, (sorry Pastor Dan) are like Yodas.  We are like Jedis in training. And our Bibles are light sabers." His older brothers quickly reminded, "Well, Harry you are more like a Padawan. And we (the older brothers) are Jedis." 

 Needless to say, it pleases my heart to see and hear how much my boys are enjoying the fellowship of believers at Grace. They are giddy to memorize scripture, are compelled to remember their tithe (or borrow from their older brother) and bring home endearing stories from their Wednesday nights (and Sunday mornings). 

 Thank you for being such a godly influence in the lives of our family! Your service is lovely and well appreciated by the likes of us. 

So take your light saber this week, the Word of God, and use it! And may the Force (the Holy Spirit) be with you!

Easter Sunday

Today’s Verses: Mark 16:9-20

Seeing Jesus

“Now the first day of the week Mary Magdalene went to the tomb early, while it was still dark, and saw that the stone had been taken away from the tomb.  Then she ran and came to Simon Peter, and to the other disciple, whom Jesus loved, and said to them, “They have taken away the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid Him” (John 20: 1-2).  …”Then the disciples went away again to their own homes” (v.10).

“Doubt and faith intermingle in their minds, bewildering them as they slowly walk away.  Mary is left behind; tears, her only companions.  She takes those tears with her as she enters the tomb to take a look for herself.  And suddenly the woman who was once possessed with demons finds herself in the presence of angels.  One stands at the head of the stone slab; the other, at the foot.  Like the ark of the covenant in the Most Holy Place of the tabernacle—cherubim on either end.  For this, too, is a most holy place.  She is despondent as she tells them the reason for her tears.  Then, from behind, another voice reaches out to her.  “Woman, why are you crying?”  She wheels around.  Maybe the morning is foggy.  Maybe tears blur her eyes.  Maybe Jesus is the last person she expects to see.  Whatever the case, she doesn’t recognize him.  That is, until—“Mary.”  She blinks away the tears and can hardly believe her eyes.  “Master.”  Overwhelmed, she throws her arms around the Lord she loves so much.  She had been there when he suffered at the cross; now he is there when she is suffering.  She had stood by him in his darkest hour; now he is standing by her in hers. He had seen her tears; now he is there to wipe them all away. Jesus interrupts the embrace to send her on a great commission-to tell the disciples the good news. "He is risen. I have seen him. I have touched him. He is alive."

Prayer (Ken Gire):

Where there is doubt, roll away the stone and resurrect my faith.

Where there is depression, cast aside the grave clothes and release my joy.

Where there is despair, chase away the night and bring a sunrise to my hope. (7)

Questions to think about:

*Today was a faith building experience for Mary. The stone was rolled away and her vision of Jesus was made clear. What doubts or fears are blocking you from seeing Jesus and the fullness of the power of His resurrection today? 

*How could the experience of your life today help take you deeper in your faith and open your eyes to see Jesus more?

For Further Study: 

     *1 Corinthians 15:1-8, 55

     *Romans 1:4; 5:8

     *1 Peter 1:23

     *Luke 24:13-53

     *John 20:1-21:25

     *Acts 1:3-12

     *Matthew 28:9-20

7. Easter Sunday

Ken Gire, Moments with the Savior: A Devotional Life of Christ (Zondervan, 1998) pp.380-381.