Elevation North has News for You!

SIMPLY SPEAKING, most everyone these days would LOVE to have life be simpler – less complicated – less hectic – less stressful! But where do we find the possibility of a life like that? And where do we find advice and instructions on “how-to” live life like this? We find ourselves going in circles, chasing deadlines, and trying to escape stress. Was this really how Jesus meant for us to live our lives? According to His Word, apparently not. The last few verses of Matthew chapter 11, tell us what Jesus says as He talks to the crowd in one of the villages He was preaching at: “Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me – watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.” (The Message Bible) We have to confess that right now our lives continue to spin rapidly on this crazy merry-go-round schedule we’re on … but it’s the days that we purpose to “go to Jesus” and live in His presence, that we find rest. It’s when we walk with Him and take Him to work with us, that we experience the greatest sense of order in our lives, the most focus, and the deepest peace. The craziness of life still spins out of control all around us, but we discover that God is simplifying our lives by teaching us to just concentrate on one thing at a time, (Him, first of all!) … to just take one step at a time, (in faith!) … and to breathe easy as we learn to live free from the ropes of life that we get all tangled up in (claiming that peace!). It’s discovering that we don’t have to carry our circumstances around on our shoulders and bear our burdens all by ourselves; we can lay them down at the feet of Jesus. In II Corinthians 12: 9a, we find the encouraging words we need to hear: “My grace is enough; it’s all you need. My strength comes into its own in your weakness.” So if ever you feel like giving up – and you feel like all you do is battle with struggles, read on through the remainder of verse 9 and verse 10 . . . (Paul responding to God’s promise) – “Once I heard that, I was glad to let it happen. I quit focusing on the handicap and began appreciating the gift. It was a case of Christ’s strength moving in on my weakness. Now I take limitations in stride, and with good cheer, these limitations that cut me down to size – abuse, accidents, opposition, bad breaks. I just let Christ take over! And so the weaker I get, the stronger I become.” (The Message Bible) Did you catch that bit of advice … just let Christ take over?! For us, that makes all the difference in the world, and it sure helps simplify our lives!!! The merry-go-round slows down a few notches, we stop to smell a few roses, and we’re learning a little more each day how to keep company with Jesus and live more freely and lightly!
THANK YOU, THANK YOU, LARRY & GLORIA, for coming to encourage us at Elevation North with your anointed ministry this past Sunday, on Mother’s Day! The awesome music and powerful gospel message shared in your “signature personal way” really touched our hearts! We were challenged and uplifted and moved as God’s Spirit wrote on our hearts. And how thrilling it was to see precious lives changed by the power of Christ as they stepped forward to accept Him as their personal Savior and Lord! They will never be the same, and they will never be alone! Larry and Gloria also shared special nuggets of wisdom for our mothers, saying that “Moms are not only ‘life-givers’ – but they are ‘life-receivers’, too!” How true it is that the same moms who give life to us, also become ‘receivers of life’ when they give their hearts to Christ! Please pray for those who are beginning their new walk with the Lord, and that we would nurture them in their new-found faith! Pray also for Larry and Gloria as they begin their next tour of rallies, having arrived home from the South after a long winter! May God’s grace be “more than enough” in all their travels and in each service as they present Christ to the lost!! We look forward to having you back at Elevation North, Larry and Gloria! And thank you for your precious friendship all these years!
IN A NUTSHELL . . .
WE LOVED having LaDawn Lundstrom and Dante and Myanna worship with us on Sunday; thank you for coming!

AN INCREDIBLE TIME OF PRAYER marked our National Day of Prayer service this past week, and laid the foundation for monthly all-church prayer gatherings! You won’t want to miss the next one!

CONTINUE TO PRAY for Shirley’s recovery following her surgery in Rochester; for an unexpected challenge in the adoption process being undertaken by one of our families; for urgent unspoken requests!

SR HI YOUTH will meet next Tuesday, May 19th, from 6:30-8:00 p.m. at Pastor D’s and Debbie’s home; come expecting a blessing ~ a blast ~ and a bonus! Bring some friends with you to join in!

SPECIAL THANKS to our church family for giving sacrificially to the Larry Lundstrom Ministries; we were able to give them a check for $1010.00 so that they can continue ministering the love of Christ all over America!

PASTOR DOUG will be preaching a message this Sunday from John chapter 1 – focusing on the WORD! Just WHAT is the Word, and WHO is the Word, and HOW does this Word change us? Be sure to come and learn more as you listen and open the Word of God ~ bring your Bible!
BE LOOKING FOR NEWS about upcoming service projects, evangelism outreaches, fellowship opportunities, and exciting ways to share our faith through acts of kindness! More details will be coming soon! We want YOU to be a part of all that is going on at Elevation North!
AND WE WANT YOU TO JOIN US IN WORSHIP this Sunday morning as we celebrate our Living Lord in praise, in song, in the Word, and in our fellowship. Our desire is that He will be the focus and center of all we say and all we do! Did you know that YOU are at the center of His heart? We love what Eugenia Price has to say about this: “God is every moment totally aware of each one of us. Totally aware in intense concentration and love … No one passes through any area of life, happy or tragic, without the attention of God.” Carry these words with you ~ and believe them!