Elevation North has News for YOU!

“ . . . DO SOMETHING WITH IT!” Now that could mean a lot of things, but the first part of that statement really is, “JESUS, TAKE MY LIFE AND . . . “. Put it all together and you’ve got something really powerful – that is, if you truly mean it: “JESUS, TAKE MY LIFE AND DO SOMETHING WITH IT!” Some people first heard themselves saying this/praying this when they asked Jesus to come into their heart and forgive their sins so that they could live forever with Him. I think it would be great if, as God’s kids, we could pray that every day and mean it! Jesus, TODAY, take my life and DO SOMETHING with it! I must add a few postscripts to the last blog update about “God Sure Knows How To Throw A Party!” After I had published the blog, God brought to my mind some more “noise-maker” moments from our recent trip, and because they were every bit as special as the other ones … I just want to let you know how “big” this party actually was! Take everything that I told you last week, and then add in these … like: one young person unexpectedly filling our vehicle with gas to help us along on our road trip (oh, he has a big heart – we just never thought about him doing this for us)! Like: leaving the next place, and having this guy sneak our vehicle away to fill it with gas before we left for home (yes, he does this every time we come – yet it was the farthest thing from our mind at the time)! Like: others we stopped in to see who poured out their hearts to us about struggles and doubts, grief and sadness, allowing us the gift of ministering to them and holding hands and praying together – and yet in turn, they ministered right back to us! It seems to me that each of these “givers” I’ve mentioned last week and this, must have at one time said to God, “TAKE MY LIFE AND DO SOMETHING WITH IT!” Because … He sure has! I want to challenge YOU to ask yourself today, “Have I ever prayed that prayer?” If not, then there is no time like the present! I believe that when we begin to pray that prayer daily, there will be a noticeable turning point … change-point, if you will … in our lives! After all, our lives are not our own – but all too often, we live like they are. After all, our time is not our own – but all too often, we live like it is. After all, our bodies are not our own – but all too often, we live like they are. After all, our money and our resources are not our own – but all too often, we live like they are. It’s so easy in the world and day we are living in for life to be “all about us!” Most every voice we hear in the media tells us that we deserve it all – right now. The truth is that through the blood of Jesus, and only through the blood of Jesus, we ARE deserving of God’s best! But when that “best” is given to us, there is a reason for all those blessings. I believe that when God gives us increase, it comes for two purposes: that we might glorify God and bless Him back more … and that we might make a difference in the lives of others and bless them more. Any needs we have personally will be met and more, because we did the right and godly thing with our increase! What an exciting way to live! Again, that daily prayer becomes so relevant: “Jesus, take my life TODAY and do something with it!” Be careful when you ask, though, because when you mean it, He WILL do something with it! Then, don’t just hang on for the ride, but get in the driver’s seat with God as your co-pilot! Together, you will see extraordinary things happen that will take the word “boring” right out of your life! You’ll feel like you’ve been given a brand new lease on life! Everywhere you’re going, God is going right there with you! Everything you’re doing, God is right there in the middle of it! Everything you’re giving, God is right there prompting you and providing the increase! What if all of us at Elevation North began to pray this prayer every day, personally, but also corporately? Praying: “GOD, TODAY TAKE ELEVATION NORTH AND DO SOMETHING WITH YOUR CHURCH!” What do you think He will do? We can only imagine all that He will do in us, with us, and through us ~ FOR HIS GLORY! There’s no other reason to ever pray that prayer … except to glorify Him! And when we finally realize that it truly is “all about Him – and Him alone” … then we will really begin to see things happen in a supernatural way! Any mess we’re in, any lack we have, any struggle we’re battling – can all be fixed by a massive outpouring of the Holy Spirit in our own lives – as well as in the church! God’s given us SO much … and yet we take SO little! In a greedy society, it amazes me that Christians somehow have this skewed belief that they should not be “greedy” when it comes to asking God for ALL He has for His people! We settle for “just a little” ~ “I’ll get by somehow!” I really don’t think Jesus hung on that cross, breathing His last breath so His people, His church could have a “little life” and “somehow just get by!” If so, that was much too big a price to pay for what He gets in return. Let’s put that in perspective and pray with all our might, “JESUS, TAKE MY LIFE … AND OUR CHURCH …TODAY … AND DO SOMETHING WITH IT!” I promise, none of us will ever be the same! (John 10:10)

IN A NUTSHELL . . .

- WHAT A BLESSED TIME we had in God’s House this past Sunday as Pastor Doug started the special 3-week series on “Prayer, Fasting, and Praise!” We were challenged as we were reminded of the many ways we’re shown the power of prayer in God’s Word! Oh, that we would truly grasp the life-changing effects of prayer – even with eternal impact!
- IT WAS GREAT to have Christian worship with us on Sunday; and a special thanks to him for all the help following the service! We hope you were blessed, and know that you are always welcome!

- LOOKING AHEAD . . .

- THIS SUNDAY, JANUARY 30TH: 10:00 A.M. – PRAISE & WORSHIP with Pastor Doug continuing on with the second message in the series, preaching on “Fasting” from several scriptures. You will be amazed at what God’s Word instructs us to do – and what comes as a result of fasting and prayer! Be sure to bring your Bibles!
- 11:15 A.M. - KINGDOM CONNECTION TIME ~ with fellow believers! Be an encourager and see how God will knit our church family even closer together!
- ELEVATION NORTH 21-DAY FAST – Continue on this journey with your church family as we continue to fast and pray for breakthrough as a church and for provision for a church building, and for spiritual breakthrough in our personal lives, marriage, and families! Remember, God is your strength; draw ever closer to Him and seek His face!
- WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 2ND: 7:00-8:00 P.M. – “LEARN THE BIBLE IN 24 HOURS” STUDY at Pastor Doug’s and Debbie’s home! Plan to come and think of a few friends that would love to be part of a Bible Study and bring them along!
- NEXT SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 6TH: 10:00 A.M. – PRAISE & WORSHIP with the service zeroed in on PRAISE – both in message and music! You will NOT want to miss this time together in the presence of our God!
- 11:15 A.M. – ANNUAL VISIONARY MEETING w/a Daniel Fast luncheon to follow … please bring foods appropriate for our fast! Call Pastor or Debbie if you have any questions!
- COMING SOON: Sunday, February 20th: Post Valentine’s Dinner Celebration – check out the sign-up sheet! / Sunday, March 20th: Spaghetti Feed complete with tossed salad, garlic bread, & “make your own sundaes” ~ and a great movie to follow!

- PRAYER OPPORTUNITIES . . .

- WHAT AN AMAZING GOD WE SERVE! Just when we think there is no hope – HE is our hope and HE makes a way for us! We want to pray hope and healing this week over Pam, Tina, and Julia; over Samara, Brandon, and Brianna; over Aletta, Roger, Cindy, Kay, and Karrie; trusting God for His mighty work in each one!

- REMEMBER . . . “That we are alive today is proof positive that God has something for us to do today.” ~ Anna R. B. Lindsay


Serving Christ Joyfully . . .

Pastor Doug and Debbie

Elevation North has News for YOU!

GOD SURE KNOWS HOW TO THROW A PARTY!!! People have this notion that the good times of their lives are had at parties. Well, I am one that believes that great times are had at other places and times, as well. But, whatever you want to call it, we had one great “party” this past week! Wanna hear about it? Well, it almost didn’t get off the ground, though all the plans had been laid out and pre-arranged. At the last minute, I discovered that I would not be receiving vacation pay from one of my jobs for the week we were to be gone … and that loss of pay was definitely NOT in the budget! At first I kind of freaked out, wondering how we were going to make it work. “We need to get away so desperately! We’ve got a precious little baby grandson that we’re so excited about meeting. We’ve got other family and friends we’d love to see! And besides, we haven’t had a day totally off from all of our jobs in forever – who knows when the last time was? How we need a reprieve, some rest, and some renewal!” Then I realized I was stuck on thinking WE had to make it happen, when I suddenly felt like God was asking me, “When have I ever let you down?” I had to shake my head “no” and say, “NEVER!” Once that was established anew in my heart, almost instantly a peace swept over me. I knew it was right to go … I knew it was right to step out in faith, believing for the impossible! I just didn’t know “where – or how – or when” it was all going to come together! I just knew it would! And, would you believe that God had marker signs all over the place, showing us where the party was? Those little “noise-makers” would go off in our hearts at the very best moments … like: seeing our newest grandson, Luke Michael, for the very first time ~ and holding him close to us as much as we could! Like: seeing how much our other little grandsons, Isaiah and Miles, had grown ~ and having them lead us to their bedroom where we would be staying! Like: seeing our kids’ new home for the first time ~ along with all the hard work and added touches they put into it! Like: seeing the breathtaking views from their windows ~ and then taking an adventurous walk with the family out in those same views in balmy temps! Like: going to church and worshipping together as a family! Like: sitting down to eat full home-cooked delicious meals ~ a labor of love by our “daughter”, Becky! Like: getting a tour of our son’s workplace ~ and then hearing a two-hour plus practice session of worship music by Dustin’s band! Like: getting to make cookies with Isaiah and Miles ~ and read stories and play toys with them! Like: getting to hand-deliver newborn baby gifts to little Luke ~ and being able to enjoy a post-Christmas celebration with our family! Like: being gifted with new photos to bring home ~ along with a photo memory book! Like: getting to just sit and talk and relax and talk some more ~ until the night drew to a close! The list could go on and on!!! Alright, let me add to it! Like: meeting up with some friends ~ and spending brief, but special soul-time together! Like: getting to see my almost 87-year old mom ~ and share some memorable hours together with her and two of my siblings and their spouses! Like: getting to chat with several nieces & nephews & their little ones on the phone! Like: stopping at the cemeteries to see both of our dad’s graves ~ but the deep snow kept us from getting as close as we’d like! Like: making a last-minute detour a few miles out of the way ~ and really, really surprising our youngest grand-daughter, Lindsay! Like: having dinner with our son and his wife, DJ and Melissa, and Lindsay ~ and seeing our grandson, Wade – but missing Tyler, as we headed home late at night! Like: arriving safely home in the wee hours of the morning ~ just in time to get ready to go to work! Our hearts were filled full of heart treasures from the anticipated week that God gave us! And just what DID He do? An afternoon phone call while we were at our son’s home in Nebraska brought the news that an extra $100 was being deposited in our bank account that day – a sign to us that God was taking care of our week without my salary. Then, a precious elderly couple passed a twenty dollar bill on to us! And on the last evening there, a very special friend came bearing fun gifts, including envelopes filled with fifties and a hundred dollar bill, to the tune of $300 total! I was speechless! Later, someone pressed five twenties into my husband’s hand, after we had been given $10 to help with food on our way home. My sister and hubby sent us home with a cooler filled with frozen meats and fruits! The “noise-makers” were going off like crazy! And do you know who was blowing them?! GOD – the Party Provider! The Way-Maker! The Lover of Families-Getting-Together! We left on our trip, praying that God would bless our family and others through us. We left to come home, having been blessed indescribably! The vacation time with no pay – no longer an issue! Who says God no longer does miracles? Not us!!! Precious people, be encouraged that God is still on His Throne, and He still loves throwing parties for His children! That’s YOU! And YOU, and YOU!!!

IN A NUTSHELL . . .

- OUR SPECIAL THANKS to Ryan for ministering to our congregation in our absence last Sunday; to Isaac for all of the preparation and work on Sunday morning for worship; to those who helped lead the praise music; and to everyone who helped in any way! You truly honored God ~ and blessed us! We were praying for all of you!!!
- SPECIAL, LOVING BIRTHDAY WISHES to our grandson, Tyler, who will be celebrating his 21st birthday on Monday, January 24th! May God’s divine favor be present in your life always, we pray! We love you, Tyler!
- OUR SPECIAL THANKS to our “daughter”, Stacey, for updating the music on our church blog! May God bless you for sharing in the ministry of Elevation North in this way!

- LOOKING AHEAD . . .

- THIS SUNDAY, JANUARY 23RD: 10:00 A.M. – PRAISE & WORSHIP with Pastor Doug beginning a 3-week series on Prayer, Fasting, and Praise! This week’s message will be focused on Prayer and Matthew 6 … don’t miss it!
- 11:15 A.M. – SUNDAY SCHOOL with interesting teaching & discussions straight from God’s Word – for all ages!
- THIS MONDAY, JANUARY 24TH – FEBRUARY 13TH: 21-DAY SPIRITUAL FAST, as we fast and pray for Elevation North, for our families, our spiritual leaders, our nation and its leaders, and for ourselves - that we might be transformed into what God sees we can be! May this fast bring break-through for the glory of God!
- WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 26TH: 7:00-8:00 P.M. – “LEARN THE BIBLE IN 24 HOURS” STUDY at the home of Pastor Doug and Debbie! Plan to attend, bring your Bibles and notebooks, and even bring a friend!
- NEXT SUNDAY, JANUARY 30TH: 10:00 A.M. - PRAISE & WORSHIP with the message centered on Fasting
- 11:15 A.M. - SUNDAY SCHOOL for everyone!
- SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 6TH: ANNUAL VISIONARY MEETING with reports from the Pastor and the Treasurer – and plans and previews for the future!
- COMING SOON: RE: FUEL YOUTH schedule / FUN FELLOWSHIP opportunities / AND MORE!

- PRAYER OPPORTUNITIES . . .

- WHEREVER WE GO, we find people who are hurting and who need God’s touch in many different ways! This week please join us in praying for Samara and Brandon, for Pam, Tina, and Julia, for Aletta, Roger, Kay, and Karrie – all for physical healing and God’s strength! Our God is the Great Physician ~ He can be trusted with our very lives!

- REMEMBER, “The day will come – and come repeatedly during your life – that you will be so overwhelmed with God’s graciousness that tears will stream down your face!” ~ Bruce Wilkinson



Serving Christ Joyfully . . .

Pastor Doug and Debbie