Elevation North has News for YOU!

HOMELESS. It’s Christmas-time, and whether we want to look - or not, there are homeless people all around us. Checking in really quickly to see the latest posts on Facebook from our family and friends, there was a post with a “you-tube” video clip of a homeless young man who was competing in a talent search in Korea. Our friend had a friendly warning that watching this would make you cry. But I wasn’t ready for the emotions that poured from me as I viewed it. He was being interviewed before he sang for the judges and the audience, and a simple question was posed to him: “I see on your form you didn’t fill in any information about your family,” the young female judge said. The young twenty-something contestant replied, “That’s because when I was three years old, I was left in an orphanage and was beaten. I ran away at age five.” Another lady judge asked him how he lived after that. He said, “I sold energy drinks and gum in the streets for ten years. I slept on stairs and in public toilets.” He said he had even been “sold sometimes – somewhere.” His voice trailed off. By this time, the entire audience – as well as the judges - were held captive by his story. The first judge asked him why he liked to sing. He said he wasn’t very good, but he loved singing. It made him feel like a different person, he stated. He shared that he had listened sometimes to a singer who sang with such sincerity at a night-club that it made him want to sing. As he listened to the singer, he drank it all in and just taught himself by what he heard. At this point, the young lady judge simply said, “Sing for us.” The music started and he opened his mouth before the microphone. An incredible full, rich-sounding, almost operatic voice burst forth! He closed his eyes and sang with his heart. Instantaneously, as the camera panned over the audience, people were at first just stunned. Then they began crying. The judges were wiping tears from their cheeks. Then everyone broke out in wild applause! Later in a back-stage room, the judges pondered the homeless young man’s performance. One of them said, “Regardless of his hard life, he runs passionately towards what he wants.” The closing moments of the clip show him walking off stage and he is being affirmed by some stage-hands telling him that he will be cheered on by millions of Koreans in the next round of competition, and if he tries really hard, maybe by the whole world! Then he walks down the long hall back-stage towards the exit. I don’t know the rest of the story … but how I love that God gifts so amazingly those who are looked upon as the down-and-out. He has put within so many of them a hidden treasure that often is not discovered until much later. But in many cases, that special gift has been their refuge, their comfort, their hope. And most likely, because of this young man’s beautiful voice, he will never be homeless again! What’s it like to be homeless? I am sure he will never, ever forget. Only minutes after recovering from the emotion of this gripping story, I remembered how we were homeless once. Yes, my husband and I. Once, after our three sons were grown and on their own, and we found ourselves on a long journey between churches. We had always lived in parsonages (homes owned by the churches we pastored). So because in God’s time-line for us, we had a gap between ministries … we found ourselves homeless, with no place to go. All of our belongings were on a moving truck being stored for us, and we kept only enough with us to fit into a few suitcases. That’s how we lived – for fourteen months. But God, who was WITH us in that gap of time and WITH us on that journey, provided at each turn in the road, a home for us to live in. First with friends out in the country … then with friends in town … and then with our second son and his wife and our grandchildren – until God told us “this journey was over!” We will forever be grateful to all of them! Our dream and passion to return to ministry never dimmed – and never died. We would sit in a pew in the church wherever we were at for that season, and tears would drop off our cheeks to our lap. We longed so much to be in the pulpit and at the piano again. That had been our life for such a long time. But God was preparing to take us into an expanded version of ministry that we could not have ever dreamed of. He was moving us into the marketplace. And that’s another story – for another time, which many of you already know. We are still there, in fact … but He has given us Elevation North to love and to serve and nurture. And now He is expanding that! How will this story turn out? Will we ever be homeless again? Only God knows those answers. A long time ago, Jesus experienced the same homeless feeling that the young Korean man did … and the same way we did. In Matthew 8:20, Jesus said, “Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay His head.” This verse was recorded in the context of the cost of following Jesus. In His ministry on earth doing what the Father asked Him to do, Jesus really had no place to call His own. Homeless, yet He brought Hope to those around Him. And somehow, in this Christmas season, for those of us who are not homeless, I think God would have us be His hands and His heart to those all around us who are less fortunate. I have a feeling we won’t have to look far!

IN A NUTSHELL . . .

- WHAT A JOY to lift our voices in singing those beautiful Christmas carols on Sunday morning! The message is so precious … wouldn’t we love to sing them all year long? Being in church and worshipping together makes the celebration of Christ’s birth even more special!
- WE SHARE A WARM WELCOME with Nicole, Beth, Diane, and Karla … who all came to worship with us this past Sunday for the first time! We are so glad you came, and we pray that you sensed God’s presence!
- BELATED THANKS to Hazel for her generous donation of table décor for our Thanksgiving church luncheon a few weeks ago … it was lovely and provided such a great atmosphere for our church family to enjoy!
- A VERY SPECIAL HAPPY 1ST BIRTHDAY to our youngest grandchild, Luke Michael, on this Sunday, December 11th! Wow … you’ve blessed us for a whole year now – and we pray that Jesus’ love & blessings will rest upon you always! And the very same day, our LOVING CONGRATULATIONS are sent to our son and his wife, DJ and Melissa, on their 12th Anniversary; we celebrate your love and God’s goodness in your lives! SPECIAL 16TH BIRTHDAY WISHES are sent to our grandson, Dylan, as we join him in celebrating this milestone birthday on December 15th; may God’s blessings and favor be yours all year long! We love all of you more than we can say!
- SPECIAL CONGRATULATIONS to Cierra who graduated from the University of Minnesota in Mankato on Saturday, December 10th … we are so proud of you, and pray with you for God’s plans to be clearly shown!

- LOOKING AHEAD . . .

- THIS SUNDAY, DECEMBER 11TH: 10:00 A.M. – PRAISE & WORSHIP with our special guests, Wayne & Verla, who have come all the way from Nebraska to be with us! Join all of us for this anointed time – and be blessed! Don’t miss this extra-special service; invite a friend ~ or several! It’s the perfect time of year to do so!
- 11:15 A.M. – KINGDOM CONNECTION – A time of fellowship is planned with the Bucholz family! We welcome them back and thank them for their continued faithful support! May God bless all of you!
- NEXT SUNDAY, DECEMBER 18TH: 10:00 A.M. – PRAISE & WORSHIP with a host of Christmas music and Pastor Doug’s third message in the series, “The Mysteries of Christmas,” from the book of Matthew.

- FOLLOWING WORSHIP: AFTERNOON CAROLING with CHILI & HOT CHOCOLATE; sign-up today! Let’s brighten the lives of those who are shut-in around our community – with some Christmas joy!
- DECEMBER 24TH: 6:00 P.M. – CHRISTMAS EVE CANDLELIGHT COMMUNION SERVICE! Don’t miss this!!!
- DECEMBER 25TH: 10:00 A.M. – CHRISTMAS SUNDAY WORSHIP CELEBRATION / JESUS’ BIRTHDAY!
- 2011 CHRISTMAS PROJECT – see the poster and choose a gift or two to help bless a family in need!

- PRAYER IS ONE OF GOD’S MOST SPECIAL GIFTS TO US … use it wisely this week to bless others! Let’s remember those in need of healing, provision, joy, deliverance, protection, and God-appointments!

- REMEMBER . . . “You’re blessed when you’re content with just who you are – no more, no less. That’s the moment you find yourselves proud owners of everything that can’t be bought.” ~ Matthew 5:5

Serving Christ Joyfully . . .

Pastor Doug and Debbie