ELEVATION NORTH has NEWS for YOU!

EMPOWERED!  Empowered to what?  The days of this year have flipped around the spiral calendar pages almost faster than we can keep track of.  Some days are so delightful and memorable you just want to go and flip them back so you can relive them again!  Other days you want to give them an extra push so that your spinning wheels can just be done for that day!  As God’s child, there is something really rewarding about reflecting on the many ways He has been with us all year long!  How I love that when we take a peek at the year that is about to end, we see a definite signature mark of God’s faithfulness stamped all over our past 365 days!  Sometimes He leaves love marks on us … His whispers of love at desperately needed times – or out of nowhere … have served to ignite within us the reminder that someone (Someone!) loves us for who we are!  Yes, loves us just like we are – but too much to leave us that way!  Isn’t that empowering?!  It is simply that amazing love that enables us to face another 365 days of the unknown – without fear or dread.  His love causes us to embrace our future days with solid hope and even with joyful expectation that He has it all in His control!  Isn’t that, too, empowering?!  It is so heartening that the God of the universe knows us personally down to the most insignificant and unflattering detail and loves us still!  That alone brings great significance to our lives; it tells us that He values us and sees the treasure that He has placed within us!  Empowering, yes!  That God has once again chosen us as His star characters in this life on His earth in 2013 to be used in specific ways that no one else could accomplish is mind-boggling – when it should be empowering!  Recognizing that fact should make us smile, should melt our hearts, and should touch us immeasurably!  Yes, God could so easily do it ALL by Himself – at the command of one spoken word or at the slightest movement of His hand.  But … HE CHOOSES US and offers us the privilege of working alongside HIM!  Talk about empowering!  On day one of the new year we could not even imagine in our wildest dreams what all God would walk us into ~ what all He would allow us the deep joy of being a part of!  But He has!  And He does!  This year has brought with it a myriad of opportunities to live out the love of Jesus!  Besides the pastoral ministry – the preaching and teaching and leading - there’s the utmost necessity of seeking God, there’s the planning and then the implementing.  There are all the behind the scenes, not-so-glorious opportunities to be a blessing.  The hands-on help with physical labor:  moving, carrying, cleaning, fixing. The emotional support given: sitting in a hospital or emergency room for hours, waiting with the sick and injured for the diagnosis. The physical presence shared: just listening and caring, holding hands and praying together.  The counsel and direction offered:  seeking God for wisdom that we lack, and then speaking boldly by His Spirit the needed words.  The smiles, the notes, the phone calls, the messages:  taking time with a personal touch to make a difference in someone’s life.  And so much more!  You see, we are all ministers of the good news of Jesus Christ!  Are you taking a backwards glance at how God has placed you in perfect spots at pre-determined times for His planned purposes?  Doing so will re-energize your desire for God to do more in you and through you!  What all will this new year of 2014 hold?  Well, only God knows!  We can only imagine!  But God’s Word gives us constant clues that no matter what comes, He will be with us!  This new year of 2014 is going to hold never-before-experienced opportunities to be Jesus to many others.  Even one person that is changed for eternity because God put us in the right place at the right time – is more than worth any struggles we may have to endure!  Circumstances may get more difficult rather than easier, but we have God’s presence and His promises!  We are empowered by the Spirit of God to embrace the days to come, because by His Spirit … WE CAN!  A prominent world figure, now deceased, once said, “There is no passion to be found in playing small – in settling for a life that is less than the one you are capable of living.”  (Nelson Mandela)  God’s Word is filled with similar words showing us God’s desire for us to become ALL that He has ordained for us to be!  We may not rise through the ranks in 2014 to become a world leader or president or celebrity … but He has a specific role for us to play and a specific audience needing to hear our voice and His message.  His empowering will ever be available!  Remember that what God calls us to do … He will always enable us to do!  In fact, our church theme for this new year is:  “Called To Do MORE ~ In 2-0-1-4!”  Called, as led by God.  And not just to DO more, but to BE more!  And you can, and we can … because we are empowered by the Spirit of the Living God!  Let’s arise to the greatness that God has placed within us!  This is our time!  Awaken!  Arise!  Do! Be!  All for the sake of the One who gave Himself for us!  Welcome, 2014!  We embrace your arrival … eagerly!

REMEMBER . . . When you think you are not good enough or cannot do it, read this scripture again and again!

“Now when they saw the boldness and unfettered eloquence of Peter and John and perceived

that they were unlearned and untrained in the schools (common men with no educational advantages),

they marveled; and they recognized that they had been with Jesus.” ~ Acts 4:13 

(That’s it!  Get with Jesus!)  

Serving Christ Joyfully . . .

Pastor Doug and Debbie

ELEVATION NORTH has NEWS for YOU!

BLESSED!  We are SO blessed!  Often it is not until we lose something that we realize how much we miss it!  A few weeks ago, swelling in my one ear had caused me to not be able to hear properly.  For several days I lived in a muffled world where sounds were diminished and I had to strain with all my might to be able to hear even a portion of what I normally hear very clearly every day.  It wasn’t fun, let me tell you!  Thoughts of what life must be like for those who are deaf touched me deeply and my heart resonated with a clearer understanding of their world.  I prayed and prayed, and others prayed over me.  Intermittently my left ear would open up a bit to allow a little more sound to enter, but then it would close up again.  I began to wonder “why” the healing was taking so long … and “what” the purpose of this trial was, but I continued to claim my healing.  In the midst of my “much quieter than usual world” – things were taking shape as God was busily speaking to others in our family about giving His Son gifts for His birthday.  Giving up their own gifts to give to Him.  While my husband and I have been so blessed by giving Jesus gifts for His birthday for many years now, we had never done exactly that.  God was about to put a new twist on “how” we gave!  We had never before asked others to take the gifts they had planned for us and turn them into gifts for Jesus’ birthday.  But doing so was going to be key to what God was asking me to do personally.  When one of our sons asked for ideas from us for Christmas gifts, my mind started scanning the needs-list/wish-list from prior conversations.  As a few items popped into my head, there was that momentary thought, “Oh that would be SO nice!  Yes, that would be GREAT!”  And then … I felt this sudden, uncomfortable tug-of-war in my spirit.  I chided myself for having even thought of taking something for myself when I knew within the depths of my heart that God was asking something different of me.  “Will you give Me what is yours?”  Before opening my lips, I knew what my answer would be.  “Of course, Lord!”  I heard myself telling our son that whatever they were planning to give me – I wanted to have them add it to Jesus’ birthday gifts!  Excitement rose within me that we were going to be able to bless Jesus more than we could have just on our own!  Do you know what happened next?  Amazingly in the very moment that I said “yes” to what God was asking me to do … my closed ear opened.  There was no popping sound, no sensation.  But I immediately could clearly hear sounds around me that for several days had been diffused and distorted.  I was fully aware that a Christmas miracle had just been given to me … and my heart was so moved that I could not speak.  All I could do was whisper to Him through tears … of joy!  For giving me the opportunity to bless Him, to share with others … and as a surprise bonus, to receive my healing.  I had no thought of “giving to get”.  God’s spirit within moved me to obey out of sheer love and a desire to bless.  Amazingly, though, it seems when God gets us where He wants us, then He turns around and blesses us right back!  All I could do was praise Him and thank Him for my restored hearing … over and over and over!  I knew He would not tire of hearing me say “Thank You” again and again!  On that first Christmas so long ago, God gave us what was His.  He could have kept His Son all for Himself.  But He chose to send Him from streets of gold to straw in a manger – to get close to us.  He did not spare His Son from the splintered cross – but chose that hellish death to bring the Gift of Life to us.  His Resurrection power blazed through the wrapping of the linens around His Son’s body and left them laying there on the stone while He breathed Life into the Best Gift we will ever receive!  His Gift says, “Happy Birthday to us!”  This precious Christmas Season, my heart is longing for all of us to say, “Happy Birthday, Jesus ~ we know it’s all about You!  We celebrate the indescribable Gift that You are!  We are truly SO blessed!”

REMEMBER . . . God had already named His Son before He was born!

This is what He had the angel tell Joseph:

“She (Mary) will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus,

because He will save His people from their sins.”

~ Matthew 1:21  

Joyfully Serving Christ . . .  

Pastor Doug and Debbie

ELEVATION NORTH has NEWS for YOU!

WHAT ARE THE BEST GIFTS OF ALL?  I think they are those that we receive with grateful hearts ~ and then turn around and lay them at the feet of Jesus!  It seems that this message will be a postscript to last week’s!  Remember me sharing about one of our granddaughters wanting us to give the gift we would have given to her – to someone less fortunate?  Well, it turns out to be a truly precious story when God gets involved and He gives the idea!  And it HAD to be HIS idea – because several months ago, we had included a photo of our little great-granddaughter in the small packet we sent to our “adopted World Vision child”, Tarike, in Ethiopia.  We thought since we are old enough to be her grandparents, it would be fun for her to see some pictures of children.  So we tucked in a few prints of our Sunday School children ~ and then added in one of our little Emma.  Tarike is getting to “meet” all of our grandchildren as we keep sending her more photos! Amazingly not long before our granddaughter’s wish became known, we received a letter from Tarike, and a part of it went like this, word for word:  “I also love the cards and the photos so much.  My family and I are so thankful to you for sending your photos which made us get to know you better.  Especially we love the picture of Emma.  She is so beautiful.  I wish if I could hold and hug her to entertain with her.  I always miss and love you so much.”  Now the beauty of this story is that we have never met Tarike, and we have only corresponded and sent support to her for a little over two years, yet this is how she feels!  Imagine Jesus planning this three-way connection through us … and our granddaughter who is Emma’s mommy … and Tarike.  What intricate planning by Him so this gift intended for our granddaughter will now be presented to Tarike to help make her life better in a land so far away!  But the best part of this gift is that it will ultimately be presented to Jesus on His birthday!  Is that the end of this story?  No, no!  God has fanned into flame this desire to give gifts to His Son on His birthday, and now more of our family are saying, “Can you do the same for us?  It can be an individual – or a family.  Just bless them on our behalf!”  So there will not be the usual gifts under some of our family trees this year ~ but there will be a card tucked in amongst the branches telling Jesus what our birthday gifts to Him are this year … as if He doesn’t already know!  There’s definitely no way to keep any of His gifts a secret from Him!  You know the feeling we all get when we see the smiles and excitement on the faces of those we love when they open a gift that means so much to them.  And in the same way, Jesus wants you to see His smile and His pleasure when He receives the gift you’ve chosen to bless Him with!  There’s no greater joy than giving to others, is there?  Except when the recipient is the Prince of Peace, our Savior, Christ the Lord!  Have you ever realized that you can make the Son of God SMILE?  Yes, YOU!  Just be open to listening to His heart and you will have no lack of opportunities to bless others in His Name!  This past Sunday we sang “Christmas Offering” for the first time – and it will be our theme song for this month as we worship our Lord and King together in His House.  We raise our voices with the songwriters and vocalists of Casting Crowns:  “We bring an offering of worship to our King.  No one on earth deserves the praises that we sing.  Jesus, may You receive the honor that You’re due; honor that You’re due.  O Lord, I bring an offering to You.”  We just want to remind you that your Christmas Offering can be a gift to someone in need, someone without a home or food, someone who is ill, someone who gives their lives to share the message of Jesus’ love and gift of eternal life with those who have not yet heard – or – you fill in the blank!  Your Christmas Offering can be … YOU!  It can be the gift of your life, your worship, your obedience ~ sharing all God asks you to, with everyone He asks you to, when He asks you to … in honor of His Son’s birthday! 

REMEMBER . . . THIS WAS OUR GIFT – and STILL IS:

“For to us a Child is born, to us a Son is given,

And the government will be on His shoulders.

And He will be called Wonderful Counselor,

Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” 

~ Isaiah 9:6  

Serving Christ Joyfully . . . 

Pastor Doug and Debbie

ELEVATION NORTH has NEWS for YOU!

LET US ADORE HIM!  Yes … Christmas is really Someone’s birthday!  It is the celebration of Jesus’ birth, but the  bombardment by the impossible-to-miss retail commercialization of this incredible season – just about blacks out that fact!  Could that be why the day after Thanksgiving is called “Black Friday”?  The lights that shimmer and glimmer all over town – all but dim the sight of the Baby in the manger.  The frenzied hurry-n-scurry for weeks and weeks – just about snuff out any thought of stopping to kneel down and worship the One who came to us long ago under that brilliant Star!  The incessant noise of media announcements and the unending paper pile of advertisements – can easily crowd out the voice of our Lord drawing us to Himself.  The merry-go-round of gift-giving that doesn’t let us stop – nearly flings off any semblance of authentic joy and instead holds people captive when all that keeps on giving is the debt that they unwisely bought into.  How could we have strayed so far from what Christ’s birth is all about?  What should be the most precious Birthday celebration of the year, has forgotten the Honored Guest!  It is high time to jump off the dizzily spinning merry-go-round and say that “enough is enough”!  It is time to turn off the commercial craziness and turn back to the pages of Luke chapter 2 and take in the beautifully recorded event of God’s Son, Jesus.  Amazingly, it was His birth that presented the first opportunity to bring gifts to Jesus.  Did you catch that?  The wise men brought gifts and gave them TO Jesus – not to each other!  Their journey, their full-focus was on Jesus.  Their first glimpse of God’s Son dropped them to their knees in speechless adoration as they bowed before Him first and then presented their precious gifts.  These gifts did not smack of cheap quality or deeply discounted sales.  They were valuable and were given from the depths of their hearts.  Their time and these gifts cost them something – far more than any “I just don’t have a clue what I should give so-and-so” gift!!  You see … so many people give really pricey, expensive gifts to others – and then grab some little item for the needy out of a dollar basket in some remote spot at the end of the store aisle.  And then they can say, “There You go, Jesus - I remembered Your birthday!” and go on their merry way to more parties and family gatherings where they will give to others and receive from them.  What is that?  No honor … no sacrifice … no thought … no celebration of the Honored Guest on His birthday?  Look … was that a tear starting to well up in one corner of His sad eyes?  We definitely would not want to be treated that way on OUR birthday … and yet far too many do just that to Jesus.  Year after year after year.  He’s forgotten – pushed aside.  Celebrations of His birthday go on without Him.  What will WE do this year?  Will we adore Him and present precious gifts to Him?  Will we give ourselves?  Will we offer Him what pleases Him?  Will we touch others for His Name’s sake and put His name on the gift-tag?  “Here, Jesus, this is for You!”  Or will we make His birthday all about us … and exclude the One whose birthday we are celebrating!  I received a text from one of our granddaughters this morning, and I am glued to its message.  This is what she wrote:  “I have been thinking a lot this year ~ and I want to donate my Christmas money this year.  Do you know of any good places to donate …?”   A lump rose up in my throat, a tear welled up in my eye, and my heart nearly burst!  I wanted to shout to the world – all the while knowing that I only needed an audience of One to hear my whisper to Him … “Jesus, she gets it!  She wants to celebrate YOU on Your birthday!”  And if her heart’s desire thrilled me – think how it made Jesus feel!  You see, when we get THIS part right:  the adoration of our King … then any gifts we share with each other will be all the more meaningful because we put Jesus first!  Best of all, our love and devotion for our Lord will point others to the BEST GIFT that they will ever receive … His love and forgiveness, the Reason He came to us that night as a Babe in the Manger!  “Happy Birthday, Jesus … WE ADORE YOU!”

REMEMBER . . . “On coming to the house, they (the Magi) saw the Child with His mother, Mary,

and they bowed down and worshipped Him.

Then they opened their treasures

and presented Him with gifts of gold and of incense and of myrrh.”

~ Matthew 2:11

YOU ARE INVITED ... to our first-ever Sunday School Christmas Program next Sunday morning, December 15th, following our praise and worship at the beginning of the service!  "Don't Forget Jesus" will be directed by Verla Jones ~ and you will be blessed by our children and youth as they portray this entertaining and powerful message of what Christmas is really all about!

Serving Christ Joyfully . . .

Pastor Doug and Debbie

ELEVATION NORTH has NEWS for YOU!

TEARS OF THANKFULNESS!  Have you ever been so thankful about something that it moved you to tears?  I have!  Probably more times than I can count – and most likely more times than I could account for if given a test on the subject.  There are times that you can recount every single thing from recent days that caused gratitude to well up inside of you; and then after years and years pass by – all of those wondrous things get stirred into a huge melting pot of recognition of the goodness of our God!  That’s how we remember many of the blessings God gives us.  But there are SOME things that we never, ever forget!  They are none other than life-changing, divine miracles coming to us that cannot be credited to anyone or anything other than God Himself and His outpouring of love, power, protection, and provision – and a million other overwhelming gifts.  They come special delivery – direct from His hands to our hearts!  As much as I love celebrating Thanksgiving with family and friends and savoring the forkfuls of turkey and stuffing and every other delectable dish on the menu, I thought I would take a walk through God’s buffet of thankfulness!  I wanted to be reminded of why He thinks having a thankful heart is so important.  Tucked back in the pages of the Old Testament is the story of the dedication of the wall of Jerusalem as recorded by Nehemiah (in chapter 12).  The Levites and the singers from around the area were sought out and brought to the city to celebrate joyously this outstanding occasion.  Along with the leaders who Nehemiah instructed to be on the top of the wall, were two large assigned choirs who moved in procession from opposite directions, converging on the top of the wall … “to give thanks.”  Just think … all of this was arranged to thank God for the great joy that He had given them.  And the scripture says that “the sound of rejoicing in Jerusalem could be heard far away.”  FAR AWAY!  Wow, that is a lot of thanks!  God must have loved the sound of their gratitude!  How far away can our thanks be heard?  We need to take note that “God turns our wailing into dancing” – “He removes our sackcloth and clothes us with joy”.  Why?  “That our heart may sing to Him and not be silent, O Lord my God, I will give You thanks forever.”  (Psalm 30:12)  The entire chapter of Psalm 100 is a psalm for giving thanks.  Verse 4 tells us how to offer our thanks:  “Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise; give thanks to Him and praise His Name”.  Then in Psalm 118:28, we are shown how to personalize our love and gratitude:  “You are my God, and I will give You thanks; You are my God, and I will exalt You.”  The words of 2 Corinthians 2:14 help us express our thanks for something God does for us and through us:  “But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ and through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of Him.”  Here in the New Testament, we are told that WE get to be the ones celebrating in victorious procession and WE get to be used to broaden the awareness of our God in the world around us!  How can we NOT thank Him?!   You see, His gifts are many, but none are more precious than the gift of His only Son:  “Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!”  (2 Corinthians 9:15)  In the last book of the Bible, John writes that in heaven, “whenever the living creatures give glory, honor and thanks to Him who sits on the Throne … the twenty-four elders fall down before Him … and worship Him who lives forever and ever.”  (Revelation 4:9-10)  How about that?  Thanksgiving and worship go hand in hand.  Out of genuine thanks flows true worship!  And how are we to come before Him when we pray?  Philippians 4:6 puts it this way:  “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.”  In other words, we should not be asking for something  without being thankful for what God has done in the past – and more importantly, telling Him that we are thankful for WHO He is!  And finally, I love the example we see in God’s Word about the value of expressing our thanks for each other, which is how your pastor and pastor’s wife feel about each of you:  “I thank my God every time I remember you.”  (Philippians 1:3)  And … “How can we thank God enough for you in return for all the joy we have in the presence of our God because of you?”  (I Thessalonians 3:9)  This is really, truly, what is in our hearts for all of you ~ and how grateful we are to God that you have joined us on this incredible Kingdom journey – serving God together with us!  May we live in thanksgiving every day!  For our God … and for each other!

REMEMBER . . . Thank the Lord for His steadfast love,

for His wonderful works to humankind.

for He satisfies the thirsty,

and the hungry He fills with good things.”

~ Psalm 107:8-9

Serving Christ Joyfully . . .

Pastor Doug and Debbie

ELEVATION NORTH has NEWS for YOU!

READY FOR SOME GOOD NEWS?  I thought so!  IF we are in the habit of checking news feeds on our smart phones, thumbing through the newspapers, or switching to our favorite news channel … we would have to admit that there is little to almost zero “good news”.  Most of it is discouraging and disheartening.  It flaunts devastation and destruction.  It idolizes modern day heroes that are such a far cry from the true meaning of what a genuine hero is – that all you can do is shake your head and wipe the tears away.  Headlines seem to be created and filled with spin; and those who take the stance of believing them to be complete truth are living in a world that seeks to brainwash them.  So, where do we turn for some good news?  And just what are we as God’s children, supposed to believe?  Well, if we believe what the world tells us – or what we’ve been told in the past, we will find ourselves stuck in the mental and emotional tragedy of seeing ourselves as losers and failures – never being able to be good enough and not having any value or worth.  It’s time to receive the good news that God is on our side – and He has some fantastic blessings in store for us!  Who do you think He created all the good stuff for, anyway?  Those who are NOT His children?  Those who are disobeying Him?  Those who are blatantly choosing to live in sin?  No!  His good news is the gospel!  That means that He came to save us from an eternity in hell ~ and bless us with an unending “forever” with Him in heaven!  He came to offer us the best relationship we will ever share with another person – this one is no other than with His Person(s) … the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit!  He came to bring to us an amazing, abundant life filled with contentment, peace and provision ~ and with every good and perfect gift from above (James 1:17).  He came to give us a life filled with more blessings than we can fathom – blessings we’ve only secretly hoped for – but didn’t expect!   God wants to show us His favor – every day!  The good news is that when we are His children, He doesn’t come to bless us just once, or only one day of our life!  He comes to us every single day – each hour – and even each moment!   He comes to us in our saddest times and in our greatest hurts to hold us, carry us, whisper words of hope to our hearts and cover us with His precious healing balm.  He comes to remind us that when it seems like He is not doing HIS part – He really is.  He reveals to us that we live in a broken, sinful world, and the deceiver of all deceivers – Satan himself, is the one who is stealing from us and de-railing the blessings.  It is high time that we step up to the microphone of life and tell the enemy that we will no longer put up with his plan to make us feel as if God is falling down on the job.  We will NOT blame God.  We will NOT blame the economy.  We will blame him – and let him know that we are taking back EVERY SINGLE BLESSING that God meant for US!  We will declare to him that we are taking everything back that is rightfully ours, through the authority that is ours through the shed blood of Jesus Christ, which has made us children and heirs to all that God has!  We have an inheritance that is ours.  We don’t have to beg for it.  It is ours!  Now!  So why do we live as slaves in sheer poverty in our spiritual walk, in our physical bodies, in our distraught minds, in our paralyzed emotions – when we are joint heirs with Christ?  Well, simply put, Satan blinds us and we cannot see what is ours through the smoke screen of deceit and lies.  Also simply stated, just because we are heirs of the King of kings, does NOT mean that we will never suffer in any way.  God chooses the precise path, the exact set of circumstances, the right dose of tests and trials balanced with enough victories and joys … to shape us and mold us and make us more like Him.  His Spirit allows us to discern the truth about the source of our sorrows and circumstances … and He gifts us with the happiness and excitement of being able to help others because of what God takes us to – and then through!  There is no life as incredibly wonderful as being a child of God; an heir to all He has for us!  I believe there is a direct correlation between the favor God pours into our lives and what we do with those blessings.  Do we glorify God with them?  Are we touching others with the favor that God brings to us?  Good news … good news!  We have an advantage with God’s promise:  “Now if we are children, then we are heirs – heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in His sufferings in order that we may also share in His glory.”  (Romans 8:17)  May we be receivers and givers!

REMEMBER . . .  “When you are living right and desire God’s blessings

 for you to undertake a vision He gave you,

God will bless you with His favor

in your home, your neighborhood, your church, your workplace, your life.”

~ Arni Jacobson

Serving Christ Joyfully . . .

Pastor Doug and Debbie

ELEVATION NORTH has NEWS for YOU!

ARE WE DRAGGING “STUFF” AROUND?  Yes, I am seriously and honestly asking that of myself – and of you.  I look inside and am keenly aware of how I feel sometimes.  I turn and cannot help but see others and the bulging backpacks they are carrying around while attempting to stand up beneath the weight.  Our backs sag and our steps get slower; the ascent of life strains at every last bit of energy that we have left.  Is this really how it was meant to be?  In the grand scheme of God’s plan for our everyday living, the answer is a loving, but reverberating “NO!”  From before the beginning of time, He saw us how we CAN be!  Running up steep mountain trails, across what seems like never-ending valleys, over slippery rocks in rushing streams – free of baggage and burdens.  We move with agility, in freedom, adeptly, with confident strides.  We move with vigor and speed when our hope is in the Lord, like the eagle that Isaiah likened us to.  He wrote in chapter 40, verse 31, that our strength would be renewed – much like an exchange of our weakness for God’s strength.  Much like a change of clothes; the taking off of our human strength and putting on Christ and His strength – wearing it even as clothing is worn.  Isaiah says that we will soar on wings like eagles!  That’s a far cry from struggling with the weight of each step, barely staying on our feet.  Again, we find ourselves invigorated and living full speed ahead, soaring over the humps and bumps of life – rather than being taken down by them!  So, do you ever ask yourself what is in your backpack?  What is weighing you down?  I receive occasional e-mails from someone I’ve never met in person, but who impacts me with the real-life application of her stories based on scripture.  She spoke of a friend of hers who runs the “deaf ministry” in the church she attends.  This particular Sunday she decided to sit in the section where he stands in front and signs everything that’s going on for the hearing impaired.  She termed it “fascinating”, as she had never really seen a person sign for more than just a few seconds.  But, she said, “watching someone sign for over an hour – and being able to actually SEE the words that you’re HEARING signed, is a totally different experience.”  What really struck Lisa during the service were some repeated phrases like … “putting the past behind me” … “in the past” … “forgetting about the past.”  She explained that every time one of these phrases came up in the message, Nathan would make this gesture that looked like he was throwing something BEHIND him and then flipping his hand up … so it was totally GONE.  Over.  Done with.  Finished.  She watched him make that little gesture over and over again.  And she felt the Spirit of God nudging her that this was like a lesson in what it actually means to put the PAST behind us.  Because on the other hand, if we were to create a physical gesture for what most of us do with “the past” it would look more like this … We’d throw the past behind us, then turn around and look at it … run toward it … pick it right back up … review it thoroughly and then repeat the process … OVER AND OVER AGAIN.  Can you relate?  Unzip your backpack and see what’s in there:  it’s all the things we hold on to that weigh us down – failures, letdowns, experiences that hurt us, disappoint us, frustrate us or make us angry or fearful.  No wonder our baggage is SO heavy!  Then, we can hardly carry it because we replay and relive and rehash all that stuff over and over and over again – sometimes MANY TIMES A DAY.  We never let it go.  And we definitely don’t put it behind us!  But, like Lisa asks, “WHAT IF we could actually do that little gesture Nathan did when he was “signing” in our REAL LIFE?  What if we could take that moment or experience from the past, throw it BEHIND US and actually LEAVE IT THERE?  How would our lives be different?”  Let’s think about this … how would our lives be different if we were no longer held prisoner by our past?  God has given us a VISUAL of what that looks like:  “To FORGET the past, LOOK FORWARD and PRESS ON.”  In Philippians chapter 3, Paul admits that he hasn’t “gotten” it all and is not perfect … but this one thing he does:  “Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.”  (verses 12-14)  You see, Paul’s goal is Christ’s goal for him – and Christ supplies the resources that make it possible for Paul – and us – to press on toward the goal!  We are able to leave the past behind us – as done with and settled!  Or we can spend our moments remembering and fixating on our past mistakes and disappointments and in turn, keep shoving more and more of that STUFF into our backpacks so we can drag them around some more.  But I want to challenge you … the next time you see yourself caught up in your past … pay attention to it.  Picture yourself holding that thought in your hand.  Wrap your fist around it.  And THROW it over your shoulder.  Now it’s GONE!  Behind you.  Never to return again … IF YOU WILL LEAVE IT THERE!  Because … let’s be honest, dear ones, like Lisa says, hasn’t your past already stolen enough of your life already?  It’s time to PRESS ON TOWARD THE GOAL that God has called us to!  No more looking back . . .

REMEMBER . . . “There are better things ahead ~ than any we leave behind.”  ~  C.S. Lewis

Serving Christ Joyfully  . . .

Pastor Doug and Debbie

(Note:  see sidebar for information on weekly ministries, or call us for a copy of the monthly calendar and weekly announcements.  Better yet, we invite you to come and join us in worship on Sunday morning at Elevation North!)

ELEVATION NORTH has NEWS for YOU!

DANGEROUS … AND ALIVE!  Have you ever thought of yourself as dangerous?  Well, hopefully not in the normal context of the word, since the meaning usually is pointed towards a victim.  And that kind of behavior is not Christ-like in any way, shape, or form.  Perhaps we’ve never thought about a spiritual scenario, though, where it is totally permissible to be dangerous – and there is one victim that should be our target.  We DO have an enemy, you know.  Any military person will tell you that both skill and strategy must be present and activated when encountering the enemy in the quest to overcome, capture, and ultimately destroy them.  If this sounds a bit over-the-top, remember the enemy I am referring to needs no easing up on when it comes to battlefield tactics.  We must be aware, armed, alive … and yes, dangerous!  I am referring to the enemy of our souls, and like I’ve said before, he doesn’t go easy on us.  He plans and deceives, and prowls around watching for our moment of greatest weakness – and then he attacks and goes in for the kill.  While all of this is going on, what are WE doing, may I ask?  Are we running scared?  Are we in hiding?  Are we cowering and shivering and shaking, waiting for our end?  I hope not!  I pray that we are poised and ready for the good fight of faith.  I pray that we are prepared and positioned with shield and sword, actively pursuing our ultimate win against Satan.  If we are NOT ready for such battles that we find ourselves in … just how do we get prepared?  Who trains us?  And who teaches us the battle cry?  A few weeks ago, I sat glued to every word of the message that Lisa Bevere gave at Women of Faith.  She offered some answers from God’s Word … and some powerful challenges to each of us women who were present in that arena.  Wanna listen in to what she had to say?  Let me try to summarize.  I remind you of my opening statement (Lisa’s phrase!) in last week’s message:  “God’s dream for you is the enemy’s nightmare!”  And just what is God’s dream for us when it comes to fighting Kingdom battles for Him?  I invite you to read the scripture verse that God showed to Lisa – one that became a burning message within her as God opened her eyes to His dream for her.  “The people rise like a lioness; they rouse themselves like a lion that does not rest till he devours his prey and drinks the blood of his victims.”  (Numbers 23:24)  Your first response might be, “that sounds awful, how graphic!”  Yet that is exactly how God described the people of Israel to Balak through the pagan prophet, Balaam, and their ensuing victories as they would arise and devour their foes.  For too long, as women – and men, we have cowered in the background.  As children of the living God, we have forgotten WHO we are.  We have lost our identity in Christ.  We perhaps we have not ever heard the call for us to “rise like a lioness, to rouse like a lion – not resting until we devour our prey.”  We have far too long been passive and non-committal.  The enemy has walked all over us, tried ripping us apart, throwing us asunder, leaving us for dead.  He really thinks he has won!  Where’s our fight, dear brothers and sisters in Christ?  If we are soldiers in the army of the Lord God of Israel, how come we are so wimpy?  Lisa said after God came to her in a night vision with this powerful image of a lioness arising from a stretched out, resting position, she plunged herself into a study of lionesses and lions.  What she gleaned from that was nothing short of amazing!  In the natural, in the animal kingdom, the lionesses are frequently the ones who do the hunting, pursuing the prey.  They are female, but fierce.  With their prowess they honor their mate on many occasions by bringing the kill to him, the male lion.  Together they are formidable.  Each one complements the other.  Later Balaam, in chapter 24 and verse 9a , utters these words about the tribes of Israel as the Spirit of God came upon him:  “Like a lion they crouch and lie down, like a lioness – who dares to rouse them?”  Balaam adds these powerful words, “May those who bless you be blessed and those who curse you be cursed!”  When we finally “see” who we are and live out the empowered identity that God has placed in our DNA, women and men all over this world will begin to ARISE from their slumbering stupor on stony slabs and begin turning the tables on our enemy, the devil, whose trick is to “prowl around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.”  (I Peter 5:8)  That same verse tells us to “be self-controlled and alert.”  The next verse tells us to “resist him, standing firm in the faith …”.  Men and women, let’s join forces as allies honoring each other’s strengths as we combat the enemy in the Name of Jesus, arising as a mighty force of destruction against evil.  Silent and weak – no more!  Dangerous and fully alive – forevermore!  May THAT be US!

WHAT'S HAPPENING THIS WEEK . . .

SUN, NOV 3:

10:00 A.M. - PRAISE & WORSHIP

10:30 A.M. - KIDZONE

WED/THU "BIBLE DOING" / NOV 6 & 7 / 7:00 P.M.

WED - Hebrews at the church

THU - I Peter at 905 El Dorado St SE

SAT, NOV 9:

9:00 A.M. - LADIES PRAISE & PRAYER at the church

9:00 A.M. - BARNABAS TEAM MEETING at the church

ELEVATION NORTH SPOTLIGHT!

Fellowship is encouraged in our church family!  So we want to invite ALL of you to our upcoming Thanksgiving Luncheon here at church following the morning worship on Sunday, November 24^th.  We want you to come with your favorite autumn foods as we celebrate with gratitude the gift of God’s faithfulness, abundance, and provision to us as a church – and as individual families!  Take a moment to sign-up at the Welcome Center and let us know how many are attending – and what you will bring to share!  

REMEMBER . . . “If I could give you one thing in life, I would give you the ability to see yourself through God’s eyes.  Only then would you realize how special and valuable you are to Him!” ~ unknown

Serving Christ Joyfully . . .

Pastor Doug and Debbie 

ELEVATION NORTH has NEWS for YOU!

GOD’S DREAM FOR YOU IS THE ENEMY’S NIGHTMARE!  Someone said that at the Women of Faith Conference this past weekend.  That statement was just one of many shared throughout the course of the sessions, and God’s Word burned powerfully within us as our group of ladies was challenged and prodded, nudged and encouraged by the Holy Spirit!  We all witnessed and experienced the same worship music and heard and soaked in the same God-anointed messages from various appointed speakers.  Yet we were each ministered to in very specific, personal ways and came away changed individually by the Spirit of God!  Hooray for His tender love … and for His cutting and carving ways that bring out the best in us!  And one more thing:  none of us will ever be the same again!  God brought us back from a power-packed weekend in the midst of over 10,000 women – and placed us smack-dab in the middle of the real world where our changes would be tested at the on-set of our arrival back home – or the next day – or the day after that.  I think God likes to do a few practice runs with what we’ve learned ~ just so we can see that His changes are for real and He means for them to be lasting.  Richard Stearns with World Vision reminded us that God intends to use the ordinary to change the world – and that it is never too late to be what God wants us to be!  He likened our God-given roles in life to dominoes and their chain reactions.  So, too, we are placed like a domino in a specific place at a specific time by God for a spiritual chain reaction.  We each have a place in the chain for the reaction to work!  Asking us to guess who the greatest evangelist is who ever lived, he offered the name of Ed Kimball, who most likely none of us had heard of.  Then he went on to relate the story of Mr. Kimball, an ordinary Sunday School teacher who felt led to share Jesus with a teen-age boy who worked in a shoe store.  Not sure what he should even say, but very sure that he should share something about Jesus, Ed said just a few words.  And … that young boy accepted Christ as his personal Savior that day.  Who was that boy?  None other than Dwight L. Moody, who became a renowned evangelist in the latter decades of the 1800’s.  The domino reaction tipped in towards another young man who heard Moody preach the gospel, and soon that young man known as Billy Sunday was preaching revivals wherever God opened doors.  Some years later at one of Sunday’s large crusades in England, a young teenage boy with blonde, tousled hair was drawn to the site of the crowd and stood there listening to the salvation message preached simply – and yet it gripped him to the point of walking forward and giving his life to Christ.  And so the call of Billy Graham began that day … and through the years his faithfulness to preach God’s Word in a clear, riveting manner has drawn people all over the world to make their own decision.  Billy Graham has led the most people of anyone, anywhere to the Lord.  But look who it started with … an ordinary, unassuming Sunday School teacher who just obeyed the Lord that day!  Look what happens when we “lean in and fall forward”!  How will you take your place in the chain reaction of life?  Another speaker, Patsy Clairmont, spoke to us in her humorous style about change, and how that many times the change we need is out of our own issues and messes and cracked pots!  Have you noticed that when God works in us, it is usually not convenient or easy!  We must act first in obedience – and the love will come later.  Change is NOT easy!  But be obedient and you’ll find courage.  You see, change comes in increments, and we must remind ourselves that emotions do not have brains.  We are more than we know, but we have to take risks sometimes, speaking things into place out of our present vulnerability.  We have to love ourselves better – in order to love others better.  And we can do that because Jesus first loved us perfectly better!  Can we get past ourselves?  It takes bravery, but it’s so worth it!  Let’s grow up in all aspects in the Lord Jesus Christ, dear people.  Becoming more mature in Christ will cause our God-given dreams to give Satan his worst nightmares ever!!  And I think … that sounds like a plan!  Part of God’s plan to make His Kingdom more effective!  (This blog-report has just scratched the surface of all that God has burned into our hearts ~ stay tuned for more!)

WHAT'S HAPPENING THIS WEEK . . .


THIS SUNDAY, OCT 27:
10:00 A.M. - PRAISE & WORSHIP
10:30 A.M. - KIDZONE CHURCH

WED, OCT 30:  BIBLE "DOING" / 7:00 P.M.
WED - In the book of Hebrews at the church
THU - No Bible "Doing" this Thursday at 905 El Dorado Street SE

SAT, NOV 2:  
Be sure to turn your clocks BACK one hour when you go to bed for the
Daylight Savings Time change so you can arrive at church at the right
time!

ELEVATION NORTH SPOTLIGHT!

God is bringing changes to Elevation North as He grows us!  We are experiencing exciting days in the life of our church!  Our growth has brought about the need for more chairs … and they have arrived and are here – ready for more people to come and experience God’s love and salvation!  Our growth has led us to expand our rented space for more classrooms for our nursery, children, and youth!  Please pray how you can be a part of helping fund this Kingdom growth!

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

ELEVATION NORTH has NEWS for YOU!

FUEL YOUR ADVENTURE!  Without enlisting the services of a travel agent, we are all on a “last-days” adventure … and believe me, it is going to be an itinerary that will outshine all others we’ve ever been on!  Road-trips, cruises, mountain-climbing, flights high in the atmosphere, wilderness hiking, hot-air balloon rides, river-boat excursions – none will begin to compare with what we are embarking on in these days!  The adventure is all around us!  Don’t you just love being in the middle of it all?  God has been giving us a sneak preview now and then – but every day we are seeing more and more of His side-trips taking place!  We would have to be blind not to see and recognize that God is up to something!  We not only get to witness what He is putting into place – but we get to sign on for active duty for what lies ahead with the dawning of each new day’s agenda!  The big event is not here yet … but God has it all planned out – down to the most intricate, yet powerful detail!  The date, the time, the crescendo of the trumpet sound announcing His arrival, the armies of heaven standing at attention in rapt wonder as they will suddenly see the Son of God descend in the twinkling of an eye to rapture His church and bring us Home!  Oh, how exciting that will be!  That is, for those who will be ready for the trip through space ~ from earth to heaven.  Talk about time-travel like it has never been experienced before.  Talk about breaking the sound barrier.  Traveling that incredible distance in the mere twinkling of an eye is not even fathomable by human minds or scientific design.  And I am not alluding to a science fiction movie about some time way out in the future – some millions of years yet to come.  There are signs all around us that are pointing to a soon-to-be, never-before-experienced event of such huge proportions that the world will not know what to do with the chaos in the aftermath of the Rapture.  But in those moments there will not be a doubt that Jesus Christ is who He said He was – and that He did what He said He was going to do:  RETURN for His bride – the bride who is beautifully pure without spot or blemish.  That’s US, His Church … at least that who we are supposed to be!  It’s time to take an honest look in the mirror and see if we truly reflect our Lord.  It’s time to evaluate and review how we spend our time – and how much of it is spent with Him, our coming Bridegroom.  It’s time to recognize that the things of eternal value are probably not the things we are striving for here on earth.  It’s time to wake up to the fact that what we can hold in our hands will most likely sift right through them like sand; but the things that we allow God to do with our hands to help others will become gifts to lay at the feet of Jesus when we finally see Him face to face.  Gifts for our Bridegroom – if you will.  I suggest that we get busy.  The right kind of busy.  Too many kinds of busy are but a tool of the enemy to just keep us away from God.  Busy can look and feel Godly and good – but if all those wonderful “busies” are not what God has called us individually to be busy with – then we had better re-think our involvement.  I say this with acknowledgment that I still have not achieved the measure of Godly success that I long for, when I state:  “The true success of what I am doing is shown by how much time it affords me for God and my family!”  Believe me, how well I know the struggle for balancing life in a fallen world with all of its demands and responsibilities – and living above all of that in the reality of “the Kingdom of God” that we are a part of.  Needed reminder:  we are NOT of this world, we are just traveling through (another of God’s choice adventures for us!).  But while we are here, may we live like He planned for us to live, not missing one deep valley, one treacherous mountain, or any of the rocky, twisting trails in between.  For it is in those places that His work is done, where lives are changed, and victories are won.  Sometimes it’s working until we’re fatigued.  Or giving until we have nothing left to give.  Sometimes it’s just putting our arms around someone and caring in hands-on ways that allows them to see a ray of hope and a shred of belief – even just a tiny bit, that Jesus must be real.  He sent YOU to them, after all!  See how you get to be a direct part of what God is doing?  While it’s exciting to think about heading Home to Heaven, there is still lots that needs to be done, with the ultimate task being that we take as many people with us as we can!!!  And what’s the best way for that to happen?  Is it knowing and being able to recite every scripture in the Bible?  Most people could care less about that, sad to say.  But living a life that allows them to see Jesus in us, is the key to introducing them to a new life in Christ and the promise of an eternity with Him!  Max Lucado has penned an incredible quote about a man and a woman that goes like this:  “A woman’s heart should be so hidden in God that a man has to seek Him just to find her.”  I think it is timely to paraphrase it to say this:  “The mission and heart of the Church (that’s us!) should be so hidden in God that the world has to seek Him just to find us!”  When that’s who we are … we will see people coming to Christ en masse because what they see will be genuine.  In the Bridegroom’s eyes ~ a bride worth coming for to take to Himself!  Let’s fuel our adventure before He returns for us so that we will be ready and pleasing to Him!

WHAT'S HAPPENING THIS WEEK . . .

A SPECIAL WELCOME to Nicole, Peyton, and Noah who worshipped with us for the first time this past Sunday!  God’s best to all of you!

TODAY, SUN, OCT 20:

10:00 A.M. - PRAISE & WORSHIP

10:30 A.M. - KIDZONE CHURCH

WED/THU,"BIBLE DOING", OCT 23-24 / 7:00 P.M.:

WED - Join us in the book of Hebrews at the church

THU - Join the group at 905 El Dorado Street SE 

FRI, OCT 25:

7:00 P.M. - LADIES NITE OUT ~ see "Spotlight" below 

SAT, OCT 26:

9:00 A.M. - LADIES PRAISE & PRAYER at the church

9:00 A.M. - Barnabas Team Meeting at the church

   ELEVATION NORTH SPOTLIGHT!

An extra event for our women will be held at the home of Shelly – one of our friends from another church who loves to host our women at her place!  This Ladies Nite Out will offer one last outdoor bon-fire of the season - with games and refreshments inside her nice, warm home!  This evening will be an opportunity for those who attended the Women of Faith Conference to chat about that and to enjoy fellowship with other gals that perhaps were not able to be there.  Plan to bring a snack to share with the ladies … and plan on a great time together encouraging each other in a fun setting!  YOU are invited:  DATE – Friday, October 25^th / TIME - 7:00 p.m. / WHERE:  Call for the locations! See you there!

REMEMBER . . . Scripture tells us this about Christ coming back for us: “Then the rest of us who are still alive at the time will be caught up with them into the clouds to meet the Master.  Oh, we’ll be walking on air!  And then there will be one huge family reunion with the Master.  So reassure one another with these words.”  I Thessalonians 4:17-18

Serving Christ Joyfully . . .

Pastor Doug and Debbie