ELEVATION NORTH has NEWS for YOU!

“IT WAS WHEN I BEGAN MAKING SPACE FOR JESUS, that I had the strength to consider the possibilities He put before me.”  (A quote from someone within the Youth With A Mission ministry organization.)  Sometimes God just zeroes statements into your heart that He has spoken to others, and something in you awakens afresh and anew!  That’s what happened when I read this quote.  The words echo a resounding message that rings true for us who know Christ and who are called to serve Him.  By the way … that includes ALL of us who know Jesus personally!  Yet, in these days, our calendars get so filled there’s barely space to jot one more thing on them, right?  And often we find that when we go to write something down or add it to our smartphone calendars, there is already something there for that date and time.  Help!!  More space needed!!!

You see, making space for Jesus is centric to every aspect of not just “who” we are … but “who” we can or will become.  There must be a pivotal center to which all else is attached.  A starting point.  An anchored place.  A focal gaze.  We must admit if we take an honest look at our lives, that we do have points, places, gazes.  But that’s exactly what causes us to be pulled in all the directions we are.  We have multi-starting points, several anchored places, and many shifting gazes.  You see, our God is not plural.  He is One … yes, the Trinity is One!  And the Bible tells us that He is a “jealous God” who wants to be the sole center of our very existence.  As we start anything, everything.  As we put down roots and anchors.  As we look around.  He wants everything about His children to be connected to Him, so that who we are and all we do flows from His very life.  So that our starting points will always start with His leading. So that every place we go will find its rock-solid anchor in the depths of His unchangeable character.  So that whatever circumstances we see in this life – will in turn find our faces turned towards Him and we will just not be able to take our gaze from His face.

Does living like this take effort?  Oh, does it ever!  I can liken it to the nearly 24 hour time period of labor in childbirth endured as our grandson and his wife awaited the arrival of their first child just a few weeks ago.  For them, it was a path not traveled before.  This was a new kind of waiting that included a myriad of emotions and physical effort and pain never before experienced.  There were moments of anxiety that grew with intensity as the hours lengthened.  All the while, a host of prayers were being lifted up and God’s presence was encircling them.  All of this was attached to “one” joyous hope that was being birthed, and they never took their eyes off the expectancy of seeing their brand new son!  And at God’s appointed time, on Saturday, August 13^th, at 2:50 p.m., baby Christian Marshall Jones was born, weighing 7 lbs. 8 oz., measuring 21” long!  As this new little one joins our family, our prayer is that he will always sense the presence of the One who planned His birth since the beginning of time, with specific purpose for every day of his life.  Was it worth the nine months of pregnancy and all of that preparation?  All that pain?  The space made in the womb for this baby eventually burst forth into not just the possibility of this little boy being born – but the anticipated reality of Christian’s entrance into this world and into our family’s lives! 

It is the same with making space for Jesus!  When we do just that, we find the strength to consider the possibilities He puts before us … and realities are birthed!!  What we cannot yet see … our God sees as already “being”!  And when we give Him the space He deserves … and the space we desire Him to have in our lives … we begin to “see” what He sees – and His plans and purposes for our lives are birthed!  Hallelujah!  His plans for us are grand, even when they are simple!  And His purposes for our lives are higher than our wildest imaginations when we remain attached to the spiritual umbilical cord that connects us to our Creator.  Every blessing, every favor, every accomplishment comes together for a purpose much greater than our often selfish, human wishes and dreams.  All of that is fleshed out and it becomes our greatest honor to be used for His glory!  Who says it is not the most exciting life ever to live connected to the One and Only, Lord Jesus Christ!  It is more amazing and rewarding than living any other way!  Making space for Jesus … brings heaven to earth … and brings Eternity into view!

REMEMBER . . .

“But seek (aim at and strive after) first of all His Kingdom and His righteousness
 (His way of doing and being right),

and then all these things taken together will be given you besides.” ~ Matthew 6:33

“Like newborn babies you should crave (thirst for, earnestly desire) 
the pure (unadulterated) spiritual milk,

that by it you may be nurtured and grow unto (completed) salvation.” ~ I Peter 2:2  

Joyfully  Serving Christ . . .

Pastor Doug & Debbie

ELEVATION NORTH has NEWS for YOU!

“I NEED THEE EVERY HOUR” ~ there’s an old hymn written in 1872 by Annie S. Hawks and Robert Lowry that puts words to the cry of our heart in these tumultuous days of 2016.  Take a listen to the words that were penned so long ago and see if they are not even more pertinent for today.  “I need Thee every hour, most gracious Lord; No tender voice like Thine can peace afford.  I need Thee, oh, I need Thee; Every hour I need Thee; Oh, bless me now, my Savior, I come to Thee.”  Thinking about this admission of our need for God, I could not come up with even one part of my life that these words would not apply to.  Would not our families, our churches, and every thread that makes up the fabric of our nation and world benefit by a prayer like this put to song with our voices rising in unison?  That is, if we really meant it?

Thank God for beautiful moments in the midst of these trying times.  How we need love to shine brightly in our dark world, and how we love that it was God who ordained marriage between a man and a woman.  We love that He brings soul-mates together!  It was just that kind of celebration we were so privileged to be a part of last month on the 18^th of June when my husband performed the marriage ceremony of our grandson, Dylan, and his bride, Samantha.  They stood hand in hand and listened to the Words of God about becoming one … and they spoke their vows with deep resolve, promising to love each other through all of life – with honor and respect.  And so on a God-blessed, sun-kissed afternoon beneath summer skies … and in the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ, Dylan and Samantha said “yes” to becoming husband and wife and beginning their life together!  Will this prayer, “I need Thee every hour” become their prayer? This gramma prays it will ~ every day.  I pray it will echo from the depths of their hearts not only daily, but as many times a day as needed for leaning on Christ as the center of their marriage, and discovering Who it is that will keep them together and keep their love faithful and strong and passionate.  Is this not the best marriage prayer ever – that we would together express our need of God for a love relationship that reflects the love of Christ to our world around us?!  Husbands and wives, I encourage and challenge you to begin praying this prayer!

In this election season, it is difficult to escape coverage of every move every candidate and presidential nominee makes.  If we wish, we can be tuned in every hour on the hour!  I would definitely advise us to be informed and to seek out accuracy as we carefully make our choices for the general election vote coming up in November.  That’s a lot of sifting and searching, I know; but we dare not run the risk of being jaded or deceived.  We need truth to prevail … and we need GOD to prevail in this election in America!  I believe this will happen ONLY if God’s people will rise up with fervor and pray as they’ve never prayed before:  “I NEED THEE EVERY HOUR, MOST GRACIOUS LORD!”  And we HAVE to mean it when we confess our need of the Lord God Almighty!  You see, no matter who we choose, they are only a mere man or woman.  Yes, if the one who takes on the presidential role is a born-again Christian and leans on God for wisdom to lead this great nation of ours so that it can remain great, that individual will be empowered from Above, there is no doubt.  But more importantly, we need to realize that our nation, our lives, our future, and these times are in God’s hands.  He is the One who reigns on high, over all, above all, and by whose command -rulers rise and rulers fall.  He is the only One who never changes … God remains the same:  yesterday, today, and forever!  The cry of our heart must be none other than this prayer:  “We need You every hour, most gracious Lord!”  For America to stand strong in the face of present day evils and destruction … we must run to and rely on our God as our source for all that this nation needs right now.  There is no other option if America is to survive.  And thrive?  Only if we as a nation return to the God of our forefathers, upon Whom this nation was founded!

And there is yet one more season that each of us should be even MORE concerned about!!  That season is a forever one, and it lasts for Eternity.  The choice we make to personally receive or reject the Lord Jesus Christ has eternal ramifications.  Our “vote” will get us the promise of a life in Heaven forever … or it will get us the punishment of a life in Hell forever.  Unending joy and peace!  Or unending suffering and torture. What is so difficult about a choice like this?  And yet throngs are making the choice to reject God – blinded, deceived, lost.  Doesn’t that just break your heart?  It should!  We need to be praying for the precious people who have not yet said “yes” to Jesus – that they will.  And we need to be praying that God will use us to help them grasp the truth of the Choice of all choices, because it is e-v-e-r-l-a-s-t-i-n-g!  That’s forever, friends.

Today, in this season of 2016, we need to be praying that God will empower us as His children to shift our thinking, to shift our praying, to shift our living.  We need to be praying, “God’s purpose and plan … not ours.  God’s vision and mission … not ours.  God’s timing and fulfillment … not ours.  God’s victory and release … not ours.”  Let’s pray together:  “We need Thee, oh, we need Thee … every hour we need Thee!”  May we NEVER stop praying that way – every part of our lives can experience a supernatural shift on this earth as it is in Heaven!  Will you pray with me?

REMEMBER . . .

"Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence so that we may receive mercy

and find grace to help us in our time of need."  

~ Hebrews 4:16  

Joyfully Serving Christ . . . 

Pastor Doug & Debbie

ELEVATION NORTH has NEWS for YOU!

WHAT DOES GOD WANT MOST FROM ME?  Some years it seems like God gives me a theme that I find myself seeking Him for more than anything else.  Last year, the word I kept hearing in my spirit was:  relationships.  Did God change every person that I prayed about?  That I don’t know for sure.  I can only say I saw a defined change in many of my relationships that I longed for more closeness in.  But I have a feeling that God changed me in the process, and most likely when I changed and found new freedom in giving the relationship fully over to Him … the other person probably found it easier to relate to me in the more intimate way that I had longed for!  All I know is that I was amazed and astounded!  Should I have been?  Not really … as I had enlisted the help of the One who longs to give us the desires of our hearts!  His Word even says so!  And just so you know, I did as much praying for myself, as I did for the other person/s.  I love how God turns things around and how very evident His work in us is!

But that was more about what I wanted from God, I’d have to admit.  THIS year, as I seek the face of God, I keep hearing over and over in the depths of my soul that God wants something from ME!  And of all the things He could want, what I am beginning to understand more fully is that HE JUST WANTS ME TO WANT HIM!  Pure and simple!  And yes, as I have sensed God telling me this, I am also hearing others say the same thing!  God could be asking for so many other things, like:  My child, I want your love and devotion.  Your heart and soul.  Your time and your talents.  Your money and your possessions.  Your ideas and your dreams.  Your will and your focus.  But you know what He is saying?  He is telling me that He just wants me to want HIM! 

So God, just how do you want me to live that out?  When I ask Him – He lets me know.  That is, when I really and truly want to know “how”!  And this year, I am telling Him that I honestly want to know!!  He is quick to show up … and He is not the least bit shy about telling me that He wants me to literally WANT to put Him first in everything I say and in everything I do!  Yes, everything, He emphasizes!!!  No more falling prey to the pressured, deadline things that demand my attention first, but instead … sitting at the feet of Jesus first!  Every single time!  Will that be difficult ... will that demand a sacrifice on my part?  Will that cause me to lose a little extra sleep in the mornings … and will I WANT HIM so very much – that any present battles over my flesh will be crucified and I will leap from my list of demands or foolish waste of precious moments – and into the arms of my Jesus … because I WANT HIM?  Want Him more than anything else?  More than His gifts?  More than His protection?  More than His provision?  Will I just WANT HIM?  Will I be so in tune with His Spirit that I will open up my mouth to total strangers and let His Words come out?  Will I daily and moment-by-moment make wise, righteous choices that mark my days with His signature love that continues forward when mine lags behind?  Will I do these things and much more?  The thing is this:  no matter how much we think we HAVE to do to prove to Him that we really WANT HIM more than anything else in our lives, will cause us to come up short and make us feel like we’ve failed Him!  But, when we just simply and purely WANT OUR LORD & SAVIOR, all of the marks that define a yielded child of God will show forth as reality in our lives!  All of the fruit that we are to live out will grow and mature as a result of just wanting Him!  Yes!

Will we fail?  Will we think of giving up?  Settling for less of Him and more of us?  No, a thousand times NO!  We must want more than ever to follow HARD after our God and to have an UNDIVIDED HEART before Him!  When we SEE Him … He will be seen through us!  When we FOLLOW Him … He will go before us!  When we PURSUE Him … He lets us catch Him!  When things get tough and we HIDE OURSELVES in Him … He smooths our way and we find ourselves in Him!  Come to think of it, this is the ultimate relationship we could ever want!  So what are we waiting for?  If our walk with God is to survive in this present and evil world, then the only logical conclusion tied to our faith in God … is that we must understand that He only wants us to want HIM!  Living our life just wanting God will cause the doors of His Kingdom to fling open in ways we’ve only before dreamed of!  Our connection to others will flow naturally and we will find ourselves being used for God’s glory in ways beyond our wildest imaginations!  Even so, Lord Jesus, I want YOU!  YOU.  YOU!  Always and only YOU!  For Your honor and glory! 

 REMEMBER . . .

“My whole being follows hard after You and clings closely to You; Your right hand upholds me.” 
~ Psalm 63:8

“ … direct and unite my heart (solely, reverently) to fear and honor Your Name.” 
~ Psalm 86:11  

Joyfully Serving Christ . . .

Pastor Doug and Debbie

ELEVATION NORTH has NEWS for YOU!

 “IN THE END, IT’S NOT THE YEARS IN YOUR LIFE THAT COUNT.  IT’S THE LIFE IN YOUR YEARS.”  This quote is one spoken by Abraham Lincoln long ago.  And it’s very true!  My regards, Mr. Lincoln; I DO agree with your quote, but this day I would like to share my version of the quote you penned, which goes like this … “In the end, it’s not the years in your life that count.  It’s the Lord Jesus Christ in your life!”  This also, is true – scripturally true, in fact.  The gospel message in John 3:16 states that for us to have everlasting life (which begins at the end of our earthly life) – we must believe and receive the Gift of God’s Son, Jesus, into our very own life while we are here on this earth. THAT’S what counts, dear friends!

So, if it’s the Lord Jesus Christ in our life that counts … then HE should be shown through us to the world around us.  We should daily be inviting HIM to live through us in everything we do ~ every day.  Yes!  Every twenty-four hours.  Each new day!  Why do you think He chooses to give us another day on earth?  Just to throw some cruel test at us to see if we can somehow get through the struggles and the intensity of it all?  More truthfully, He has placed us here with a divine, definitive purpose and plan with unlimited opportunities to let Him shine through us!  For His glory and honor!!  Everything we do should make a bold statement to our world, be it in a quiet, behind-the-scenes sort of way … or in visible stark contrast to the hopelessness and evil of this present world we live in, work in, walk in, and worship in!  So, how do we do this?

Well, let me tell you how the business world makes itself known.  Corporations, family businesses, online stores, small-town businesses – they all clamor for their piece of the marketplace.  Big bucks are paid for professional marketing officers who are gifted and effective in how they compete for the attention of the average shoppers.  I recently read the accolades given to a corporate marketer who oversees an entire region of stores throughout the Mid-West, and I love what their CEO and President said about her:  “She has great insight into our business and she understands how to reach our customers.”  Isn’t that what sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the Great Commission is all about?  So how do we get great insight and understanding about how to reach those we want to bring into “our store” (translated:  the church, or more importantly, God’s Kingdom)?  We long to reach more of God’s people who have no church home … and we have a passion to reach those people who are lost without a Savior.  How do we go about it, though?

While the world’s marketers are most likely innovative leaders, the key is that they know their products and they promote their brand.  They use all kinds of marketing tools to get the desired job done:  special promotions, television and radio, the internet, weekly newspaper ads, coupons, brand image, public relations, community involvement, social media, and much more.  Insightfully, huge companies often recognize the power of being involved and helping in their local communities or elsewhere when needs arise – even when there is no financial gain for their company in doing so.  This is powerful!  It shows the compassionate, caring side of their business, and it turns into a win-win situation that has positive impact on both the company and especially the people they helped!  Lives are changed … people are reached!

In God’s Kingdom, we must recognize that having great insight and understanding how to reach people for Christ comes through immersing ourselves in the Word of God, applying ourselves to study and learning, sitting at the feet of Jesus, seeking wisdom and discernment, and then listening to His voice and obediently going out and DOING what He tells us to do!  Doing these things daily in a committed, often sacrificial way, will enable us to become people-changers as we reach them in ways that we’ve never even thought of!  Steeping ourselves in the presence of Christ and His living Word will give us the insight we need to know our Product:  Jesus Christ, first and foremost – and His gift of salvation and all His benefits … and then to promote His brand:  holy living with an undivided heart that reflects Christ. 

Then as we use our God-given insight and understanding, we will be able to share the Lord Jesus Christ as He opens doors for us to reach out to our “customer-base”:  souls who still need the saving grace of Jesus!  This next week, we are challenging you to help us at Elevation North to do just that as we prepare for the Sunday morning rally with Larry and Gloria Lundstrom on June 5^th at 10:00 a.m.  We are taking our message to the streets of Owatonna!  Please help us by blessing Owatonna and adopting your street!  As you pray for those on your street, speak peace and blessing, reach out and build relationships, respond to needs, share the love, presence and power of Jesus Christ by inviting them to the Lundstrom Rally!  If they don’t yet know Jesus, they will have the opportunity to do so when they come to the rally!  Of course, they don’t have to wait until the Rally ~ if they are ready to say “yes” to Jesus when you talk with them, YOU can lead them to Jesus right there on the street!

And … we are not stopping after this week is past!  We are going to continue to walk the streets of our city all summer long, praying for the people who live on these streets, sharing the love of Jesus!  Stay tuned for more details about the “BLESS Minnesota ~ Adopt Your Street” movement!  You can be a part of it by going to:  www.BlessMN,org today!  We have the opportunity to carry out the Great Commission ~ please join us as we catch the vision and walk our streets and cover the people who live there with prayer!  May our passion to win the lost be awakened and revived; this is our heart’s cry to our God!  At the end of life, THIS is what REALLY COUNTS, dear friends! 

REMEMBER . . .

"And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, 'Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?' 

Then I said, 'Here am I! Send me.'"
Isaiah 6:8  

Joyfully Serving Christ . . . 

Pastor Doug and Debbie

ELEVATION NORTH has NEWS for YOU!

PEOPLE GIVE SHOUT-OUTS TO OTHERS EVERY DAY!  “You ROCK!  You are AWESOME!  That is AMAZING!  How INCREDIBLE!  Wow … you are THE BEST!”  And on and on!!  I am sure you have shouted out your own accolades to others that you appreciate – and received some accolades of your own from others that want you to know how they are impacted by you!  And hey, I am all for patting each other on the back and gifting others with uplifting affirmation.  If more people lived by the rule of sowing positive words into the lives of others, not only our nation, but our world would be such blessed places.  And why?  Because those who walk among us and around us would be blessed by the value that we speak into them!  That principle is scriptural, after all.  People are starving for godly attention/affirmation.  Children are tossed aside … and they just want to hear at least once in their young life that someone loves them, cares, and believes in who they are – that there is something good in them.  Who will they hear it from? 

Deuteronomy chapter 11 gives us some powerful instructions that we would do good to heed, especially in these days we are living in!  Starting in verse 18. we are told that we “shall do something”, which is “laying up God’s Words in our minds and hearts, and entire being”, and then we are to “bind them for a sign upon our hands and as forehead bands between our eyes.”  The scripture goes on to tell us in the next few verses:  “And you shall teach them to your children, speaking of them when you sit in your house and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you rise up.”  Doesn’t leave a lot out of how we are to live and pass the truth of God’s Word on to our family and each generation who follows us, does it?  Oh, but there is a bit more:  “And you shall write them upon the doorposts of your house and on your gates.” and then comes the promise attached to what happens when we do these things!  “That your days and the days of your children may be multiplied in the land which the Lord swore to your fathers to give them, as long as the heavens are above the earth,” … and there is MORE!  Hold on!!

WAKE UP AMERICA!  That is the theme of this year’s 65^th Annual National Day of Prayer which will be held in the next few days on May 5^th.  Listen to the theme scripture verse:  “SHOUT IT ALOUD, DO NOT HOLD BACK.  RAISE YOUR VOICE LIKE A TRUMPET … ” Isaiah 58:1a (NIV)  We really need to read and digest the entire chapter for this to get into our hearts like God would like it to.  This is in all actuality, a call to repentance!  In America, it is so easy to call ourselves Christians; to think that we are so holy and righteous and that we are doing what God wants us to do.  In all reality, God is calling us to truly repent … to truly fast with a  condition of heart that He wants us to have – which you will discover fully if you read the entire chapter!  Then “our right relationship with God will go before us and the glory of the Lord shall be our rear guard.” The verses are filled with promise after promise of what God will do for us and through us – and don’t miss the last verse (read it below)!

WAKE UP AMERICA! Wake up, born again Christians!  I know you are election-weary, confused, frustrated, and feel like there is no point to anything anymore.  But we must remain steady and true to God’s Word and engage in shouting the call to repentance aloud, not holding back; we MUST raise our voices like a trumpet – lest we lose our voice in the fray!  We cannot give up!  Billy Graham’s son, Franklin, is not giving up.  He is traveling to each one of the 50 states and sounding the call for believers to PRAY.  VOTE.  ENGAGE.  Dare we do any less?  Back to Deuteronomy 11, now in verses 22-24a:  For if you diligently keep all this commandment which I command you to do, to love the Lord your God, to walk in all His ways, and to cleave to Him – then the Lord will drive out all these nations before you, and you shall dispossess nations greater and mightier than you.  Every place upon which the sole of your feet shall tread shall be yours …”.  You see, God says that He has set before us a blessing and a curse:  a blessing if we obey His commands – and a curse if will not obey them!  America is where she is at because we have NOT obeyed God’s commands.  Only our decision to wake up and act … to repent and obey … to pray, vote, and engage our rights in Christ – will save us from utter destruction on this soil in this year of 2016. Let’s decide TODAY to place the soles of our feet solidly upon the Word of God, so that wherever we tread we can lay claim to for the Kingdom of God!  The choice lies before us ~ WHAT WILL YOU CHOOSE TO DO, children of God?  SHOUT IT ALOUD!

REMEMBER . . .

“Then will you delight yourself in the Lord, and I will make you to ride 
to the high places of the earth,

and I will feed you with the heritage (promised for you) of Jacob your father;

for the mouth of the Lord has spoken it.”

Isaiah 58:14  

Serving Christ Joyfully . . .

Pastor Doug and Debbie

ELEVATION NORTH has NEWS for YOU!

IS THIS THE DAY YOU ARE WAITING FOR?  “The day that your waiting meets God’s promise?”  Think about it for a moment.  First of all, define what you are waiting for.  Think about how long you have prayed … and waited.  But let me ask you this:  have you ever in your praying and waiting season aligned your longing with a promise from God?  Have you marked your asking and waiting with God’s promise?  I believe that God has tagged our needs with His promises – but are we connecting them together? We have forgotten how to position our prayers with the promises of the Living God.  And so we wait … and that day of victory all too often seems so distant and unattainable.  It’s so easy to chalk it up to our assumption that either God doesn’t hear … or care … or plan to bring us to “THAT DAY.”  And we go on with our lives, feeling powerless and forsaken.

RESURRECTION MORNING!  Is this the day that Jesus’ disciples were waiting for?  Did they even know what to expect?  They had heard Him talking about this moment … but somehow they just could not seem to wrap their minds around His words.  Much less – understand what those words meant!  In these days before His death, the scripture records in Matthew 16:21 – “From that time on Jesus began to explain to His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, and that He must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.”  Did the disciples get what He meant?  Well, Peter immediately rebuked Jesus and indignantly stated, “Never, Lord!  This shall never happen to You!”  He thought he was being brave and protective, but listen to how Jesus replied:  “Get behind me, Satan!  You are a stumbling block to Me; you do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men.”  (verses 22-23)   Wow!  Jesus brought Peter up short with His words – but He wanted Peter and the other disciples to understand that as long as they perceived only the earthly way of thinking as people do… they would never “see” or comprehend the things of God.  Let me ask you this:  don’t you long to see what God sees in you?  And what He wants to do through you?  Don’t you want to understand His ways so you can live in oneness with Him rather than being on the outside trying to look in?

And this same abrupt reply from Jesus applies to us today.  We will never fully experience the Promise held in the Resurrection of Jesus that Sunday morning if we do not filter all our thinking and beliefs through the mind of Christ.  Yes, did you get that?  WE have the mind of Christ – well, we CAN have, if we desire it.  God’s Word says in I Corinthians 2:16 – “For who has known or understood the mind (the counsels and purposes) of the Lord so as to guide and instruct Him and give Him knowledge?  But we have the mind of Christ (the Messiah) and do hold the thoughts (feelings and purposes) of His heart.”  Knowing that and looking at people and circumstances and choices with the mind of Christ instead of our own will – in God’s time brings us to that day when our waiting meets God’s promises!

As the women on that first day of the week went early to the tomb of Jesus … His words dimmed in their focus on His death and their task at hand:  to prepare His body for burial.  When they did not find Him in the tomb, suddenly they were frightened by angels who asked them a most poignant question:  “Why do you look for the living among the dead?”  Luke 24:5b Then comes their explanation in verse 6:  “He is not herel He has risen!  Remember how He told you, while He was still with you in Galilee: ‘The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, be crucified and on the third day be raised again.’  Then they remembered His words.”

WE, TOO, LOOK FOR JESUS IN ALL THE WRONG PLACES.  We search for Him in the dead places of our heart; in the shattered dreams; in the broken pieces.  In the empty tomb of our lives.  Like the women, we need to remember the words of Jesus.  HE IS RISEN!  He has left all the dead places – so why do we still search for Him there?  He is all about keeping His Word.  His promises!  You see, remembering God’s words keeps us focused on Him and His power ~ not on us and our limitations!  The day we finally grasp this truth is the day that our waiting will meet His promises!  What are we waiting for?  HE is Risen!  He IS Risen!  Yes, He is RISEN!  My prayer is that each of us will live in those RISEN places that His Resurrection brings to us each new day!  He is ALIVE ~ and He lives in YOU and in ME!

REMEMBER . . .

“As Jesus stepped into the garden, you were in His prayers.

As Jesus looked into heaven, you were in His vision …

His final prayer was about you.  His final pain was for you.  His final passion was you.”

~ Max Lucado  

Joyfully Serving Christ . . .

Pastor Doug and Debbie

ELEVATION NORTH has NEWS for YOU!

NOTHING YOU DO IS POINTLESS!  Well, that is, nothing you do is pointless when you are part of the kingdom of heaven.  Because when you are, everything is for a SPECIFIC PURPOSE!  ~ (thanks to a quote by Dani Johnson!)  When our lives are about more than us . . . when our lives are lived in pursuit of pleasing our Lord, then everything we do has reason and purpose.  Our waking moments will be defined by the early morning prayer that rolls off our lips and is sent heavenward:  “Lord Jesus, just take my life and DO SOMETHING with it today!”  Pray that.  MEAN that.  And be amazed at the things God will DO with your life on any given day!  Our everyday lives will be more than just the hours we spend at our jobs.  Those hours will be bathed with the very presence of the living God!  And your conversations, actions, work ethics, and relationships with co-workers will be opportunities to live out God in ways you never thought possible.  You won’t have to figure out ways to share Jesus … the doors will swing wide open and words will flow from your mouth almost before you realize what you are saying!  You will catch yourself walking away and looking up with this huge smile on your face as you say, “Wow, God!  That was SO You just now!”  Pointless?  No … on purpose!  With purpose … for a greater purpose:  God’s purpose!  I believe this is how God meant for His church to live out their faith in their everyday lives.  We must choose to be in training daily at His feet so that we will be ready when He chooses those precise moments to DO SOMETHING with us!   

Are we needed?  Yes . . . more than we can know!  Just step back - and look around.  Just be quiet – and listen.  You will see the heartaches, the brokenness.  The cries, the tears.  You will hear the despair, the hopelessness.  The fear, the anger.  Look at people’s eyes and hear their voices.  They are asking if there is anyone.  Any One?  They might not even know you.  And many have no idea that HE is the ONE!  And when these lost souls or disillusioned Christians are in crash and burn mode, the stark reality is that they need God.  But often, they don’t know that or are not ready yet.  So God sends us as a forerunner to His save-and-rescue arrival on the scene.  We get the privilege to help prepare them for His voice and His divine intervention.  They hear His voice through ours, gentle and compassionate.  Some respond to His love through ours.  Others don’t want to face reality or believe that they can rise above their present state.  At those times they need to experience a tough love that demands they pull up their bootstraps and climb out of the muddy pit that is pulling them under.  They’ll soon learn that we will get in that muddy mess with them to help them out, because that is what Jesus did for us.  And we will love them too much to just let them go back again and again, because that is how Christ loves us.  We will battle the enemy with them and declare victory over their circumstances, because we have the Word of God that is powerful and sharp enough to execute the win!  And when we’ve done all we’ve been called and trained to do, our God shows up!  Actually, He has been there all along, with us and in us and flowing through us by His Spirit.  But now He comes to do the impossible … the supernatural … the miraculous!  We witness heartaches – healed.  Brokenness – mended.  Cries silenced and tears dried.  The despair bent on destruction – thwarted.  Hopelessness - giving way to God’s plan for a hope and a future!  The grip of fear is disabled, and anger dissipates and is no more.  Each person God brings us to has a story that grips our hearts, but His grace re-writes the outcome of each soul.  Are we needed?  Yes!  Are all these “forerunner connections” pointless?  No!  When we see the scales of eternity tipped from “lost” to “saved” ~ and from “hell” to “heaven”, we have no doubt but that God has us on a mission for a specific purpose!  May God give each of us a renewed passion to see God reverse the many types of captivity that the enemy has thrust upon us and others.  We declare that the chains of sin and evil will fall powerless at the Name of Jesus, and that complete freedom to live redeemed, restored lives will be claimed and experienced through the shed blood of Jesus!  Let’s get outside our comfort zone and set some people free!  Jesus did it ~ still does it … and says we can, too!  So let’s not be shy, dear people!

REMEMBER . . .

“At that time I will bring you in; yes, at that time I will gather you, 
for I will make you a name and a praise among all the nations of the earth
 when I reverse your captivity before your eyes, says the Lord.”

~ Zephaniah 3:20  

Joyfully Serving Christ . . .

Pastor Doug and Debbie

ELEVATION NORTH has NEWS for YOU!

     THE NEW YEAR HAS DAWNED … and held within the newness of its days we’ve already come face to face with the complete spectrum of good and evil.  Time has wasted no minutes.  These first weeks of the year typically provide strategic places of the heart where battles are fought and won as we feel called to fast and pray.  And this year of 2016 is no different – other than perhaps more intensified.  Well, let’s say it like it is:  way more intensified!  This new year just took the battle zones up by several notches.  And actually, these battles are won only when fought in a warrior’s stance:  on bended knee.  There’s no time for sitting around and ignoring the sounds of attack.  Within us must arise an impassioned battle cry that curdles the blood of the prowling enemy.  The time has come to ask ourselves the pointed question that demands an honest answer:  “am I battle-ready?”  The battles are here, dear ones – the time has come for us to become trained warriors in the army of God for one reason!  Victory!  It is victory that equals our very survival.  While we must be trained and alert, we need not fear!  God’s angel armies encamp around us, and they are standing guard, poised to help us in this good fight!

     As the battles have been flung in our direction and in the direction of our family and friends we hold dear, we realize that we MUST KNOW WHOSE WE ARE!  That defining knowledge of the heart will make us or break us.  If we know … we will make it!  If we do not, we will find ourselves adrift and we will crash on the perilous rocks of life.  We will experience either victory or defeat.  Perhaps you have felt this way in recent days – we want you to know that you are not alone!  There ARE answers that bring us spiritual strategies for victory in any battle that comes our way!

I said … I CANT GO ON … but Jesus said, I WILL CARRY YOU.

I said … I AM TOO TIRED … bus Jesus said. I WILL GIVE YOU REST.

I said … IMPOSSIBLE … but Jesus said, ALL THINGS ARE POSSIBLE.

I said … I AM STARVING … but Jesus said, I AM THE BREAD OF LIFE.

I said … I AM DEHYDRATED … but Jesus said, I AM LIVING WATER.

I said … I AM GOING TO DIE … but Jesus said, I WILL RAISE YOU UP.

(credit to online site, AMEN)

     Our God tells us that we are HIS; that we are NOT alone; that He will give us everything we will ever need to not just survive in these days, but to flourish!  How we respond to the battles – determines whether we will win or lose. 

     As my husband and I began our corporate 21-day fast at Elevation North this year, he suggested that we choose one family member to focus our prayers on for an entire day, along with whatever else God led us to seek His face for as we entered our “war-room” of prayer.  I know he was inspired by God to have us implement this strategy of prayer, because as we near the end of the fast, what has occurred has been so precious and priceless that we do not intend to stop!  While any fast comes to completion for a season, we will continue praying for our family in this way.  We let each of them know that THIS DAY IS THEIRS for us to pray over them all day long and we ask them for anything specific we can include in our prayers.  The answers to prayer have come in God’s way – not always by our wishes … but the spiritual connection that has been raised up between us across the long distances that separate us has drawn us closer than ever before.  While we do not see each other for months and months, praying for our family this way renders any distance powerless to keep us apart.  We are engaged in prayer all day long, knowing what they are needing from God and desiring to give to Him … and we feel ever so closely connected!  We share the tears of struggle, the longing to be more than we are, the battles that need to be won, the personal cries for victory in many arenas of our lives, the opportunities put before us for ministering to others within and without the church walls … and so much more!  And now we have put into place the power that comes from praying as a triple-braided cord rather than by ourselves.  (Ecclesiastes 4:12)  Now our prayer strength cannot be easily broken … we hold each other up, accountable and encouraged through the hope that Christ brings to us new and fresh each day!

     How many spiritual breakthroughs will take place in our families … in our churches … in our own lives as the season of this new year’s fast comes to a close?  Only God knows!  I believe that the outcomes will go on and on producing continued results and fruit for the glory of God!  It is time for us as the people of God’s church to not be still or stagnant, but to get up and MOVE into the places of victory that God is preparing for us.  We will never experience and receive them if we do not get up from where we are at – and MOVE forward!  I love the message that Pastor Steven Furtick from Elevation Church in Charlotte, North Carolina shared during their recent recording of a new worship album.  In part, this is what his challenge was:  “We can’t stay here – we’ve got to go!  We’ve got a charge to keep; we’ve got a God to serve!  We’ve got a gospel to preach.  We’ve got broken hearts to bind; we’ve got hurting people to heal.  MOVE, CHURCH!”  I echo his anointed message.  “People of Elevation North in Owatonna, Minnesota … let’s go!  We’ve got a God to serve!  MOVE, Elevation North!”   

Serving Christ Joyfully . . .

Pastor Doug and Debbie

ELEVATION NORTH has NEWS for YOU!

One of the most empowering words of love that I know of is “CHOSEN!”  How does it make you feel when someone says, “I CHOOSE YOU!”  Or, “I’ve CHOSEN you to be a part of my wedding, my party, my team!”  And one of the highest compliments another person can give you is to tell you, “I REALLY needed someone to bare my soul to, someone who would just listen to me and pray with me; and because I know I can trust you, I CHOSE YOU!”  Chosen.  Being chosen by someone else pours added value into our spirits.  It awakens a part of our heart and soul that God designed to be filled and fulfilled.  And what happens to anyone who does not feel chosen?  And more importantly, what happens to those who ARE chosen, but they don’t see it, know it, or believe that they are?

With this beautiful season of the celebration of Christ’s birth, I have been drawn to the thought of many of God’s choices in how He would bring His Son into this world and in how He would present Him as the Hope of the world.  I love how God CHOSE ordinary people to be His vessels of CHOICE for carrying out the birth of His Son!  I see a precious and powerful correlation between the word “chosen” and the event of Jesus’ birth that would forever change life for us on this earth – through His subsequent life, death, and resurrection.  Every prophecy, every person, every part played was a fulfillment of God’s choices for His Son.  The innocent, pure, young girl who would carry the divine seed of the Holy Spirit and become the mother of Jesus.  The young man of integrity, Joseph, who would raise Jesus as His own.  The prophecy that this Baby’s name would be “Jesus” – and the act of obedience that would cause this name not only to tumble off the lips of His family and friends – but to be the Name above all others. The stable, the manger, the swaddling clothes wrapped around the Baby.  The animals that hovered close by. The Star that lit up the world that night. The angels announcing the Birth in resounding hallelujahs. The shepherds who nearly fainted in fear but picked themselves up and followed the Star to the stable.  The wise men who traveled from afar with only a special Star as their compass in quest of the Child who they purposed to worship.  The townsfolk who witnessed it all and shook their heads in awe.   All were a part of God’s amazing plan to bring salvation to us.  He CHOSE this amazing GIFT for US, people! 

God chose this course of action to put into place His plan that would carry His Son o’er dusty paths for the next thirty-three years, taking Him from the splinters in that wooden manger - to beautifully carved pieces of woodwork by His own hands in Josephs’ carpenter shop – all the way to that old rugged cross on Calvary.  You see, the Chosen Gift became our Sacrifice.  Jesus was appointed and hand-picked through the will of His Father in heaven.  Royalty, yet chosen to suffer a most unfathomable death.  For who?  Sinners – that’s us, you and me.  Sinners, chosen to receive something special, eternal – if we would just say “yes” to His gift.  Saying “yes” makes us His choice children:  worthy, excellent, superior, fine, select, rare, uncommon, valuable, precious.  In ourselves?  No!  But by His standards of seeing us through His shed blood, He calls us “CHOSEN!”  Being chosen by God means that we are the object of His choice and divine favor – because of our acceptance of His Son - and thus showered with attention and special gifts from His hands to our hearts.  We are chosen for a special purpose. 

And just like for Jesus, sometimes the choices of God for us include suffering for a purpose greater than ourselves and our own wishes.  Somehow I think that when we truly grasp the joy of knowing we are chosen by God, and we more fully understand our place in His pleasure – that we are loved and valuable, hand-picked and preferred, appointed and favored - we finally find ourselves in the place of triumph and victory.  For we finally “get it!”  No matter where life takes us, we find ourselves in the powerful frame of mind that believes the very Word of God which tells us that “no weapon formed against us shall prosper!” (Isaiah 54:17) We find ourselves in the place of capably achieving victories on battlefield after battlefield when we successfully tear down the strongholds that set themselves up against us. (II Corinthians 10:4) One at a time.  Each time.  Yes, we are CHOSEN.  But we must make the CHOICES that will enable us to live as God’s CHOSEN people!  In this amazing season of Christ-centered celebration, may YOU see yourself as God’s CHOSEN royalty, bought with the precious, priceless blood of Jesus!  Let’s live like we KNOW it and BELIEVE it, dear ones!

REMEMBER . . .

“ … you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a dedicated nation, God’s own purchased, special people, that you may set forth the wonderful deeds and display the virtues and perfections of Him Who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.”

~ I Peter 2:9  

Serving Christ Joyfully . . .

Pastor Doug and Debbie

ELEVATION NORTH has NEWS for YOU!

“NOW GO; I WILL HELP YOU SPEAK AND WILL TEACH YOU WHAT TO SAY.”  How I love it when God speaks to me in such personal ways!  I rolled over in bed this morning, curled up for a few more lingering moments before needing to exit the warmth beneath the covers.  What was on my mind was a yet unspoken prayer that God would give me HIS message for this blog yet unwritten.  Before my feet touched the floor enroute to the kitchen to prepare Communion for my morning time with God this day, my eyes rested on a beautiful post painted by a friend.  I had just asked my husband to pray for God’s anointing on me so that His words would be given to me as I wrote.  Within seconds my eyes rested on this beautiful message straight from the heart of God to me today … though it had been spoken first to Moses, so long ago recorded for us in Exodus 4:12:  “Now go; I will help you speak and will teach you what to say.”  There, I had my instructions. 

Now it was time to offer my first portion of the day in thanksgiving and praise to my Lord, remembering “why” He came to earth and gave His life for “me”, as I celebrated His life and death and resurrection.  It is a powerful time between the Creator and His created – it is intimately personal.  Partaking of Communion helps us remember the priceless sacrifice of Jesus giving His body and shedding His life’s blood for us, so that when we say “yes” to Him we have the gift and assurance of life with Him in heaven for all of eternity.  But it holds yet a deeper dimension of what Jesus wants us to remember.  I wholeheartedly believe that celebrating Communion allows us to bring the remembrance of “why” He did what He did for us – for this day.  For this moment in time.  For these circumstances we face – today.  For these people we are praying for – for their  needs.  For our needs.  For us to ask for cleansing and purging and forgiveness.  When we look at our lives in the here and now in the blazing reality that Christ came so that we might have overcoming victory today … right now … for such a time and circumstance as this … it changes everything about how we live our lives before God and with Him!

My eyes fell on such perfect scriptures for today and for the days we are now living in, as I purposely turned to specific portions in God’s Word this morning.  Over the past few days the news alerts have jumped off the pages and screens … screaming fear to whoever will receive it.  Paris attacks kill 130 people; Mali massacre; terrorism alert levels raised to “serious and immediate threat”; US citizens urged to exercise caution, especially in large crowds; Brussels (Belgium) placed on lockdown;  and the headlines just continue on in horror and disbelief.  But these things are happening, we cannot deny that.  And because they are, that demands a response from us. 

What will we do?  Initially, we will experience the human emotions that flood o’er us.  But then … we MUST remember WHO is in control, and WHOSE we are!  I would encourage you to grab your Bible and open it to Luke chapter 24 and read it slowly and carefully.  Receive its message – take it in its truths.  It is powerful!  It was then when it was written – and it is just as powerful on this day in November, 2015 when our world is falling apart at the seams, seeming to destruct at the hands of all the evil being unleashed.  When the events of Luke 24 took place, the disciples’ emotions were wandering all over the place.  Their Jesus had been crucified.  Now the tomb was empty.  They felt alone, abandoned and lost.  Though the women came and reported to the disciples the words of the angels that “He was risen” – the disciples thought it was just an idle tale – nonsense.  Later that day, as they walked and talked, Jesus caught up with them and engaged with them in their perplexed conversation.  He even explained it all to them, from beginning to end.  But they just didn’t get it.  When they urged Him to stay with them since it was almost evening, He did.  And amazingly, it was during His sharing of the bread, praising God, giving thanks, asking a blessing, breaking it and giving it to them – that their eyes were instantly opened and they recognized Him!  It was in that moment that they believed He had risen and appeared to them!  There are two very powerful verses here that we need to grasp and understand.  “Then they (themselves) related (in full) what had happened on the road, and how He was known and recognized by them in the breaking of bread.  Now while they were talking about this, Jesus Himself took His stand among them and said to them, Peace (freedom from all the distresses that are experienced as a result of sin) be to you!”  (verses 35-36)  Did YOU get it?  Did you see the power of revelation that Christ brings to us as we sit in His presence and remember why He came to do what He did for us?  And do you see that He came back to their midst for the purpose of speaking peace to them!  I love the description of the peace that Jesus brings as explained in the Amplified Bible:  freedom from all the distresses that are experienced as a result of sin!  In today’s world, that pretty much covers it.  We are in days of distress due to sin and evil – and our Lord comes to speak peace to us!  For today, dear ones.  For each day.  One day at a time!  I encourage you to receive these words of peace and speak them to others!  God has given us the Words!  

Joyfully Serving Christ . . .

Pastor Doug and Debbie