ELEVATION NORTH has NEWS for YOU!

ZEALOUS … or nonchalant!  Which one describes your belief in and your walk with God? These days my heart has a growing ache and longing for not only an all-encompassing revival around the world which will bring throngs of sinners to their knees before God crying out for forgiveness – but also for a revival of massive proportion that will sweep through the churches of this land who are filled with the spiritually dead.  Too many church-goers (or not) could accurately be called “The Walking Dead!”  (I hear there is a TV series out by that title, though I have never seen it.)  My heart bleeds and I shake my head in disbelief at what is happening all around us.  There is a line being drawn in the sand of these times, and you know what?  We will find ourselves solidly on one side of that line – or the other.  These days allow for no straddling the line – with one foot out in the world and loving it (though we know we shouldn’t) … and the other foot precariously half-committed in God’s Kingdom when we feel like it (because we know what is right even if we do not do it.)  Those days have ceased.  People are now choosing to step over the line in a solid commitment to be zealous in their walk with God – or they are turning and walking the other way, far from the line in the sand and embracing the ways of the world with a heart bent on fulfilling their own desires and lusts, deceived into thinking that their jaded dream is all good.  Friends, we are now living in the days when we will desire and act on becoming more zealous in knowing and serving the One True God, the Lord God of Israel … or we will continue to become more and more nonchalant in our choices, character, and commitments.  JESUS CHRIST IS RETURNING SOON!  What is your decision?  Will you act on what God’s Word says?  Do you care enough about your eternal destiny and the destiny of others to make a dedicated effort TO DO WHAT GOD IS CALLING YOU TO DO?  I truly believe that sometimes God allows a shaking of sorts to bring us to full attention, because the world we live in has become such a huge distraction to our true calling in Christ.  Sometimes it’s just small distractions – but they all add up to become a major hindrance in how effective our every-day faith is.  What’s sad is when people just look the other way and pretend that reality does not exist – just because they do not want to deal with the heaviness and darkness of what is taking place.  Sometimes that is because what is happening seems far removed from us and we think we can do nothing about it – so we just remove our hearts from the situation.  Other times, situations hit within – or too close for comfort – so we just place ourselves in denial mode thinking that if we do not confront it we will not have to deal with it.  Both are erroneous and dangerous responses as children of God.  We MUST be engaged in this world, though we are not of it.  We MUST be aware of all that is happening – even to the point of studying and researching – and then comparing what we discover against the measure of the truth in God’s Word.  Dear ones, we are living in exciting times, and I believe God desires a Bride who is zealous in her love for Him.  A nonchalant Bride of Christ will be totally repulsive to Him.  Today, I encourage all of us at Elevation North, the Bride of Christ, to stand up boldly in preparation for His coming.  May we prepare our hearts and be ready as we engage life with the passion and fervency that He so deserves from us!  May we be devoted, enthusiastic, and eager in our pursuit of making ourselves available to His calling in our lives!  May He find us energetic, intense, even fierce – in the good sense of the word … in our commitment to Him!  Time is running out!  There is no place for lack of concern, indifference, and apathy when it comes to things that touch the heart of God, our Bridegroom!  May we awaken from slumber and LIVE AS WE’VE NEVER LIVED BEFORE!!!  And for the skeptics?  They should be asking themselves the pointed question:  “What if this God-stuff is true?  What if these Christians are right?”  This season of celebrating the Resurrection of Christ should become a daily, joyous, devout part of our lives that we never waver from.  He gave His ALL … should we give Him any less when we say “yes” to Him?  Our faith should only deepen, our love should only increase, our devotion should only strengthen.  We should from this day forward LOVE what HE LOVES all the more (righteousness)!  And we should DESPISE what HE DESPISES all the more (sin)!  We should become more like Him as our lives reflect Him IN us!  The world is watching you know, so how will you live?  With zeal … or with nonchalance?  Let’s engage in pursuing our God with zeal in these times that demand the best we have to offer!  We cannot do it in our own strength, but in the power of Christ within us through the shed blood of Jesus!  Onward and forward, church!  We have an exciting future awaiting us!

REMEMBER . . .

Our God says in His Word:  “Fear not (there is nothing to fear), for I am with you;

do not look around you in terror and be dismayed, for I am your God.

I will strengthen and harden you to difficulties, yes, I will help you;

yes, I will hold you up and retain you with My (victorious) right hand of rightness and justice.”

~ Isaiah 41:10   

Joyfully Serving Christ . . .

Pastor Doug and Debbie 

ELEVATION NORTH has NEWS for YOU!

EVERY DAY WAS AN EXERCISE IN PRAISING GOD and marveling in the infinite beauty of His creation!  What a treasured gift this week-long trip was, gifted to us by our sons and their wives!  So many priceless experiences and family memories will be pondered in our hearts forever.  But woven throughout each day was the absolute wonder of our God’s creation.  It is astounding, to say the least.  How much He loves us to have planned and created these amazingly, beautiful places for us to enjoy!  They are breathtaking ~ almost more than our senses can take in and behold.  The sights, the sounds, the touch, the scents, the tastes … we experienced them all just as God intended, for those senses in our bodies He created, as well!  We were in awe!  The scriptures echo what flowed from our hearts to our Creator God:  “O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is Your name in all the earth!  You have set Your glory above the heavens.  When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, the moon and the stars, which You have set in place, what is man that You are mindful of him, the son of man that You care for him?  You made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor.  You made him ruler over the works of Your hands; You put everything under his feet … O Lord, our Lord how majestic is Your name in all the earth!”  (from Psalm, chapter 8)  The varying hues of azure blues of the ocean, the palm tree decorated islands bordered with soft sun-kissed sandy beaches, the rock-laden cascading waterfalls that we got to climb at the ocean’s edge, the adorable, intelligent dolphins that we got to touch and kiss, the island mountains covered in tropical green foliage, the beautiful dark-skinned people of the islands and their friendly ways, the refreshing waters that cooled our very warm skin beneath the intense rays of the sun, the light of the stars dotting the ink-black skies o’er the night-time ocean . . . all united in testimony to the fact that they were proof of an amazing Creator that we know personally.  As we stood on the balcony deck of our ship’s room in the dark of the midnight hour and realized the meaning of that verse in Psalm 8 – it was easy to feel much like a tiny speck of mankind in the midst of an indescribably huge creation!  Yet we were aware of the fullness of God’s Words to us:  that He is mindful of us, He cares for us, and He has made us ruler over all that He has created!  Wow!  Psalm chapter 19 is filled with praises that help us express what we were experiencing:  “The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of His hands.  Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they display knowledge.  There is no speech or language where their voice is not heard.  Their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world.”  We saw and heard exactly that – on the ocean waters, in the skies, on Grand Cayman Island, in Jamaica, and in Coco Bay in the Bahamas.  We heard it from the lips of one of our waiters, Xavier, from India, when he stated that he was a Christian, not a Hindu.  Somehow, we were not surprised, as God’s Spirit within us and within him – had already connected with that God-given bond!  How we love meeting God’s people wherever we go!  You see, the splendor of God’s creation is about much more than the beauty our eyes take in – it is filled with a distinct reality of the presence of the Living God.  And that includes His presence living within us and others!  All that we experienced with our sons, their wives, and our granddaughter would be meaningless if we did not recognize that God is the Creator of OUR inmost being!  Read these precious scripture verses which I have taken as my life verses, and see if they do not speak to you of your value in God’s eyes – that you are the object of your Creator’s intimate love and care!  Read with me in Psalm chapter 139:  “For You created me in my inmost being; You knit me together in my mother’s womb.  I praise You because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Your works are wonderful, I know that full well.  My frame was not hidden from You when I was made in the secret place.  When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, Your eyes saw my unformed body.  All the days ordained for me were written in Your book before one of them came to be.”  Powerful!  Soon the day of departure came and we left tropical temps behind and arrived home to freezing temps!  Even so, our hearts swelled with the joys of having experienced precious family time gifted to us out of deep love; the majesty and wonder of God’s creations that continue to delight, amaze, and lavish His perfect love on us; and the renewed passion for the mission which God has created us for on this earth!  We offer all praise to our Lord in heaven and on earth!!!  Your Name truly is majestic in all the earth!

REMEMBER . . .

“How precious it is, Lord, to realize that you are thinking about me constantly!

I can’t even count how many times a day

Your thoughts turn towards me.”

~ Psalm 139:17   

Joyfully Serving God . . .

Pastor Doug and Debbie

ELEVATION NORTH has NEWS for YOU!

DO YOU SEE IT?  Do you sense it?  Have you been feeling it is so obvious that you cannot help but sit up and take notice?  I used to wonder how my elderly grandparents felt about all the huge changes in their lifetime, especially my one grandpa who lived to be 95½ years old.  I could only imagine what it was like to have lived in the days when there were only horses and buggies – and then to have witnessed the invention of the very first cars and trucks with many, many new models and designs through the decades – and all the way up to “seeing” the first man walk on the moon in 1969, getting there via the space shuttle.  Just think … transportation had changed from horses to space shuttles.  I often wondered what it felt like to encompass such change and experience it first-hand in the span of one life-time.  Suddenly it is happening to me, but in a much different way.  And I am definitely years and years away from celebrating my 95^th birthday!  The kinds of changes I am seeing are in a totally different realm.  Of course, I could say I have witnessed life pre-television and through the years have seen the metamorphoses to currently being able to watch TV shows on computers and phones.  Every arena of life has changed from what it “used to be” into what it is now.  And even that does not remain the same.  Things are continually changing.  What you purchase today as the latest in technology – is outdated within months, not even years.  Some changes are incredibly amazing and wonderful and are truly for the better!  Yet even some things intended for good in the beginning have been slanted and twisted and tweaked into something that borders on unethical – and even boasts of being full-blown sin!  We have a right to choose how we want to live our lives, people say.  Yes, we do, and it is God who gives us that freedom.    But when our choices have eroded away all semblance of what is good and right and pure, we have taken on the role of playing God with no concern for godliness, justice, or morality.  From old-time revivals that used to shake people to the core of their beliefs and awaken a passion within to bow down and serve the One and Only True God – we now have millions of people worldwide who bow to any god with any name or even boldly state that “they” are their own god.  From being free to proclaim the name of Christ in most places around the world – we are now witnessing the beheading and burning alive of those who will not bow to the god of the terrorists who have lost all value for life.  From centering life around God, family, and church – now we are seeing individuals with skewed and sinful lifestyles overtaking the pulpits, politics, classrooms, and all forms of media – flaunting their rejection of God before all who will give them audience.  I realize not all of this has taken place overnight; some of it has been a gradual slip and slide into the dangerous acceptance of sin.  So gradual in fact – that many people are totally deceived into thinking that sin is not sin at all.  That’s why evil is being unleashed in ways that take our breath away.  What I am seeing in these past few months has escalated way beyond what we have witnessed in the past few years, and that was bad enough! There is a seemingly pent-up fury of evil being unleashed all around us that causes something within us to revolt in shock and horror.  Or at least it should – and that something is the presence and power of the living God within us!  There is no way that good and evil can mix.  They are opposites to the umpteenth degree of definition and reality!  Good is beautiful!  And evil is horrifically ugly.  Good is healthy and wondrous!  Evil is destruction, darkness, and death.  Good brings peace!  And evil breeds fear.  Humanly speaking, what we see approaching on a daily basis now should send us running into hiding.  Confusion and fear abounds.  Good is being snuffed out everywhere we turn.  BUT . . . when we see these things happening, rather than trading our lives as we’ve known them for a fearful future, God’s Word has a different instruction for us.  Please open your Bible to Luke chapter 21 and read verses 5 – 36, carefully taking in the message.  Yes, we are told that there will be “fearful events and great signs from heaven.”  There will be “persecution and anguish and perplexity.”  Humanity will “faint and be apprehensive” at the magnitude of what is coming.  BUT . . . look what God’s Word says next:  “At that time they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.  When these things begin to take place, stand up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.”  (vs. 27-28)  Do you feel the excitement and anticipation of Christ’s coming?!!  Did you notice the action words that Jesus spoke of when He was sharing this with His disciples?  What are we to do when this old world and its former best is disintegrating into the very worst that it will have to offer?  Catch this:  we are to STAND UP!  We are to LIFT UP our heads!  WHY?  Because, dear ones . . . OUR REDEMPTION IS DRAWING NEAR!!!  And let me tell you, when we stand up in Christ, when we lift up our heads in Christ, and because our redemption is drawing near – WE WILL HAVE NO FEAR!  Hallelujah!  THE BEST IS YET TO COME!!!  Do you see?!

REMEMBER . . .

“Keep awake then and watch at all times (be discreet, attentive, and ready),

praying that you may have the full strength and ability and be accounted worthy

to escape all these things (taken together) that will take place,

and to stand in the presence of the Son of Man.”

~ Luke 21:36  

Serving Christ Joyfully . . .

Pastor Doug and Debbie

ELEVATION NORTH has NEWS for YOU!

IT’S AMAZING HOW ONE THING LEADS TO ANOTHER!  When we moved to Owatonna almost nine years ago, following God’s call to ministry in this town – we prayed that He would help us find a home.  Not just any home – but THE home that HE wanted us to have, because after all, it would be His to use for His purposes.  After much searching and steadfast prayer, a Christian realtor led us to the home that was actually the first home we had ever purchased.  You see, we had lived in church parsonages almost all of our married lives.  We loved them and we made them our own as much as you can without having ownership, and we cared for them as if these homes were our own!  But there is something about finally having your own home, and God in His loving faithfulness led us to the place that we would call “home” – but will always know that it belongs to Him.  Upon moving in, with help from some of our new congregation, we turned the stark white walls into inviting colors that gave it our personality.  Well, that is – on the lower level.  We had full intentions of doing a repeat splash of color on the upper level once we settled in a bit more and things calmed down.  I am smiling … because LIFE happened … and the remaining unpainted walls have remained primer white for all this time.  That was alright, really!  We were busy in our new ministry and later in the marketplace ministry, and later yet, with the brand new ministry birthed out of extreme pain and suffering – named Elevation North.  And over the years as we lived our blended lives and multi-tasked in a myriad of directions, God brought people to live with us “in His House” from time to time.  Each time took a little getting used to as our empty nest expanded – but we loved the opportunities to touch these lives and fill their “homeless void” for this point and time.  And upon their times of departure, we knew that God had used their stay to be a change-point for them as well as for us.  We were always aware of His presence and His provision, especially when we were not sure that the resources that we had would stretch far enough.  Guess what?  They ALWAYS did!  I think the REAL owner of this home had something to do with that!  He owns it and we just get to take care of it for Him!  Well, back to the colorless walls.  Our sons and their wives had given us gift cards and cash a few years ago at Christmas-time, which we had stashed away waiting to “find” the time to be able to transform our walls with our color choices.  How it ever took nine years is amazing in itself, but when “the time” finally comes, you just know it and you leap into action!  There were a few trips to the store to choose samples and bring them home and “look at them” before making the final decision.  But then, more months went by before we were actually able to take the painting plunge and yes, to pray about the right color choices.  Now we are in process, and loving the fact that as we stand in the store waiting for our cans of color to be mixed, we discover the extra blessing of God “just happening to have a special paint sale going on!”  Who says God doesn’t care about the things that matter to us, especially when we seek His hand of blessing and favor?!  So, after several evenings of my hubby’s hard work and my “extra trimming and clean-up” … miracle of miracles, we now have beautiful color flowing all through our home; well, through God’s home.  And getting back to my opening statement, you know how doing one thing leads to another.  Well, so does painting!  The painting leads to needed deep cleaning.  And the cleaning leads to purging lots of things that need to go.  Things are just that – things.  Either they have been used to the end of their usefulness, or they become “too many” things and only add clutter and end up defeating the plan to keep our lives as simple and unencumbered as possible.  It’s actually a very freeing thing to exercise purging your home of all that extra stuff that God knows we do not need.  Doing this has reminded me all over again what is recorded for us in scripture, and how we need to be purging “stuff” from our own lives as we walk with Christ.  Listen to what we are instructed to do:  “Therefore then, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses (who have borne testimony to the Truth), let us strip off and throw aside every encumbrance (unnecessary weight) and that sin which so readily (deftly and cleverly) clings to and entangles us, and let us run with patient endurance and steady and active persistence the appointed course of the race that is set before us.”  (Hebrews 12:1)  Oh, Lord, may it not take us nine years or nine months or even nine weeks to get busy with the purging of our sins, our bad attitudes, our wanting our own way, our thinking we need this or that – like right now, our filling the hours of our days with everything but You!  Help us to throw it all off, all out, all away – all that unnecessary heaviness, so that we can purposely run with unhindered gait and focused persistence the race You have marked out for us.  We want to run like You want us to run!  We want to run unhindered – straight to the finish line! 

REMEMBER . . .

“He is right here.

With an unyielding desire that is willing to trust,

we may call out to our heavenly Father and know that He will answer,

filling our hearts with bright colors and freshness of life.”

~ Unknown  

Serving Christ Joyfully . . .

Pastor Doug and Debbie

ELEVATION NORTH has NEWS for YOU!

I AM WONDERING . . . just what happens when the KINGDOM OF GOD & THE CHURCH COLLIDE?  Some months ago I heard that statement and jotted it down, but have nothing more to go on than that phrase.  Every time I have come across my torn-in-half pink sticky-note, those words make me pause.  I have not yet had time to do an in-depth scriptural study of the full meaning behind that, but those words make me want to.  My heart for God gives me a clue about what would take place when that collision happens – but more importantly something has to occur first to make it happen.  And what is that?  I don’t think the answer is difficult to come up with.  I just think the real-life implementation of it is.  And often when there is commitment, hard work, and some struggle involved – it’s easier to bail than to grit our teeth, muscle up, and make things happen.  Of course, for the Kingdom of God and OUR church to collide (let’s personalize it!) – there will be work involved.  There will be commitment involved.  There will be a little (or a lot!) of dirt and scuffs and bruises involved.  But didn’t we mention that it is a collision?  Most collisions result in some measure of harm or disaster.  But not when God is in the middle of it.  Oh, the bump might be pretty impactful … we might get bounced around a little … or so much so that we might even wonder if God hasn’t lost control!  But in this type of God-collision, the end result is magnificence beyond our human comprehension!  Because breaking this down means that upon impact, the Kingdom of God and the Church will be meshed, blended, intertwined, grafted together . . . until the world cannot see where one ends and the other begins!  The Kingdom of God will live IN the Church – and the Church will live IN the Kingdom of God!  We will be indelibly inscribed on each other.  We will look like each other.  We will sound like the other.  Amazingly, we will act like each other!  Not because the Kingdom of God will be lessened to look like the Church – but because the Church upon collision will take on all that the Kingdom of God is and reflect it in reality.  God’s Kingdom, designed and set into place by God Himself, is total perfection.  The Church is definitely not.  But the Church is loved by God so much that He desires a relationship that is derived out of His heart’s longing for His Church to be the bride He has waited for all this time.  Did you know that as the Bridegroom He is passionately anticipating that electrifying moment in time - the date He has set to come back for her and snatch her in His arms of everlasting love and take her Home to live with Him forever and ever?  It’s true!  This is no fairy-tale like Cinderella and her Prince Charming.  This is for real!  And WE are His bride!  We all know how much work and preparation goes into the planning of a wedding.  Well, God has His part all planned – it has been written in His heart since the beginning of time.  His love for His Church is the ultimate Love Story of all time, because this love will last for eternity.  But dear ones, as His Church – His bride . . . we have LOTS of preparation to still be done, and we best get at it!  It starts with each of us, individually, of course.  And when each of us get serious about living out His will on this earth as it is in Heaven – and then join up in His Church, we will start to look more like the radiant bride He is excited about coming to sweep off her feet, literally!  And when we get serious about doing whatever it takes to get rid of our spots and stains and blemishes, this old world having a melt-down around us is going to sit up and take notice.  Instead of being disillusioned and disappointed and bored with His Church, they will be running through our doors to meet with the King of kings.  They will be searching for the Church that is the living and breathing epitome of the Kingdom of God.  That means we will preach the Word as it is written in God’s Word.  That means we will receive that Word and obey and follow God’s ways.  That means we will experience wonders and miracles just like in Jesus’ day.  That means we will hunger and thirst more after righteousness than after any modern-day entertainment and technology and “stuff” that we seek after to bring us satisfaction.  That’s right, we are going to BE different, LOOK different, and ACT different than we do – even today!  And in these dawning days of 2015, we are going to view each new unlived day as God’s opportunity to us to do whatever it takes to invite the collision of God’s Kingdom and our church!  God’s Kingdom train is coming our way – my challenge to all of us is to get on board and move towards the point of impact!  Elevation North will never be the same! 

REMEMBER . . .

“Then I heard what sounded like a great multitude, 
like the roar of rushing waters and like loud peals of thunder, shouting:

Hallelujah!  For our Lord God Almighty reigns.  Let us rejoice and be glad and give Him glory!

For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and His bride has made herself ready.”

~ Revelation 19: 6-7  

Serving Christ Joyfully . . . 

Pastor Doug and Debbie

ELEVATION NORTH has NEWS for YOU!

FOR YEARS SOMEONE HAS BEEN WRITING A NEW SCRIPT for the Christmas Story.  And, believe me, they have not been using the Bible as their resource for factual material.  Rather, they have spun the story with lines that have covered the scriptural account of Jesus’ birth with total dollar signs at the bottom of every retail, commercialized scenario!  And they have diminished the Greatest Gift of all to a mere tsunami of wishes and whims that they will receive the greatest number of material gifts that “plastic money” can buy!  How tragic and empty this is!  Travel with me back to 1993 when I penned these words – which I have updated to reflect the time and place that we now find ourselves.  “ ‘Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house . . . “, yes, you may know it well – perhaps you even recited this rhyme as a child.  As I write tonight, I have given this tale a different twist.  Come with me to church on Sunday morning.  And as I look out across the congregation, this is how my story begins . . .

                                                ‘Twas just weeks before Christmas, when all through the church,

                                                Jesus came to visit . . . our hearts to search. 

                                                The cross was hung by the altar with care,

                                                But we all knew that our Lord wasn’t there!

                                                The people were seated all snug in the pews . . .

                                                Listening to the missionary, as if on cue.

                                                Daddy in his suit and tie – and me in my new dress,

                                                Had just settled in for a long sermon, we confess.

                                                Then out in the congregation there came such a hush,

                                                I sprang from my spot – but there was no rush.

                                                Back to my seat I went in a flash . . .

                                                No one had stirred or even moved – some looked aghast!

                                                The sun on the panes of stained window glass,

                                                Gave a ray of light that o’er the center aisle did pass.

                                                When Who to my amazement, should appear . . .

                                                But a tall, robed Man – He came so near.

                                                Dressed in shining white, with eyes of love,

                                                I knew in a moment it was my Lord from Above!

                                                Slowly He moved past you and past me,

                                                And He read our hearts . . .  and I knew He could see.

                                                “Now, Pastor Doug!  Now, Debbie!  Now, all of you within!

                                                On, you people of Elevation North – born in sin!

                                                To the Word of the Lord!  Fall on your knees and call!

                                                Now, pray away!  Pray away!  Pray away, all!

                                                As dry leaves that before the wild winds fly,

                                                Our weaknesses and hurts mount to the sky.

                                                So we bowed our heads low, knowing He knew all,

                                                With the Calvary load, we caused Him to fall.

                                                And then in a twinkling, I heard Him move,

                                                The fears He calmed and the guilt He removed.

                                                I pressed to get closer, and was turning around . . .

                                                He touched me and filled me; my life now abounds!

                                                He was dressed in flowing white, from His head to His feet,

                                                His clothes no more stained by the blood of our sins.

                                                A bundle of joys He had flung on His back . . .

                                                And His eyes were filled with glee, for the Gifts in His pack!

                                                His eyes . . . how they twinkled!  His words said, “Come!”

                                                His touch was so gentle – His power so awesome.

                                                Nail-scarred hands and feet mark the Father’s Gift,

                                                And now He’s come to see if we’ve gone adrift.

                                                In His pack was forgiveness, and He urged each one

                                                To unwrap all the Gifts – to leave none undone.

                                                A wink of His eye, and a nod of His head,

                                                Soon gave us reassurance that by His Spirit we’re led.

                                                He spoke not a word, but looked at those in the pew . . .

                                                And healed all the hearts and made them new.

                                                And reaching His arms toward Heaven, His Home,

                                                He reminded us never more to roam.

                                                He looked longingly into our souls – yours and mine – back and forth,

                                                Sometimes disappointed, sometimes pleased, by us at Elevation North.

                                                But I hear Him exclaim as He ascends Heavenward . . .

                                                “I am the Reason for the Season . . .

                                                Be ready for My Return –

                                                A Blessed Christmas to all,

                                                Pray away, pray away all!”

-       Adapted from “The Night Before Christmas”

By Clement C. Moore, into my own personal version,

Just for you this Christmas, (1993) and now (2014)

The words burned deep in my heart as I returned to reality:  the stark reality of God’s Gift of His Son in a manger – the One Who would hang on the Cross – gift-wrapped for you and me . . . the stark reality of the lost around the world who receive the Gift of the Gospel, that is, if someone is willing to go and present it to them . . . the stark reality of “us” sitting in the pew, listening to the “Gift” of God (His Word) week after week – and what do we do with that Gift?  Do we accept it and unwrap it and live it and share it?  How I pray we do!  In these days we live in, we can afford to do nothing less, my precious friends!  You know, God does visit us at Elevation North, every Sunday – just like in my story!

You can be sure that this year, the night before Christmas, Christ will come and visit you . . . whether at home, in church, or out for a winter’s evening stroll.  Invite Him to walk with you and talk with you.  If you already know Him, it will be a wondrous gift of intimate conversation!  If you’re still wandering and roaming, He will be asking if He can stop in and bring you His most special Gift ever – the Gift of Eternal Life.  Please accept it, unwrap it, live it and share it!  It’s a Life-Saver . . . packaged with your name on it.  Open it now – just in time for Christmas!

REMEMBER . . .

God’s Gift-Book (His Holy Word) tells us, “Be joyful always; pray continually, give thanks … “  
(I Thessalonians 5:16-18a)

And my Christmas wish for you is this:  “May God Himself, the God of peace, 
sanctify you through and through.

May your whole spirit, soul, and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

The One who calls you is faithful and He will do it.”  
(I Thessalonians 5:23-24)

And finally, my Christmas Story echoes these words:  “Pray away, pray away all!”

Serving Christ Joyfully . . . 

Pastor Doug and Debbie

ELEVATION NORTH has NEWS for YOU!

SOMETIMES MY HEART NEARLY BURSTS because I am a child of the Living God!  If I had the time I could write a book telling the world of the amazing journey it has been to call God “my Daddy!”  Every single occurrence in my life has been orchestrated by the God of the universe and yet He has been so approachable and so kind and loving that I have never had a doubt that He was also “my Daddy!”  Is it disrespectful to think of the Lord God of Israel as “our Daddy”?  No … on the contrary, His Word itself tells us this:  “ … those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.  For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship.  And by him, we cry, ‘Abba, Father.’  The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children.”  (Romans 8:14-16)  That makes Him “our Daddy.”  For those who have a close relationship to God, this phrase is expressive of their love and adoration and close connection and intimacy.  But for those who do not have this “Daddy/child” relationship, it is no wonder that they often feel distant from God, even disconnected – or they act as if they are “scared” of Him.  That’s so sad – because God wants to be approachable.  He wants us to show reverence and to honor His divinity, because after all, He is God!  But He does not want His supernatural nature to keep us at arm’s length or to frighten us off!  The relationship He has ordained for us is far beyond our comprehension and wildest imagination!  There are people who shiver and shake in the presence of presidents and world leaders - and these same people faint at the sight of a rock star or sports star.  And they don’t even know them personally!  How I love that we can know our God personally and so intimately that it becomes as natural as breathing to call Him, “Daddy!”  To try to grasp that He loved us so very much that He would even think of sending His only Son as the sacrifice for our sins, much less carry it out – is nearly impossible for our human minds.  And to pay such a great price only reinforces all the more what a great love He truly has for us!  When someone loves with such a perfect and magnificent love even though they know all our sins and failures and limitations – even our worst ugliness; that is a love that compels us to look beyond the love to the Lover … the Lover of our souls!  How can we not be in love with Him?  How can we not tell Him a million times a day that we love Him?  How can we not make Him a part of absolutely everything we think or say or do?  He already knows what we will think and say and do – but He wants us to make Him the biggest part of it as we plan to live out our next breath, our next hour, or day.  He came so we wouldn’t have to do things on our own.  Even His Name states that “He is WITH us!”  Emmanuel – means “God with us!”  Because we are bought with His blood, we are His!  Wouldn’t you love to know that you can have Him with you in every delightful and joyous celebration?  Wouldn’t you love to know that He is with you as you walk into the toughest circumstances and struggles?  Wouldn’t you love to know that in our deepest sadnesses and hurts, He is already there, waiting to put His arm around our shoulders and walk us through those crushing times?  Perhaps you already know this.  I hope so!  But, do you believe it?  What would happen to your life and how you are living it, if you were able to “see and feel and know and believe” that there is nothing you will ever encounter in any 24-hour period for the rest of your life – that God is not there … for YOU!  He’s got your back!  It says, also in His Word, “What, then, shall we say in response to this?  If God is for us, who can be against us?” These words in Romans 8:31, spill over into the verses that follow, and remind us that the same God who did not spare His Son for us, graciously gives us all things and intercedes for us!  We are told that nothing can separate us from the love of Christ.  We just have to be convinced of that, dear ones!  We are on an amazing life-journey, from birth to eternity, and God wants us to live it filled with as much of His presence and power as we choose to invite and receive from Him.  How many days will you struggle through by yourself?  Better yet, how many days will you be convinced that God has your life in His control and that He and you can handle whatever comes your way?  All you have to do is call out to “your Daddy!”  He is listening and more than ready to live out your everyday life with you in supernatural ways!  That’s what I choose!  Will you join me?  You have a special invitation – from me, and more importantly, from God, “our Daddy!”  I hope you see Him that way today!  It will make your heart nearly burst!  With JOY!

REMEMBER . . .

“No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.

For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons,

neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth,

nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God

that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

~ Romans 8:37-39   

Serving Christ Joyfully . . .

Pastor Doug and Debbie

ELEVATION NORTH has NEWS for YOU!

WHAT TIME IS IT?  The minutes are ticking away, and with Thanksgiving just around the corner, there is so much to be done!  And never enough time to do it in!  Or so it seems.  With all that has been a part of our lives these past weeks and months, God is ever reminding me that He will always provide the exact amount of time to accomplish ALL that HE wants us to do!  Most likely not everything on MY list – but HIS list!  There are times when He strengthens me as I “burn the midnight oil” – and there are times when He pushes me down the hall and into my bed!  Lesson learned:  schedules and lists are changeable … and my rested body is a much better vessel for God to use the next day.  God can more easily show His glory through a “rested me” than a “frazzled, frustrated me!”

What time is it?  It’s time to listen to God’s idea to thumb through hundreds of penned manuscripts from years ago and share something that resonates in my heart that He gave me back then.  Sometimes the intensity of recent days can leave my mind reeling.  So God, I give in.  You show me how to condense this writing from another time in my life and make it relevant for where we are in this place! 

What time is it?  It’s almost time to enjoy a bounteous Thanksgiving feast with family and friends … but first, it’s time to drink in.  It’s time to drink that precious spiritual water that flows from God’s Word.  And with God’s idea, I am going back in time to share what one of God’s chosen vessels challenged us with nearly twenty years ago at a conference in Grand Rapids. Michigan.  With God’s anointing on his lips, our evening speaker said. “It is time for God’s glory to be shown!”  Rev. John DeVries, President of Mission 21 in India, shared some challenging thoughts that I want to share with you!  He stated that if we look around us, we’re quickly reminded that every decade since the 1950’s, the natural disasters in our world have doubled.  That, in itself, brings heartache and discouragement and fear.  Challenge:  we need to keep our eyes fixed on Jesus – not on the devil!  Talking about circumstance and worship, DeVries said, “We don’t worship – or put God to the test – because things are so bad … but because the Father is so great!  God is standing there waiting for us to come to Him and say, ‘Daddy, we need You to fix things on our street.  We told everyone You could, because You’re so great!’”  What if … just what if … we would pray like that – because after all, we do believe it, right?  Or do we really?  If we do, then we need to act on it!  Our speaker continued to share that God’s instructions always come with a touch of irrationality.  After all, who else would have thought of spitting on the ground, making mud with the saliva, and then using it to heal the blind man’s eyes?  (John 9:1-7)  God doesn’t fit human logic!  God also doesn’t need spiritual marketing!  He wants His church to move by His Spirit, so the world will see that it is God’s church!  DeVries made the bold, but true statement that we in America don’t pray like we should.  We don’t pray like the Christians in persecuted nations around the world.  They pray in a deeper dimension of faithfulness, commitment, fervency, and expectancy.  And what we need to know is that when we pray – God works – and things change, people change, we change!  We don’t need big plans and strategies – we need to pray! 

What time is it?  It’s time to pray in our community, to realize that we are living stones for one purpose – to be cemented together in spiritual houses,  God’s glory will shine through us into our community!  Suddenly we will see lives changed and transformed.  We will see His wonders.  We can pray like those in persecuted countries, if we just will!  What time is it?  It’s time to start saying, “My Dad can fix it!  Let’s go tell Him.  Let’s let everybody on the street know how great He is!”

What time is it?  It’s time to go to the people!  Do we think just inviting someone to come to church or to come to God will fix it?  Dr. DeVries reminded us that Jesus didn’t invite us to Heaven, He came to earth to us!  He wore our flesh, our clothes.  He expects us to do the same; not to invite the people, but to go to them.  We must flip open the door, and let the gospel flow.  God will do the work if we focus and not flounder!  Lesson, re-stamped upon my heart:  “One of the greatest temptations of the devil is to tell us we are called to do the good God hasn’t called us to do, so we will be so busy – that we won’t have the time to do what God has called us to do”  God’s blueprint!  We need it before we can begin – our day, our work, our plans!  I challenge you as I was challenged:  “Go with power.  Go with dignity.  Make your spiritual walk continuous, not an event.  Continuous ministry in prayer!  Become a living stone – build a new house of prayer!”

What time is it?  It’s time!  Time to be a vessel built into a spiritual house – that shines forth the glory of God!

REMEMBER . . .

“As you come to Him, the living Stone – rejected by men but chosen by God and precious to Him –

you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood,

offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.

For in Scripture it says: ‘See, I lay a stone in Zion, a chosen and precious cornerstone,

and the one who trusts in Him will never be put to shame.’”

~ I Peter 2:4-6

Serving Christ Joyfully . . .

Pastor Doug and Debbie