ELEVATION NORTH has NEWS for YOU!

I WAS JUST WONDERING, LORD … what were You thinking about in those days prior to Your death?  Yes, I know You are Deity … but I also know You resided in a form every bit as human as mine.  You wanted to know, to truly understand the reason Your Father had sent You, overwhelming as it was.  I know You felt every emotion that human-kind has ever experienced, and that must have been cause for battles in Your soul.  I cannot even begin to fathom what You must have felt.  Here You were … the Son of God … of royal lineage … Your Father, the Creator of the Universe ~ yet none of that would keep You from the death You were facing; in fact it was because of who You were, that it would take place.  And most amazing, is that You were obedient!  I was just wondering, Lord … wasn’t it the most difficult choice You’d ever make – to be obedient to what Your Father was asking?

I WAS JUST WONDERING, LORD … what were You thinking about as Your crucifixion neared?  I know, by now, it must have seemed like it was all out of Your hands.  This was Your destiny, Your cross.  Yet it only happened that way because of Your submissiveness to the Will of Your Father in Heaven.  You could have rebelled, even refused.  But You lived those days in total abandonment for a cause that would change the face of the world for all of Eternity.  Your Father was on a mission to destroy sin once and for all – but He needed You to pay the price.  There’s always a price, isn’t there?  And at this point in history, for a cause so great, the payment also had to be great.  Your life ~ that was the price.  Did You ever wish there could be another way?  I was just wondering, Lord … You were so young, You had so much to offer; did You ever wish it could be someone else going to that Cross?

I WAS JUST WONDERING, LORD … what were You thinking about as Your time on earth was running out?  You had already made such a huge impact on people’s lives.  You’d gone from village to village, teaching and preaching, saving and healing, bringing hope and changing hearts.  You left a trail of miracles, and You never lost sight of the work Your Father had called You to do.  Your days ran into nights, and the nights into days.  The crowds that followed You … the hurting who sought You out … were never-ending streams of humanity.  Yet You never quit.  And as You walked the dusty roads with Your disciples by Your side, You kept emphasizing Your message.  You were “matter-of-fact”: (saying) “Embrace this God-life.  Really embrace it and nothing will be too much for you.  This mountain, for instance:  Just say, ‘Go jump in the lake’ – no shuffling or shilly-shallying – and it’s as good as done.  That’s why I urge you to pray for absolutely everything, ranging from small to large.  Include everything as you embrace this God-life, and you’ll get God’s everything.  And when you assume the posture of prayer, remember that it’s not all about asking.  If you have anything against someone, forgive – only then will Your Heavenly Father be inclined to also wipe your slate clean of sins.”  Mark 11:22-26, (The Message).  God breathed His messages into You … and You spoke them … You lived them.  But it couldn’t have been easy.  The religious leaders balked and demanded credentials; they even tried to trick You.  Some of the people didn’t listen, and many didn’t understand.  You spoke in parables, keeping the Message as simple as possible, and told the believers to stay at their post and to keep watch.  But I was just wondering, Lord … did You ever get discouraged when the Message seemed to fall on deaf ears?  Or was Your focus so great that You saw beyond the grave to the victory You would receive and bring to a world who needed it so desperately?

I WAS JUST WONDERING, LORD … what were You thinking as Your final days with Your family ebbed away like grains of sand in an hourglass?  You knew what lie ahead of You.  Did You just want to stay with them?  Your life had been taken in countless directions, and “home” was now wherever You laid Your head.  But there’s something about a family who loves you and supports you.  You must have longed for simpler times like those moments You sat at Your mother’s knee and listened to her sweet voice as she spoke in soft, gentle tones, stroking You wavy hair and running her fingers across Your brow ~ making You feel, oh so loved and so secure.  And You must have recalled those pleasant hours in the carpenter shop with Your earthly father, watching as You learned from his gifted hands, and learning more than just that skill; being taught by example – integrity, honesty, and kindness – which of course, already dwelt within You in great measure.  Oh, those days had been so safe, so comfortable, until God began to enlarge Your circles and took You out into the world He had sent You to save.  A world filled with anger and pride and evil, everywhere You turned.  I was just wondering, Lord … did You ever feel like Your heart was being torn apart, knowing that the separation from Your family was near?  Or did Your devoted love for Your Father in Heaven transcend Your earthly attachments to those You called mother and father, brother and sister?

I WAS JUST WONDERING, LORD … what You were thinking when those nails ripped at Your flesh as You hung on that cross at Calvary?  I know You looked down at Your mother and Your family, seeing the anguish in their faces.  I know You looked down at the soldiers who placed You in that precarious, painful position and saw their hatred and their mockery.  I know You looked down at Your followers and saw them hanging onto the Hope that Your words had given them.  But what else did You see, Jesus?  Somehow I know You saw more than Your surroundings on that hill.  I know You looked down through the ages as You hung there, blood and sweat-drops blurring Your vision ~ but You saw with Your heart – multitudes of people needing You.  You saw nations of people that hadn’t even been born yet … You saw us all ... and You saw the good and the bad in us.  You hung there and died for the bad in us –because You knew, and we knew, it should have been us hanging there.  But You chose to take our place.  You hung there and died for the good in us – because You saw the potential in us that we often don’t see until You bring it to our attention.  You chose to give us a life that we all too often only dream of.  Did we break Your heart that day, not only because of our wretched, sinful ways … but also because we are so needy ~ and because we don’t just reach out and take all the gifts and the blessings You plan for us each day?  You died so we could live ~ and not just exist.  With each beat of Your heart, Your desire was for us to live life abundantly.  That’s why You came!  I was just wondering, Lord … do we break Your heart even now, because we just don’t get it?  Because we hang on to our stubborn ways?  Because we settle for less than what You give?

My heart carries me back to Calvary, and I find myself standing on that hill today, seeing something so different from the Scriptural accounts.  What I see is what could  have been – what should  have been.  I see a never-ending line of crosses, as wide and long and as far as my eyes can see.  They cover every hill, and are every bit as rough and splintered as Jesus’ cross ,, and each has a sign.  But these crosses don’t say “Jesus the Nazarene, King of the Jews” ~ these are printed with large letters that bear my name … “Debbie Jones” … and your name … and yes, your name, too.  ALL of our names are there.  There is a cross for every person from the beginning of time until the end of time.  And on each cross, marked with our names … we hang.  There I am, on my cross, paying the price, dying for my sins.  There you are, on your cross, paying the price, dying for your sins.  There we are, a sea of humanity, lost and writhing in anguish of body and soul.  Suddenly, my eyes turn to that hill of all hills … Golgotha … it stands out above the rest, and there on that mount looms the Cross of all crosses ~ and on it, I see Jesus hanging.  I look across from my cross on my hill and my eyes are transfixed on His eyes.  Our gaze meets, and in that moment, I finally understand what I’ve known all along:  that while He was on the Cross … I was on His mind.  (The words of that song keep going through my mind!) 

Without Him ever speaking a word, His eyes and heart speak volumes of truth and forgiveness … and freedom and liberty to my heart.  I knew what I had to do next.  I wrenched myself down off that cross of mine, and crept to the foot of His cross … and kneeling there, I found payment for my debt that had put me on my cross.  I found salvation and healing, and every other gift I’ll ever need as long as I live … and when I stood to my feet, I was a new person!  All of my sin had been covered by those drops of Jesus’ blood – and all of my weakness and all of my fears were covered by that blood, as well.  And I stood there, forgiven and free … I stood there, knowing I was His child, His disciple.  I stood there, knowing I would carry His message for as long as He gave me breath!  I turned to face my empty cross, and to my utter amazement, they were ALL empty; and as I watched, they just all disappeared from view!  Gone.  Like they had never been there.  I turned once more to Jesus, and then I understood.  It was as if those millions of crosses melted into His ~ and then I could see it in His eyes ~ He had taken it all upon Himself … all the ugly, horrible sin … mine and yours … and a million times a million more sins, so that we would never have to be crucified … just set free!  All we had to do was say “yes” to Him and His incredible, abundant life!

Well, I said “yes” to Jesus when I was just a little girl.  BUT I WAS WONDERING, DEAR PEOPLE …what are you thinking now as we again celebrate our crucified and risen Lord?  Have you ever said “yes” to Him?  If not, there’s no time like right now.  Call me at (507) 363-2109 and I’ll be so thrilled to pray with you!  And then, start living forgiven and free, and begin opening ALL those gifts He gave to you on Calvary ~ there’s enough for each day of your life!  Please don’t leave them unopened any longer!  Celebrate life … celebrate Life!

(revised from “Ponderings from the Pastor’s Wife” as written by me on 3/26/01)

 REMEMBER . . .

Jesus wants you to believe His words of amazing love:

“I will not forget you. 

See, I have inscribed you on the palm of My hands.”

~ Isaiah 49:15-16 (NRSV)  

Joyfully Serving Christ . . .

Pastor Doug and Debbie

ELEVATION NORTH has NEWS for YOU!

STEP INTO YOUR DESTINY!  Don’t know how, you say?  We make things too complicated sometimes – and that causes us to miss out.  Simply put, as children of God, I believe that stepping into our destiny looks like – us just following God.  Pure and simple.  One day at a time.  Faithfully and obediently.  Just listening for His voice, and then simply doing what He is telling us.  Not trying to figure it out, or to make sense of it.  Isn’t that what childlike faith is?  Just doing it because you trust the one who is asking you to do it!

Something pretty incredible occurred in these past few weeks.  Please allow me to reminisce and share my true story about two people who stepped into their destiny nearly seventy years ago on the plains of western North Dakota as a young couple called by God to ministry.  I have only had two pastors in my lifetime, and of course, my husband-pastor has been my second pastor, for almost forty-six years now.  The first pastor was my childhood pastor for all of my growing up years, and on my wedding day he performed the marriage ceremony for my husband and me, praying God’s blessing upon our new life together and the ministry we knew God had called us to! 

I just learned this week of my pastor’s and his wife’s Home-going, and my heart leaped with joy for them when I heard the news.  Pastor Marcus Bakke and his wife, Elva Mae, went to be with Jesus just two days apart.  He was 89 years old, and she was almost 88.  He left this life on February 15^th and she could not bear to not be with him … so God gave her the desire of her heart and sent His angels for her just two days later, on the 17^th.  The momentary sadness of realizing that two of the heroes in my life who were so instrumental in shaping my faith, my walk with God, and my passion for God’s call on my life as a little girl, were now gone from this earth – was just that.  Momentary.  Then, like I said, my heart leaped at the beauty of their connected Home-going and their present indescribable joy at now sharing Heaven forever together … after having shared so much of their lives together on earth.  And mostly, they had shared Jesus together.  And then shared Him with all the people God brought into their lives for nearly sixty years of active ministry. 

And just how did they do that?  Well, just one day at a time.  One person at a time.  One congregation at a time.  They put their roots down when they landed where God wanted to plant them for a good, long time.  When life got hard and ministry got difficult, they didn’t run.  Or quit.  They continued to pursue the God-given destiny they had stepped into.  That’s how you know when it is God that has called you to something – or if it was just one of your whims or wishes.  You stay with it, in spite of whatever comes.  You don’t turn your back and you don’t walk away.  You dig deeper into the One who called you.  You immerse yourself deeper into His presence.  You seek and pursue HIS ways and HIS will … not yours.  You never feel as if you gave up anything – but that you gained everything.  You become a first-hand witness to God’s miraculous, divine, supernatural work.  Best of all, you realize that He is letting you be a part of that; engaged in all of that with Him, and because of Him!  It is a privilege like none other!

Growing up, we all called them “Brother and Sister Bakke” ~ and that’s truly who they were!  They were my spiritual mentors, but also my brother and sister in Christ.  I will never forget their love and kindness and belief in a little farm girl who grew up without earthly riches and fancy things.  They saw through and realized that I was happy and content in the things that really matter in life.  They sowed into my life their belief in me and they lived out the love of Jesus as they reached out to me.  They invited me, a young girl without any musical training, to take my place on the piano bench at church and play worship songs for the Sunday morning services when they could have passed right over me.  They had a heart for God and for people, including this once-upon-a-time little girl.  I will always be grateful!  Thank you, Brother and Sister Bakke, for the legacy you left this little farm girl-turned Pastor’s wife.  Heaven is richer because you both are now there, and I anticipate with joy the day that I will see you again!!

My encouragement to each of you reading this is . . . you, too, can step into your destiny!  You don’t have to tackle the “sixty years” all at once, becoming so overwhelmed at what is before you, that you stop before you start!  Ask God to order your steps, one at a time, and then just enjoy the journey as you listen, follow, and fulfill your unique calling!  Remember that you are creating a lasting legacy, as well.  What will yours be?

REMEMBER . . .

“Commit your works to the Lord and your plans will be established.”

                                                                                        ~ Proverbs 16:3  

Joyfully Serving Christ . . .

Pastor Doug and Debbie

ELEVATION NORTH has NEWS for YOU!

WHO KNOWS?  With all that is going on in the world today, who really knows what the future holds?  Who knows?  Can you just see the shrug of the shoulder when someone responds that way to a question they cannot answer?  Many people have enough trouble with living in our present day that they have no desire to tackle what the future holds.  Others are fascinated, and even excited about what is to come.  And yet others fear what tomorrow will reveal.  Which group are you in?  Well, there is only One person who really does know everything that the future will bring, and His Name is Jesus Christ!

In these past few years, as I have witnessed the changes in our world escalating to enormous proportions, there is something in me that wants to know what God is up to!  His Word tells us lots ~ but not everything.  And often there are things He has told us that we just don’t fully understand!  Even as a little girl, I was intrigued with prophecy.  I remember reading and pondering over the verses that foretold things to come in the future – and then I saw proof in God’s Word, plus confirmation historically that what God had said … came to pass!  Maybe the prophetic amazed me so much – because as mere humans our abilities to accurately predict anything perfectly is pretty much impossible.  So what is the real difference between prophecy and prediction?

In a nutshell, the definitions of prophecy and prediction are very similar – and yet with one vast difference.  The prophetic is most often defined as a revelation, a foretelling of events to come with certainty, as if by divine inspiration.  Prophecy reveals the will or message of God.  God’s Word itself includes prophecies as spoken by God, because after all, God’s Word IS God.  And sometimes God’s prophecies were – and still are – spoken through a chosen person.  A prediction is a statement about what someone thinks will happen.  Predictions are often made by man, based on science, facts, and data … assessing how things can or could happen.  And every once in a while, man gets it right.  But what are the odds of God’s prophecies coming to pass?  Let’s find out!

Doing some research, this is what I discovered.  Twenty-five prophecies dealing with events surrounding the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, including His betrayal, trial, death, and burial, uttered by many different voices over a period of 500 years – were all fulfilled within 24 hours on the day that He died for the sins of the world!  (from J. Hampton Keathley, III)  You think THAT is astounding?  Just wait . . . it gets better!!!

Dr. Hugh Ross explains it this way: “Unique among all books ever written, the Bible accurately foretells specific events – in detail – many years, sometimes centuries, before they occur.  Approximately 2,500 prophecies appear in the pages of the Bible, about 2,000 of which already have been fulfilled to the letter – no errors.  The remaining 500 or so reach yet into the future and may be seen as unfolding as the days go by.”  Now get THIS: “The odds of all these prophecies having been fulfilled ‘by chance’ – without error – is less than 1 in 10²⁰⁰⁰ (that is 1 with 2000 zeros after it!)”  Incredible!  Only our God can foretell and fulfill with this exact perfection!  And this is true, because He is Truth and His Words are True!  Should that not make us believers of the Living God, if nothing else does?

All through the ages, God has chosen men and women to be His mouthpieces and carry boldly His prophetic messages to the world.  When details were spoken about “this that shall take place” – often no one else was thinking about what God had in His mind.  It doesn’t always make sense to us.  Until God reveals the meaning of it to us.  Or until what was prophesied takes place and we are blessed to be alive to see it come to pass before our very eyes!!

No matter how you feel about our recent national election in November and the ensuing inauguration of President Donald Trump this month, I just have to share with you that a prophecy from God as spoken through one of His chosen vessels in 2007 foretold just what we have experienced in America in these past months!  No one in this world was thinking of Trump in 2007 … but God was!  Who knew?  GOD KNEW!  All I can say is that while I believe God honored the prayers of His people as they humbled themselves and prayed for America – even gathering on the steps of every State Capitol in our nation as led by Franklin Graham this past year, it was God Himself who moved by His Spirit and did what He said He was going to do!  God set into place a prophecy ten years ago … and ten years later, it came to pass just as He said it would!  If you want to listen to the full prophecy as given by God through His servant, go to www.youtube.com and type in “Kim Clement – 2007 prophecy about Trump”.  No man has the ability to predict events like this.  But our God can – and DOES!  We are living in supernatural days, dear ones!  Open up your eyes, your ears, your hearts, and your lives to the fullest potential of being used by God for His Kingdom purposes, that He might be honored and glorified!  We are living in exciting days … DO NOT STOP PRAYING AND WALKING IN THE SPIRIT!  Who knows what God will do in us and through us in these days?  HE does!  HE KNOWS!!

REMEMBER . . .

“Know therefore this day, and consider it in thine heart, that the Lord He is God in heaven above,

and upon the earth beneath:  there is none else.”

~ Deuteronomy 4:39  

Joyfully Serving Christ . . .

Pastor Doug and Debbie

ELEVATION NORTH has NEWS for YOU!

AND THERE IS HOPE!  Once upon a time in a dimly lit stable on a hillside in Bethlehem, the sound of a baby’s cry echoed into the dark of the night.  And the Star that shone oe’r that humble birthplace lit up the world like never before!  That baby’s cry was the precursor to the Hope that the world was waiting for.  God looked down on His Son in infant form, and His voice echoed through the corridors of heaven and reverberated in the chorus of the angelic announcement!  And somehow I believe that God added a P.S. to that profound pronouncement with His own flourish, like a gift-tag attached to the manger:  “ … and now there is Hope!”  Yes, there is hope for this dark world who so sorely needs a Savior!

AND THERE IS HOPE!  Writing this paragraph post-Christmas, I can now share with you our Christmas evening epilogue that brought to us an unforgettable experience as we traveled west to see family.  The conditions on the interstate changed from hours of rain-drenched roads almost instantly as we drove into a dangerous blizzard of snow with high winds gusting to 70 mph.  We soon learned that zero visibility was keeping us from seeing very accurately where the safety of the road was.  And growing up in one of the Dakotas, I highly respect these raging winter storms that hide the dangers that lurk in the deep ravines right off the edge of some of those countryside areas in the middle of no where.  It’s a gripping reality that tells you that you have no power to see safety, and that certain harm can be just a turn of the wheel away!  I cried out to God for help and begged Him to send angels to keep the car safely on the road that we could not see.  When we knew we just had to stop and tried to turn the car onto what we thought might be an exit, the car slid slowly off the edge of the road and came to a safe, cushioned stop.  I breathed a huge sigh of thanksgiving to God over and over again!  We were suddenly stranded, but alive!  And in that moment, miracles began to ensue!  In a place where there is usually just hit and miss cell phone coverage, we were able to make calls and never lost service!  With a quick call to AAA, we just knew they would send a rescue truck.  Alas, their reply was, “We cannot send help; no one can reach you due to the lack of visibility and high winds!”  We received the same response from the nearest chief of police through our son’s calls to reach out for help.  And from the SD road department.  “No one can come – we cannot get to you!”  We began to put out calls to our entire family and to our church family … asking for prayer!  When we were assured that we had enough gas to run the car all night if need be, we knew we could keep warm and would be safe.  As the calls zipped back and forth, we welcomed the reassuring voices that promised prayers were being sent Heavenward on our behalf!  As the storm raged around us and all we could see was blinding snow pummeling our windshield at 50-70 mph, the presence of our God enveloped us in the midst of the darkness.  We literally felt the prayers and the peace of God that washed over us.  We could feel the angels standing guard.  We were not alone!  One of our young nieces, a state away, wrote a prayer for us on a piece of paper. Wanting to “send it to God”, she opened the door into their own winter storm only to have the paper blow right back into her face several times – but she was undeterred - and finally it soared heavenward!  How that touched our hearts!!  And God gave us such hope for rescue!  Our minds raced back to earlier in the day just before saying our farewells to our church family and beginning our long drive.  One of the ladies invited everyone there to stand in a circle and hold hands so they could pray for God’s hand to be upon us for a safe trip.  She said she felt such a strong leading to do so and had never felt that way before.  As we began our long vigil in the night, we realized “why” she had been led to do what she did.  Those prayers helped save our lives!  To shorten a long story, the seven hours of being stranded ended when two heroes in the night finally reached us at 12:30 in the morning.  It was horrifying to face into the storm for only the minute or two that it took us struggling to stay on our feet to get from our car to the waiting truck.  Our faces and hair were instantly drenched with the moisture in the pelting snow as it hit our warm skin, and finally sitting in that miracle truck, all we could do was thank them over and over, even as we were thanking God!  Then we asked them, “HOW can you see where you are going?!”  To which one of them replied, “Well, we really can’t … this is one of those ‘Jesus, take the wheel’ times!”  How we love that God has His people positioned all over the place ~ even in the middle of “no where” in South Dakota!  “ … and this was truly Hope experienced!”  How we thank our God and all of you who covered us with prayers of intercession!  God answered!!  Hallelujah!

AND THERE IS HOPE!  Less than a week before Christmas, a lady walked into my office at work, stating that she just had to tell me something that God was telling her for us and for our church.  I barely know her, and she knows little about us OR the church we serve.  Yet she proceeded to tell me that she has been fasting and praying for us and our church, and she even has some of her friends joining her in this directive from God.  She said that God sent her to tell us “that things are changing … to wait and see how things will be moving upward!”  It’s a humbling experience that moves you at the core of your being when you realize that God puts into place people that you do not even know, to battle the forces of the enemy on your behalf – and on behalf of His church!  This prophetic word reverberated soundly in my spirit when I realized it matched up and reaffirmed what God had placed within my heart as I sought Him for the theme for Elevation North for the new year:  “ABUNDANCE FROM HEAVEN ~ in 2-0-1-7!”  As we move more and more towards God, His hand will rain down from His heaven above, an abundance of spiritual blessings upon us in every way!  Can you see it, dear ones … “and now there remains the Hope that is promised!”   The story goes on … the abundance has started to fall!  There is more to tell ~ another time!

REMEMBER . . .

“REJOICE IN HOPE,

BE PATIENT IN TRIBULATION,

BE CONSTANT IN PRAYER.”

~ Romans 12:12  

Joyfully Serving Christ . . .

Pastor Doug and Debbie

ELEVATION NORTH has NEWS for YOU!

HELLO!  That greeting has never sounded sweeter than when we heard our newest great-grandbaby speak that word recently on video via Facebook at not quite two and a half months old!  We were astounded, to say the least!  But … more on that in a bit.

Such a simple greeting, that small word.  We are taught from our very beginning, throughout our baby days and toddler stages “to say hello!” And usually, the emphasis is cheery and inviting and pleasant, leaving us wanting more tagged on to that initial invitation to enter our space.  Something good almost always follows “hello”.  I’ve been thinking a lot about how God can use that one little word for His good.  Saying “hello” is a personal welcome, an expression of our recognition of someone we already know, our choice to acknowledge a stranger, a response to another’s arrival, our receiving someone into communication, conversation, even chit-chat.  It all starts with a “hello.”  So, in God’s Kingdom, just how important is this little word?

I believe a genuinely uttered “hello” transcends many a problem or a limitation, and can reach out and draw people in as they respond and then wait to see what will follow.  You see, our greeting usually is a preface to the message we want to engage in.  In our families, we come together when we all get home for the day, and the first “hellos and hugs” loose a flood of talk about the events of our hours spent apart.  In our churches, we come together after a few days or a week apart, and from the first “hello … God bless you” – we witness an unleashing of the sharing of joys and struggles.  We experience a leaning on each other for encouragement and praying over each other for God’s divine intervention and blessing.  What happens when we decide to open our mouth out on the streets or in the stores, and we utter that hopeful “first-hello-without-sounding-weird?”  When we decide to take that leap with our heart and we open up our mouth, God will fill it with exactly what He wants to gift the other person with.  We can trust Him to do what He does best.  To be sufficient.  He will come through for you – and for the person receiving your “hello-and-more!” 

Then we get to the “witnessing” dimension of “hello”.  A word is nice.  A smile with it is even better.  But the word, the smile … they will fade away.  What if we sought to gift the recipients of our “hellos” with something that will last forever?  What if our greeting turned into an offer of eternal life with none other than the Jesus we introduce them to?  I believe that “telling someone about Jesus” begins with “saying hello to them!”  I challenge you to start praying about your hellos; about who you should say “hello” to – every single day.  You will soon see these one-word greetings as divine appointments from God Himself!  Ask God for “one” opportunity to say hello to someone today.  See where He takes that.  Then, no matter how perfect it turns out, or how obviously awful you thought it turned out, keep going … ask God for another “one” opportunity to say hello.  We don’t have to ask God for scores of opportunities – just one.  Just this one.  Just now.  And then don’t settle for that.  Ask for another one.  There will always be another one out there, many of them just longing for a word, a smile, a warm, simple hello!  Only God knows where He will take each of your hellos!  Watch them multiply, and witness transformations through the love of Jesus that will last for all of eternity!

Alright, let’s go back to the story of our great-grandbaby.  His name is Christian Jones, and he and his mommy were just having a fun little one-sided conversation that morning at home.  She was talking to him and wanting to capture some cute baby sounds or fun giggles to share with her friend.  She started recording the 10-second snap-chat video on her phone, and cheerily said, “Say hello to Amber!”  Christian made some baby sounds that if you listened carefully you might have been able to say it sounded a bit like a baby’s garbled version of the word.  But then she said to him again, “Hello!”  He formed his lips just so, and out came the cutest, clearest, baby “hello” I have ever heard!  We were in a store when our son called us and said, “Have you seen your great grandson on Facebook?”  When I said, “no, we are just checking out,” he said, “just watch the video when you get out in the car and then call me back.”  We did just that, and were surprised, amazed, and could hardly believe our ears!  We played it over and over!  On the ninth second of recording, Christian’s “hello” melted our hearts, and on the tenth second, you could hear his mommy gasp at what she had just heard … and the video instantly ended.  So … our almost two and a half month old great-grandbaby said “hello!”  It is something our family will continue to be amazed at – and treasure always.  We will watch that short little video over and over.  Because when you watch it once, you just cannot watch it once.  You have to watch it again.  And again!  His precious face and sweet little voice are so endearing.  End of story.  Wrong!  One million and nine hundred thousand times wrong.  That’s how many views that little snap-chat video has gotten since it went viral within 24 hours.  People have seen it on most every form of social media there is, and people all around the world have seen baby Christian’s sweet face and heard his clear voice.  It’s hard to believe … who would have ever thought this would happen?  From one little “hello”?  The huge response is overwhelming; 1.9 million views is difficult to comprehend.  How did the numbers grow that large?  Well, o-n-e view at a time.  And it has not even been four weeks yet! 

I share this heartwarming family story with you to remind you that God can do the very same with our o-n-e hello to someone else.  God WILL use it.  People will hear it and share it and comments will be made.  Decisions will be made to “view” your hello again.  Because something about your greeting, your smile, your message cannot be heard just once!  Lord Jesus, give us the desire and the set-on-fire burn in our hearts to win one lost soul.  Just one.  At a time.  And never let us stop saying “hello” to just one.  And then You do with our little greeting as You wish.  Our heart’s cry is that we will take as many people with us to Heaven as we can.  With Your help … just one at a time!

REMEMBER … “How can they hear about Him unless someone tells them?” ~ Romans 10:14  

Joyfully Serving Christ . . .

Pastor Doug and Debbie

ELEVATION NORTH has NEWS for YOU!

ONE VOICE!  Presidential elections always take me back to when I was a little girl growing up on a farm with grain and cattle out on the prairies of North Dakota.  Before the dawn of television (now I am dating myself!), I would sit up late at night and into the wee hours of the morning listening to the tallies of the votes for the candidates come over the radio stations.  I adored my dad, so whatever he was interested in, so was I.  Everyone else would be tucked into bed, and he and I would sit at the kitchen table with pencil and paper and write down the counted votes as they were announced.  My heart would beat fast, intrigued at the process, and cheering on the outcome that my dad was hoping for.  And I always knew “why” he had chosen one candidate over the other, because he diligently taught me what he believed would best preserve our nation’s freedom and all that we held dear. 

My fascination with politics goes back even a generation prior, and I have visions of my dad’s dad, sitting in his comfy chair, smoking his pipe, and baiting arguments with anyone who would dare disagree with him!  He absolutely loved politics, and I’ve always said that when he got cut, his veins bled little red “R’s” for Republican!  Though my family followed staunchly in his ways, my dad always gave the wisest advice, teaching us not to just blindly follow a party, but that we should carefully choose and vote for the candidate who aligned with the values and issues that our hearts believed in and pursued, ultimately for the good of America and the masses of individuals who call it home!

Through the ensuing decades, I have continued to experience a fascination with politics, though that passionate interest has been tainted with the gradual erosion and corruption and disillusionment that many are seeing and feeling nowadays.  Too many candidates to count have lost their first love for our nation and what it was founded on, and the fame and fortune that accompanies winning, has often turned goodness into greediness. What is responsible for the negative changes that we see in America?

Indicators point to changes.  And once said changes have taken place, we can look back and see distinctive change-points that effected the spiral ~ be it upward or downward.  For decades now, America has been spiraling in a downward spin, almost to the point of no return.  We are only days away now from choosing who our next President of the United States of America will be.  Some would say it is too late now to do anything about what is happening.  Many have just given up because of what they are hearing on the news.  Most dangerous, though, is the choice of too many who have decided to do nothing.  They believe that their one vote will not make a difference.  What people do not understand, is that someone wins because of single votes adding up to what becomes the final tally,  In and of itself, one vote does not seem to matter.  But if we all gave up our one vote, another system of choosing our leaders would soon come into place, and we would no longer have a vote.  Or a voice.  Period.  You see, our vote IS our voice! 

People, make your one voice heard and known!  Vote while you still can!  Your freedom to do so is precious, even priceless.  It is the shed blood of countless Americans down through our history that ensured our freedom to do so, as they battled our enemies on war-fields, knowing they could lose their lives to keep America’s freedom intact for all who would come behind them.  That’s a sacrifice worthy of being treated with the utmost respect, by our politicians and each of us who love our nation.  If we feel like our politicians have lost their way, then it is time for us, the American people, to stand up and be counted with our personal “one voice” being translated into “a massive chorus of voices” that will make our wishes known to preserve our nation’s freedom and return to the God of our forefathers!

“Stop!”, some of you are saying, “don’t’ bring God into this!”  Well, how can I not?  Hang with me, because if you leave your emotions out of this and look at the facts of our history, you will see the trail of truth that has brought us to where we are today.  America would not have existed as a free nation this long had we not been founded on God and made Him a part of our government.  Read through our history books and you will find countless times following the birth of our nation where our leaders in the White House and our leaders on the battle fields called on the Name of God for help to persevere and to stand strong against the enemy, praying for supernatural triumph and victory, against all odds.  And God answered, time and time again. 

Open the pages of more recent history books and you will find proof of the downward slide of our nation’s morals and values … and you will witness an unparalleled unleashing of sin and corruption and an unabashed turning of our backs on God.  So why should we be surprised when we see what we have held dear for so long – coming apart at the seams, unraveling, and getting so threadbare that we can barely recognize the America we once knew?  Track the beginning of our present day status of eroding freedom back to 1962 and 1963 when the Bible and prayer were taken out of the public classrooms, and you will see the changing face of who America has become in 2016.  Sad to say, we have strayed so far from the Constitutional rights that our forefathers wrote into the laws of our land.  In case we have forgotten, let me share some of the words of our Declaration of Independence, unanimous in its acceptance by all of the thirteen United States of America at that time, signed on July 4, 1776.  “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness, - That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, - (and the last words of the document, state this):  “And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance of the protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes, and our sacred Honor.”  What this should mean to us, is that OUR VOICE COUNTS!  OUR VOTE COUNTS!  At least, IT SHOULD! 

Did you catch the meaning of this Declaration, that there are truths that are “truth” … that we are ALL created “equal” … that we are given and provided certain “Rights” by our Creator, including Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness (which are the things that we hold most dear and treasured; they are in fact, priceless) … that our “government, instituted among men, derives its just powers from the consent of the governed” – people, this is us, “YOU and ME!”  So, in this election, I want you to know just WHAT you are consenting to!  WE have the POWER, even though we have been blinded and swayed and deluded to believe otherwise.  WE get to say WHAT we consent to.  It is up to US to raise up and be counted, to make our voice heard, and to make our vote count.  YOU matter and YOUR RIGHTS matter.  Now, more than ever!

Down through the ages, as recorded in Scripture, kingdoms have been raised up and kingdoms have fallen.  Both the just and the unjust have reigned and ruled.  Nations have demanded things of God, and because He created us with a free will, He has given us our way – often to the demise of what is best for us.  So how long will we go on demanding our own selfish ways that are not in the best interest of the people of our beloved America?  Are we really so blinded that we cannot see what we are becoming?  I, for one, believe in the intelligence and wisdom of the people of our nation.  I, for one, believe that we can arise as a mighty force to effect necessary changes for us to survive and thrive as we were intended to.  I believe that we can make up our own minds without being swayed back and forth by the emotional and skewed non-truths that are running rampant in much of our news.  Once we decide what we believe as individuals, then we need to take a step back from the tsunami of constant news alerts, and get out that old-fashioned pencil and paper, and write down just what it is that we believe and hold dear.  There is really only one source that we need to be accountable to, and that is God’s Word.  If our choices in this election match up to God’s directives and guidance, we are on the right track.  Perhaps you have chosen to not be called a Christian, or a God-follower.  Again, that is your choice … you get to choose who you will follow.  I can respect you as a person for your freedom to choose; though I would love nothing more than for you to personally experience the greatest relationship there is:  that between God and man, woman, or child!

I encourage you to search out the list of issues that each imperfect candidate states that they believe and will pursue and protect.  Each of us is imperfect, too, if we are to be honest with ourselves.  We too frequently expect more from others than from ourselves.  I encourage you to look at what best matches up with your head and your heart as you pray for Divine wisdom to make the right choice for our next President of the United States.  Every decision that he or she decides to make will significantly impact the future of what our freedom will look like beginning from January, 2017 forward.  America today has a choice of two different faces.  Your one voice, your one vote will help decide which face America will have.  She was founded to be beautiful and free.  Will you please help her remain that way?  If you’ve never believed that you are important, I am affirming your importance now.  Make your God-given rights known at the polls on Tuesday, November 8^th!  Do not let your voice and your vote be silenced by doing nothing. 

I love how in the “faith chapter” of the Bible, (Hebrews 11) there has been recorded a long list of names who are applauded and recognized for their bold faith.  I do not have enough space here to explain the shortcomings of each of these heroes of the faith, and yet God chose for their names to be included as examples for us.  I really believe that because He allowed us to read about their sins and their failures, He wanted us to indeed know, that in spite of us, in spite of our imperfections, we can still be used in amazing ways for His Kingdom purposes!  I know … that’s pretty mind-boggling!!  To be the Queen of England or the President of the United States, or the Prime Minister of Israel, we should be perfect in every way, right?  Righteous to a fault, right?  Of all people, God knows we are human.  He created us, after all – He should know!  Actually, all He needs is for us to be willing to be used by Him, and we might be surprised at what He will do with us.  With just our one little vote … and with the candidate who we vote into office.  So help us, God!  May God bless the United States of America, I pray!  

Serving Christ Joyfully . . .

Pastor Doug and Debbie

ELEVATION NORTH has NEWS for YOU!

HAVE YOU FOUND YOUR VOICE?  You were created with one, you know!  And it is a unique voice, with a tone that is unmatched by any other.  It has its own words … its own inflection, style, and personality.  It gets your message across, be it positive or negative.  Nasty or nice!  It can bless or it can curse.  With it, you can speak and you can sing.  You can scream or you can whisper.  This voice you’ve been given can be used in a myriad of ways:  it can belligerently bully or it can soothe with sensitivity and compassion.  It can promote or demote.  It can be projected to the masses with a mighty message. Or it can minister to an audience of one hurting soul. It can ultimately lift up the Lord Jesus Christ – or it can give latitude to the enemy.  At any rate, however you look at it, or rather … listen to it, YOU have a VOICE!  May I ask, what are you doing with yours?

You know, I must tell you that I would never ask you that question, had I not first asked it of myself.  And a question like that deserves an honest answer from ourselves – to ourselves. It takes some soul-searching deep within our hearts to come up with a true assessment of what we use our voices for, and how.  Each of us only gets one voice, you know.  And no matter how we try (even if we should be a ventriloquist!) we will never have anyone else’s voice!  Amazingly enough, our Creator gifted us with a “one-in-several billion” voice.  He left His fingerprints on our one-of-a-kind designed voice, and no one on this earth can duplicate it.  Believe it or not, God has a divine purpose for that voice of yours!  You might think it is scratchy sounding, nasally and annoying, whiny far too often, too loud, too weak and meek, too braggy, too shy, too abrupt or too rambling.  Well, now I am rambling . . .

While we might never have a famous voice, what is important is that we have a voice with availability to the God who gave it to us!  Isn’t that what others before us have done?  Like Moses, Abraham, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Elijah, John the Baptist, Peter, Paul, and a host of others?  And in no special order, this is just a short list to remind us that God can use any of us!  ALL of us – IF we will let Him. 

What about these days?  Are there any bold voices?  Any voices crying in the wilderness telling us to “Repent!”?  I am ecstatic to report a resounding “yes”!  Billy Graham and his son, Franklin Graham, John Hagee, David Jeremiah, husband and wife team, John and Lisa Bevere, Andy Stanley, Jentezen Franklin, Christine Caine, Matthew Barnett, plus a host of others, including a new, young voice warning people all over this nation to “Repent!” – unabashedly, without apology, passionately speaking the Name of Jesus into the lives of anyone who will hear and listen:  only 25 years old, his name is Clayton Jennings.  I encourage you and urge you to check out his ministry on youtube.com.  And then pray for him!  Larry and Gloria Lundstrom … and Josh and Sarah Seykora, who our church family supports – Lundstroms:  dedicated, faithful evangelists here in the U.S. and beyond, and the young Seykora family in Australia: serving in many other nations and then back here at home in the mid-west from time to time!  Evangelists, missionaries, pastors, speakers, authors.  The number seems so few in proportion to the masses that spew anger and hatred and violence.  And yet the number of those who God is raising up is increasing.  The voices are getting louder and bolder.  They are preaching salvation and proclaiming the prophetic.  God is raising a mighty army that is unstoppable!  Unstoppable when we finally recognize Whose we are, and Whose Kingdom battles we are engaged in and armed for!!  We are marked with the shed blood of Jesus and no one can harm us or destroy us! 

Have you begun to “hear” your voice by now?  Do you see how it is being used – or how it could be used?  The thing is, you don’t have to speak on your own merit or with your own gifts, or lack of them.  Who God calls to speak, He will give words to.  Who God calls to be bold, He will give passion and anointing to.  It is not by our might or our power; it is by the Spirit of God that we are given a message to put our voice to!  What is your message, friend?  What are you saying?  What are you speaking into the lives of others?  Does it have eternal value?  Do your words have the right motive for the end result you are hoping for?  What impact can you make to effect an eternal difference?  What gifts can you lay on the altar willingly?  And remember, we can have the most amazing voice with the most profound message – but if we do not live what we are saying, then our words are worthless, powerless, and empty.  How tragic it would be to waste the voice that God has given us!  I hope and pray you are stirred up to think and pray about how God desires to use YOUR distinctive, personal voice for His glory in these unbelievable, but opportunity-filled days!

REMEMBER . . .

“And I am convinced and sure of this very thing, that He Who began a good work in you 
will continue until the day of Jesus Christ, (right up to the time of His return), 
developing (that good work) and perfecting and bringing it to full completion in you.”

~ Philippians 1:6 

Serving Christ Joyfully . . .  

Pastor Doug and Debbie

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