ELEVATION NORTH has NEWS for YOU!

RESURRECTION METAMORPHISIS!

Green, bumpy, crawly, colorful caterpillar …

One given day your painfully slow movements across the green and brown earth

Take you to a chosen branch or limb or stalk high above the ground.

It is there that you attach yourself and begin to spin

The woven cocoon that encircles you, hides you, protects you.

Darkness now falls within the cocoonish walls …

What seems colorless, hard, and lifeless, is silent and still.

Time passes – is this all there is?  How long will you hang suspended there, dear chrysalis?

Suddenly, something stirs within!

An inner struggle ensues in the darkness still –

But struggle you must because to life there is no other way.

Your hard, dried caterpillar shell breaks away

And your now energized movements are giving way to new life!

Out of the cocoon emerge bright, translucent patterned colors

And of all things, wings – that begin to spread as the empty cocoon is left behind!

What are you now?  O cocoon, where is your hold? 

O butterfly, you have been set free to fly and to be

All that God has planned!

Transformed … changed … renewed … liberated … new creation!

Fly, beautiful butterfly … fly!

Your Creator has gifted you with wings!

~

Jesus … divine embryo placed in human womb;

Born in a stable, called to earth to carry out Your Father’s plan.

Loved by earthly parents, You grew in stature with God and man.

Everyday tasks morphed into miracles as You walked amongst the people

Who You came to touch and heal and save!

But Your enemy had other plans  - that played right into Your Father’s will

That took You on a torturous path to a Tree high on a hill.

It is there soldiers attach you to the Cross with nails – and blood begins to flow;

Suspended there, You give Your life … to the very last drop of blood and Your very last breath.

Darkness falls o’er the skies … You are taken off Your Cross and placed in Your Tomb.

You are lifeless, silent and still.  Time passes – is this all there is?  Where is hope, dear Jesus?

Suddenly, Something stirs within the Tomb!

You’ve completed the struggle in the pits of Hell to defeat the enemy and the grave.

There was no other way.

The Spirit of God breathes life into His Son … the graveclothes are flung off …

Jesus folds them and leaves them behind to say, “It is finished!”

Out of the Empty Tomb emerges the Resurrected Lord and Savior in all His glory!

Where is your victory, O death?  Where is your sting, O death?

O Jesus, You have been set free to bring us life and set us free!

Transformed … changed … renewed … liberated … new creations in Christ!

Fly … precious people … fly!

Your Creator and Savior has gifted you with wings!

RESURRECTION MIRACLE!

REMEMBER . . .

“The Lord your God is in your midst, The Mighty One, will save;

He will rejoice over you with gladness, He will quiet you with His love,

He will rejoice over you with singing.”

~ Zephaniah 3:17  

Joyfully Serving Christ . . .  

Pastor Doug and Debbie

ELEVATION NORTH has NEWS for YOU!

GREATER THINGS!  Who doesn’t want greater things?  No, I am not talking about worldly, material things.  I am talking about the things of the heart that we desire deep down within.  Things of God – things that will bring lasting satisfaction.  Things we’ve not seen or experienced before ~ that will make us jump for joy!  In these days of fear and lies and destruction all around us … and yes, death – lots of it … our hearts long for peace and safety and truth … and life.  Abundant life.  We might ask ourselves or anyone else who will listen:  is that even possible in 2018 when the world around us seems to be something out of an unbelievable, terrifying movie?  Well, God says it is possible.

But first, He reminds us that we are human and He is God.  That while we cannot fully know or see or understand what is going on in all this craziness – He does.  And He’s got this.  Our part is to pursue HIM.  To run after HIM.  To seek HIM with all of our being!  The Apostle Paul tells us this in God’s Word: “For now we are looking in a mirror that gives only a dim (blurred) reflection [of reality as in a riddle or enigma], but then [when perfection comes] we shall see in reality and face to face!  Now I know in part (imperfectly), but then I shall know and understand fully and clearly, even in the same manner as I have been fully and clearly known and understood [by God].”  (I Corinthians 13:12)  What assurance that we can trust God in the interim – until someday when it will all become clear to us!

Sometimes we see something so out-of-the-ordinary, the only way we can explain it is that the experience has GOD written all over it.  At work the other day in a memory-care facility filled with residents living with dementia and Alzheimer’s, I witnessed an amazing miracle!  I can still feel the goose-bumps I experienced when my eyes saw what I’d never seen before!  This elderly gentleman who typically shuffles up and down the hallways in a slow, not-so-sure-footed manner, stopping often to bend way over and rub his knees, did something that still makes me shake my head  – but jump for joy!!  In my six and a half years in my office position, I  am often out in the front living area and the hallways – and I am able to interact with the residents to the point that I am fully aware of their individual capabilities, or lack thereof.  So on this day, it was time for live music with an entertainer who is gifted with a singing voice that can emulate most any well-known singer.  Staff was gathering the residents and bringing them to the music room.  I walked in for the purpose of joining someone else to listen to “just one song” and then get back to the tasks awaiting me in my office.  As I stopped to listen, some movement caught my eye through the window looking out to the hallway.  I sucked in my breath at first glance, thinking this gentleman was losing his balance and was going to fall.  And in the next glance as he continued his unusual motion, I realized he was dancing down the hallway!  I quickly moved out of the room to where he was to make sure he would not lose his balance and fall.  His body swayed and moved in perfect sync to the timing of the music.  He moved his legs and arms and twirled around in fluid movement as if he had been a professional dancer.  I felt shivers go up and down my spine.  I wanted to run to him, but I barely dared breathe lest I break the beauty of what was taking place!  I looked at his face, and in those impeccably perfect steps and spinning circles, I saw something in his face I had never seen before.  He was visibly experiencing joy on a level that he has not been able to for years.  Fully engaged with the music, his brain and his body connected with full clarity and he danced by himself around the edges of the music room.  Everyone’s eyes were fixated on him, captured in the wonder of it all.  We were one with him, sharing his freedom, his enjoyment, his celebration!  Whoever neared the room, I waved them in to also witness what all of us were so astounded by.  It was nothing less than a miracle!  When I finally made my way back down the long hallway to my office, the physical wonder and sense of witnessing what God had just gifted this man with, stayed with me for the rest of my day.  I still feel it as I write.  One cannot see GOD in action and not be moved deeply and impacted greatly!  As I was witnessing the miraculous movements of this gentleman usually bound by the limitations of his medical condition, I could not help but remember “the greater things” that God’s Word tells us we will get to experience in these days we are living in!  I am still jumping for joy!!

So, in telling you this amazing story, if we want more than what this life on earth can offer us, what do we do?  Where do we start?  What makes it possible?  Well, we first need to recognize that the answer lies purely and simply in choosing to pursue God!  He is our only source for “more” of what really matters.  He is the only one who can gift us with “the greater things!”  We will never experience the very best things outside of God Himself.  Oh, they might seem like the very best in the moment – but believe me, they will not last.  They will fade away.  They will be forgotten.  They will consume us through our failure to hang on to the fleeting.  God’s greater things are experienced “freshly brewed” for each new day!  They are found in HIM:  in His presence!  Living in this pursuit of God takes us right to His heart.  Living this way is not about us – or what He can do for us.  Living this way brings us to a place of asking God what we can do for HIM!  We will want to know what is on HIS heart.  We will live in the place of pleasing the Lord God.  Not because we have to – but because we long to, from the deepest places of our soul.  Everything else will dim in our view, and our vision will finally be cleared to see more of what God sees.  Our heart’s desires will get in alignment with His desires, and our heartbeat will become one with His as we move into action where He is at work. Suddenly, the disappointments and devastations of this present earth lose their hold when laid down at the feet of Jesus. They are sifted through the Promises of God, and the sting is shaken out.  What remains is uncontainable peace and joy … and lasting satisfaction.  The greater things of God push us past our human capabilities … to participating in the supernatural ~ the very gifts of God that He delights in favoring His children with!! 

Just what did He tell us we would be able to do?  Listen:  “I assure you, most solemnly I tell you, if anyone steadfastly believes in Me, he will himself be able to do the things that I do; and he will do even greater things than these, because I go to the Father.” (John 14:12)  And Jesus goes on to say in the next verse:  “And I will do [I Myself will grant] whatever you ask in My Name {as presenting that I AM], so that the Father may be glorified and extolled in (through) the Son.”  So, dear ones, our heartbreaking reactions of hopelessness need be no more.  We can run to Jesus, pursue Him, follow hard after Him, and experience all the greater things that God has just been waiting for us to participate in!  Whether we get to witness it – or it is something He wants us to do!  Wait no more ~ start doing!  Do you desire greater things?  Life on a whole new level with GOD awaits!

REMEMBER . . .

(Our Scripture theme verse at the birthing of Elevation North):

“Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine,

according to His power that is at work within us,

to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus

throughout all generations, forever and every!  Amen!”

~ Ephesians 3:20-21  

Joyfully Serving Christ . . .

Pastor Doug and Debbie

ELEVATION NORTH has NEWS for YOU!

LOVER OF OUR SOULS!  It is a bit … or a lot … difficult to imagine the very God of the universe loving insignificant little me – little us, in our wretched, lost, human state.  What, oh what could have attracted You to us, God; even persuaded You to take pity on us?  And even more so, to love us fully with an everlasting love?  Now, now … I would not say such a thing had I not already learned and experienced the amazing love of Christ that assures me that He sees me – as precious and priceless.  You see, His plan from before the beginning of time was that His love would provide a way to keep us from the death that He knew would otherwise send us to eternal punishment.  And He loved us that much while we were still sinners who were rejecting Him!  What kind of love is that?  His Word tells us in Romans 5:8, “But God clearly shows and proves His own love for us, by the fact that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”  He didn’t demand perfection before He would love us like that, because He knew that our capability to love like He does is not possible.  It is difficult for our minds to make sense of a Love that is so unlike human love which is often very conditional and demanding.  But accept it – and experience it once, or twice – or every day for the rest of your life … and you can and will attest that it is true and genuine – even indescribable!  Experience His love … and you will stand in awe of the Lover of your soul!

So, just how do we love others?  In this calendar season of love when the retail and greeting card stores are going crazy with everything heart-shaped and red … it might seem like an easy thing to spend some money and let the verses in the cards and the chocolates, balloons, and flowers do our talking for us!  At least, that is the plan!  😊  But what happens to the lovey-dovey words when the ooey-gooey chocolates have been consumed; when the balloon has drooped, and the flowers have wilted?  Do the words still ring true with how we live them out?  Or did we just waste our money for a feel-good experience that didn’t last?  There IS a way that we can live, if only we choose to!  And this is not a scripture verse, but the quote rings true to what scripture requires of us.  It says this, pure and simple:  “The more we stand in awe of God, the less we’ll stand in judgment of each other.” (Bob Goff)  I share this, because it works for every relationship:  spouses, parents and children, children and parents, siblings, extended family, friends, acquaintances, co-workers, and yes – even the relationship we share as a church family!  Living our lives with God present in every single moment increases our level of awareness of just how incredibly awesome our God truly is!  How can we not stand in awe?  And the more we experience the fact that God can do anything … the easier it is to lean on Him to help us reflect Him in everything we do.  In every relationship.  In the very moment we begin to strike out in judgment against someone else, God’s unconditional love comes telescoping into view and looms so large that we cannot help but see our judgments against others glaringly clear – and we are repulsed at our own actions!  Can we do this on our own?  No, surely not every single time!  But standing in awe of God, we will most surely see ourselves respond in a more Christ-like way to others whether their actions deserve our grace and mercy, or not.  Did WE deserve the grace and mercy Christ showed to us?  No … a million times NO!  But He gave it to us anyway!!  Can we strive to do any less with His promised help?

This past month of our church’s annual 21-day fast before God, I have been made so strikingly aware of God’s love!  His love has been exhibited in so many ways that I could never miss what He has been lavishing on not only me, but so many others like me that have come to Him in need of His supernatural intervention and favor.  So to honor Him for His amazing love, I share just a few of these life events (ours and others) and His divine answers.  He deserves ALL the glory and honor and praise that our lips can utter, exalting Him with thanksgiving from the depths of our souls!

Ø  Perfect results from a complete medical physical – first time after 11 years of no health insurance

Ø  Miraculous turnaround for a young person whose newly prescribed meds created a mental nightmare

Ø  Possible medical diagnoses were reported as non-existent – bringing hope and victory and a new lease on life

Ø  Confirmation in a dream from God that sharing the Gospel with someone made an eternal difference for them

Ø  And the list goes on and on …

God teaches us in His Word that certain things are changed only by prayer AND fasting; and in addition to whatever else was changed during the course of this fast – WE are transformed by the renewing of our minds!  WE stand all the more in awe of God!  And in this month of LOVE – WE are able to stand less in the judgment of others and love them MORE!  God, help us be ALL that You intended for us to be when You gave us the example of Your beautiful love and priceless Gift of Your only Son, Jesus!  We are eternally grateful!

REMEMBER . . .

“Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. 

Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love.”

~ I John 4:7-8  

Joyfully Serving Christ . . .

Pastor Doug and Debbie

ELEVATION NORTH has NEWS for YOU!

GOD WILL LIBERATE ~ in 2-0-1-8!  Do you believe that?!  God wants you to – and so do we!  We want you to believe it fully, completely, without reservation.  Opening our hearts to God, seeking His face and wanting to know His heart for this new year about to dawn, we have strongly sensed that He is planning to liberate what has been in captivity, in bondage, in strongholds – for so long.  For TOO long!  What the enemy has sought to bind and grip and stifle … is about to be loosed and set free!  Where there has been sin, there is going to be holiness.  Where there has been lack, there is going to be abundance!  Where there has been love of self, God is going to replace that with a “set on fire” love for Him – and for others!  Where there has been nonchalance, there is going to be passion!  Where there have been distractions, there is going to be focus!  When other things have crept in and shoved God out of first place in our lives, those things are going to be thrown down and removed off their earthly throne – because the only one on the throne of our lives is going to be … must ever and always be … the One and Only, the Lord Jesus Christ!  When confusion comes to blind and reign, God will now clear our vision and we will walk and live in spiritual discernment!  When we feel prompted to give to God but tend to hold back or not give at all, God is going to flush and replace those selfish tendencies that only hurt us – with a generous, willing heart to give to the One who has given us His ALL!  When we think we don’t have time to be in God’s Word or on our knees, God will give us such hunger and thirst for righteousness and knowing Him more intimately that we will NOT be able to stay away from that time in the presence of the Living God!  When we think we are not good enough and see ourselves as failures, God’s love is going to come rushing in like a flood, declaring to us that through His precious, shed blood on Calvary, He sees us as valuable, priceless, perfect overcomers!  And this just scratches the surface of what we believe God is going to do in 2018!

Do you see?  Do you see that God is going to turn things around?  Do you see that your worst is going to be transformed into your best?  Do you see that being stuck in stale-mate mode is over … and that your walk with God is never going to be the same?  Why would any of us want to be content with being bound in unseen chains?  While we may not see metal links wrapped around our bodies, the unseen chains have tightened around our minds for far too long – and God is saying, “Enough!  NO MORE!  THIS is the year that I am bringing liberation to My children and to My churches around the world!  That is … if they will let Me free them and unleash My plans, provision, power, and peace into their every day lives.  IF they will allow Me to have full sway in opening their eyes, in leading them through the darkness and into the Light (that’s Me) in everything they encounter on a daily basis.  It breaks My heart all over again to know that I gave My life’s blood to liberate them in the first place, and they brush it off so lightly, thinking they can maneuver through this chaotic life on their own.  They have no idea what all they are giving up when they choose to live life without Me being present and active in their days.  All I ever came to do was to give them life, and life more abundantly.  Life eternally.  When will they finally see that no one can love them more.  Help them more.  Give them more joy.  Teach them more.  Free them more.  Bless and favor them more.  No other – but Me!  I compel My children to open their hearts and minds and hands in this New Year of 2018 to receive everything I came to give them … all of it, fully, completely, without reservation!  Together we can be an immovable, unshakable, victorious force in this world – for My honor and glory!  But I need their invitation to be present in every facet of their lives … and in every aspect of their churches!  Dear children of God, I implore you to open your eyes and hearts and see Me like you’ve never seen Me before!  This year of 2-0-1-8 is a gift from Me to you … receive your liberation this very moment, and do not look back!  I love you, I love you … I’ve always loved you, and I always will!  Let’s live this year together and show the world My light!”

REMEMBER . . .

“Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, 

there is liberty (emancipation from bondage, freedom).”

~ 2 Corinthians 3:17  

Joyfully Serving Christ . . .

Pastor Doug and Debbie

ELEVATION NORTH has NEWS for YOU!

SIMPLY JESUS!  Is there ANYTHING simple any more in these days we are living in?  Most everyone on the face of the earth has probably voiced this question; and if not, at least thought it countless times!  Especially in the thick of frustration and stress.  Like when your long list just grows instead of getting shorter!!  And when whatever you are doing, just does not go right – or takes longer than you thought – or you have to go get a missing piece or part or ingredient so you can finish it up!  Sound familiar? 

We have just celebrated the extra-special opportunity to show our gratitude and thanksgiving during this special season, though in fact, every day should be Thanksgiving day for those who know and follow Christ!  And now we stand on the precipice of the retail glacier of Christmas, hoping against all odds that we will escape the coming avalanches of stress that include long lists for gift-giving and holiday meals, programs and parties, and those incessant sales flyers and e-mails and texts all vying for whatever cash we think we can part with.  Or heaven forbid, for how many times we will swipe those credit cards with a slippery slope of interest that will push us off the edge of the financial glacier and straight down into the crevice from where there is rare rescue!  Whew!  Does ANY of this sound like ANY scriptural account of Jesus’ birth and the true meaning of that first Christmas heralded in by the shouts and songs of the angels on that starry night o’er the fields outside of Bethlehem? 

In the escalating rise of the retailer’s greed for more profits from their skewed, kidnapped celebration of what they call Xmas … and in the surging rise of the consumer’s greed for more of everything stocked high on the shelves of the stores that won their first-place attention – Christmas is no longer sacred and for sure, no longer simple!  How did we get here?  How did the Christ of Christmas get trampled on and thrown out of the celebration we dare even equate with the birth of Christ?  The One who gave the most priceless, precious Gift ever given to mankind, is at most a fleeting thought in many homes.  And the gifts piled high are soon to be covered with a messy mountain of crumpled gift-wrap that has also covered any tiny reminder of the One who was sent as a Babe in a manger – to be our redemption and our promise of a forever future (when we choose Jesus as our Savior!).  For too many people nowadays, they are just glad to “survive” Christmas and then when reality hits, they must face the days to come trying to look up out of that deep, icy crevice they fell into when they began the craziness of it all two months earlier!

And so … this twisted view of celebrating Christ’s birth translates into a faith – or lack thereof, that somehow cannot see anything simple and pure anymore.  People assume that knowing Jesus has to be complicated, and following Him must be most difficult and stifling.  And so because they are blinded by the enemy through the ways of the world, they’ve long ago lost the beautiful, simple truth that Jesus came one night long ago … to save us!  When we grasp what we can of such a powerful, painful, loving plan by the Father to give us life eternal, we simply accept what His Son, Jesus, obediently came to offer us!  Anything less would be a gut-wrenching blow to the One who gave us such a sacrificial gift of totality – His all … His very life - with every drop of blood spilled out so that ours would not have to.  The most costly, precious gift we could choose for someone with all the love and personal meaning humanly possible … pales in comparison to the Gift that Jesus gave us.  And He gives it to us every day through the “good and perfect gifts” He provides; and through all the “benefits” that come with His salvation.  God’s plan was to make us joint-heirs with Jesus … sons and daughters of God, making us royalty; His plan was that the blood of His Son, Jesus, would not only save us, but heal us, set us free, empower us, give us wisdom and love and compassion, bring to us provision and abundance so we could share with those in need, teach us to live with joy in the midst of our trials, and to walk in His peace and with His comfort.  And sooo much more! 

All we will ever need in this life on earth to be who He created us to be … was gift-wrapped in the flesh of God’s Son!  THAT’S what the celebration of Christmas is for those of us who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, the forgiveness of our sins, and in Life Everlasting!  A gift like that cannot be contained in any box or held within any wrapping.  It bursts forth fresh and new each day, filled with God’s grace and mercy … a gift that goes on living for as long as we have breath here on this earth!  And then … it goes on living forever in our Heavenly home as we live in the presence and glory of God, our Father, Jesus, His Son and our Savior, and the Holy Spirit, our Comforter and Guide ~ who are ONE!  We are blessed beyond words and comprehension; but God offered us the opportunity to understand and accept this Gift of His love so that we could live each day, making it all about Jesus . . . SIMPLY JESUS!  We invite you to do the same.  If you have never felt loved or valued before, we pray that now you do.  And if you have never said “yes” to this Gift of all gifts – then simply tell Jesus that you want Him to be your Lord and Savior.  From this moment on, your life will never be the same, and you will finally understand the Real Reason for the Christmas Season:  Jesus’ birth, His death, and His resurrection!  The Gift that was hand-picked and personally chosen just for YOU!  Celebrate Jesus with us!!

REMEMBER . . .

“He who did not withhold or spare (even) His own Son but gave Him up for us all, 

will He not freely and graciously give us all (other) things?” ~ Romans 8:32

“Every good and every perfect (free, large, full) gift is from above; 

it comes down from the Father of all (that gives) light … “ ~ James 1:17  

Joyfully Serving Christ . . .

Pastor Doug and Debbie

ELEVATION NORTH has NEWS for YOU!

BEING INTENTIONAL.  SEEING & HEARING WITH INTENTIONALITY.  FOLLOWING CHRIST & WALKING WITH HIM INTENTIONALLY.  LIVING & LOVING INTENTIONALLY!!!  Is there any other way?  Most definitely, but none that can compare to living life out like God intended for us to!  Yes, God Himself was also intentional and still is.  If the God of the universe thinks it’s a good idea to live intentionally, then probably we should, too!  A few weeks ago when visiting our son and his wife and their family in Michigan, they had tickets to a marriage conference at their church on Sunday evening, and knowing we were coming, they purchased two extra tickets for us!  It is quite an amazing thing to sit in a marriage conference with three generations of your family!  The presentation and content was delightful and powerful … yes, even life-changing (relationship-changing) when you make the decision to love your spouse intentionally. 

So what does this one word I keep using really mean and why should we integrate it into every aspect of our lives?  I believe that anything we do gets done because we used some level of intentionality … but nothing gets accomplished without it.  That goes for everything in our lives!  It especially needs to be implemented in these days, when with the dawning of each new day we discover life is crazier than it was the day before!  Without living an intentional faith in the living God, we have nothing to anchor ourselves to.  Nothing at all.  Other than God, who always has been, who is, and who will always be . . . everything and everyone else will someday fail us.  He in the only “everlasting” there is in an ever-changing world!  Who of us doesn’t want to feel safe and secure, peaceful and assured?  And who of us does not long for simpler days and more time with our family and friends? 

There’s one place and one way we can experience those genuine longings of the heart.  The place is found when sitting at the feet of Jesus … and the way is opened up when we communicate with our Father in heaven.  But instead of running to Him only for the purpose of asking – even demanding (which gets us no where!), how about following the example Jesus set out for us to follow?  The heart of God loves hearing us come with words of praise and affirmation on our lips.  When we acknowledge who He is, according to His Word, a new level of relationship is set into motion.  We recognize and understand His character and traits more than we did, and the longings of His heart become more real to us as He reveals them to us.  What if instead of asking for what we want, we would take time to listen to the heart of God and actually ask HIM what is on His heart?  What matters to Him?  He would love to tell us … when we really want to know.  Secondly, God loves a grateful heart!  Coming before our God with expressions of gratitude for all He has already accomplished for us and provided for us opens up the gateway to heaven and back to us again!  Being thankful activates an open conduit from our heart to God’s ~ and from His heart to ours.  We send our thanksgiving upward, and blessings begin to pour downward through this passageway and right into our lives.  Which is as it should be, right?  Any healthy and vibrant relationship is nurtured when both people involved communicate with each other in love and respect, and with gratitude and gifts of the heart.  So, each of us in our human state and God in His divine nature are no different.  So why settle for a scaled-back, meager, survival-only type of relationship with our Lord and Savior when we can have the most rewarding, intimate, amazing connection possible?  After all, we are in Him – and He is in us!  Would you rather have a lackluster and distant connection to God … or would you prefer a passionate relationship that causes you to be engaged in conversation and a shared life of daily experiences with the One who loves you more than anyone on earth or heaven – can or ever will?  Want to hear His voice?  See Him in action?  Learn at His feet?  Feel the closeness of His very presence?  Experience His gifts beyond measure?  Then wait no longer.  You need to make an intentional decision right now to begin living in the very presence of God!  Oh yes, it takes practice for all of us – we are so easily distracted by so much.  Soon we’ve drifted far from the presence of God.  But dear ones, He is waiting, and drawing us back again … and in His presence every longing and desire of our heart that glorifies Him will be found!  Make your intentional decision today to practice the presence of God!

REMEMBER . . .

“Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving; 

let us make a joyful noise to Him with songs of praise!” 
~ Psalm 95:2

“Enter into His gates with thanksgiving and a thank offering and into His courts with praise!

Be thankful and say so to Him, bless and affectionately praise His name!

For the Lord is good; His mercy and loving-kindness and truth endure to all generations.” 
~ Psalm 100:4-5

“Seek, inquire of and for the Lord, and crave Him and His strength 
(His might and inflexibility to temptation);

seek and require His face and His presence (continually) evermore.” 
~ Psalm 105:4

Joyfully Serving Christ . . .

Pastor Doug and Debbie

ELEVATION NORTH has NEWS for YOU!

NO LONGER SCARED OF OUR OWN VOICES!  Does that describe you?  Or do you just wish it did?!  Has the craziness of this world silenced your voice in recent days (or years)?  Or has the increasing volume of evil and disrespect stirred up your voice to a rising roar that will set the enemy back on its heels?  You have power, you know!  I am just reminding you of that fact!  In fact, if you have Christ IN you, then you have all the power you need to activate the voice He has given you for such a time as this!!  You don’t have to be a certain age or a specific race, have a specified amount of wealth or live on the right side of town.  You can be a child or an elderly person – or any age in between.  You can be any race, any color that God has created.  You can be homeless, penniless – or have amassed worldly fortunes.  You can live in a tent, a shack – or reside in a huge home or a mansion.  None of that matters; none of that defines who you are!  But your voice does!  Your voice proclaims who you are … loud and clear!  Your silence can shout, and your words can whisper.  But NOW is not the time for us to remain silent on what is truth according to God’s Word.  And now IS the time for our words to resonate boldly and clearly … beginning in our homes with our families.  In our churches and communities, standing up for what God says is right.  In our local and state and national governments, making the truth of God the deciding factor in policies and procedures and laws.  May our words be backed up by our actions, until they reverberate around the world, etching truth and love and kindness on every heart in every culture … like Jesus did! 

Jesus spoke the truth of God in love, but clearly and resolutely.  He did not whitewash what the Father sent Him to say.  And He did not back down on what the Father sent Him to do.  He was focused and followed through.  He spoke the message of the Gospel without reservation.  He did not change the message depending what crowd He was speaking to.  Neither did His disciples.  They echoed the very words of Jesus, and they shared them unashamedly.  Even to death.  Nothing or no one could deter them.  Oh, they failed at times – but they ran right back to Jesus.  Because while circumstances changed, and their risk-of-ridicule or risk-for-death was at a high level – their call to follow Christ was kept intact when they kept their eyes on Him.  They saw and experienced the life of Jesus and could prove first-hand that He does not change.  He is true to His Word that says He is the same yesterday, today, and forever.  They could count on Him, that they knew!  And we can, as well!  The disciples and followers of Jesus saw Him live His life in obedience to His Father in heaven, all the way to the Cross!  No one had ever seen such a love before.  It was impossible to fully grasp.  Our minds cannot comprehend a love that gives up its own life for another.  But our hearts can receive such a love!  A love that paid the penalty of death for our own sins should set us on fire and move us to immediate action.  To an action that does not fade or flicker out over time.  An action that once set in motion by the very acceptance of this love, should grow stronger as it continues to be lived out through our devotion to the One who gave us His all!  You know, we cannot ever do enough … or be enough … to match up to what Jesus did for us.  And that is not what He asks us to do.  He only calls us to follow Him once we’ve received Him.  “Follow” is an action verb.  It means we will be engaged in God’s Kingdom work for as long as He gives us breath!  To all He calls us to do.  What He calls us to, He will empower us to do.  We need not fear – anything or anyone!  We only need to embrace the VOICE that God has given us to live life like He meant us to:  ON PURPOSE! 

Each new day brings new God-opportunities!  New God-appointments!  Are you ready?  Have you bathed your new day in prayer?  Are you walking out into these never-before-lived hours in God’s anointing and covered with His precious blood, His Spirit providing you with power and protection and peace?  You don’t go alone!  And you should never attempt to.  You will fall flat on your face – you will sink.  But, dear ones, I am telling you that WITH Him, there is NOTHING you cannot do!  Never forget that “greater is He that is IN you, than he that is in the world!”  The power of the enemy of our souls does not hold a candle to the power we have with CHRIST IN US!  That truth should be enough to cause us to use our voice – our GOD-GIVEN VOICE … for His honor and His glory and His Kingdom purposes in these days!  Go on now – speak God’s message in the boldness and power that is yours!  And stand tall in His love and His truth!  No more being scared of your own voice!

REMEMBER . . .

“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 righteousness and justice.”

~ Isaiah 41:10  

Joyfully Serving Christ . . .

Pastor Doug and Debbie

ELEVATION NORTH has NEWS for YOU!

LOVE!  I really love how God has been showing Himself lately.  For all the world to see.  Me included.  This past Monday, though, He really showed up in a spectacular way!  While many in the masses had planned to view a solar eclipse either in totality or partial totality – they missed the memo that God was showing up and putting His glory on display!  Their intent was to travel miles and miles to take in at the most, less than 3 minutes at its peak, an event that they equated with Mother Earth, or science, or rare happenstance.  They desired to be present at the best cross-roads appearance of solar and lunar objects in the sky in a dazzling, blinding line-up that will never again happen in just that same way during their life-time.  But what really happened here in America as that solar eclipse sped across a curved path o’er our nation?  While I was not able to witness the best view since our spot on the map held us to a partial eclipse shrouded in clouds and overcast skies, I was gripped by the varied responses around our country as to what they experienced.  And, by those around the world – since we now can all see the same thing at the same time, in real time!  Emotions ran high, and at the moment that everyone had waited for … there were gasps, screams, cheers, whistles, high fives, pure silence, and tears.  The day-time skies hit the off-switch.  And darkness covered the earth and reigned. 

A friend who had traveled from Minnesota to Alliance, Nebraska called to give me a view through her eyes.  She shared that the transformation from daylight to the darkness of the totality of the eclipse was breathtaking and mesmerizing.  As she peered into the dark sky, the sun turned pure black with only the skinny, sizzling ring of the sun’s fiery glow bordering it.  It was like time stopped.  She did not want to move or let anything distract her from drinking in every second of the unbelievably spectacular sight.  As she gazed upward, the darkness chilled the air to the point that she slowly and silently reached for her sweater to warm her shivering arms.  Looking through the protective glasses and staring upward, she told me that the black, light-ringed circle looked so very black that it gave the appearance of being a circular portal that one could walk right through and into heaven.  She had taken one photo before totality began, and it was such a far cry from the first-hand view available to all who watched, she never touched her phone camera again.  She knew she would remember … always!  The sight was forever etched in her mind’s eye.  And the sense of something too amazing for words taking place caused goose-bumps to race up and down her arms time and time again.  Why?  Why were some people moved to tears?  Well, simply put, because it was much more than just a total solar eclipse.  God showed up on the stage of the heavens to declare His latest display of handiwork, and He wanted everyone to see … this amazing sign, this incredible wonder. It wasn’t Mother Earth.  It was Father God.  It wasn’t mere science.  It was supernatural.  And it definitely was not happenstance.  It was planned down to split-second perfection for the unforgettable, center-stage performance He intended it to be!  And I believe this event is the “opener” for even greater things to come in this present season that we are living in.  Get ready, people, and be waiting and watching.  And get engaged in what God is doing!  He is definitely up to something. 

LOVE!  I really love how God has been showing Himself lately.  For all of us to see.  Me included.  God showed up at Elevation North last Sunday morning – (you know, we specifically invite Him … and He always shows up!) - and that carried over into someone asking to meet with us later in the evening.  The individual spoke a word to us that he felt God wanted him to share.  He stated, “I know you both have been in ministry a long time, and I know you know how to love.  I see you sharing and giving love.”  But he went on to declare and encourage us “to love, really love, like God is calling you two to love in these days.”  You know, that truly resonated in our hearts, because we can speak the most powerful messages from God’s Word to those around us – in the church and outside the church.  But without the love of God, those words fall on deaf ears.  Words spoken with the love of Christ opens the ears and hearts of people needing to hear His magnificent offer of a life forever with Him!  This August 21^st, 2017 … we stood gazing up into the sky at heavenly objects.  Some day, yet unknown, people will once again stand gazing up into the sky when the trumpet sounds and we see our Lord Jesus Christ come breaking through the clouds to meet us in the air!  If we are His child, we will live with Him forever in our new heavenly home.  And if we are not His child, our screams will echo with all the others when the tortures of a living hell reaches our senses – and there will no longer be one more opportunity to say “yes” to the offer that Jesus made us when He gave His very life for us.  Please, please, because I love you and I care … if you have not yet said “yes” to Jesus – TODAY IS THE DAY!  Please say “yes” today, right now!  We want to spend all of Eternity with you ~ in the presence of our Lord God!  (Acts 1:1, I Thess. 4:16-17, Mark 13:32-33)

REMEMBER . . .

“When we stand before God one day, I don’t think He’s going to pat us on the back

for how well we debated fellow Christians on ‘theology.’ 
But rather, He’ll vigorously embrace us for how well we loved our enemies, forgave one another,

served those less fortunate and shared the Gospel of Jesus Christ with the lost.”

(taken from #myopinion  #GoodNewsFeed) 

Joyfully Serving Christ . . .

Pastor Doug and Debbie