Testimonies and Cool Stories
Let's hear em and share 'em
posted by Vineyard @ 5:09 PM
25 Comments
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The Vineyard Kingston
Welcome to the Community Bulletin Board. This is a place for people to connect with eachother. We've started some basic categories, feel free to post a comment within the appropriate one and see where things go.
25 Comments:
this is my attempt to post a little
this is my reply to whatv the first person replied
Hey I Can offer a cimment
OK, so cool story:
We finally have a cool website! Something attractive and useful and easy to use! WOW! Thanks Ed!!!
I totally agree with Joe. We love the new website. We thank you for all your time and effort that you give to the church! -Kathy G.
Dude, this thing needs some advertising. This is pathetic. Where's our sense of online community? Are we content to simply share our lives with one another directly at home groups, dinners, prayer meetings, and other get togethers? Why would I speak to someone directly where they could read by body language and hear the inflection of my voice and really understand me, when I can just communicate with cold electronic words from an emotionally safe distance and not even leave my real name?
First time blogger here. I would like to just share with everyone what a great Father we have. My daughter who chose to leave with her dad when he left the marital home called and asked to come home on December 17th. Our God is sooo good. I have prayed unceasingly for the last two years (almost to the day she returned) I did not preassure her. I put it in God's hands and she is home! Amen!
So evryone out there who may be hoping that their loved ones come back home. Be diligent in your prayer life and ask for God's will. He will answer, in His time.But he will answer.
I will now everyone for Caitlin to return to church. She has a great faith but was disolutioned with the divorce.
All i can say is awesome thats how i feel with the vineyard church you folks are helping me out more than you could ever imagine Im on the road to healing all the wounds of my childhood and adulthood i thank everyone for helping me in my walk with jesus and helping me deal with the anxiety and pain of past things and a big thanks to to paul lundren john hernandez and his future wife for there help
oh left one thing out it was my cry to god i asked if he would help me in my walk and he answered my prayers by bringing me to the vineyard church it brings tears to my eyes that god loves me more than i could ever imagine to come from a background of sorrow and pain it refreshes my soul and makes me want to leap for joy for i once was lost but now im found in the loving arms of christ words cannot explain the freedom im feeling inside me now it makes me shout for joy it sets a song in my heart it makes me love others as christ has loved me it helps me be the dad the christ would want me to be i hope that the lord would send someone to me that would join with me to be one flesh and live happily
Great to hear these reports and to see that people are using this blog! Gary, we're glad you're here!
-ed
Test
Is this the Question?
Up to this point, my life has been more like a see saw then probably anything else. Reaching high and banging my head against the boundry of this age and the age to come "Gods Kingdom". I would not exactly call this "Kingdom Breakthrough. Then spiralling down at a pretty good clip and slamming onto the floor of this evil age and tasting Hell. When it burns enough I start the asscension once again. Dr. Larry Crabb put it this way - "God's Spirit gives us a fuller experience of Christ to the degree that we are willing to face terrifying truths about ourselves and life, truths that will either destroy us or drive us to trust in the Lord. To every Christian, the Holy Spirit reveals just enough about God to support the next level of personal honesty.
If we choose to face the difficult realities the Holy Spirit enables us to face, he then grants a fuller vision of God that permits the process to continue. If we turn from those realities, refusing to believe that God can keep us intact no matter what pain we feel, the Spirit is quenched. He reveals no more of God to us". There is no doubt in my mind that I have reached this breaking Point. The see saw can't take the pressure anymore. And honestly and more to the point either can I. I am either going to crash and burn or I an going to jump into the arms of Jesus. Through His Grace, just for today, I am choosing the latter. But something is different this time. I'm realizing that there are bungy cords tied to this present evil age and the see saw. And as long as I am holding onto the things of this world, living a life of purpose and passion for Gods Kingdom will never become what it is meant to be. I'm realizing that all of my shame comes from my continuous failing efforts at obedience. In desperation I sought out Intimacy with christ first. Now, obedience is not something that I dread, but welcome. It's a terrifying privelage and honour. He gives us what we need to overcome. I tried to live luke warm and guess what, yup I got spit out. Our passion for knowing God must be above every other desire in our lives or we have missed it. L. Crabb- "To every christian, the Holy Spirit reveas just enough about God to support the next level of Personal honesty". I realize that there are more bungy's I don't see yet. But we need to cut the ones we can see. And pray for more to be revealed.
AND HERE LIES THE PROBLEM
We can't cut them through our own power. And just in case we have'nt caught on yet the bungies are sin. We need to realize the extent of our brokenness. This is what we need to come to terms with. For some, our sins are right out there for the world to see. Lately for me, those have been dropping like flys. For some, our sins ore more hidden. But God has been showing me a new and deeper level of sin in my life. The sins of the heart. Our attitude of sin. These are at the core of our brokenness. Pride, greed, envy and selfishness, just to name a few. These are the sins that we are a afraid to let go of. These are the sins that we are terrified of being exposed. And at the core of those sins is our greatest sin. Our doubt in God and his goodness. Our doubt that if we give these things to him that he will give us the true desires of out heart. We will find this process a little less terrifying when we realize that whether or not someone wants to admit it we are all in this same place. Allready BUT Notyet! The cat's out of the bag. We need Jesus, or we are gonna die. We need to put down pride and pickup humility. And what will help even more is when we give up our pursuit of self-ambition and self-discovery and self this and self that. And replace it with the pursuit a intimate relationship with God. He will provide All the answers, healing, joy, and peace that we so desperately squirm to find. When we as individuals can get honest and bring into the light our inabilities, inadequacies, despair, doubt and utter depravity of living in a fallen world. Then we have taken the first step in allowing the Spirit of God to come in and work miracles in our lives beyound our wildest dreams. (Jas 2: 14-26) The miracle of selfless and joyfull service to God manifested in the world. And when we can come together as a church with this attitude of repentance, well that sounds like the beginning of renewal and revival to me. I'm not callig this an "extreme faith view" or a guaranteed formula to bring the Spirit of God. God will not be mocked. I'm simply saying that we need to cooperate with his plan and this looks like to me the best place to not only start but to remain. The first time Wimber invited Lonnie Frisby to speak he did so. When he was done he asked the Holy Spirit for forgiveness for the way the church had grieved him, and then he said "come Holy Spirit" and there was an outpouring. In the very small amount of study of this subject that I have done it seems to me, that this humble, repentant attitude before God was at the foundation.
So now in conclusion, I ask: Is this the question?
Have we "The American Church" been lulled to sleep. Is the realization of our condition and the need for daily honest, humble confession and repentance of our pride before God and the church the very thing that we need to be focusing on? Is this the key to allowing God's supernatural power and Grace to work in our lives?
I would love to here what people think of this. Thank you for reading, and may are prayers continue to be for Gods Blessing on VCF Kinston and the Leaders God has put in place, Amen
Right on! 2 Chronicles 14:7 If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways: then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and heal their land.
Thanks for the honest vulnerability, Joe! Living life(or desiring to) of a Christ-follower is quite a journey but Jesus came knowing the struggles we'd experience (see Isaiah 61). We need a caring community that fosters authentic spiritual transformation. Take a look at www.theodyssey.org as a great tool for such an adventure. A couple of readings that have helped are Henri Nouwen's "In the Name of Jesus" and David Benner's "Desiring God's Will".
The most basic question we can continue to ask ourselve's is the same one Jesus asked the paralytic at the pool of Bethesda......."Do you WANT to get well?" What are the implications of the question and the situation?
Bless you on your journey and thanks for your willingness to reach out - there's helaing in that too!
Scott,
Thanks for the response. And thank you for the resources, I will absolutely check them out. I think I'm going to try to respond to your second question first. You said- "The most basic question we can continue to ask ourselve's is the same one Jesus asked the paralytic at the pool of Bethesda.......["Do you WANT to get well?"] [What are the implications of the question and the situation?"] First off, I think we are talking about the same thing when we ask "Do you WANT to get well? We are speaking of our sin sickness and not the physical handicap. This is the very question that I have been thinking so much about lately. How do we reach people that may not even realize that they need/want help? I'm not only speaking of salvation but also sanctification, and ultimately becoming a desciple of jesus that is willing to live there lives souly for Gods purposes. Well the obvious choice is Love and everything that is Love.
You said "We need a caring community that fosters authentic spiritual transformation." Hopefully that is something that we have found. And hopefully we are continueing to become more of an active part of bringing "Gods Kingdom" to wherever we are at. Church, home, workplace, neiborhood etc; For myself, I have never been more sure of where God is calling me when it comes to being part of a "caring community that fosters authentic spiritual transformation" I think again what we are talking about is genuine Love that can come from only one place, jesus. In the words of John Wimber, "I did'nt realize that I wanted to become a member of the vinyard, I realized that I am vinyard." :) And I Do realize that kingston would be a tough commute for you from morgan hill, Ca. :) Gods Love for us leads to repentance, this is true. But somehow "In Love" I think we need to be available for God to use us to draw people gently into repentance. I think that this word scares people. But repentance is a gift from God. And as we grow closer to him, we realize how much more we really do need this gift to allow him to work in our lives. It is the foundation of humility. Bottom line, we need to find away to help people realize just how deep our broken condition runs. And at the same time assuring them of Gods endless Love for us. This will lead to a life lived for Jesus.
Hey this blogg idea is great. Maybe our next venture on line for the vineyard kingston should be posting videos of our great worship team singing out to GOD. or even a connection link to U TUBE Seth Andreson's new songs.... When I hear new stuff at church in music that speaks to my spirit, I want to keep drinking it in. I am trying to wait patiently for Seth yo release a new CD but it's hard. Also Roy Gerndhart has some new stuff out. We are so blessed in Kingston to have such gifted and dedicated worship leaders, singers& musicians. Let's spread the wealth.
First: Ed, is there a way to make a seperate thread for Joe Marcel's blog?
Then: Hey Joe! This is deep! I started treading water at "bungie cords". The rest was too much to think about at the time... but I will return to it.
Are the bungie cords sin or our sinful nature? I understand the metaphor, but I wonder if there is a danger in concentrating too much on the sin if it is presented that way. You got to the point about relationship with God - which is the goal - but also the means with which our sinful nature is changed. I think focusing on sin lead can to legalism; though I agree with you that as God reveals it - deal with it. Your writing, as encouraging and sober as it was, seemed somewhat sad and like you were beating yourself up.
The whole shame thing messed up my thinking too... although my ideas on it may be "pop christianity". I wonder if guilt and shame is neccessary to aquire the proper attitude for repentance? Maybe anger at our current state is helpful? Maybe jealousy for God's reputation? Maybe love for others?
Joe thats awesome. That is exactly what I was hoping for. A little dialogue goes a long way. I am really tired but can't wait to take some time to read and consider your thoughts, THANK YOU
jm
Joe, Ok first off it would probably do all of us, especially me a great justice if we moved beyond the see saws and bungi cords. That was an attempt at being somewhat creative and witty.
At any rate, the bungi cords were a reference to sin and not the nature of sin. More specifically, I was referring to several sinfull addictions and patterns that I had given myself over to, some up to very recently. Again the "DRAMATIC TRANSFORMATION" that I have experienced is like none I have ever known. It is the result of admitting complete defeat and coming to jesus seeking first, an intimate relationship with him. As a result dependency and obedience follow. The bad passions are being replaced with the passion to know God, my sin nature IS being transformed. It has to be this way. When we try to be obedient first or depend on jesus without trusting him it all falls apart. That is legalism. We can not try to live life trying to please God thru our performance. This causes shame as a result of our constant failure. It is only by faith that we can please God. When we realize and accept our brokenness and come before God willing to give him our lives, that is when we truly realize how deep his love and mercy for us runs. That is where grattitude comes from. And then finally because of our grattitude for His loving kindness, we repent. Also you said "I wonder if guilt and shame is neccessary to aquire the proper attitude for repentance?" I would just say to this as we do mature in the ways of God that we can reach an attitude of humility thru wisdom, we do not have to take the road of guilt and shame.
Now can somebody please explain to me the difference between
"The Emergent Church" and
"The Emerging Church"
Its been awesome to talk to you joe, even if we are communicating with cold electronic words. Maybe someday one of us will get the courage to call the other and invite him to lunch or something.
anyhoo peace to you,
your brother joe
"Is there anybody out there"
hmmm finally some blog posting i was kinda feeling all alone keep em coming ima thirsty indivdual glory to god in the highest
-Question-
When we suggest to people to live by all these "spiritual principles" ie; selflessness, gentleness, generosity, love, honesty self-sacrafice for the good of mankind etc; without themselves having experienced the unconditional, unending, perfect love, forgiveness, kindness etc; without a relationship with the source, are we not setting these people up for failure? Is it possible for someone to empty themselves of self and live for others without knowing that we are loved by the "Selfless One" Himself?
We aren't suggesting to anyone to live by these principles. Jesus asks His followers to do these things; they are not expected from those who cannot understand them.
Also, this specific thread is for "testimonies and cool stories". Perhaps such discussions should be made elsewhere?
Point well taken, I have been wrestling with a few things as of late. I also have a tendency to generalize and leave important details out from time to time. So I can see how the statement/question I presented could be confusing. I do appologize for offending anybody. A "little" more specifically, this question is a question of our "Emergence" as the "American Church" moves into the 21rst century and how we present the Gospel. It's no secret that like anything on this side of heaven there are problems. And there are good things and not so good things when it comes to "The Emerging Church" and "The Emergent Church" (still trying to understand the difference) movement. I also have a bad habbit of forgetting to balance off a point that I'm trying to make. So I will say that I think we're doing alot more things rite than we are wrong. I look forward to watching God work everyday, and these are exciting times. Anyway if I can't wrestle here at home, then where?
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