And so the prayer continues; however, its purpose has changed. My prayer for Winter Retreat was that we would see both healing and unity, and I have seen immense amounts of both of those happen in Winter Retreat and persisting through even now. Praise God, for broken relationships and hearts who had been back stabbed and betrayed were healed. A conflict and a pain that was years old was resolved once and for all, and for the first time in 6 months, I sleep with an easy heart and an easy mind because things are finally good and getting better.
My biggest prayer now is for the continuation of this Feeling, this Passion, and this Love. Jimmy said at camp that if it fades it wasn't God, and I've gone to several camps and several times at youth group where everyone gets really emotional and the worship is great. God truly does move in those times, but I feel like we open ourselves up to God. Yet, when He starts trying to fix us, we close ourselves up again and shove Him away. I pray that won't happen this time. I pray that this Love would continue and further, that it would spread into our families and into our schools. I pray that it would be so much more than just a “camp high!” I pray that it would be a Reformation.
This past week has gone by so quickly to me. I can't remember much from it from school and things like that, but I do remember that I've felt like I've been floating, like I've been flying. I may seem a bit out of things, but I feel like I'm weightless, floating 10 feet off the ground. What I want to do is becoming what I do and what I don't want to do is becoming what I don't do. I look at the people in this youth group now, and I see a light. I pray that light would never fade, not just for us, but for Nathan. He has come to us at a bad time and in a slump and hasn't seen us at our highs and at our greatest points of exemplifying the unalienable Love that is Christ's Love. I pray that he would begin to see in us what we're really like, who we really are, and I pray that each of us would be able to show that to him.
God, coming off of Winter Retreat, immediately things have changed drastically for me and for a lot of other people, and I haven't stopped praying since. Life is becoming complicated and challenging again, and it's more than welcome. “You're growing,” You say. I believe that, and I'm excited for it. Since Jimmy mentioned his 40-Day Fast and how close it brought him to You, I've been feeling challenged to one of my own. I want You to be what sustains me and nothing else. I love You, and You are all I need. Starting tomorrow morning, I will not eat any solid food for 40 Days as I delve into an intensive time of prayer and drawing nearer to You, God, and I'm not worried or concerned about a thing. I'm confident and excited to see what You will bring to the table and to see all the things You will show me. I simply cannot wait.
Jon Rarick
1.24.2008
1.17.2008
40 Days - Day 40
"And when you come before God, don't turn that into a theatrical production either. All these people making a regular show out of their prayers, hoping for stardom! Do you think God sits in a box seat?"
"Here's what I want you to do: Find a quiet, secluded place so you won't be tempted to role-play before God. Just be there as simply and honestly as you can manage. The focus will shift from you to God, and you will begin to sense his grace."
"The world is full of so-called prayer warriors who are prayer-ignorant. They're full of formulas and programs and advice, peddling techniques for getting what you want from God. Don't fall for that nonsense. This is your Father you are dealing with, and he knows better than you what you need. With a God like this loving you, you can pray very simply. Like this:
Our Father in heaven,
Reveal who you are.
Set the world right;
Do what's best— as above, so below.
Keep us alive with three square meals.
Keep us forgiven with you and forgiving others.
Keep us safe from ourselves and the Devil.
You're in charge!
You can do anything you want!
You're ablaze in beauty!
Yes. Yes. Yes.”
-Matthew 6:5-13 (The Message)
No one says it better than Christ…so let this be our earnest request. Would you please go to your quiet place, refuge, and speak this prayer aloud and in agreement with me? There’s just something about praying aloud. In His LOVE…your sister
Our Father in heaven,
Reveal who you are.
Set the world right;
Do what's best— as above, so below.
Keep us alive with three square meals.
Keep us forgiven with you and forgiving others.
Keep us safe from ourselves and the Devil.
You're in charge!
You can do anything you want!
You're ablaze in beauty!
Yes. Yes. Yes.
Let it be so Father!
Brooklyn Watson
"Here's what I want you to do: Find a quiet, secluded place so you won't be tempted to role-play before God. Just be there as simply and honestly as you can manage. The focus will shift from you to God, and you will begin to sense his grace."
"The world is full of so-called prayer warriors who are prayer-ignorant. They're full of formulas and programs and advice, peddling techniques for getting what you want from God. Don't fall for that nonsense. This is your Father you are dealing with, and he knows better than you what you need. With a God like this loving you, you can pray very simply. Like this:
Our Father in heaven,
Reveal who you are.
Set the world right;
Do what's best— as above, so below.
Keep us alive with three square meals.
Keep us forgiven with you and forgiving others.
Keep us safe from ourselves and the Devil.
You're in charge!
You can do anything you want!
You're ablaze in beauty!
Yes. Yes. Yes.”
-Matthew 6:5-13 (The Message)
No one says it better than Christ…so let this be our earnest request. Would you please go to your quiet place, refuge, and speak this prayer aloud and in agreement with me? There’s just something about praying aloud. In His LOVE…your sister
Our Father in heaven,
Reveal who you are.
Set the world right;
Do what's best— as above, so below.
Keep us alive with three square meals.
Keep us forgiven with you and forgiving others.
Keep us safe from ourselves and the Devil.
You're in charge!
You can do anything you want!
You're ablaze in beauty!
Yes. Yes. Yes.
Let it be so Father!
Brooklyn Watson
1.16.2008
40 Days - Day 39
Send Me
Imagine: Not having a car. Not being able to hang out with friends. Not having Starbucks. No shopping centers. No chance of an education, not even grammar school. No ipods. No internet. No running water. No plumbing. No electricity. Walking…walking…walking…no shoes, sharp rocks, broken glass, hot surfaces, muddy walkways, rough calloused injured feet… A one room house resting on the edge of a cliff, shared by you and your four siblings and parents and even extended family. There is only one mattress in the corner, resting on unlevel boxes or crates. The bathroom is outside the house, a hole in the ground covered by a crate to keep out the stench and the flies. You must be careful because if you make one wrong step, you could fall off the cliff. Working…working...working… You do not get to go to school because your family needs food to eat; so you must work. There aren’t any kids in the neighborhood to play with because they are working. Water is collected in a barrel and used for drinking, washing dishes and washing clothes. Bathing is dependent on rain… The air is heavy with the smell of pollution, garbage, raw sewage and cooking food. Your stomach hurts… You have worms. Your teeth hurt; you have no dentist. You are hungry. You find a half eaten apple, take a few bites and save the rest for your sister.
You are envious. There is a home in the area that has cinderblock walls and running water. The children go to school. They get to play. They get a meal. How did they get so lucky?
Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for Us?” And I said, “Here am I. Send me!” –Isaiah 6:8 NIV
IT is not luck. It is hearing the voice of the Lord… and obeying.
Mr. Alvaro was a successful architect in Guatemala City, Guatemala. When he heard the voice of the Lord, his heart was broken for the poor and the lost of his country, where poverty ravages 98% of the population. He started a church to help change families and a school to impact future generations.
The People’s Church heard the voice of the Lord and began a partnership to help Pastor Alvaro. A church was built. A School was built. Lives were changed in Guatemala and in Franklin, TN. Mission trips continued providing medical and dental care, sports camps, church, school and home construction.
Fathers heard the voice of the Lord; fathers went.
Sons and Daughters heard the voice of the Lord; they went.
Friends heard the voice of the Lord; friends went.
Pastor Alvaro’s vision --changing his country from darkness to light by impacting one family at a time—is changing his country and the people of The People's Church as they each have placed their "Yes" on the table… “Here am I. Send me!”
Mary Clay Estes
Imagine: Not having a car. Not being able to hang out with friends. Not having Starbucks. No shopping centers. No chance of an education, not even grammar school. No ipods. No internet. No running water. No plumbing. No electricity. Walking…walking…walking…no shoes, sharp rocks, broken glass, hot surfaces, muddy walkways, rough calloused injured feet… A one room house resting on the edge of a cliff, shared by you and your four siblings and parents and even extended family. There is only one mattress in the corner, resting on unlevel boxes or crates. The bathroom is outside the house, a hole in the ground covered by a crate to keep out the stench and the flies. You must be careful because if you make one wrong step, you could fall off the cliff. Working…working...working… You do not get to go to school because your family needs food to eat; so you must work. There aren’t any kids in the neighborhood to play with because they are working. Water is collected in a barrel and used for drinking, washing dishes and washing clothes. Bathing is dependent on rain… The air is heavy with the smell of pollution, garbage, raw sewage and cooking food. Your stomach hurts… You have worms. Your teeth hurt; you have no dentist. You are hungry. You find a half eaten apple, take a few bites and save the rest for your sister.
You are envious. There is a home in the area that has cinderblock walls and running water. The children go to school. They get to play. They get a meal. How did they get so lucky?
Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for Us?” And I said, “Here am I. Send me!” –Isaiah 6:8 NIV
IT is not luck. It is hearing the voice of the Lord… and obeying.
Mr. Alvaro was a successful architect in Guatemala City, Guatemala. When he heard the voice of the Lord, his heart was broken for the poor and the lost of his country, where poverty ravages 98% of the population. He started a church to help change families and a school to impact future generations.
The People’s Church heard the voice of the Lord and began a partnership to help Pastor Alvaro. A church was built. A School was built. Lives were changed in Guatemala and in Franklin, TN. Mission trips continued providing medical and dental care, sports camps, church, school and home construction.
Fathers heard the voice of the Lord; fathers went.
Sons and Daughters heard the voice of the Lord; they went.
Friends heard the voice of the Lord; friends went.
Pastor Alvaro’s vision --changing his country from darkness to light by impacting one family at a time—is changing his country and the people of The People's Church as they each have placed their "Yes" on the table… “Here am I. Send me!”
Mary Clay Estes
1.15.2008
40 Days - Day 38
Hi. I'm Natalie Miles. I'm pretty new to The People's Church youth group still, but some of you should know me or at least see me sing on Wednesday nights. This youth group has been such a blessing in my life and a total answer to prayer. My entire life, prior to TPC, had consisted of being pushed away and excluded from every youth group I had tried to become a part of. Before I met Brad Perry, I had gotten to a point in my life where I didn't know what I believed in anymore. I had basically almost completely given up on God. I desired nothing more than to do everything and anything that would go against my parents, and in turn, God's will. But God has a funny way of having His sovereign hand on everything.
About two weeks after I decided I was done with the whole Christian thing, I met Brad through Dale Lipscomb, whom I had known for about a year. Brad and I were instant friends, but hanging out was always an issue because I always was doing other things. Then he invited me to come to youth group with him. Now, as I said before, youth groups were a pretty sore spot for me. Because of what I had been through, my heart was cold towards them. But I agreed. That Wednesday was the very first Wednesday Nathan Oates spoke. I was almost in tears the entire time. I knew that night this place was going to be different. And it was.
In the past six months or so, I have been involved in the youth group; I have never felt more loved and accepted. Even as I type this, I'm fighting tears because what I was met with at TPC was the one thing I always craved and was never given, no matter where I went. The people I've met are so sincere and crave God and want to do His Will so much so that I can see it on their faces, in their eyes, in what they do. I truly believe that this youth group was everything I needed to pull me back to what I needed more than anything, everything I was running away from.
So my prayer for Winter Retreat is that someone who is in the same boat I was in comes just because their friend asked them to. And that we greet them with the same open, loving, sincere arms that I was greeted with. That we show them not only WHO God is, but who God can be in their lives. I also pray that God will constantly remind us that we are not our own and that it is NOT ABOUT US. It is about Him and Him living through us even if we can't possibly see how.
"There is a God in Heaven who reveals mysteries." Daniel 2:28a NIV
It's going to be awesome guys.
Natalie Miles
About two weeks after I decided I was done with the whole Christian thing, I met Brad through Dale Lipscomb, whom I had known for about a year. Brad and I were instant friends, but hanging out was always an issue because I always was doing other things. Then he invited me to come to youth group with him. Now, as I said before, youth groups were a pretty sore spot for me. Because of what I had been through, my heart was cold towards them. But I agreed. That Wednesday was the very first Wednesday Nathan Oates spoke. I was almost in tears the entire time. I knew that night this place was going to be different. And it was.
In the past six months or so, I have been involved in the youth group; I have never felt more loved and accepted. Even as I type this, I'm fighting tears because what I was met with at TPC was the one thing I always craved and was never given, no matter where I went. The people I've met are so sincere and crave God and want to do His Will so much so that I can see it on their faces, in their eyes, in what they do. I truly believe that this youth group was everything I needed to pull me back to what I needed more than anything, everything I was running away from.
So my prayer for Winter Retreat is that someone who is in the same boat I was in comes just because their friend asked them to. And that we greet them with the same open, loving, sincere arms that I was greeted with. That we show them not only WHO God is, but who God can be in their lives. I also pray that God will constantly remind us that we are not our own and that it is NOT ABOUT US. It is about Him and Him living through us even if we can't possibly see how.
"There is a God in Heaven who reveals mysteries." Daniel 2:28a NIV
It's going to be awesome guys.
Natalie Miles
1.14.2008
40 Days - Day 37
I'm Taylor Bloss, and I'm a senior in the youth group at The People's Church. If the name doesn't ring a bell, then you've probably seen me playing acoustic guitar and singing in the Fusion band with my abnormally long blonde "Goldie-locks" hair. Yeah, it's kinda feminine hair, but I am not a feminine guy. Oh well, that's beside the point. The blog I'm writing is kinda directed toward the seniors, but I think we can all benefit from it. I'm going to base it around one of my favorite verses that tends to encourage me the most during this amazing yet scary time of decision making in my life. Jeremiah 29:11 says, "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future" NIV. Without this verse, I would be a SCARED man!! (but still not feminine). I don't know how the other students that are graduating this year are taking the fact that we are about to be in college, but I seriously didn't think this day would come. Yet, to hear the King of the universe say He has plans for ME to give ME a prosperous future is the most encouraging thing I can possibly think of right now. I'm afraid I'm going to major in the wrong thing or something like that, but when these bad feelings of doubt come, I pray to God and recite this verse and leave it all in His hands. I find it so encouraging how personal this message is to me at the stage of life I'm in. As for the students that aren't graduating this year, He still has that plan for you and the rest of your future in high school. High schools around here need Jesus so bad, and as for the seniors, now our time is running short on our impact on our high schools. It's time for you guys to pick up where we left off; I know you guys will do amazing. As for retreat, wow!! I can't wait!! It's my last retreat; so I'm gonna be going CRAZY!!!!!
Taylor Bloss
Taylor Bloss
1.13.2008
40 Days - Day 36
Dear Lord,
I know you have big plans for us at Winter Retreat, even before we step on the bus. Let each of us realize that through you we have everything. You are our comforter when we feel afraid. You are our joy when we are down. You are our peace when Satan causes confusion. Together as a team we can overcome the barriers we have put up; take us by the hand and teach us what you have in store for us. Show up miraculously to us at Winter Retreat. In your Name.
An Anonymous Student
I know you have big plans for us at Winter Retreat, even before we step on the bus. Let each of us realize that through you we have everything. You are our comforter when we feel afraid. You are our joy when we are down. You are our peace when Satan causes confusion. Together as a team we can overcome the barriers we have put up; take us by the hand and teach us what you have in store for us. Show up miraculously to us at Winter Retreat. In your Name.
An Anonymous Student
1.12.2008
40 Days - Day 35
Many times throughout the Bible, we as Christians are told to have faith: “be faithful in Christ,” “faith, hope and love,” faith, faith, faith. Quite frankly, I’m sick of faith. Faith does nothing for us. In fact, I’d bet my salvation that God doesn’t want us to have faith. Now before you say anything to that and dismiss what I have to say as the delusional writings of a madman, ask yourself what faith is.
Seriously. Do it.
…
I can wait.
…
Now that you have done that, I would be willing to bet that you said something that I have heard many times before; or maybe meant to say but couldn’t verbalize it. I know I couldn’t. Did you tell yourself, or lead yourself to think that faith is a wish? That faith is merely a whim of hope, a psychological reassurance or desire that something could come, and by having faith, you are merely taking an optimistic stance?
If you know me at all, you know that I love to debate people, especially in the category of religious thought. Just recently, I was in a debate with a pair of Mormons, and I was doing very well compared to other encounters. I would ask a question, and after giving my problems with their religion a thought, they would always respond with: “Well…we just have to have faith.”
I received that exact answer a good four or five times before I asked them the same, mind-boggling question that I posed for you. I said, “You have mentioned several times that you need faith, but how do you define faith?” I gave him a few minutes to stand in dumbstruck silence before I answered for him.
What is faith? The world has told us to believe that faith IS a whim, a hope for something that could not conceivably become. The Bible teaches otherwise. Here is an example of what I’m saying. Though not all of you are 18, let’s assume that you are going to buy a lottery ticket with a friend. You can walk into the store and tell your friend that you have faith that you will win. What kind of faith is that?!? That is the worldly definition of faith, a sheer hope that you will win with that lottery ticket. That is simply a hope grounded in no evidence or reason for thinking so. The world has taught us that is what having faith means. As Christians, we shouldn’t buy into that garbage.
Now we will recreate that same scene with one minor change. You now have x-ray vision. If you go up to the counter and see through the ticket before you buy it, how would you describe saying that you have faith that you will win? I would say that it’s pretty certain that you would have Biblical faith in your winnings. What does that mean?
Since you have seen through your card to determine that you do indeed have a winner, you can tell your friend that you do not have faith that you will win, but instead you have an active trust that you will win based on your power of observation. That is the kind of faith that God desires of us - ACTIVE TRUST. We cannot simply walk around proclaiming ourselves to be Christians, saying that we have faith that Jesus rose from the dead. Instead, the world will misinterpret that meaning of faith, and Christianity will be dismissed as “just another whim.” So if, instead of faith, we go around practicing active trust, we will begin to realize what it is that makes genuine Christian faith different from that of everyday faith.
I was once told by my dad, “God can move mountains, but you had better bring a shovel.” What does this quote mean to us? I think it means exactly what I am trying to say regarding the nature of faith. We can have faith that God will move the mountain for us, but we must be willing to work for Him and do His will. If we do not have that active trust that He will do it, then our faith is as useless as wishful thinking, and we will end up trying to move that mountain under our own earthly power, which won’t be happening anytime soon.
Andrew Hayslip
Seriously. Do it.
…
I can wait.
…
Now that you have done that, I would be willing to bet that you said something that I have heard many times before; or maybe meant to say but couldn’t verbalize it. I know I couldn’t. Did you tell yourself, or lead yourself to think that faith is a wish? That faith is merely a whim of hope, a psychological reassurance or desire that something could come, and by having faith, you are merely taking an optimistic stance?
If you know me at all, you know that I love to debate people, especially in the category of religious thought. Just recently, I was in a debate with a pair of Mormons, and I was doing very well compared to other encounters. I would ask a question, and after giving my problems with their religion a thought, they would always respond with: “Well…we just have to have faith.”
I received that exact answer a good four or five times before I asked them the same, mind-boggling question that I posed for you. I said, “You have mentioned several times that you need faith, but how do you define faith?” I gave him a few minutes to stand in dumbstruck silence before I answered for him.
What is faith? The world has told us to believe that faith IS a whim, a hope for something that could not conceivably become. The Bible teaches otherwise. Here is an example of what I’m saying. Though not all of you are 18, let’s assume that you are going to buy a lottery ticket with a friend. You can walk into the store and tell your friend that you have faith that you will win. What kind of faith is that?!? That is the worldly definition of faith, a sheer hope that you will win with that lottery ticket. That is simply a hope grounded in no evidence or reason for thinking so. The world has taught us that is what having faith means. As Christians, we shouldn’t buy into that garbage.
Now we will recreate that same scene with one minor change. You now have x-ray vision. If you go up to the counter and see through the ticket before you buy it, how would you describe saying that you have faith that you will win? I would say that it’s pretty certain that you would have Biblical faith in your winnings. What does that mean?
Since you have seen through your card to determine that you do indeed have a winner, you can tell your friend that you do not have faith that you will win, but instead you have an active trust that you will win based on your power of observation. That is the kind of faith that God desires of us - ACTIVE TRUST. We cannot simply walk around proclaiming ourselves to be Christians, saying that we have faith that Jesus rose from the dead. Instead, the world will misinterpret that meaning of faith, and Christianity will be dismissed as “just another whim.” So if, instead of faith, we go around practicing active trust, we will begin to realize what it is that makes genuine Christian faith different from that of everyday faith.
I was once told by my dad, “God can move mountains, but you had better bring a shovel.” What does this quote mean to us? I think it means exactly what I am trying to say regarding the nature of faith. We can have faith that God will move the mountain for us, but we must be willing to work for Him and do His will. If we do not have that active trust that He will do it, then our faith is as useless as wishful thinking, and we will end up trying to move that mountain under our own earthly power, which won’t be happening anytime soon.
Andrew Hayslip
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