RENEWED HEART MINISTRY~ ~ UPDATE
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Bend, OR 1/28/2011
“Freedom from cultural, religious exclusiveness, to follow the inclusive, embracing love of Jesus.”
“This was the first time I’ve ever been to this church. And the response was amazing!” This is how one person who attended the presentations this past weekend in Bend Oregon summed up the experience. So many came up to me at the end of the weekend sharing the paradigm shifts they had experienced in their own hearts through each presentation. “Each presentation went deeper and deeper,” another attendee shared. One of the Elders said, “What you’re doing isn’t preaching at all! This is performing heart transplants! Through the power of the Gospel, you’re not a preacher, you’re a cardiologist!” I said, “No, I just work for the greatest Cardiologist ever.”
The church I was at has a history and just recently lost about 20% of its congregation. So this weekend was a time for healing and focusing on what it means to enlarge not only a church but also the kingdom. Many shared with me that the church had wrestled for some time with a spirit of judgmental criticism in certain pockets of its congregation, but they felt that they had turned a new corner recently and that the timing of my presentations was no accident. They felt that this weekend was a divine appointment, a time when a vision had been cast of what it means to live the kingdom, to come under and serve those we are trying to reach with Calvary’s radical, self-sacrificial, other-centered love. The watchword of the weekend from so many was freedom from the cultural trappings of what too often religion does to our communal life, to live a life of kingdom love for the world.
In addition to what the Gospel was doing for the members of this church at large, I also met a group that at the end of the presentation on understanding tragedies in a world supposedly overseen by a God who claims to be love came up to me to share individually their stories of how they had gone through what I call the darkest hue of how we as humans can hurt each other. Each one shared how what they heard this weekend was the first thing that had ever made sense to them and that it had accomplished more healing in their hearts than they were expecting it to. Each one was enormously grateful.
Also, on a personal level, I had the unexpected opportunity to see friends from high school, friends from when I used to live in Washington, as well as other friends who traveled from various parts of Oregon to be there. Then there were the friends from right there in Bend itself.
I would sum up what I observed this weekend in three ways:
1. Radical changes in how God and His character of Love were viewed.
2. Deep paradigm shifts on what it means to follow this kind of radical other-centered love as a Christian.
3. And a congregation left overwhelmingly inspired and positively challenged to be a place that represents to the world both of these.
For all those who were praying for this weekend, and for those who partner with us financially to enable us to do what we at Renewed Heart Ministries are passionate about doing, thank you.
I’ll be in Ryley, Alberta Canada this weekend, beginning tonight. Please join together with us in prayer for this event too!
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It is our prayer at Renewed Heart Ministries that this weekly devotional will renew your heart
| | | inspire love for our God as you ponder them throughout your week.
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My Blog List
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Pansies, milkweed & daffs, oh my!
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Yes, it's been a while since I've posted. All is well...just very, very
busy. There isn't a lot of time these days to post free stuff, or even to
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7 years ago
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Taught my first Powertex Class
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Today has been a long time coming. It has been months of training, playing
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breathe.
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When our daughter lay in the ICU on her second day of being alive in the
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THINGS I REALLY DIG
- "A LITTLE BIT OF EVERYTHING'
- "AMAZING FACTS"
- "blooming writer"
- "Christie-Corner-Vegetarian"
- "Gluten-Free Girl"
- "Homemade by Jill"
- Adventist Hall
- http://www.amadeoacademy.org/
- http://www.RenewedHeartMinistries.org/
- Kayak Paddle Takes
- My-Church is my Home and Family
- RHOAN MORGAN
His Books Became Mine
- The Great Controversy
- The Bible
- Desire of the Ages
- Elizabeth's Poetry
3 Bullets
There once was a man who had nothing for his family to eat. He had an old rifle and three bullets.
So, he decided that he would go out hunting and kill some wild game for dinner.
As he went down the road, he saw a rabbit. He shot at the rabbit and missed it. The rabbit ran away.
Then he saw a squirrel and fired a shot at the squirrel, but missed it. The squirrel disappeared into a hole in a cottonwood treel.
As he went further, he saw a large, wild "Tom" turkey in the tree, but he had only one bullet remaining.
A voice spoke to him and said, "Pray first, aim high, and stay focused."
However, at the same time he saw a deer which was a better kill.
He brought the gun down and aimed at the deer. But, then he saw a rattlesnake between his legs, about to bite him, so he naturally brought the gun down further to shoot the rattlesnake.
Still, the voice said again to him, "I said, 'Pray, Aim high, and Stay focused."
So, the man decided to listen to God's voice.
He prayed, then aimed the gun high up in the tree, and shot the wild turkey.
The bullet bounced off the turkey and killed the deer.
The handle fell off the gun, hit the snake in the head, and killed it. And, when the gun had gone off, it knocked him into a pond.
When he stood up to look around, he had fish in all his pockets, a dead deer, and a turkey for his family to eat.
The snake, (Satan), was dead simply because the man listened to God.
Moral of the story:
Pray first before you do anything, aim and shoot high in your goals, and stay focused on God. |
~ HE IS THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD ~
Jesus, is our life, our Hope and Our Lord and Savior.
In Him do I trust. W/O Him I am lost and wondering around on this globe of existence without any life in me. W/Him, there is life, with Him there is Hope, with Him there is a place for me in heaven one day.
JESUS IS THE ANSWER
"Our only Hope of Heaven".
He is the bright and morning star, the lily of the valley
our redeemer and forever friend.
Hi there 'BealcA'-- I like your blog! This was a very interesting post about the Renew Your Hearts ministries. I have heard of them. Sounds like there will be some wonderful things coming out of this weekend experience... thanks for posting it!
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