unite feb march 2012
DESCRIPTION
One City One Church One RegionTRANSCRIPT
uniteuniteunite february/march 2012 FREE
One Region One Mission emagazine.us
5 Questions with Terry Smith pg. 7
First Things First
REBECCA
TEN
ST. JAMES’ PATIENCE pg. 11
Ryan Delling On Worship pg. 12
COVER PHOTO BY ALLISTER ANN
Editor-in-Chief....…...……………………Kyle Patterson [email protected]
PUBLISHER Kyle Patterson
february/march 2012 www.unitemagazine.us
Operations Director…………………...Julianna Patterson Contributors………………………………….. Lou Perez
Robert Stearns Joshua Maloni
Bob Tice Ryan Delling
Photographers… …………….....Matt and Angela Brown
Troy Teague Bob Caple
What does it mean for the Church in our region to unite? Every church has their programs, doctrines and ideolo-gies that can easily keep us busy until the Lord returns. But think about it, how are we reaching the 1.3 million people in our region with the gospel and are there really ways to work together? From a marketing and advertis-ing perspective experts say it takes up to 20 times before consumers even take notice of an advertisers message. In the kingdom you and I are the “billboards and commer-cials” for the world to see and experience Christ. While that is a enormous responsibility it is also a great oppor-tunity for the church. In this issue we highlight a couple of people whose lives serve as effective “advertisement” for Christ displaying his beauty to the world. Dominic Secchiaroli (page 9) is one example of a ordinary man doing extraordinary things with God backing him up. We also welcome Pastor Bob Tice’s column—Harvest Eyes—the first part of a two part series explor-ing the strategy of God for reaching and experiencing the harvest that we are commanded to pray for and realize. Also thanks to Ryan Delling for his invitation on page 12 around becoming a church of One Thing. And lastly thank you for reading and please continue the conversation online at www.unitemagazine.us where you will be able to read all the articles and post your comments.
Kyle R. Patterson
CONTENTS FEB./MARCH 2012 EDITOR’S NOTE
Dominic 9
Worship 12
Harvest Eyes 16
4
14 Columns A Voice for Change.....Robert Stearns
Harvest Eyes….Bob Tice
Partners
5 Events
7 News Joseph Garlington, Ten, Business Men’s Fellowship
12 Cover Story Rebecca St. James’ Patience…Joshua Maloni unite is published bi-monthly, December/January, February/March,
April/May, June/July, August/September, October/November. The entire contents of unite is copyrighted by THRiVE! Media Group and may not be reproduced in any manner, either whole or part without written permission from the publisher. All rights reserved. Advertising rates may be obtained by emailing [email protected] or by calling (716)809-0496.
unite
deeply rooted. faithfully reSPoNSIVe.
NortheasterN semiNary
Buffalo and RochesteR. evening couRses.
ORTHEASTERNNat Roberts Wesleyan College
deeply ROOTED. faithfully RESPONSIVE.
www.nes.edu | 585.594.6802
MasteR of divinityMasteR of aRts: Transformational Leadership | Theology and Social Justice | Theological StudiesdoctoR of MinistRy
PARTNERS BRONZE PARTNERS CLARENCE CENTER UMC Pastors Chuck and Kim Smith 716-741-2410 www.thewayonline.net THE CHAPEL AT CROSSPOINT Pastor Jerry Gillis 716-631-2636 www.thechapel.com BETHEL BAPTIST CHURCH Rev. Kevin L. Wright 716-688-8668 www.bethel-nab.org NORTHGATE CHRISTIAN COMMUNITY Pastor Jon Hasselbeck 716-912-5477 www.northgatebuffalo.com EAGLES’ WINGS Dr. Robert Stearns 716-759-1058 www.eagleswings.to
GOLD PARTNERS ZION DOMINION GLOBAL MINISTRIES Pastor Roderick L. Hennings 716-250-7040 www.ziondominion.org ELIM CHRISTIAN FELLOWSHIP Bishop Troy Bronner 716-832-7698 www.elim-world.org THE TABERNACLE Bishop Tommy Reid 716-675-2888 www.thetab.org SILVER PARTNERS LOVE JOY GOSPEL CHURCH Pastor Ron and Judy Burgio 716-651-0400 www.lovejoy.org PENTECOSTAL TEMPLE Pastor Matthew L. Brown 716-852-5502 www.pentecostaltemplechurch.com
NEW BETHEL COMMUNITY CHURCH Pastors William and Toni Clark 716-835-8300 www.newbethelonline.com DESTINY CHRISTIAN CHURCH Pastors Lou and Louisa Perez 716-297-2656 www.destinychristianniagara.com NORTHEASTERN SEMINARY JP Anderson-Director of Admissions 1-800-777-4RWC www.nes.edu GLOBAL DOMINION INT’L ALLIANCES Dr. Melody Barclay 716-603-5436 [email protected] HOUSE OF WORSHIP Pastor Migdalia González 716-512-0794 www.cdaelshaddai.com
For more information or to become a partner email [email protected]
“This challenging book will raise the bar for leaders in every walk of life.”
Bill Hybels, Senior Pastor, Willow Creek Community Church
“If you are as passionate as I am about creating a better world, then this book will instruct and inspire you. Terry’s ideas have motivated and helped me. You are going to love TEN!”
Cory Booker, Mayor, City of Newark, NJ
“If you are looking for significance in your life, this is a must read.” Ken Blanchard, author of The One-Minute Manager
HOW WOULD YOU RATE YOUR LIFE ON A
FULFILLMENT SCALE OF ONE TO TEN?
DO YOU WANT MORE? GOD DOES! IN TEN, TERRY SMITH WILL INSPIRE
YOU TO CREATE THE BEST POSSIBLE FUTURE FOR YOURSELF
AND OTHERS - THE FUTURE GOD DREAMS FOR YOU.
FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT A TEN CAMPAIGN AT YOUR CHURCH VISIT
WWW.LIVINGTEN.COMTEN IS AVAILABLE WHEREVER BOOKS ARE SOLD BUY TICKETS at www.genexconcerts.com or call 724-744-3524
SCAN THIS CODE usingyour phone’s FREE QR
Code scanner for moreinformation!
MARCH 10 • 7PMTHE FATHER’S HOUSE715 Paul Road, Rochester, NY 14624
$20SUPERGROUP
TICKETS!PLUS FEES
EVENTS FEBRUARY 2011
Christian Academy of WNY 621 Payne Ave. North Tonawanda NY. 716-433-1652
www.cawny.com Open House- Feb. 6-10 /March 6, 2012. Educating for Eternity! CAWNY offers K- grade 12 with tra-ditional classrooms, a Christian curric-ulum, Regents diplomas, art, music, sports, technology, NHS, resource room and an international student body. A school you can trust-call us today!
6
Family Life Canada’s Weekend to Remember Getaway February 10 - February 12, 2012
Crowne Plaza Niagara Falls – Fallsview – Canada. To register visit www.powertochange.com/familylife
10
Don’t see your event? email [email protected] to get listed. Small fee applies. Space is limited.
NORTHEASTERN SEMINARY Information Meeting. Presentation about fully-accredited Master of
Arts and Master of Divinity degree programs. On campus of Roberts Wes-leyan College in Roberts Hall, 6 p.m. 585-594-6802 or 1.800.777.4792. Visit www.nes.edu for more information.
16
WNY Prays kickoff at area churches. An initia-tive led by The Chapel they are inviting churches
to partner together in a regional 40 day prayer initiative.
19
Christian Central Acade-my 39 Academy Street Williamsville, NY 14221 716.634.4821 is hosting their open house February
6 from 9:30-11:30AM and February 7 from 7-9PM. CCA is Chartered and Registered with NYS Regents; 100% college acceptance and Chartered and Registered with NYS Regents; 100% college acceptance. CCA provides a distinctive, nurturing academic environment. For more info email [email protected] www.christianca.com
6
Relevant Worship Minis-tries is hosting a prayer walk and outreach at 7 through the Elmwood Vil-
lage. Open to all. Meeting at Lafayette Presbyterian Church at 875 Elmwood Avenue.. Join us as we ask and seek God to touch our city.
24
Father & Daughter Snow Overnight at Camp Hick-ory Hill, February 24-25: Sledding, Outdoor
Games, Indoor Games, Hot Chocolate, Great food, Worship and God’s Word, etc. Contact us at 716-631-3498 or www.CampHickoryHill.org.
24
MARCH 2012
Chris Tomlin with special guest All Sons and Daugh-ters come to Toronto. Church on the Queensway
March 10 at 7:00. For more info see www.uniteproductions.com
10
Ballet Magnificat!, which has toured extensively na-tionally and internationally
for the last 25 years, now brings the unforgettable ballet: Deliver Us! to Family Life in Bath, NY. This riveting ballet, set to the music of Dreamworks' The Prince of Egypt, portrays an en-slaved people led to hope, making this story jump off the stage and into your life! March 16-17 6:30-10:30PM.
17
Northeastern Seminary, Buffalo extension site, 6500 Sheridan Drive, Williams-ville, NY is hosting informa-
tional meetings regarding upcoming classes offered at their Buffalo location.
Arguably the most admired guitarist in music today, Phil Keaggy returns to Roberts Wesleyan Cultural Life Center for an evening of
beautifully penned lyrics and memora-ble melodies. A sought-after studio guitarist, Phil continues to sell out concerts. Come hear him play in Rochester. Starts at 7:30PM..
10
12
Wonder Woship and Glory tour presents an evening with Michael W. Smith in concert at My Father’s
House 715 Paul Road, Rochester, NY 14624. Don’t miss out on $20 Super Group tickets at genexconcerts.com or call 724-744-3524
10
Prayer Collective opening night. Prayer Collective is a collaboration of singers,
musicians and intercessors offering Jesus perpetual prayer in the Elmwood Village. For full schedule visit www.prayercollective.com
5
Worship Artist Kim Walker-Smith Coming to Rochester - March 23-25, 2012. Join over 700 young
adults for 3 days of passionate wor-ship and life-changing ministry at BASIC College Ministries’ fall con-ference. Early registration discounts available! More info at www.thebasicsite.org/events.
23
Night To Honor Israel in Rochester 6:30PM at Bethel Christian Fellowship. 321 East Ave. Rochester, NY.
For more information please contact Lori Sousa at 585-232-1136, ext. 21 or visit online at www.nyscufi.org/nthi
25
A night of music & minis-try on March 17 with the Come to the Well Tour featuring Casting Crowns,
Matthew West, Royal Tailor & brand new artist Lindsay McCaul. The purpose of the tour is ministry… not just songs & entertainment. For ticket and other information call 1-800-461-4485
17
Family Life Network (Bath, NY) will present Christian singer-songwriter, Meredith
Andrews, in concert on Friday, Febru-ary 10 and Saturday, February 11. Be sure to come hungry because a delicious buffet style dinner will be served prior to the show. Family Life will open the doors open at 5:45 p.m. and dinner begins at 6:30 p.m.
10
Mandisa with Britt Nicole- Johnson City, NY Thursday, February 23, 2012 7:00 PM
First Baptist Church 1321 Reynolds Road Johnson City, NY 13790
11
Brothers McClurg special worship set and fellow-ship time at GCR Audio located in Buffalo’s histor-
ic Allentown District at 564 Franklin Avenue, The band will be asking at-tendees to participate in the worship on the recording and releasing the project shortly after.
18
ManTime 2012 takes place at Adam’s Mark Hotel in Buffalo. Keynote speakers include Tommy Barnett,
David Ireland, Roderick Hennings, Tommy Reid and Dr. Gary Kellner. This two day event builds men. To achieve destiny every man needs to experience a God-moment--an encoun-ter with the living God that changes his life forever.
2
Christian Academy of WNY Dinner Auction with "Baby" Joe Mesi - 2011 Buffalo Boxing Hall of
Fame." Fight the Good Fight of Chris-tian Education." March 16th, 2012 (top)
16
Contemporary Christian recording artist Mandisa, a two-time Grammy nominee and Season 5 American Idol finalist, will be joined at
Roberts Wesleyan Cultural Life Center by artist Britt Nicole and Dove Award winner, Laura Story in concert for “Girls Night Out”! Tickets are availa-ble NOW at www.fln.org/tickets .
25
byGrace Ministries’ “Contend” Women’s Con-ference. March 16-17, 2012 at Crosswinds Wesleyan
Church, Canandaigua, NY. Speakers Kathryn Martin and Sherrie Anderson. To register call 585-719-5679.
16
(continued) at Banchetti's, Amherst. Tick-ets ($20 each) and Table Sponsorships are on sale now. Various auctions, fea-turing a live auction for autographed boxing gloves, baskets, speakers, door prizes. Call the school at 433-1652. Visit www.cawny.com.
Steps: Serving Christ in South Buffalo.
Gabi Nonnenmann originally from Germany serves God through Steps Ministry on Buffalo’s South Side where she leads as Managing Director. Ben and Ruth Tagg pictured below also serves Ministry Directors.
“God spoke very clearly to me saying to stay in Buffalo, continuing in ministry rather than my plan of taking my university place in Bath, England. Against all advice I followed what I knew in my heart that I should do,” explains Ben Tagg who serves as Ministry Director for Steps Ministry based at 1221 Seneca St in the Seneca Babcock neighborhood of South Buffalo. Steps is a part of Pure for God ministry led by Brad and Robin Ringer and has a vision to show God's love to those whom the traditional church may not reach like the
crack addicts, school drop outs, single parents, drunks, gang members and more. Their desire is to see God restore these broken families through disciple-ship, teaching righteousness, and to lead people to an encounter with God. Gabi Nonnenman, Managing Director origi-nally from Germany agrees that Buffalo is a mission field, “To me, a missionary is not someone who crosses the sea but someone who sees the cross,” she ex-plained. The outreach includes after school programs, community Bible study, discipleship and mentoring, home visits and youth trips to ministry events like Joshua Revolution. The ministry has need for more volunteers, financial con-tributors and prayer. Find out more at www.pureforgod.org/STEPS.wss. Their next fundraiser is March 31 @ Cazeno-via Park Baptist Church, N Legion Drive, Buffalo 14220, spaghetti dinner $10 per ticket.
By Kyle Patterson
SCHOOLS SPECIAL
Open Houses February 9 1 to 3 & 6 to 8
March 13 9 to 11 and 4 to 6
Educating for eternity! CAWNY offers K-Grade 12 with traditional classrooms, a Christian curriculum, Regents diplomas, art, music, sports, technology, NHS, resource room and an international student body. A school you can trust—call us today! Open House February 6-10, 2012.
Mon. 2/6/12 9:30 - 11:30amTues. 2/7/12
7-9pm
OPENHOUSE
• Accredited by Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools
• Chartered and Registered with NYS Regents; 100% college acceptance
• Ranked among the top schools by Business First “Guide to WNY Schools”
A distinctive, nurturing academic environment, challenging youngmen and women to excel in all of life and learning through theTruth of God’s Word.
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NEWS Calling all worshippers! From April 12-14, join Dr. Robert Stearns of Eagles’ Wings and Bishop Tom-my Reid of The Tabernacle for “Sound of the Kingdom!” This three day assembly will include prophetic worship, dance and intercession that will draw you into the depths of God. You will experi-ence foundational biblical teaching that will align your life with heaven’s perspective and refreshing fellowship with believers in the region. Special guests ministering will include Joseph Garlington, Aimee Reid-Sych, Tony Sutherland, Leon Timbo, and Nathan Salter. The conference will be held at The Tabernacle, 3210 Southwestern Blvd. , Orchard Park , NY 14127 . To register or for more information, call 1-800-51-WINGS or visit www.eagleswings.to Wonder Woship and Glory tour presents an evening with Michael W. Smith in concert at My Father’s House 715 Paul Road, Rochester, NY 14624. Don’t miss out on $20 Super Group tickets are at www.genexconcerts.com or call 724-744-3524
Terry Smith, author of Ten announced their church program for small groups to learn how to live life at a “ten”.
Family Life presents Christian singer-songwriter, Meredith Andrews, in concert on
Friday, February 10 and Satur-day, February 11. Be sure to come hungry because a delicious buffet style dinner will be served prior to the show. Doors open at 5:45 p.m.
UNITE’s sister publication—THRiVE! has announced a part-nership with Hearts for the Homeless in their
next issue intro-ducing cause related marketing initiatives in support of non-profits, aligning advertiser goals with community goals. See thrivebuffalo.org for details.
Business Men’s Fellowship USA has officially made reen-trance into the Buffalo region with formation of a leadership team this past January 20. More to come on upcoming meetings.
March 24 is the annual Athletes in Action Call To Courage Awards Breakfast. Last year’s winner was London Fletcher.
Read more news at www.unitemagazine.us Have news to share? Email [email protected] (space is limited, small fee applies)
David Ireland and Tommy Barnett are two of the headliners at ManTime 2012, the two year old con-ference hosted at Adam’s Mark Hotel in Buffalo. The two day Spirit filled conference— ManTime builds men. These two days will give you the oppor-tunity to powerfully experience God, understand your destiny and get a clearer picture of your role in the marketplace and in your home. You will glean from some of the most successful leaders in the region and learn how to lead in your home, church and workplace. ManTime provides an opportunity to fellowship and form life-long friendships. Dr. Al Tizon, director of Word and Deed Network, will be speaking at Northeastern Seminary's Roches-ter location this March 5 as he responds to the conversation about the missional movement in to-day’s church with the “what” and “who” of preach-ing. In this half-day seminar, comprised of three presentations, including a roundtable discussion over lunch, Tizon brings together critical theological and pastoral insights in ways that strengthen the call and practice of preaching. In an approach guided by the revelation of the missio dei, Tizon inspires confi-dence in a holistic, global, and transformational type of evangelicalism. Casting Crowns along with Matthew West, Royal Tailor & brand new artist Lindsay McCaul make their way to Buffalo this March for the Come to the Well tour. The purpose of the tour is ministry not just songs & entertainment. For ticket and other information call 1-800-461-4485 or visit www.kingdombound.org
The Prayer Collective kicks off March 5 at Lafayette Presbyterian Church calling the Church in WNY to collaborate together and offer worship and prayer before the Lord contending first for great inti-macy with Jesus in the church and secondly for spiritual breakthrough and revival in our region. See www.prayercollective.com for more information.
THRiVE!
5 QUESTIONS WITH >>
INTERVIEW
Terry Smith Pastor The Life Christian Church Author of Ten
What does it mean to be a “ten”? I describe a ten by what Jesus said in John Chapter 10 verse 10 where he talked about offering life in all its fullness, more and better life than you ever dreamed. A ten life means living the life that God dreamed for you. How does one reach the “ten” life you speak of? In the book I lay out what we call the Ten Pathway where I lead people through a process to discover what a ten life is for them where they try to figure out what God had in mind when he made you and what is your role in this world and how do you actualize it. So, it starts by waking up to the idea that God created you to partner with him and what he is doing in the world. And he made you to work for what he works for and care about what he cares about. What would you say to critics who look at this as a self-help book? I say very specifically in the book that this is not a self help book. It is impossible to live the life God dreamed for you if your life is primarily about yourself. To live the life God dreamed for us we have to be in relationship with him, we have to partner with him and be totally com-mitted to helping others. Some have said it should actually be called an “others help book.” I do not think it is possible from a purely psy-chological basis for people to fully develop themselves if they are not engaged in what’s happening in the world around them and in the lives of other people. That is why I talk about leadership in the book so much. Leadership is an unselfish activity if it is understood correctly. Leadership is about accepting the moral obligation to inspire others to the life that God dreamed for them. Tell me about how the book is reaching out to unbelievers? The book is written in the same voice that I teach in. We have had a lot of success in our church in reaching people who are far from God and particularly people who want to think and not just base their life or conversion experience based on emotion. So I have written in that same voice. It is very deliberately written to make the case for this kind of life to a person who may not be a Christ follower but who is open to at least listening to a person talk about how to live a better life. Then ultimately I am saying to them you can’t live this kind of life without Jesus but I don’t start with that, I lead them to it. Tell me about he idea of getting churches involved in the book? The idea of having a number of churches do this at one time is pretty powerful to me because this kind of thinking we have already seen can raise the faith level at different churches in a way that makes a differ-ence in peoples’ lives. People are starting businesses and non-profits and going out and witnessing and you get that going and then take the projects where you are going out and serving in the Name of Jesus and it raises the level of a community. So everyone can live a ten life? Everybody was designed to be a ten. What a ten is for one person may be different than what it is for anoth-er, but it is about living God’s dream for you.
PICTURES
Submit your pictures by emailing [email protected]
8 www.unitemagazine.us February/March 2012
Brothers McClurg record live at Starfields Studio in Buffalo this past December. Photo by Matt Brown
Nathan Salter is one of the featured musicians at this year’s Sound of the Kingdom event hosted by Eagles’ Wings at The Tabernacle in Orchard Park
Christmas Eve at City Church in Batavia. Photo by Matt Brown
Dr. Gary Kellner and his team behind ManTime 2012 are calling for men in our region to arise this March 2-3.
Christian education provides an eternal investment for parents making the choice for the proper schooling.
Hearts for the Homeless continues its outreach all year round even after the Christmas season of generosity ends. Your support is needed and appreciated by the ministry.
Elmwood Drive performs live at Lighthouse Café in Lock-port. The band also recently released their new album. Photo by Matt Brown
PEOPLE independent business owners—the benefits do pay for those with the drive and will to succeed. Selling services that every-one uses including phone, TV, cell phones and now energy, the monthly commission check off of these payments can add
up. Secchiaroli explains, “In an unpredicta-ble world of finances today, ACN offers people the ability to get involved in their own business and to develop a quality of life that can lead to financial freedom if they keep the balance. All the services we offer are services people use anyways. It is a great attraction to get involved with the company to offer people better choice for services they are already using.” Secchiaroli serves as Expansion Leader with thousands in his down line over the years, a term in network marketing for those associated in the business. The thou-sands of people involved in the business have also presented Secchiaroli with an opportunity to share his love for Jesus with those he works with specifically at the company’s quarterly rallies—events held around the country in sports stadiums com-parable to First Niagara Center. Secchiaroli realized the opportunity to host a worship service during the rally weekends and has seen huge response from attendees who came for the business opportunity and went home with eternal riches. He credits Jesus for every good thing in his life and is pas-sionate about sharing Him with others. “What I do know is that God somewhere along the line gave me an opportunity to provide for my family and show me a min-istry that can help thousands of people.”
Through the worship services that the company approves but does not require the independent business owners to attend (the founders of the company are professing Christians) Secchiaroli is helping to give definition to what many for years have been calling Marketplace Ministry, the idea that the sacred and secular divide no longer ex-ists but that God can and will inhabit every area of culture including business. Billy
Graham himself is quoted as saying, “I believe one of the next great moves of God is going to be through the believers in the workplace.” Dick Halverson said, “There is a distinction be-tween church work and the work of the church. Church work is what you do for the organized institution of the church. The work of the church is what is done between Sundays when the church is scattered all over the metropolitan area where it is located – in homes, schools, offices, on construction jobs, in market places.” Dorothy Sayers author of “Why Work?” agrees when she wrote, “It is not right for the Church to ac-quiesce in the notion that a man's life is divided into the time
By Kyle Patterson
February/March 2012 www.unitemagazine.us 9
“The church in the workplace is the purest form of the body of Christ today due to its diversity. Workplace believers are less prone to denominational differences because they have a common goal of representing Christ in their work-places. The movement will break down denominational barriers that have been held in the past.” Os Hillman, International Coalition of Workplace Ministries 16 years ago Dominic Secchiaroli found himself on the brink of losing everything. After his family’s call center business went under, Secchiaroli’s home was on the verge of foreclosure. Desperate and searching for opportunity, Secchiaroli’s entrepreneurial spirit led him back to his roots in the networking marketing industry, to an emerging company in telecommunications, ACN, a company that has grown since 1993 into the largest direct seller of telecom-munications and essential services in the world. The net-work marketing opportunity provided by ACN led him to financial freedom. He was able to save his home from fore-closure, has time to spend with his family and challenged son and in the midst of it God led him to a wide open door of ministry reaching thousands for Jesus while growing and supporting a business. While the ACN opportunity isn’t a get rich quick blueprint, it’s a lot of hard work building up your customer base and supporting the
Dominic Secchiaroli Amazing Christian Network
he spends on his work and the time he spends in serving God. He must be able to serve God in his work, and the work itself must be accepted and respected as the medium of divine creation.” ACN is providing Dominic an incredi-ble in road for the kingdom outside of the traditional church environment. The company structure creates com-munity and accountability and often times people open up about their needs. “We’ve seen tens of thousands of people get saved, tens of thousands of prayer requests and God gets all the glory, he is leading the path and guiding it eve-ry step of the way by surrounding me with great people who have talent in areas that I am not talented in. The busi-ness is one of the tools that I believe the Lord is using to reach the marketplace.” Jim Slattery of East Aurora a fellow business owner agrees with Dominic that ACN is something God is using right now, “When people start a business with ACN, they think they have found a place where they can achieve their hopes and dreams financially. They believe that changing their finances for the better will change their life for the better. What they come to find out however through the contact of so many believers and the worship services is that the greatest life changer of all is Jesus Christ. They hear and daily experience the witness of so many changed lives by Christ that it becomes undeniable to them of the reality of Christ and the redemptive power of the cross.” Slattery goes on, “The opportunity of ACN allows this en-vironment of contact with believers and when people come in contact with those who revere Christ as Lord and are allowed to get to know them and form true friendships and relationships over time they eventually come to the point where they ask us the reason for the hope that we have. And as someone once said, ‘A man with an argument is no match for a man with an experience.’” ACN’s growth has been startling with over $500 mil-lion in annual sales and tens of thousands of independent business owners. The company uses a direct selling busi-ness model to provide value and choice to consumers, while also providing Independent Business Owners an op-portunity to form their own businesses. “ACN’s Independ-ent Business Owners” use relationship marketing to inform their family and friends of the products and services availa-ble through ACN, products and services people need and use every day. The opportunity has attracted a range of people hungry for freedom, the opportunity to own their own business, a change in life and for those who come to the rallies a chance to meet their Maker. “The founders of our company have always taught bal-ance, faith, family, fitness, finances. If you are out of bal-ance in any of those areas, it will affect all the others. So he always encouraged us to continue on because he realizes faith is a vital part of people staying in the business long term,” explained Dominic. For now it is business as usual for Secchiaroli, building relationships and bridges that are helping people get a glimpse of the Savior through his ministry that meets not just the spiritual but also physical needs, something that more than keeps him motivated. While business is good as ACN continues to expand, Dominic’s passion clearly lies in the ministry opportunity. To that end Dominic has devel-oped resources and discipleship tools on his website www.amazingchristian.net for the worship service at-tendees giving their heart to the Lord at the event. The website also has more details and video footage, a daily email and other ministry resources. As he explains, “Being able to witness 500-2000 people per event give their lives to the Lord in what really matters, to see them up front and to experiencing God is transform their lives. I get to witness God at work.”
ACN provided Tonawanda resident Dominic Secchiaroli with a business opportunity and a ministry reaching thousands of people for Christ in the marketplace.
FEATURES
By Josh Maloni
Yme? Ministry, an organization that has a history with the singer and author.
Five years ago, an idea was birthed in Yme? to hold a Kingdom Bound-like event in Niagara County. Yme? booked St. James at Artpark, the Lewiston, N.Y., venue best known for its “Tuesday in the Park” rock concert se-ries and numerous Buffalo Spree Magazine awards.
In June 2007, St. James became the first Christian performer to headline a concert at Artpark in at least 10 years. Her concert drew about 1,500 people, and garnered local and national press coverage.
“It was obviously the biggest show we’d ever done,” Yme? President Brian Yaiser said. His organization had previously done smaller-scale shows in more modest ven-ues.
Reflecting on the show four years later, Yaiser didn’t think of the big stage, or its bright lights, or the logistics of flying in a full band and equipment from Tennessee. Rather, he recalled, “The invitation that Rebecca gave to everyone and a pretty strong response of people going for-ward to accept the Lord.”
Approximately 100 people participated in an altar call. Earlier in the day, Yme?, in conjunction with The Niagara Visionaries, dedicated Wheatfield, N.Y.’s, The Summit mall to Jesus. At that event, local and regional elected lead-ers joined mall owner Jim Anthony in public prayer.
Publicist Mark Weber, of markinthecity.com, was the catalyst in uniting Yme? with the Niagara Visionaries, a group of creative thinkers with ties to the music, journal-ism, marketing and real estate industries.
“For any good thing to happen in Western New York, people need to work together,” he said. Weber sensed an “open spirit of cooperation” that led to “great, positive change.”
“It was wonderful to have people come together from so many different backgrounds,” he said.
The night of the concert, Niagara County ministers were invited to join together at Artpark.
“We started this event with a number of pastors going forward on stage,” Yaiser said. “The only criteria – it was-n’t whether or not they wear robes on Sunday morning or whether they wear a suit and tie or whether they wear a sports jacket or a golf shirt on Sunday morning. It all had everything to do with whether or not they acknowledge the cross as the beginning and the end of what’s needed in one’s life.”
“That was incredibly important (as we went) forth, that we wouldn’t let our styles of ministry direct the event, (but) that we were truly unified at the foot of the cross,” he added.
Following the St. James show, Yme? hosted a series of charity concerts for Western New York not-for-profits, and a pair of shows for the Romanian orphanage House of Hope.
Now, Yaiser is poised to take Yme? in a different direc-tion.
“My heart is really for the troops – at the boot level,” he said.
Yaiser’s daughter, Brooke, is in the armed forces, and his family has seen the positive impact of organizations such as the Wounded Warrior Project and Not Alone on the lives of the men and women protecting the U.S. from terrorist attacks. Every day soldiers are asked to put their lives on the line. When necessary, they’re forced to take the life of a com-batant. These situations, Yaiser said, can leave troops feel-ing guilty and unworthy of God’s love or mercy. The key, he said, is to teach them, “God forgave us; and He did that at the cross. We need to be able to forgive (cont. pg 14)
Rebecca St. James refused to settle. She refused to marry someone who wasn’t “the one.” A beautiful woman with financial security and fame, she
could’ve put roots down with the first man who asked her out. It would’ve been easy for St. James to just give up, give in, and do what so many in the world would do in her situation.
However, “I wanted to know beyond a shadow of a doubt that it was God’s man for me,” she said. “What would be set-tling would be being with somebody who wasn’t God’s man for me, and I just was lonely, and just needed to do this be-cause time was up and I’d waited long enough. I just think what God was telling me to do was trust His heart and then wait on His confirmation. And God did give me confirmation. It was awesome.”
In April, St. James wed. Christian music’s most well known female singer – and its strongest advocate for purity –
Rebecca St. James’ Patience
married former mis-sionary Jacob Fink, who proposed to her on Christmas day. This new stage in St. James’ personal life was followed by a series of new chapters in her professional career. The 34-year-old Australian un-veiled a new album, “I Will Praise You,” in the spring; she de-buted a revamped website, www.rsjames.com, at the end of the sum-mer; and in Septem-ber she released a new book on relationships, “What Is He Think-ing?”. James has served as a panelist on Fox News “Hannity,” hosted by conserva-tive host Sean Han-nity, and in August she performed at Kingdom Bound for the first time in five years. “My last birthday – a year ago – I really sensed that God was saying that this would be a year of fulfill-
ment. I was really hoping and praying that it would be a year of fulfillment relationally – not necessarily vocationally,” St. James said, laughing. “But it’s really been both. Our relation-ship, my husband and I – this new season with Jacob – has really sprung me into a new season of ministry. (It’s) one that has balance, and I’m not on the road all the time. The events I’m doing, I really sense the Holy Spirit moving in a fresh way.
“Our story is now also kind of expanding the reach of my purity message, because now I can say it’s worth the wait. You know, marriage is wonderful, and speak from that posi-tion, as well. It’s a really great new season.” Western New York Ties
To be certain, St. James’ year has not been what she ex-pected and better than what she could’ve imagined. 2011 has also been a year of change for the Middleport, N.Y.-based February/March 2012 www.unitemagazine.us 11
By Ryan Delling
First Things First Priority Defines Culture “Priority defines culture”. These words, spoken to me by my spiritual father, Robert Stearns nearly knocked me over when I heard them. We were standing together in Ma-naus, Brazil as he was about to preach to 25,000 people during a revival gathering that was being held. I was not struck by his statement because there were 25,00 people gathered in one place, nor that there were hundreds of busses outside, a huge lighting and sound system, or over 3,000 pastors attending. I was struck by the fact that all of these people were crammed into a tent with no air con-ditioning in the middle of the Brazilian summer and that their services went 16-18 hours per day. Most of the services consisted of 25,000 people singing to Jesus at the top of their lungs for hours at a time. These people were desperate for the presence of God to find a resting place among them…and God showed up big time. Healings, miracles, signs and wonders were the norm and were expected. "Priority defines culture." After that trip, I was deeply troubled in my spirit for several months. I thought about the American church at large. How we have more buildings, finances, and resources at our disposal than any other place in the world. I thought about how we try to fill our pews by marketing our mul-timedia capabilities to people, competing with the pastor down the street. I thought about how most “worship services” consist of 2 fast songs, 3 slow songs, and a 2 minute closing prayer. I thought about how trying to get people to gather for a special Friday night worship service is often times like suggesting that they get a root canal. I thought about how we fill church schedules with programs, clubs, breakfasts, and sports activities and try to attract teenagers to youth group with video games. I reflected on the culture of West-ern Christianity that we have created… and I was sad. "Priority defines culture." Then I remembered King David. 3,000 years ago King David defied the culture of his time and completely unraveled the status
FEATURE ARTICLE
Nations” (Isaiah 56:7). While 24/7 prayer or "laus perennis" (which is latin for "perpetual prayer") has been happening for the past 2000 years of church history, the last decade has seen an absolute surge in this movement. I believe that what is happening is that God is inviting us to redefine our priorities as a people. I also believe that it is God’s desire for this to hap-pen as the different churches, ministries, and “tribes” located in the same geographic region come together with one voice. “In that day will I raise up the tabernacle of David that is fallen, and close up the breaches thereof; and I will raise up his ruins, and I will build it as in the days of old” –Amos 9:11 What if all of the churches in Western NY became committed to cre-ating a resting place for the presence of God in the spirit of the Tabernac-le of David? What if our region became a region “after God’s own heart” because "laus perennis" was taking place? We are closer than you may think to this becoming a reality. The Prayer Collective, announced last issue (December/January 2012) is something I am excited to be a part of because what I just described is what Prayer Collective is all about. The Prayer Collective is a collabora-tion of musicians, singers and intercessors working together to offer Jesus perpetual prayer in the Elmwood Village leading to greater intimacy with
Jesus in his Church and greater effectiveness in missions and outreach. Prayer Collective invites churches, ministries and/or musicians to cover one two hour segment once a week collectively covering 12 hours a day, 6 days a week with more to come. See www.prayercollective.com for more details and to get involved. “Priority defines culture”. David didn’t just give lip service to God, he defined culture by his priorities. What will the culture of the Church in Western New York Be? It’s up to us…
quo. With great courage he risked his reputation, personal finances, and even ability to move forward important initia-tives in order to establish a resting place for the presence of God in Jerusalem. And establish a resting place he did… quite literally. David’s first act as King of Israel was not to conquer a nearby nation to demonstrate his military might. It was not to count the funds in the Royal Treasury. No, what he did was ridiculously radi-cal and had never before been done in Israel’s history: King David erected a tent and proceed-ed to hire 4,288 full time people to sing, play instruments, pray, and write music (the Psalms) 24 hours a day, 7 days a week with-out ever stopping. This structure was called the “Tabernacle of David” (1 Chr. 15:1–17:27). Why did he do such a thing? Because David knew that the most important thing he could do was to create a tapestry of non-stop worship and prayer that would serve as the foundation on which his entire kingdom would be built and would dictate the spiritual atmosphere for the entire nation of Israel. "Priority defines culture." Because of his heart for “One Thing” (Psalm 27:4), and his boldness to prioritize relationship with the Lord (worship and prayer) over everything else, God Himself actually called David a man “after His own heart”. There was something so unique about David’s life in the eyes of God that even today in 2012, the star of David is the symbol on Israel’s national flag and Jeru-salem is still called the “City of David”. David had his priorities right, and I believe that there is an opportuni-ty in this hour for the Body of Christ to get its priorities right as well. God defined His house not as a house of preaching, programs, or peripheral activities. He defined His house as a “House of Prayer for All
12 www.unitemagazine.us February/March 2012
(Continued from page 11) ourselves. “There’s so much pain out there for the warrior. I think we, as a society in this coun-try, we don’t see the evil like some nations of the world do.”
Yaiser was encouraged by a report he received from his daughter following her unit’s recent interaction with Billy Graham’s grandson, Will.
“She said, ‘Dad, don’t you think for a minute that the Lord isn’t alive and well.’ Two hundred young men and women came forward to accept Christ in a boot camp – a boot camp,” he said.
“My heart – where you see Yme? Ministry going, for me, personally – would be to somehow come alongside these organizations,” Yaiser said.
St. James Stands Tall When St. James returned to Kingdom Bound this summer, she discovered the impact her con-
cert had on the Artpark crowd, on Yme?, and in shining a spotlight on other Niagara County organizations such as Solid Rock Ministries and Harvest in the Park.
“No way – that’s awesome,” she said. That St. James regularly deflects praise to her Lord and Savior doesn’t stop people from shar-
ing stories of the impact of her ministry on their lives. “I actually just spoke – like two days ago – to a man who was pastoring three churches in his
local area in Illinois,” she said. “He came to a show of mine when I was pretty young, like, I think, late teens. And he ended up using (my) devotional book to lead other young people in growing in Jesus. And that devotional book, while he was leading the Bible study, it ministered to him, and made him get serious with God. Now he’s pastoring three churches, got a wife and a family, and he just said, ‘Thank you so much for having a spiritual legacy in my life.’
“Beautiful stories like that are very powerful for me.” What’s powerful to others, Yaiser said, is watching St. James stay true to her Christian beliefs. “As an artist, (she’s) very talented, but there’s a lot of talented people out there,” he said.
“When I see Rebecca St. James, and I see her post the concert that we did, and I see her on Fox, for example, being interviewed. These people who are standing in the gap in the gospel are un-der tremendous scrutiny. She still stands tall. She is a light.”
Yaiser said St. James is steadfast in her approach. No matter the situation or circumstances, St. James refuses to give up or give in.
“She stands tall for the gospel,” and not just at her concerts, where it’s comfortable, Yaiser said. “When I look at her now, that’s the thing I admire most. Yes, she had the heart to sing Christian music and so forth. But when you hear her in a setting being challenged by other peo-ple who are being interviewed on talk shows like ‘Hannity’ and so forth, she’s a rock.”
Rebecca St. James’s latest offerings, album “I Will Praise You” and book “What Is He Think-
ing?”, are now available online and in Christian retail stores.
May 4-5The Chapel at CrossPointGetzville, NYA Conference for musicians, lead worshipers, technicians,songwriters, indie artists, and creative types of all kinds to improve skill and inspire talent for God’s Glory!
Learn from the best...Leadership, Guitar, Bass, Drums, Keys, Vocals, Songrwriting, Indie Artists, Audio, Video, Lighting and more. PLUS Special Sessions with photographer & visual artistJeremy Cowart
Register online at www.Christianmusiciansummit.com
Evening Concerts with Friday: David Crowder, Christy Nockels & Doyle
DykesSaturday: Peter Furler, The City Harmonic & Benji
& Jenna CowartOpen to the Public - Just $15 General, $25 GC
visit kingdombound.org for details purchase online at itickets.com
Paul Baloche Doyle Dykes David Crowder
Brenton Brown & The Worship Republic
The City Harmonic Benji & Jenna
Cowart Peter Furler
Christy & Nathan Nockels
The Blues CounselPhil Joel
Not much more than a decade ago, Radical Islam wasn’t even a blip on most
American’s radar screen. If anyone had heard of it, it was a problem happening somewhere “over there”--far from our school districts, neighborhoods, shopping centers and airports. Today, of course, is a different story. Ten years after 9/11/2001, the continuous threat of attack from an extensive, international Islamic infrastructure is hard to ignore (although that doesn’t stop people from trying). As Western Christians or American citizens, we need to acknowledge that Radical Is-lam is no longer a distant, foreign issue that can be safely ignored.
The House of Radical Islam, wherever it operates, is based on an understanding that the world is divided into only two categories: the house of Islam (Dar al-Islam) and the house of war (Dar al-Harb). Dar al-Islam is wherever Islamic rule has been established, and the remainder of the world is considered Dar al-Harb, a field of war in which the opposers must be fought to conquer their territories for Allah. Their end goal of global domination is stark and irrevocable, with no room for ne-gotiation.
The complex nature of Islam stems from the fact that Islam is not simply a religion, but a system of rule. Radical Islam, is this sense, is actually a redundant term because those who actually live by the dictates of the Quran and the teachings of Muhammad are, by modern definition, radical.
The notion that Islamic aggression toward the West stems from political discord or fiscal inequities imposed on the Arab world is a ruse. Regardless of other factors, the enmity disseminated by the Arab world is a result of how their religion teaches them to view us as “infidels” to be converted, conquered or killed in their quest to dominate the planet. The terrorist attacks that have come to Western nations demonstrate that such acts do not originate from the attackers being societally disadvantaged. The bombers in the deadly London attacks of July 2005 were well-educated, established professionals with successful careers, whose indiscriminate acts of violence originated from their radical Muslim beliefs and not from underprivileged status.
Radical Islam will never be able to peacefully coexist with the non-Muslim world or with Muslims of different be-liefs. Consider the genocide and oppression of Christian minorities who have no political influence or power within Muslim majority countries. The subjugation and brutality these Christians suffer has nothing to do with politics! There is no political reason to massacre or persecute these innocent Christians. These acts should put to rest once and for all the assertion that terrorism is politically-motivated, rather than what it is: an ideological and theological tenet of Islam.
Sobering stuff. I realize this is not easy. I realize this is not pleasant. I’m not offering you “nine easy steps to a stress-free Christmas” or “four ways to be liked by everyone at church.” The question remains: Are we as Christians going to respond to Radical Islam, which is the most violent, anti-Christ force on the earth today? Are willing to have our priorities challenged and our comfort zones altered? Are we going to live lives worthy of the calling we have received?
I realize I don’t know you, but I do know this: you and I have been uniquely selected to be alive at this strategic hour in human history. Lives hang in the balance. Whole people groups hang in the balance. There are “multitudes, mul-titudes in the valley of decision” (see Joel 3:14). They are actively seeking a voice to guide them toward the only thing that will ultimately satisfy their souls. They are listening for a voice. Will they hear yours?
Mitchell D. Silber and Arvin Bhatt, Radicalization in the West: the Homegrown Threat, New York Police Department Intelligence Division, 2007, http://www.investigativeproject.org/documents/testimony/344.pdf, 25-26.
This article has been adapted from an excerpt of Robert Stearns' book "No We Can't: Radical Islam, Militant Secularism and the Myth of Coexistence” available at eagleswings.to. Published by Chosen books. Copyright 2011 by Robert Stearns. All rights reserved. ISBN: 978-0-8007-9520-7.
COLUMNS
Robert Stearns is the founder and executive director of Eagles' Wings, an international relational network of believers, churches, and ministries committed to the lifestyle of biblical spirituality, the unity of the Body of Christ, and God’s enduring covenant with Israel. Robert’s minis try flows out of deep passion for Jesus characterized by a distinct prophetic edge. He has ministered in 30 nations around the world and maintains a significant burden for the Eastern United States and Israel. Robert also serves as co-chairman of the Day of Prayer for the Peace of Jerusalem, and Publisher of KAIROS Magazine. Robert and his three sons live in New York, and spend a great deal of time in Jerusalem, Israel.
A Voice For Change BY DR. ROBERT STEARNS
Harvest Eyes (Part 1) Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and curing every disease and every sickness (35). When he saw the crowds, he was moved with compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd (36). Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few (37). Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest” (38). Then Jesus called his twelve disciples to him, and he gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to cure every disease and every sickness. (1) Now the names of the twelve apostles are these. … (5) And these twelve Jesus sent out and instructed them. Matthew 9:35-10:5 Foundational Biblical Truths for World-Impacting Ministry Matthew 9:35-10:5 contains an explosive set of divine truths to create a world-impacting ministry among Christians. This passage, along with the rest of Mat-thew 10, represents a critical transition point in the ministry of Jesus, and this transition has to do with a strategic step on Jesus’ part toward expansion (Mt. 4:18-9:34). Jesus is about to establish the conditions to advance his global re-demptive plan so that his church is capable of worldwide impact. Now, Jesus’ followers must go from observing to being “learners-by-going-and-doing.” At this critical point in the Gospel, we have the ministry-expanding words: “And these twelve Jesus sent out and instructed them” (Mt.10:5f). Surely Christ wants to move his church, even today, into a glorious partnership with him. Here, then, are two harvest-time truths that should move us from being passive observers to active partici-pants with the Lord of the harvest! (1) From Seeing… to Saying; from Battered Sheep… to Wheat (vv.35-37a): If we are going to be Christ-like harvesters, then we need both to see and say things the way the Master does. Verse 36 describes what Jesus saw as he ministered throughout Palestine: “When he saw the crowds, he was moved with com-passion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.” These words are remarka-ble because of what Jesus saw in the people: a pathetic excuse for life! They were “harassed,” which can mean butch-ered, cut up, skinned, and even to be raped. And they were “helpless,” which can mean the state of shock a sheep goes into when it is highly traumatized. Ancient shepherds said (and even sheepherders today say) that a sheep becomes “shut down.” Do you know anyone who is so battered and traumatized by life that he or she is “shut down”? Together, harassed and helpless paint an awful but accurate picture of the masses of people in our world outside of Christ! But then comes the revelatory, because Jesus immediately says something very different from what he sees! He saw mangled, abused and defeated sheep, but what he says describes wheat: “Then he said to his disciples, ‘The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few,’” (v. 37). In other words, Jesus immediately goes from sorry sheep to life-giving wheat! Oh, that we would have the eyes of God and see the potential in the millions all around us! Oh, that God would raise an army of believers to speak His divine and hope-filled perspective into the world! As a metis Native American believer of the Seneca Nation who was born and raised in inner-city Buffalo, and as an urban pastor in core-city Buffalo for some 25 years, I have come to the conviction that you can never reach anyone you look down upon. You can only reach into the hearts of those that know you love them, despite all they may have done or had horribly done to them. Oh, for God’s harvest eyes! (2) Bringing the Whole Gospel, to the Whole Person, to the Whole World (v.35): Verse 35 reveals yet another world-impacting principle. World-harvesters will (1) take the whole Gospel to people, teaching the mind, preaching the good news to the spirit, and curing the physical body; (2) take God’s love to all places (the cities and villages: dangerous, close-minded innovative and beautiful alike); and (3) reach out to all types of spiritual appetites (the synagogues, yet also the crowds who may care far less about God). Tragically, we say things like, “Oh, the city is filled with evil… small towns are narrow-minded… these people are lazy leeches, racial bigots, rich snobs, or…” But! Harvest hearts respond with a resounding “No!” because these state-ments betray sinful attitudes that we must reject. World harvesters, like Jesus, go to all places! If you would have run into me in my early twenties, you might have crossed the street to avoid me. But a couple of harvest-minded believers pushed past my drug-hardened heart and saw the marred image of God in me. One wise church leader has said that if the church will reach out in faith to those that everyone else is avoiding, it will eventually have those that everyone will want. Former tax collectors—like Matthew!—have made great disciples, and whole nations formerly closed to the Gospel are now vibrant centers of world mission. Why? Because someone had harvest eyes and refused to write off any field, person or people! Finally, world harvesters never minister to just one part of the person, but to the whole person: mind, body, emo-tions, social needs and spirit. We have a saying at RiverRock, the church that I pastor: “As many gates into the kingdom as necessary and Biblical.” (Check back next issue for part II of this series) Rev. Bob Tice BS, Houghton College. MA, and ThM Studies, Fuller Theological Seminary (Pasadena, CA) Doctoral candidate, Northeastern Seminary (at Roberts Wesleyan College) Adjunct faculty, Houghton College Senior pastor, RiverRock (Buffalo, NY): A branch church of The Full Gospel Tabernacle, Senior Pastor Tommy Reid Widowed (Polly), two children (Matthew, and Jessica Metis Seneca
BY BOB TICE
MUSIC STUDIOS
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Normal people are stressed, overwhelmed, and exhausted. Many of their relationships are, at best, strained and, in most cases, just surviving. Even though we live in one of the most prosperous places on earth, nor-mal is still living paycheck to paycheck and never getting ahead. In our oversexed world, lust, premarital sex, guilt, and shame are far more common than purity, virginity, and a healthy married sex life. And when it comes to God, the majority believe in him, but the teachings of scrip-ture rarely make it into their everyday lives. Simply put, normal isn't working. Groeschel's WEIRD views will help you break free from the norm to lead a radically abnormal (and endlessly more fulfilling) life.
With a vibrant, fresh style Suzanne Woods Fisher brings readers into the world of a young Amish woman torn between following the man she loves--or joining the community of faith that sustains her, even as she questions some of the decisions of her elders. Her choice begins a tor-rent of change for her and her family, including a marriage of conven-ience to silent Daniel Miller. Both bring broken hearts into their ar-rangement--and secrets that have been held too long. Filled with gentle romance, The Choice opens the world of the Amish--their strong communities, their simple life and their willingness to put each other first. Combined with Fisher's exceptional gift for char-acter development, this novel, the first in a series, is a welcome remind-er that it is never too late to find your way back to God.
Casting Crowns' first studio album in 2 years is in-spired by the story of Jesus talking to the woman at the well. "She thought she was standing by a well talking to a man, but really she was standing by a hole in the ground and she was talking to the well. We come to Jesus and we have already got our well. He is life." ~ Mark Hall, Casting Crowns
Hillsong Live returns with an all-new album entitled, A Beautiful Exchange. Recorded at Hillsong Church in Australia, these powerful worship songs explore themes including sacrifice & redemption ("A Beauti-ful Exchange"), extraordinary love ("Our God Is Love"), and comforting hope ("Forever Reign") which is also the first radio single and looks to be a song that will be quickly adopted by churches every-where.
“I know how to write songs about my life, my experi-ences and my journey, my faith and my love,” West says. “Yet along comes an idea for a record called ‘Story of Your Life’ and instead of writing what I know and writing songs about my life, the idea is to turn the microphone around to the people who listen to my music. I wanted them to send me their stories.” What emerged on The Story of Your Life is a power-ful collection of songs that cover a diverse range of difficult subject matter.
High School senior Luke Harris (Justin Schwan) dreams of just one thing. pro surfing. With his best friend Casey (Angel Cruz) at his side, they have two goals: surf and party! But Luke's Mom (Raquel Gard-ner) and especially Dad (Greg Carlson) have other ideas: pick a college and grow up! When Luke learns that a spot is opening up on the local surf team, he sees his big chance to prove to his parents that he can make it as a surfer and avoid being shipped off to school. Only two things stand in Luke's way ...
book
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All Books, Bibles, Music, Gifts, and Stationery are available at: Bender’s Parable Christian Store, located at 8550 Sheridan Drive in Williamsville, NY. Open Monday-Friday from 10:00am-9:00pm; Saturday 10:00am-6:00pm. Shop online at: www.ShopBenders.com
February/March 2012 www.unitemagazine.us 17
Pastor Mark Driscoll and his wife, Grace, talk about sex and marriage in down-to-earth terms, hitting issues other Christian books won't. While a wonderful wedding day is important, it's the last day of mar-riage that really counts. Will the last day of your marriage come prema-turely through divorce? Will it be filled with regrets as you sit at the funeral of your spouse? Or, by God's grace, will the last day be a day to rejoice in the life you lived together? Pastor Mark Driscoll and his wife, Grace, want you to finish well on the last day. From the importance of date nights to answers to the most tricky "can we do that?" sex questions, they share practical help and hope with people just like them-who entered marriage a complete mess-or who are planning to be married someday and want to avoid some sticky pitfalls.
IS JESUS WORTH THIS TO YOU? It's easy for American Christians to forget how Jesus said his followers would actually live, what their new lifestyle would actually look like. They would, he said, leave behind security, money, convenience, even family for him. They would abandon everything for the gospel. They would take up their crosses daily… BUT WHO DO YOU KNOW WHO LIVES LIKE THAT? DO YOU? In" Radical," David Platt challenges you to consider with an open heart how we have manipulated the gospel to fit our cultural preferences. He shows what Jesus actually said about being his disciple--then invites you to "believe "and "obey "what you have heard. And he tells the dramatic story of what is happening as a "successful" suburban church decides to get serious about the gospel according to Jesus. Finally, he urges you to join in The Radical Experiment --a one-year journey in authentic discipleship that will transform how you live in a world that desperately needs the Good News Jesus came to bring. Filled with action-packed police drama,
COURAGEOUS is the fourth film from Sherwood Pictures, the moviemaking ministry of Sherwood Baptist Church in Albany, Georgia. Viewers will once again find themselves laughing, crying, and cheering as they are challenged and inspired by eve-ryday heroes who long to be the kinds of dads that make a lifelong impact on their children. Protecting the streets is second nature to these men. Raising their children in a God-honoring way? That's courageous.
FINAL THOUGHT
Many years ago, I had a dear friend who was a devoted prayer warrior. He had been faithfully praying as to wheth-er he should continue his medical practice here in the US or move back to his native country of Zimbabwe to be near his family. After many months, I asked him if he had de-cided what he would do. Without flinching, he responded, “I haven't heard anything yet." At that moment, I was struck by the realization that there was a lot more to prayers than just saying them, and like “fire and forget” missiles, disregarding them - that prayer was much more than a resource we tap. E. M. Bounds, in his book “Power Through Prayer” said, “We are constantly on a stretch, if not on a strain, to devise new methods, new plans, new organizations to ad-vance the Church and secure enlargement and efficiency for the gospel . . . The Church is looking for better meth-ods; God is looking for better men.” God has given us many ways to accomplish prayer including: Personal prayer, Public prayer, Meditative prayer, Intercessory prayer, Prevailing Prayer, Prayer without ceasing. All these and more were given to us in order to facilitate a culture and life of prayer. However in 2005, LifeWay Christian Resources surveyed more than 1,300 evangelical leaders from around the world to deter-mine what they perceived to be the "Top 10 Issues Facing Today's Church." Number one was Prayer: The need for more ongoing, passionate prayer in both personal and church life. I believe the same is true today. A high percentage of us are not praying. How is it possible to have so many meth-ods and infinite resources for prayer and yet have such a high percentage of us not praying? What is in us that so neglects prayer? Could it be that one of the reasons why some Christians don’t pray is because they have this tacit idea lodged in the back of their minds that prayer simply does not work. Many have become discouraged from lack of answers to prayer. They have become hopelessly stuck like an insect in amber and missed the lesson my African doctor-friend modeled before me - that prayer requires the unmistakable quality of persevering faith. James tells the seeker to ask, “in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind”. James 1:6 (ESV)If prayer isn’t working for us we
might want to explore the possibility that we have ap-proached God conceptually, not intimately. A Christian might have a theoretical idea about God through their knowledge of Biblical doctrine, and yet not have fellow-ship with God. It’s easier to learn academically the five points of “how to” then it is to encounter God through prayer. Charles Spurgeon spoke to this when he said, “As the flower is more lovely than the root, so is the experience of fellow-ship with the risen Savior more lovely than the doctrine itself” [1]. This kind of cold approach to God will turn what could have potentially been an intimate encounter into mere devotions. Yes it is possible to have “devotions” and mistakenly consider it to be the sum of our commitment to God. In having devo-tions, we can put God in a box along with all our other boxes of responsibilities in life - Only taking out that box once a day or whenever needed. Prayer however cannot be contained by space and time, but takes in your whole being. A person can’t say I’m going to have “commitment or “dedication to God” because these quali-ties are continual states of being, not acts. E. M. Bounds defined devotion as “the particular frame of mind found in a person entirely devoted to God”. The vacuum created by lack of intimacy with God will inevitably result in a substitute intimacy. Things like work, entertainment, ,family schedules, and social media will rush to fill the vacated space once reserved for God and us. Our modern technological devices. though not inherently evil, have in many cases become our intimate
connection instead of God. Time, our only real coin of trade in this life, then becomes devoured by these proxy interactions. Whatever reason a person may have for not praying, one thing is clear: It is more unnatural not to pray than it is to pray. Prayer is not only ingrained in our original creation when our first parents talked to God, but also in our Re-demption. “And this is eternal life, that they know You the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent” (John 17:3). Redemption has never been about the rescue, but about knowing the Rescuer. Seeking God intimately is the foun-dation to all other kinds of prayer which remain fruitless without divine connectedness. It is imperative that prayer become our center, our cul-ture, and our life - not just another formality. As seeking His face sustains all other forms of prayer God has given us, it should always move us out of the Prayer Closet and into God’s mandate to reach the lost.
You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart. Jeremiah 29:13 (ESV)
[1]Spurgeon, C. H. (1995). Morning and evening : Daily readings (November 22 PM). Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc. [2]The Holy Bible : King James Version. 1995 (Lk 18:1). Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc. [3]The Holy Bible : English standard version. 2001 (Jn 17:2-3). Wheaton: Good News Publishers.
Lou and Louisa Perez both grew up in New York City and met in the first Church Lou pastored in Schenec-tady, NY. In 1999 they started Destiny Christian Church in Niagara Falls with the vision of taking Church outside the four walls. Visit their website at www.destinychristianniagara.com.
By Lou Perez
Mission: Developing a Culture of Prayer
18 www.unitemagazine.us February/March 2012
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