Tuesday, November 05, 2013

Live From Kelso, it's Monday Night!

By Danny & Jo-El Perez

Mondays are culturally looked upon as the dreadful ending of the weekend, and for many of us mark our return to work, school, and your garden variety of responsibilities. A somber midday attitude is referred to by some as, ‘having a case of the Mondays.’ Therein lies the great challenge for East Hills Alliance attendees to take back Monday night and effectively transform the mundane into the marvelous, of course not without the help of some wonderful curriculums and God’s vision and blessing on one of the many Connection Groups happening at EHA.

We have participated in a number of Monday Night Live seasons, starting long before we got married. One of our favorite things about MNL is that it encompasses a wide spectrum of people; single and married, young and less young, families, individuals, and most importantly, friends. The premise is quite simple really: As Jesus said, “For where two or three gather together as my followers, I am there among them,” and MNL is designed with accessibility in mind, so to create an environment where believers of all walks of life can gather, and in the building of those relationships is Christ at work in our lives (Matthew 18:20, NLT).

The current season highlights Peter Scazzero’s Emotionally Healthy Spirituality, a book written out of his experience with living in emotional dysfunction, and how God’s design for our lives is to be one of freedom in all areas, including our emotional lives. As our fellow table members share stories of previous hurts, growth, and God’s redeeming grace in their lives, we are blessed to experience transparent and true friendships and share our own stories. Part of the value of the group comes from the curriculum itself, but the biggest reward comes from unpacking it with other fellow believers.

We look forward to future groups, always prayerfully considering our involvement; we don’t always take part in MNL, since we are involved in other projects around EHA, but when God places the urge in our heart to, we gladly follow. If you are looking for a way to get to know some fellow EHA friends on a deeper level, or if you want to learn more about Connection Groups, prayerfully consider Monday Night Live. We encourage you to make the time and effort to see what happens when believers gather to experience fellowship in the name of Christ; it truly is the best way to make “a case of the Mondays” a good thing to have.

Connection Groups

Noel and Georgia McRae:                           
The Roadrunner Connection Group

Ours is the longest running and largest group of all our small groups. We began about the size of a usual small group, but people who fit in and/or had needs that we could address or assist with would come along. And now we are around 20.

We became the "roadrunner" group back when Nick asked all the groups to name themselves, and the name stuck. We called ourselves "Roadrunners" because at the time we were spread from Kalama, west Longview, north of Kelso, to way out in Rose Valley. As we grew bigger and (some of us) older, it became more of a burden to get houses ready for the group. So, for a while we met in the Fellowship Hall of the church. Then when it became difficult for one of the families to even make that, we moved to Monticello Park and have permission to meet in their nice kitchen area.

A high percentage of our group has special needs — health, kids having special problems, alienation of some family members, etc. We have become aware of most of the problems and have become a safe and known resource for support and understanding.
We recently polled the group about various options - multiplying, changing leaders, etc. All options met with strong disapproval. As a group are meeting needs and functioning well, even though we are larger than other groups and larger than normally recommended for a functioning small group. Because we are already large, we are not seeking new members at this time.
We are a support group that is using its own model and format. We followed the sermon series last year. We have done a book study and a series on apologetics. This year we will do some New Testament book discussion studies, starting with Colossians.

A Call to Prayer, by Jim Venable

“Prayer is the primary work of God’s people.
“We believe that nothing of lasting value can be done unless it is bathed in prayer. So passionate was his belief that prayer undergirds all ministry, Alliance founder A. B. Simpson was compelled to create a prayer league to focus on the world’s evangelization. He believed that the Prayer Alliance would “prove to be the mightiest force in the spread of missions;” that force still drives The Alliance today.” 

The words above are taken directly from the CMA core values. What an amazing legacy to have inherited. Our spiritual inheritance regarding prayer is built on the foundation made up of not only the practice of the man, but on the Spirit-birthed reality that God is mysteriously energized and released to act by the fervent prayers of a sanctified people.

On the other hand, these words present me personally with the daunting challenge to bathe in prayer everything that is worthy of “lasting value.” I know these words should be found in my list of personal core values. But before I affirm that notion, I must carefully consider what that would mean. If I am truly a Follower of the Way and am moving, as the words of the old Petra song declare, to a place “Beyond Belief,” does an examination of my life support that prayer is one of my personal core practices? If you looked at my life would there be sufficient evidence to convict me of prayerfulness?

Perhaps you have felt yourself wrestling with this same dilemma- you value prayer, and you desire to pray, but in practice, you don't pray all that much! What should we do? I know I am at a loss as how to reconcile the desire of wanting to see God reform His Church and vitalize His people with the delight of knowing that is the very thing He is doing. I know it can be done because there are those who breathe Spirit-Filled, God-Agreeing, Jesus-Pleasing, Scripture- Based prayers.

Many of us may have the desire to pray, but never experience the delight of prayer. It may be that we haven’t engaged in the discipline of prayer that empowers us to bridge the gap from desire to delight. Repetitive practice is the only way I know to discipline myself in any arena. I don’t believe prayer is any different. While there is not a “perfect” way to pray, I believe the following adage still applies:
“Practice does not make perfect. Only perfect practice makes perfect.”  (Vince Lombardi)

Prayer is perfected as we obey the commands of scripture to:
“Pray without ceasing” (I Thess. 5:17),            
“In everything give thanks (prayer)” (I Thess. 5:18),        
“Everything with breath, praise (prayer) the Lord” (Ps. 150:6),
Petition, intercede, supplicate in prayer (Phil. 4:6, I Tim. 2:1)

A “Call to Prayer,” held in Colorado Springs on August 30/31, not only modeled what a time to practice prayer could look like, but issued an unstated, but spiritually implied challenge to engage congregations in ongoing, family times of corporate prayer. As a result the first of several places and times to “practice” focused prayer is being offered during a 24-hour prayer event scheduled for November 15/16.

The local event will be kicked off with a Prayer Gathering to be held in the EHA Main Hall at 6:30pm on Friday evening and will culminate with the Saturday Evening Service, November 16.

Why Habitat for Humanity By Jason Hoover

Habitat for Humanity is a non-profit Christian outreach that takes to heart Jesus’s command to clothe and shelter those in need. I became involved with HFH back in the mid 80’s when the church I was attending at the time tried to help start HFH in the Longview-Kelso area. I was a relatively new home owner and wanted to know more about house construction and repair methods for my house. I felt that HFH was a good opportunity for me to learn about home repair without paying the up front money to work on my own house. It provided a way for me to learn from people I thought would know more about construction than I did. What I learned was way beyond my initial goals.

I became involved with HFH because I was impressed with the way a local chapter was to be organized and its dedication to meeting a critical need: adequate affordable housing. HFH also is committed to sharing the gospel with the families and individuals receiving a home.  Homes are not given away as I had previously thought. Instead a new homeowner must commit to at least 500 hours of volunteer work for HFH, either on a house project or for the organization. The home is a purchased home, but with no interest charged on the loan. All money received in payments is recycled into new projects. There are relatively few paid positions in the organization, thus overhead costs are low and more money is available to lend at no interest.

I found that there are many ways to serve in HFH. Some of the ways are listed below:

Work on the actual construction of a house.
Making meals for the workers.
Work in the HFH office.
Volunteer to help support the family.
Provide the training the new homeowner might need such as budgeting, home care, chores, time management, cooking, cleaning, etc.
Helping the homeowner to take care of the physical needs of the house and family.
Praying for and with the new homeowners and
           owners-to-be.
Sharing the gospel to those who ask, “Why are you working on this house for free?”
Serving on the various committees needed to build a home.

There are many other ways to serve the needs of our community through the HFH organization.

I really appreciated the fact that I did not have to know much to be able to be involved. The people that are in charge have always been helpful and try to find a place for any who have a willing heart.

If you  are interested in learning more about Habitat and its ministry here and around the world you can talk with me or I can get you in touch with others in the church that have served in some fashion, or contact the local organization to find out what services are needed.

Meet the Dinius'

The House Interviews Todd and Karen Dinius, Bosnia

Would you share a little about your backgrounds?
Todd grew up on a farm in north central Indiana and graduated from Purdue University with a B.S. and M.S. in Business Management. He later received a M.S. in Intercultural Leadership Studies from Crown College through their on-line degree program. Karen grew up in a small town in southeastern Pennsylvania and graduated from Penn State University with a B.S. in Horticulture. We met in a C&MA church in West Lafayette, Indiana in 2001 while Karen was working with InterVarsity Christian Fellowship at Purdue and Todd was active in leadership at the church. We have three children: Bethany (6), Joshua (4 ½) and Kaitlyn (2 ½).

How did you come to know Jesus? What does that journey look like? 
I (Karen) was introduced to the Lord through a friend in middle school. She invited me to her church and retreats and my interest grew through attending these events. I was struggling with some difficult relationships at that time, and I began reading through the Scriptures. I began to see the hope and life that God wanted to offer me through Christ and I was drawn to Him. I received the Lord in seventh grade and He has changed me in significant ways! I went from being hopeless to being filled with true hope and life. He changed the direction my life was going in and continues to draw me closer and closer to Him.

I (Todd) grew up in a Christian home and accepted Jesus as Lord at an early age. Though my family’s church was non-evangelical, I grew steadily in faith. In college I was very active in The Navigators collegiate ministry and grew tremendously in spiritual disciplines, in relationship with Christ, and in heart for ministry. By the time I finished college I felt a call to full-time Christian ministry and advancement of Christ’s kingdom throughout the world.

What drew you to Bosnia? What has been encouraging? What has been difficult?
I (Todd) served one-year on a team in Sophia, Bulgaria with The Navigators as part of the CoMission Project. During that time my heart was burdened for the people of Eastern Europe. So when the C&MA entered Bosnia in 1998 I began to regularly pray and follow the team’s ministry there. God’s call to us to be servants and ministers to the Bosnian people has kept us there. We had a challenging first term, but God was so faithful and good to us amidst the challenges we faced as a family. We have been encouraged by the relationships that God has blessed us with and this has given us much motivation and strength to press on and persevere in serving there. We have relationships with several non-believers and feel like the Lord has given us many opportunities to share His love with them through our words and actions. We have faced a lot of difficulties in learning the language, adjusting to a new culture, significant health concerns, and some challenging relationships with people back in the States which we have had to navigate through.

What do you enjoy about Bosnian culture? The people?
The culture has a lot of depth and history which makes it very rich. The culture reflects the influence of various people groups because of its long and diverse history including years under Ottoman (Turkish) rule, Austro-Hungarian rule, and Communist rule. It is a place where East meets West and thus (where) several religious groups including Islam, Orthodoxy, and Catholicism express their faith and culture.

We also appreciate the Bosnians’ generous hospitality and love for children.

How does partnership with various church fellowships enhance your vision for Bosnia? How does it help in ministry?
Our partnership churches have been a tremendous encouragement to our team in Bosnia Herzegovina. Their prayers, financial support, communication, and visits have a very real impact upon our ministry. They enable us to undertake ministry efforts that we otherwise would be unable to do on our own. And their ideas, perspective, and prayers help to enlarge our vision for what God can and will do among these people He dearly loves.

When do you return to Bosnia? (If your children are in school, how does that work in Bosnia?)
We plan to return at the end of June 2014. Bethany will attend a public Bosnian Catholic school for 2nd grade and Joshua will attend a Bosnian private kindergarten. We are having our children attend the public school system as long as it is a good fit for them.

How can we pray for you? For your family? For the ministry? For Bosnia?
Health and healing for Todd (headaches, seizures) and Joshua (allergies, chronic ear infections).
Strength and grace for this time while Todd is away on tour.
Spiritual and emotional renewal for us during this year in the States.
Spiritual conversations and relational growth with our friends and clients at The Source.
Salvation of all of our non-believing friends, particularly Lily* who is actively seeking and
 going to church, and Victoria* who is employed at The Source. (*names changed for privacy)
For God to reveal Himself to the Bosnian people through healing (spiritual, physical, emotional).
A renewed vision for mission and outreach within the Bosnian national church.

Can vs. Will

Do you have any stories in the Bible that bother you? You know the kind I am talking about- stories that seem out of place or that present a picture of God or Jesus that appears to be inconsistent with other sections of Scripture. One story that falls into this category for me is in Matthew 21. We ran across it recently in our journey through the One-Year Chronological Bible.

In this particular story, Jesus and his followers are strolling down the road toward Jerusalem. On the way, Jesus notices a fig tree in full leaf, and since he’s hungry, he goes over in search of a nice fig or two for breakfast. When he discovers that the tree has no fruit, he curses the tree, which seems a little odd, and then even more strange, the entire tree shrivels up in short order. The book of Mark also records this story,
adding a side note that figs were not even in season. So, picture some confusion on the disciples faces, as their teacher appears to become upset over a tree not having a fruit at a time of year when no one expected fruit anyway! (Incidentally, the Mark passage seems to intentionally link the fig tree to the 1st century temple system as a vivid illustration of something that appears to be alive but is really dead, but that’s another story for another newsletter.)

As you might imagine, the disciples are surprised when the tree withers so quickly. Jesus responds to them with some oft-quoted words, “I assure you, if you have faith and don’t doubt, you can do thing like this and much more. You can even say to this mountain, “May God lift you up and throw you into the sea!’ and it will happen. If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.” Jesus makes a very bold statement about the connection of our faith in prayer to a response of God’s power. He tells his followers that if they believe God will do it, it will happen.

This is where the story has always bothered me. Jesus seems to invite his followers to pray for things- even irrational things- and expect God to come through. While I was wrestling through my theology on this one, I felt like the Holy Spirit revealed something new for me. The words I heard were, “You believe God can do things. But do you believe He will?” This was a humbling moment, for if you look at the passage, Jesus invites us to believe not only that God can do these things, but more importantly that he will!

So I believe that God can heal people. I believe God can reach my lost neighbors. I believe God can bring transformation into lives and change their future. But do I believe that He will? Do you believe that He will? As we enter an exciting season as a church, and as we gather for times of prayer, what would it mean for us to believe not only that God can, but the He will? This is the faith Jesus calls us to. This is the kind of faith I want to develop.

May we encourage and inspire one another to believe in prayer that God WILL.

Praying for and with you-
Pastor Nick