IDOP 2011: INTERNATIONAL DAY OF PRAYER FOR THE PERSECUTED CHURCH

Rest of Padins's story

From Sex Addict to Saint: Hippo Man

From the KRDU series, "Before They Were Saints":

Where Stanley Praimnath was on 9/11

Metz Peru newsletter Aug 2011

GC Midyear Ministry Conference/Family Reunion

RSVP on Facebook here,
schedule and info below ---
Dear GC Friends,

God's rich blessings to all of you. As you know we have our GC Midyear Ministry Conference upcoming in  August 17-19 and it will be held at Living Hope Christian Fellowship in Oakdale, CA. We are looking forward to refreshing times in the Presence of the Lord and encouragement in our fellowship together. This is an important time to connect with others in the GC family. Please encourage the people of your church to join with us. Investing in time together strengthens us individually and enables greater Kingdom impact for our ministries. While it is a short few days of conference, we believe the work of God in our lives will be deep.

Attached is the initial schedule of the event. As we get closer, we will give topics for the equipping times. There are exciting things happening in our GC Family and you are part of it. Come and share this tine with us. We truly hope to see you. Please be praying with me into the conference for God to move upon our hearts and for all of us to receive His Goodness, to go after His Best, for His Glory.

With you for Him,
Dallas Elder

"Ring Them Bells"/"Get On Your Boots"

How amazing it was to play these two songs in the gathering today, and to ask people what they picked up as their prophetic meaning.
(If that trips you up, read this)

1)Bob Dylan, "Ring Them Bells" (Dylan works for the Supreme Commander)

Ring them bells, ye heathen
From the city that dreams
Ring them bells from the sanctuaries
’Cross the valleys and streams
For they’re deep and they’re wide
And the world’s on its side
And time is running backwards
And so is the bride

Ring them bells St. Peter
Where the four winds blow
Ring them bells with an iron hand
So the people will know
Oh it’s rush hour now
On the wheel and the plow
And the sun is going down
Upon the sacred cow

Ring them bells Sweet Martha
For the poor man’s son
Ring them bells so the world will know
That God is one
Oh the shepherd is asleep
Where the willows weep
And the mountains are filled
With lost sheep

Ring them bells for the blind and the deaf
Ring them bells for all of us who are left
Ring them bells for the chosen few
Who will judge the many when the game is through
Ring them bells, for the time that flies
For the child that cries
When innocence dies

Ring them bells St. Catherine
From the top of the room
Ring them from the fortress
For the lilies that bloom
Oh the lines are long
And the fighting is strong
And they’re breaking down the distance
Between right and wrong

-
More on Dylan:

time is running backwards, and so is the  Bride

 Dylan: "Well, I AM a true believer."

holy heteroclite:: Trickster Dylan: Jeremiah inside empire.

 Dylan's Holy Synesthesia, Vertigo 

the "us vs. them" Jeremiah sneer of Dylan

• "time is running backwards, and so is the  Bride
• 
  
• 
  
•  prophets always deny being 
•  Dylan's Holy Synesthesia, Vertigo 

----

• "time is running backwards, and so is the Bride"
• 
  

   prophets always deny being prophets
• Dylan: "Well, I AM a true believer."
• 
  

  Trickster Dylan: Jeremiah inside empire.
• 
  

  the "us vs. them" Jeremiah sneer of Dylan
• 
  

  Dylan's Holy Synesthesia, Vertigo 

2)U2 "Get On Your Boots":
:


The future needs a big kiss
Winds blow with a twist
Never seen a moon like this
Can you see it too

Night is falling everywhere
Rockets at the fun fair
Satan loves a bomb scare
But he won't scare you


Get on your boots,

You free me from the dark dream
Candy floss, ice cream
All our kids are screaming
But the ghosts aren't real

Here's where we gotta be
Love and community
Laughter is eternity
If joy is real

You don't know how beautiful 
You don't know how beautiful you are
You don't know and you don't get it, do you
No, you don't know how beautiful 
You don't know
You don't know how beautiful you are

That's someone's stuff they're blowing up
We're into growing up
Women of the future 
Hold the big revelations

I got a submarine
You got gasoline
I don't want to talk about 
Wars between nations

Not right now
No, no, no
Get on your boots, yeah
Not right now

You don't know how beautiful 
You don't know how beautiful you are
You don't know and you don't get it, do you
No, you don't know how beautiful
You don't know
You don't know how beautiful you are


I don't want to talk about 
The wars between the nations


Let me in the sound
Let me in the sound
Let me in the sound sound
Let me in the sound sound
Let me in the sound

Let me in the sound
Let me in the sound, God
God, I'm going down
I don't wanna drown now
Meet me in the sound

Related on that second song:

let me in the theoacoustic/holosonic Sound, God

• The Sound of Watchman Nee's Girly Boots From the Future
• What about joy ...specifically? i'm in favor of it.
•  God as Sound
• "love and community," and post-Reformation connected knowing
• i dont wanna talk about God...not right now
• "Let me in the nonlinear stochastic resonance"

• The Message Author Says U2's Message is Refreshing, Faithful, and Honest

• meet me, octopi and supernovas in the sound of music
• 1. 
     

     1. connected knowing

----
"So what of Bob Dylan? Was or is he a prophet? Have we seen the Spirit operating among the songwriters of our times..The idea shouldn't sound so strange. Around the time of Samuel, people prophesied in 'guilds,' some of which travelled around in musical grips. No kidding. For the Israelites at the time, this was the norm...Huston Smith, PhD, wrote,'Traveling in schools or bands was a field phenomenon, which could only occur when the group was together.' 

..Could it be that is why Dylan keeps on the move so the Commander doesn't ask again?
In the Old Testament, artists, musicians and craftsmen were often inspired by the Spirit: to build the tabernacle, make Aaron's garments, and build Solomon's temple. So why can't a modern pops singer play the role of prophet in our time? In the 1960s, roving bands used warnings against the militarism and materialism of the generation...

Was Bob Dylan a prophet?..No more or less than any performer since, whose song lyrics urge integrity, love, compassion and courage to stand for the truth--yes, the Godly things. The troubadors, leaders, activists and religious people today command the attention of millions through the power of the media, and its up to each of us to decide for ourselves which ones 'speak' for God.

Maybe by comparison, you could call today's prophets 'Spirit lite,' but there's a big difference between the time of the prophets and now. It's a difference in what was at stake. What was at stake then was..throwing away the Promised Land! ..The Chosen People--in whom was planted the fertile seed of Yahweh--would have vanished forever and given back the world to the wandering tribes that worship the bulls, phalluses, venery and fecundity. At stake was the loss of the tribes in entirety.. 

What's at stake for us today? In terms of ideology, our world is fragmented, by country and city, by town and neighborhood, by temple and church. We are even fractured within our dysfunctional households and inside our scattered, divided, distracted minds....Each individual of us is a tribe unto ourselves, wandering in a desert of disinformation...with reason enslaved by doctrine, prejudice and illusion. What is the Spirit to do? 

Where are the prophets?...Bono of the rock group U2 has been campaigning for years for the superpowers to forgive the debts of the poorest nations. The Spirit seeks every open avenue for expression-in anyone with a voice and will." -Jon Robertson, "Fire & Light: An Off-road Search for the Spirit of God" p. 56
--

"This Month's Hottest Blogs On Earth"

"This Month's Hottest Blogs On Earth"

• holy heteroclite:

  

  only the Edge gets raptured.. - With a song like "Until The End of The World" played last night on May 21 (and Mark and Hosh were there..not jealous!) the supposed end of the world, I th...

   
• Peer Pressure Is Forever

  

  The Lion & The Baby - Most of what you need to know is on the poster. Bulb is essentially the soul of Nashville. You've seen them featured here before. There will be crafts and... 

   
• U2 Sermons

  

  - U2 dedicated UTEOTW to Harold Camping last night. It's really rather poignant. Bono jokes that only Edge would be "taken up in the air," then gives a cor... 

   
• Sarcastic Lutheran

  Commencement address for the PLTS class of 2011 (May 21st 11a) - Text: Luke 14: 15-24 One of the dinner guests, on hearing this, said to him, ‘Blessed is anyone who will eat bread in the kingdom of God!’ Then Jesus* said t... 

   
• NextReformation

  Church on the Other Side - This dinosaur of a book is approaching ten years in age. It was one of the first noticeable efforts of Brian McLaren, and I had never seen a copy until I w...
• The Rebel God

  

  I don't blame you - A song by The Sarah Jade who's an amazing artist. I love this song. I know there is lot of hurt in this world, and a lot of that hurt comes from religion... 

   
• Stuff Christians Like - Jon Acuff

  Win 1 of 25 copies of Francis Chan’s new video series BASIC. - Francis Chan writes dangerous books. They’re dangerous because when you read them, it’s really hard to stay the same. They ask hard questions in beautiful ... 

   
• Hacking Christianity

  Mutants v. Dispensationalists - Hilarious for theology and comic-book nerds. The 2:00 minute mark made me LOL embarrassingly loud. “Why are your pants wet?” (via Chad Holtz) Tweet 

   
• THE UPRISING

  - Is it wrong that I want to privately name the...
•  

  shallowfrozenwater

  surgery update - Wendy had major surgery yesterday. she was supposed to be done by 230 in the afternoon but there were some complications with pain management and then some.

  ..
• Those who dance are thought mad by those who hear not the music.

  

  the end of the world after party - So, my friend Joey pointed out to me the billboard on a major road in Orlando advertising the end of the world on May 21. I went to the website, and it URL...
• I

  gneous Quill

  A Computer for $25: What it Could Mean for Tech Education in Brazil - What One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) promised but never delivered (namely, a laptop for under $100), it appears that David Braben and his Raspberry Pi Foundati... 

   
• Abandon Image

  

  I Like Mercy...But I Love Revenge - *"There is no revenge so complete as forgiveness."--*Josh Billings Something profound happens to me whenever I reflect upon the parable of the Prodigal So...
•  

  the holy wild

  art of all sorts (some recent pictures from the journey) -
• Grappling with Grace

  The Opposite of Exclusion is ...? - One of the themes that arose in the BUGB/BMS Assembly in Blackpool was that of exclusion. Knowingly and, more often I hope, unknowingly church practice end...
•  

  satire and theology©

  

  Some inspirational statements within my academic career - Conwy Gardens, Wales 2001 (thekingpin68) Update I have reposted this article for May (May 1). It was originally published April 25, but I have added more...
•  

  While We Slept

  PRAY WITH JAPAN - Dear friends, God brought together a group of people in Japan to seek Him together during the time of their great crisis. Wolf and I had the privilege to s...

Liz Babbs Sunday morning

Liz Babbs Sunday morning

 We just found out that Liz Babbs , of the UK and currently on your in the US, is able to be with us for our Sunday gathering tomorrow...so if you would not be me missing your own church, and were unable to attend here other two area events, please do join us. Liz is author, poet, creative prayer consultant, and one of the world's leading speakers and experts on Celtic Christianity, and how it can impact contemporary Christianity   Check out her  website, books, CDs, and some videos amd hear Keltic Ken and Kim interview Liz , here.  
-Our Sunday gathering is very informal,  10:10 am, 539 W. Celeste…just SE of Palm/Bullard, turn e. on Morris by the 7-11  Then R on Winchester, R on Celeste.  But park, if you can, by the apartment fence along Winchester. map and more info:http://www.3dff.com/pages/zcalendar.htm

this weekend:CELTIC CHRISTIAN ADVENTURE

It's not every day we have a Celtic Christian event in Fresno/Clovis! So this weekend is historic, as Celtic Christian Spirit offers TWO!  Together, they are called
 "CELTIC
 CHRISTIAN
 ADVENTURE"

Both fearure Liz Babbs, all the way from England. Liz is an author, poet, creative prayer consultant, and one of the world's leading speakers and experts on Celtic Christianity, and how it can impact contemporary Christianity

Check out her

•  website here,
• books and CDs here,
•  some of her videos here, 
• The event website here.  

• Keltic Ken and Kim interview Liz on what we can expect during her visit, audio here

>>>But more than anything, come and meet her this weekend.

• Flyer below  (click to enlarge, then click again)
• Saturday event Facebook here
• Sunday night Facebook event here

click to enlarge, then click again

tell people about Jesus so they can go to hell

(Who's Going to Hell? from D Y on Vimeo.)

Full routine:


----about Joe Wong::Who The Hell Is Joe Wong?

Rob Bell on/in hell; Crises sells books/Jesus

Now that the whole world is googling "Rob Bell" and "hell,"
I fear folks will miss the best quote ever by Rob Bell with the word hell in it,  It's here.


Onto the topic, though..with all the craziness surrounding Bell' s upcoming book...it's good to read a review by someone who has actually
uh, read it (and not just seen the attention-grabbing video above, or the already infamous John Piper tweet, “Farewell Rob Bell.” ) So here's Paul Wikinson:

• (part 1)Rob Bell — Straying From Traditional Evangelicalism: How Far is Too Far?

• (part 2)More on Rob Bell: "Love Wins" Chapter by Chapter

 

Then see Kurt Willems' "If Rob Bell is a Universalist, then maybe I am – along with many prominent evangelicals? (A response to Justin Taylor)".

 

I also really loved Tim Neufeld's response to the PR and interwebs riot  of recent weeks;  his post is a very important read.  For example, I had not realized how

John Piper (let alone John McArthur)

and 

Rob Bell 

can ironically, if unintentionally, fall into the same trap.   That Tim commented on megachurches reminds me how gunshy I am about any of our network's churches getting over 120  (that's a megachurch!..see "St. Mike and Megachurches of 120") in attendance.. I also really worry about the celebrity culture and "controversy culture" machine* that fires up to sell books/movies/hell/Bell/ Jesus.  

Also, don't misss Tim's analysis of  the role that "crisis manager" leadership style plays here.  Tim once lauded me for "pushing toward the unobvious",   but here I had missed an obvious lesson..so just one except on that below:

Those who study leadership models know that a common style is that of "crisis manager." The advantage of this leadership style is that the leader is often very good in crisis environments and can make appropriate decisions when under pressure. Crisis managers help people navigate confusing, difficult and uncertain situations. However, the downside of this leadership style is that crisis mangers always need to have a crisis to feel valued and effective. If no actual crisis exists, these leaders will manufacture one, often unknowingly. Both Piper and Bell are, at least in part, crisis managers. People have gravitated to them because they have provided answers for those in theological crisis. Bell appeals to liberal Evangelicals, Piper to the conservative. The danger is that in order to stay relevant to their followers, each will need ongoing crises to manage. Thus, the debate over universalism (or anything) is not unexpected   -Link, Tim Neufeld, full post :Why I think Rob Bell and John Piper are more similar than not

A pastor friend of mine often quipped, "No crisis in the church?  Force a  crisis!"

Crisis sells.

Live video feed/chat to our conference in Kansas City

Video here (schedule below)

Watch live streaming video from gracecovenant at livestream.com

Dear Ministry Friends,

We are tremendously excited about our approaching Grace Covenant Ministry Conference 2011. Our theme is "Pursue the Victory" from our central verses of Scripture:

"Give us aid against the enemy, for the help of man is worthless. With God we will gain the victory, and he will trample down our enemies." Psalm 60:11-12

We have a strong representation from our ministries, nationally and internationally, registering to attend. We have a number of special guests coming as well. This is will be a wonderful time in the Presence of the Lord as we worship, pray, minister His Word in His Spirit and connect in fellowship. There will be encouragement of hearts, clarity of vision and strategic steps determined for Kingdom causes. Greater teamwork will emerge and ministry capacities will expand. We will be mutually enriched by the individuals who attend. We encourage you to get the word out and help to get your key people in the house. Encourage them to make all of the conference that they can.

We will be highlighting works that God is doing and works He is birthing. We will give invitations for people to get involved in mission works planned for this year. We have people on hand who will be launching new ministries. We will present ministry training venues and offer helpful ministry resources. There is a strong contingent of young adults who will be converging on our conference. We will see a new generation step up for God before our very eyes. It will be Spirit stimulating stuff!

The conference is free and will held at New Destiny Church-Kansas City, MO. (If you need directions to the church go towww.NDCkc.com ) For those desiring to stay in a hotel, we have a block of rooms at the Comfort Inn, (four blocks from the church). It has a 24 hour shuttle from the airport, free hot breakfast and our room rate is a flat, all-inclusive $65 per night (up to four people). You do need to register for the conference and book your room through our GC office. Email us or call us at 816.431.6217. We are able to help with providing homes for some people to stay in while supplies last. We know that this can help with expenses for some.

Attached is our conference schedule. We are expecting God to move mightily through the various sessions of our conference. We believe God is poised to bring increased victory through our lives and ministries. We look forward to seeing you!

Sincerely in Christ,

Dallas Elder


Grace Covenant Ministry Conference 2011

February 8-11

“Pursue the Victory”

(Event Location: New Destiny Church-Kansas City, MO)

CONFERENCE SCHEDULE

Monday, February 7
7:00pm-ish Conference Praise Band Practice (Led by Spiesses and Tuggles)

Tuesday, February 8
10am-12:30pm Executive Board *Boardroom
12:30-2:00 Lunch Break
2:00-4:30 Board of Ministry *Boardroom
6:45-7:05 Pre-service Prayer *Boardroom
7:15 Praise and Preaching: “Conclusions for Victory”-Dallas Elder

Wednesday, February 9
9:30-10:30am Praise and Prayer Season: Shawn and Maryann Spiess/Dallas Elder
10:30-10:45 Break

10:45-12:00pm Teaching: “On the Brink of a Bold Move” by Dallas Elder
12:00-2:00 Lunch Break
VisionVestors Fellowship Lunch-Maria’s Mexican Restaurant-Platte City
2:00-4:00 Inspiration and Equipping-Sanctuary
(2:00-2:55) *Intercessor Inspiration: Jaimee Bernard/Nancy Boyd

(3:05-4:00) *“Effective Leadership in a Spiritually Declining Community”-Jonathan Carey

2:00-4:00 VisionVestors Forum –Youth Room
4:00-5:00 Board of Ministry- Boardroom
6:30-8:00 GC Banquet Dinner-Downtown Café, Platte City
9:00-10:30 “Light the Night” (praise) (Young Adult led)

Thursday, February 10

9:30-10:30am Praise/Devotion: Message by Raquens Turenne-Haiti
10:30-10:45 Break
10:45-12:00pm Affirmation of Leadership, GC Vision & Ministry
12:00-2:00 Lunch Break

Missionary Fellowship Lunch-Granite City Restaurant
2:00-4:00 Missions Highlights-Sanctuary
*Bahamas/Jamaica-Jonathan and Shena Carey
*Haiti-Raquens Turenne
*Paraguay-Angel and Malia Hernandez
*Dominican Republic-Rick and Carie Bernard
2:00-4:30 Board of Ministry-Boardroom
4:00-6:30 Young Adult Fellowship Connection (Jacob Sledd)
5:00-6:30 Supper break
6:45-7:05 Pre-service Prayer *Boardroom
7:15 Praise, Commissioning and Preaching: Message by Kevin Clancey

Friday, February 11

9:30-10:30am Praise/Devotion/Communion: Message and Serving-Angel and Malia Hernandez

10:30-11:30 Closing Remarks and Prayers of Blessings



Note: There will be an Infant Nursery (0-5 years) for morning, afternoon and evening sessions.