Discover Life: Wrapping Up September of 2015:
Discipleship is messy. It just is. This month we saw truth come to light in the lives of some of the guys up here, and it wasn't pretty. I wish I could tell you that what we are doing is 100% effective, but God expects me to tell the truth ... so ... but I can tell you that what we are doing here is 100% Biblical, and so are the results. He promises that what is stated in the shadows will be screamed from the rooftops, that all things hidden will be come known (Matthew 10:26; Mark 4:22; Luke 8:17). Up here we say, "the bubbles will rise."
Discover Life
What Starts In Here Will Reach The World!!!
Friday, October 2, 2015
Sunday, August 30, 2015
Discover Life: Wrapping Up August 2015: Don't Feed The Horses!
Discover Life: Wrapping Up August 2015: Don't Feed The Horses!:
Well folks, it's been a year since we left Louisiana and arrived here in upstate NY. We left on August 13th and arrived August 16th ... and it has been an adventure with twists and turns since our boots hit the ground. Allow my to provide a simple bullet - form recap.
Well folks, it's been a year since we left Louisiana and arrived here in upstate NY. We left on August 13th and arrived August 16th ... and it has been an adventure with twists and turns since our boots hit the ground. Allow my to provide a simple bullet - form recap.
Saturday, August 1, 2015
Discover Life: Wrapping Up June/July 2015: Plan Your Garden!
Ask The HAZ!!!: Discover Life: Wrapping Up June/July 2015: Plan Yo...:
Where does the time go? June felt like it was only 10 days long and it was mid July before I realized it! There is so much to do around here during the warm months to prepare for the long winters that we could easily fill every sunlit moment of every day with work and still have things left undone. Yet we press ourselves to keep the task of making sure that the people ministered through Discover Life are "thoroughly prepared for every good work." This means that we have to continually view the person as the focus of the ministry, and not as a resource for getting ministry done. These two months we saw some good transition within some of the men who have come to a place in their transformation where they need real world environments to properly apply what they've learned and what they must continue to learn in their discipleship. Transition is part of the nature of this type of discipleship, and this month we said farewell to Justin as he moves forward with his life in his walk and welcomed Ken into the ministry here. I ask that you pray for both.
Where does the time go? June felt like it was only 10 days long and it was mid July before I realized it! There is so much to do around here during the warm months to prepare for the long winters that we could easily fill every sunlit moment of every day with work and still have things left undone. Yet we press ourselves to keep the task of making sure that the people ministered through Discover Life are "thoroughly prepared for every good work." This means that we have to continually view the person as the focus of the ministry, and not as a resource for getting ministry done. These two months we saw some good transition within some of the men who have come to a place in their transformation where they need real world environments to properly apply what they've learned and what they must continue to learn in their discipleship. Transition is part of the nature of this type of discipleship, and this month we said farewell to Justin as he moves forward with his life in his walk and welcomed Ken into the ministry here. I ask that you pray for both.
Tuesday, June 2, 2015
Discover Life: Wrapping Up May 2015 - Could Have Used Some of Tho...
What happened?? I thought April flowers brings May showers! What a month we had. The students of Discover Life had a couple opportunities to help the local fire departments put out some fires that started in the mountain brush. It has been dry for most of the month. But what a testimony!! The men who come up here for ministry are often in need of help yet in their need they can minister to the local community by helping. This is on going throughout the year. Each season brings its own situations that create needs that the men can meet throughout the mountaintop community. Fortunately as we watched the month close, we also saw some good rain that our gardens needed pretty desperately. The students also served in other various capacities to include (but are not limited to) serving the Huntersfield retreat center in meal preparation, facility and grounds keepings, and wood preparation as well, serving the mothers of the church a breakfast, various ministry opportunities within the church such as door greeters, youth and children’s ministry, worship team, audio and visual, and facility and grounds maintenance and cleaning. It is our pleasure to serve those within the community.
Monday, May 4, 2015
The Beatitude and Exodus teachings are live and online!
As promised, you can listen in on a great week of Biblical teachings on both the Exodus of Israel and also a detailed explanation of the Beatitudes by Bible teacher Drew Crowell.
Just visit our website at http://discoverlifeministry.com/lessons-from-the-saw-mill.html and enjoy your learning!!!
These teaching would make great for personal, home group, and church studies. I encourage you to make good use of them!
Just visit our website at http://discoverlifeministry.com/lessons-from-the-saw-mill.html and enjoy your learning!!!
These teaching would make great for personal, home group, and church studies. I encourage you to make good use of them!
Friday, May 1, 2015
Discover Life: Wrapping Up April 2015 - Who Muddied The Waters??
Ask The HAZ!!!: Discover Life: Wrapping Up April 2015 - Who Muddie...:
What a month!!! April was a fast and exciting 30 days. I don't know where to begin.
I'll start with the fact that we witnessed the baptism of Nick and Taylor as they made their professions of their faith in Jesus Christ public. I have been blessed to view their transformation. It is said that it is difficult to see change when you are with people daily ... you know how change comes slowly and sometimes it takes separation to truly see the change. While there may be truth in that, it is not absolute. It Christ, change can be drastic ... He is in the business of making all things new starting with the soul but spreading to our character ... and I have been privileged to watch some pretty awesome changes of character. Please continue to pray for Nick and Taylor as they deepen their understanding of their identity in Jesus.
We also experienced some fantastic growth this month. Craig, one of the mentors here graduated into his transitional period and is currently serving in ministry at an undisclosed place with the hope of successful transition. Please pray for God's will in Craig's life. If this doesn't work, Craig will return and we will regroup and launch again. Wait ... the leaving of a person is growth?? Absolutely! The end goal of this ministry is to launch people back into society fully equipped for every good work! Within a few days, we received four new men up to The Hill for induction into ministry here at Discover Life. Evan, Mike, Bob, and Jonathan all came up within days of each other ... which also was a stretching for Stephen, Nick, and Taylor. Stephen (our only mentor) was on a much needed break so it fell on Nick and Stephen to take on the responsibility of helping new inductees transition here ... that is no easy burden ... in fact it can be extremely stressful. But they rose to the occasion ... their compassion for the needs of the new men was more of a priority to them than their discomfort and perceived lack of preparation and readiness to lead ... they were stretched but they were successful. Evan, unfortunately, was not successful in his transition and he returned home. Please continue to pray for him as well as he continues to search within himself and before God. We also received another student for our school of ministry, Justin. Please pray for the men on the hill during their induction and continued transition. Please pray for the well being of their families in their absence. Please, above all, pray that their hearts are softened and shattered by the grace of God and that they will receive that grace.
We were privileged to bring in Drew Crowell this month for a week long retreat that ended with a joint retreat with our sister organization, Discover Life of Grace Church. Drew taught the men an in depth teaching on Exodus which will be available online very soon (I just finished editing the last teaching session). It was amazing to sit and listen to Drew break down the importance of each step along the way, starting from the life of Joseph and ending with the Exodus of Israel. God promised it to Abraham and He kept His promise as He always does. It was encouraging to hear the men respond and ask questions. They were obviously affected by his willingness to pour into them. Every work of man and the demonic only serves to play into the hand of our Great and Loving Father. God is in control. After the Exodus, Drew blessed us with a double header by teaching on the Beatitudes (also soon to be available on the website www.discoverlifeministry.com). We are extremely grateful for Drew's obedience, willingness, and compassion he showed for the people of Discover Life, both here on The Hill, and extended to the Mountaintop and Grace Church communities.
I was privileged to share at two regional churches, Horizon Fellowship (Greenville) and Grace(Washingtonville) and look forward to sharing the grace of God shown here on The Hill at Discover Life to churches in the future. If you are interested in supporting the ministry here at Discover Life, you are encouraged to reach out to us by visiting www.discoverlifeministry.com. I also want to remind you that we have opportunities to help us help others. For more information on how you can support this ministry of reconciliation, CLICK HERE!
Lesson From The Saw Mill: "Who Muddied The Waters???"
1Samuel 17:40 Then he (David) took his staff in his hand; and he chose for himself five smooth stones from the brook, and put them in a shepherd's bag, in a pouch which he had, and his sling was in his hand. And he drew near to the Philistine (Goliath).
I remember learning as a child how flowing water makes rocks smooth, but I have to admit, even though I took Earth Science and Geology in high school and college I have always had a hard time understanding how water can make rocks smooth ... especially in relatively short amounts of times...until the thaw this winter. You see, we have several rivers that run throughout our mountaintop region with multiple off shoots of creeks and springs. When we moved up here in August, I was amazed at the clarity of the water ... it was crystal clear! The springs on the mountaintop are drinkable without filtration! They are desired swimming and fishing holes for the people of the community ... so refreshing! Yet, when the snow began to melt, the silt and mud content of the rivers reminding me of the Mississippi River ... almost pure dirt ... and the volume and velocity ... the river was a raging.
The silt and soil came from the breakdown of the rock exposed and gathered by the melting ice. The very same beautiful demonstrations of ice encapsulating the rock walls on the mountains were the destructive force of the rock itself. The water comes from springs coming within the rock and when it freezes, it expands against itself,crushing the brittle sections of rock into silt. This silt remains in the ice, but once melted, it is transferred to the rivers with the escaping water. All along the scenic routes are piles of this silt that were trapped during the melt and couldn't get to the river. Some of that will be gathered by the local people and used to repair and replenish their roads and paths, the rest will continue to break down and be spread through natural erosion and transfer to rebuild and replenish the ground.
The temperature of the water itself is barely above freezing. The cold temperature mixed with the silt concentration combined with the sheer force of the water volume transformed this life giving source into an obvious source of death and destruction! So what's the point???
Well it's simple really...unless you've never witnessed the use of a wetsander or a sandblaster. We intentionally use water with course materials to maximize a surface's ability to carry a perfect. Dry sanding will always show scratches when glossed, but by wetsanding, we can prepare a surface for a scratchless and seemingly flawless surface. We use sandblasters to thoroughly strip surfaces to their original look. To attempt to use sandpaper for that result destroys both the sand paper and (often) the surface. God is the perfect craftsman. When He says in Scripture that He is working both in us and for us to bring about in and through us His good purposes, He is doing just that.
You see, it is the very nature of the water ... the temperature, the silt, the volume, and the velocity ... that cause the rocks in the water to be stripped, cleansed, and smoothed. The rocks don't see the change in the water as a threat ... yet we do. We ask God to do His work in us but don't want anything to change ... we want comfortable ... yet it is in the comfort of our lives that we develop deposits and become contaminated by foreign elements that do not belong joined to us. It is only through the introduction of a force stronger than that which is binding us that we are freed from the things in our lives that cause us to compromise the purity and integrity of our lives. In nature, we see all kinds of animals and plant life that seem to purposefully attract lifeforms that purify them of parasites and toxic buildups that appear invasive and intrusive yet are performing a vital, live preserving function. God says He uses nature to reveal His splendor in and to us so that none of us are without excuse (Romans 1:20)!
Do we see times of tribulations ... the muddied waters in our life ... as times of punishment? Do we go into depressions when things get hard blaming God for abandoning us? Of do we welcome the turbulent waters as God's method for cutting away from us the sharp ends that wound ourselves and others returning us to the purity of His creation at work in us? I encourage you to remember the following verses when things seem to be getting tough:
Rom 14:4 Who are you to judge another's servant? To his own master he stands or falls. Indeed, he will be made to stand, for God is able to make him stand.
Php 1:6 being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ;
Heb 13:20 Now may the God of peace who brought up our Lord Jesus from the dead, that great Shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, 21 make you complete in every good work to do His will, working in you what is well pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.
Trust in the goodness of the Lord to be at work in your life knowing that, as His child, nothing can come in your life apart from His permission. The answer to the question "who muddies these waters?" is often God saying, "I did." The men that are up here and all of us who are ministered to by the ministry of Discover Life, or any other discipleship ministry, thrive on the fact that God purposefully muddies the waters in our lives to strengthen, purify, and deliver us from things we have accumulated and characteristics we need broken off in our lives to be better useful for His purposes.
Jer 29:11 For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.
I trust that He will even use the muddied waters of my life to bring about in me His purposes ... and that He will bring me to the end He has prepared for me ... since the beginning! I encourage you to do the same. That's my take anyways.
Thanks for reading!!!
What a month!!! April was a fast and exciting 30 days. I don't know where to begin.
I'll start with the fact that we witnessed the baptism of Nick and Taylor as they made their professions of their faith in Jesus Christ public. I have been blessed to view their transformation. It is said that it is difficult to see change when you are with people daily ... you know how change comes slowly and sometimes it takes separation to truly see the change. While there may be truth in that, it is not absolute. It Christ, change can be drastic ... He is in the business of making all things new starting with the soul but spreading to our character ... and I have been privileged to watch some pretty awesome changes of character. Please continue to pray for Nick and Taylor as they deepen their understanding of their identity in Jesus.
We also experienced some fantastic growth this month. Craig, one of the mentors here graduated into his transitional period and is currently serving in ministry at an undisclosed place with the hope of successful transition. Please pray for God's will in Craig's life. If this doesn't work, Craig will return and we will regroup and launch again. Wait ... the leaving of a person is growth?? Absolutely! The end goal of this ministry is to launch people back into society fully equipped for every good work! Within a few days, we received four new men up to The Hill for induction into ministry here at Discover Life. Evan, Mike, Bob, and Jonathan all came up within days of each other ... which also was a stretching for Stephen, Nick, and Taylor. Stephen (our only mentor) was on a much needed break so it fell on Nick and Stephen to take on the responsibility of helping new inductees transition here ... that is no easy burden ... in fact it can be extremely stressful. But they rose to the occasion ... their compassion for the needs of the new men was more of a priority to them than their discomfort and perceived lack of preparation and readiness to lead ... they were stretched but they were successful. Evan, unfortunately, was not successful in his transition and he returned home. Please continue to pray for him as well as he continues to search within himself and before God. We also received another student for our school of ministry, Justin. Please pray for the men on the hill during their induction and continued transition. Please pray for the well being of their families in their absence. Please, above all, pray that their hearts are softened and shattered by the grace of God and that they will receive that grace.
We were privileged to bring in Drew Crowell this month for a week long retreat that ended with a joint retreat with our sister organization, Discover Life of Grace Church. Drew taught the men an in depth teaching on Exodus which will be available online very soon (I just finished editing the last teaching session). It was amazing to sit and listen to Drew break down the importance of each step along the way, starting from the life of Joseph and ending with the Exodus of Israel. God promised it to Abraham and He kept His promise as He always does. It was encouraging to hear the men respond and ask questions. They were obviously affected by his willingness to pour into them. Every work of man and the demonic only serves to play into the hand of our Great and Loving Father. God is in control. After the Exodus, Drew blessed us with a double header by teaching on the Beatitudes (also soon to be available on the website www.discoverlifeministry.com). We are extremely grateful for Drew's obedience, willingness, and compassion he showed for the people of Discover Life, both here on The Hill, and extended to the Mountaintop and Grace Church communities.
I was privileged to share at two regional churches, Horizon Fellowship (Greenville) and Grace(Washingtonville) and look forward to sharing the grace of God shown here on The Hill at Discover Life to churches in the future. If you are interested in supporting the ministry here at Discover Life, you are encouraged to reach out to us by visiting www.discoverlifeministry.com. I also want to remind you that we have opportunities to help us help others. For more information on how you can support this ministry of reconciliation, CLICK HERE!
Lesson From The Saw Mill: "Who Muddied The Waters???"
1Samuel 17:40 Then he (David) took his staff in his hand; and he chose for himself five smooth stones from the brook, and put them in a shepherd's bag, in a pouch which he had, and his sling was in his hand. And he drew near to the Philistine (Goliath).
I remember learning as a child how flowing water makes rocks smooth, but I have to admit, even though I took Earth Science and Geology in high school and college I have always had a hard time understanding how water can make rocks smooth ... especially in relatively short amounts of times...until the thaw this winter. You see, we have several rivers that run throughout our mountaintop region with multiple off shoots of creeks and springs. When we moved up here in August, I was amazed at the clarity of the water ... it was crystal clear! The springs on the mountaintop are drinkable without filtration! They are desired swimming and fishing holes for the people of the community ... so refreshing! Yet, when the snow began to melt, the silt and mud content of the rivers reminding me of the Mississippi River ... almost pure dirt ... and the volume and velocity ... the river was a raging.
The silt and soil came from the breakdown of the rock exposed and gathered by the melting ice. The very same beautiful demonstrations of ice encapsulating the rock walls on the mountains were the destructive force of the rock itself. The water comes from springs coming within the rock and when it freezes, it expands against itself,crushing the brittle sections of rock into silt. This silt remains in the ice, but once melted, it is transferred to the rivers with the escaping water. All along the scenic routes are piles of this silt that were trapped during the melt and couldn't get to the river. Some of that will be gathered by the local people and used to repair and replenish their roads and paths, the rest will continue to break down and be spread through natural erosion and transfer to rebuild and replenish the ground.
The temperature of the water itself is barely above freezing. The cold temperature mixed with the silt concentration combined with the sheer force of the water volume transformed this life giving source into an obvious source of death and destruction! So what's the point???
Well it's simple really...unless you've never witnessed the use of a wetsander or a sandblaster. We intentionally use water with course materials to maximize a surface's ability to carry a perfect. Dry sanding will always show scratches when glossed, but by wetsanding, we can prepare a surface for a scratchless and seemingly flawless surface. We use sandblasters to thoroughly strip surfaces to their original look. To attempt to use sandpaper for that result destroys both the sand paper and (often) the surface. God is the perfect craftsman. When He says in Scripture that He is working both in us and for us to bring about in and through us His good purposes, He is doing just that.
You see, it is the very nature of the water ... the temperature, the silt, the volume, and the velocity ... that cause the rocks in the water to be stripped, cleansed, and smoothed. The rocks don't see the change in the water as a threat ... yet we do. We ask God to do His work in us but don't want anything to change ... we want comfortable ... yet it is in the comfort of our lives that we develop deposits and become contaminated by foreign elements that do not belong joined to us. It is only through the introduction of a force stronger than that which is binding us that we are freed from the things in our lives that cause us to compromise the purity and integrity of our lives. In nature, we see all kinds of animals and plant life that seem to purposefully attract lifeforms that purify them of parasites and toxic buildups that appear invasive and intrusive yet are performing a vital, live preserving function. God says He uses nature to reveal His splendor in and to us so that none of us are without excuse (Romans 1:20)!
Do we see times of tribulations ... the muddied waters in our life ... as times of punishment? Do we go into depressions when things get hard blaming God for abandoning us? Of do we welcome the turbulent waters as God's method for cutting away from us the sharp ends that wound ourselves and others returning us to the purity of His creation at work in us? I encourage you to remember the following verses when things seem to be getting tough:
Rom 14:4 Who are you to judge another's servant? To his own master he stands or falls. Indeed, he will be made to stand, for God is able to make him stand.
Php 1:6 being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ;
Heb 13:20 Now may the God of peace who brought up our Lord Jesus from the dead, that great Shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, 21 make you complete in every good work to do His will, working in you what is well pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.
Trust in the goodness of the Lord to be at work in your life knowing that, as His child, nothing can come in your life apart from His permission. The answer to the question "who muddies these waters?" is often God saying, "I did." The men that are up here and all of us who are ministered to by the ministry of Discover Life, or any other discipleship ministry, thrive on the fact that God purposefully muddies the waters in our lives to strengthen, purify, and deliver us from things we have accumulated and characteristics we need broken off in our lives to be better useful for His purposes.
Jer 29:11 For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.
I trust that He will even use the muddied waters of my life to bring about in me His purposes ... and that He will bring me to the end He has prepared for me ... since the beginning! I encourage you to do the same. That's my take anyways.
Thanks for reading!!!
Wednesday, April 1, 2015
March 2015 in the Books ... April in the Sights ... CAREFUL!!!
Ahhh ... the last day of March ended with some expected (though thought by certain weather authorities unexpected) snow up here in Prattsville, NY. It has been a beautiful winter and, though according to the calendar it should be spring, you wouldn't just know it yet here.
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