A Fresh Start Week 6

^“And the Lord passed before him and proclaimed, “The Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abounding in goodness and truth,” – Exodus 34:6

I am a very impatient person.  I always joke around that I want to become a doctor so that I can have more “patients”.  We live in such a fast-paced society where we want everything now.  If I wait in line for more than a minute somewhere, I’m upset.  If my waiter doesn’t get me a refill before I finish my first soda, I get angry; I run out of patience quickly.  As much patience as I lack, I am comforted knowing that God will never run out of it with me.

Exodus 34:6 tells us that God is longsuffering; He doesn’t have a short fuse and is very enduring and tolerant with us.  We all know what it is like to deal with people who have a short fuse; the smallest offense, the tiniest perceived wrong, and they go crazy about that.  God isn’t like that!  He deals with our weaknesses and shortcomings. 

Another translation of Exodus 34 uses the word “compassionate” instead of longsuffering.  The dictionary definition for compassion is “a feeling of deep sympathy and sorrow for another who is stricken by misfortune, accompanied by a strong desire to alleviate the suffering”.  What an incredible thing!  God, the creator of the heavens and Earth, our Savior, the King of kings and Lord of lords, has compassion on us.  He looks to alleviate our suffering and has this deep sympathy for us.  He saved us from the ultimate suffering when through His compassion, He sent His Son to die for us on the cross so that we would not have to suffer eternally.

This is the God we read about.  The God who cares about us; the all-knowing, all-good, ever-present, perfect God.  He cares about us and will patiently be there for us no matter what.  And all He asks in return is that we follow Him.  No matter how often I fall short, He is ALWAYS there to pick me up!

Prayer Requests:

• Continue praying for Pam Camacho as she battles stage 4 cancer
• Radical Jesus Summer Camp (Six78 and HSM) – sign-ups.  That we reach the amount of students we are under contract for
• Scholarship money for camp
• Vision and direction for Six78 Leadership
•  Pray for Garfield Willacey as he teaches Wednesday and Pastor Fidel as he teaches this weekend in Six78
• Pray for The Attic.  God is doing a great work in this room and we want the enemy to have no place here.

Answered Prayers:

• Scholarship money continues to come in!

A Fresh Start Week 5

“But Jesus immediately said to them: ‘Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.’”

–      Matthew 14:27

Jesus is quickly becoming very popular.   So he sends the disciples out in a boat to cross the Sea of Galilee and he stays behind to pray.  Then suddenly, a storm hits.  The wind is howling, the waves are crashing against the boat and there it is, a ghost, walking across the water!  The disciples freak out, not realizing the “ghost” was Jesus.  “But Jesus immediately said to them: ‘Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.’” (Matt. 14:27).

Fear is a lack of faith.  Throughout scriptures, both Old and New Testament, we are constantly told to not be afraid.  It is a sin to fear.  And why should we be afraid?  We have the almighty, all-powerful God dwelling in us!  In 1 Samuel 18:12 we see that “Saul was afraid of David, because the Lord was with David but had departed from Saul.”  We don’t have to be afraid of the enemy, or anything else, because the enemy is afraid of us!  We need to trust that God will protect us as He said he would.

So Peter gets a little courage, steps out of the boat and begins walking on water toward Jesus.  What an example of faith without fear!  But then, Peter starts to get scared, his faith turns to fear, and he begins to sink.  “ Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. “You of little faith,” he said, “why did you doubt?” (Matt. 14:31)

Jesus did the impossible and he used normal people like you and me to do the impossible.  All it takes is that faith to step out of the boat!  As you continue to fast and pray, be challenged to turn your fear, doubt, and uneasiness into faith.  Our God is a God who does the impossible, but it takes faith for Him to work in and through us.  Don’t ever give anyone a reason to say, “You of little faith”!

Prayer Requests:

• Continue praying for Pam Camacho as she battles stage 4 cancer
• Radical Jesus Summer Camp (Six78 and HSM)
• Scholarship money for camp – We want students to go, but there is a cost involved.  So pray that we have enough money to send all the students that need help financially to go.
• Vision and direction for Six78 Leadership
•  Pray for Drew Anderson as he teaches Wednesday and Jarid Fagin as he teaches this weekend in Six78
• Pray for The Attic.  God is doing a great work in this room and we want the enemy to have no place here.

Answered Prayers:

• Scholarship money continues to come in!

A Fresh Start Week 4

"Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest." 

- Matthew 11:28

You've probably seen the popular Pepsi commercial with Jeff Gordon & the used car salesman. The 3 time Daytona 500 champion disguises himself and takes the used car salesman on the ride of his life ! For several harrowing minutes, the unsuspecting salesman is forced to sit passenger side as Jeff takes him on a test drive he will never forget .  If you’ve never seen it, check it out here !

Though the video is hysterical, there is something to said about life in the fast line. Most people find themselves inundated with tons of work,  endless to do lists, long hours of studying for classes, bills that need to be paid,  and everything else that life throws at them during the week.  The result - anxiety, stress,  & a ton of things to worry about.

In Luke 10, the commentary on Martha is profound. Jesus says that she was “worried and troubled” about many things. Does that describe your life right now ? And note something else really interesting: the Bible notes that she was “distracted with much serving.” She was distracted from sitting at the feet of Jesus. “But one thing is needed”, He says. That one thing is this : sitting alone with God, away from all the to-do lists, commitments, and errands that have to be taken care of, and listening to His Word .

Has life become so busy that you are distracted from sitting at the feet of Jesus ? If so, it may be time to hit the brakes and reconsider what needs to change in your schedule. He loves you, and wants to take away all the worry and give you peace.

Then Jesus said, "Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest." - Matthew 11:28

 Prayer Requests:

• Our volunteer Pam Camacho - she has had stage 4 cancer and went in for a biopsy to assess the growth of newly found lumps in her body.  Lets pray for the peace that surpasses all understanding to fill her life & those around her as we lift her up before the throne of our Father! We serve a mighty God & believe that "with God, all things are possible" (Mark 10:27).
• Radical Jesus Summer Camp (Six78 and HSM) - More signups and all the small details come together
• Scholarship money for camp – We want students to go, but there is a cost involved.  So pray that we have enough money to send all the students that need help financially to go.
•  Pray for Johnny Crank as he teaches Wednesday and Marty as he teaches this weekend in Six78

Answered Prayers:

• This weekend we had two full scholarships paid for camp!  

A Fresh Start Week 3

"...And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.” – Matthew 6:16-18

“And when you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces that their fasting may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, that your fasting may not be seen by others but by your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.” – Matthew 6:16-18

In Matthew 6, Jesus is teaching what is commonly known as the Sermon on the Mount. Hundreds of people were seated on a hillside around Him. That day it was hot, humid and the people had been sitting there for hours. Therefore, it is obvious that they were hungry. Even though Jesus was informing them about the kingdom of God, he clearly saw that the people were tired and hungry. Yet, He took that as a perfect opportunity to explain to the crowd how food, material possessions, and earthly matters can create distractions from God. 

Fasting can be extremely difficult. The whole idea of abstaining from food, social media, coffee, or some other material possession that has value for a length of time can take a short-term toll on your body. Yet, the long-term spiritual effects of fasting surpass those immediate short-term discomforts. Consequently, the immediate discomforts of fasting should not misconstrue the purpose of fasting. The purpose of fasting is to refocus oneself on Christ and to eliminate distractions in order to create an avenue of clear communication to God.

Needless to say, as a Six78 ministry we would like to do that specifically during this time. We want Jesus to be the cornerstone of this ministry and for His name to be magnified. He has already begun to move throughout this ministry in a mighty way and we need His guidance and instruction as we take the next steps. Continue to be in prayer for our team as we lead your children and keep camp specifically in your prayers this week. As you fast, remember the purpose of it and that the long-term spiritual effects will be much greater than any discomfort you may be presently facing.

 Prayer Requests:

• Our volunteer Pam Camacho - she has had stage 4 cancer and went in for a biopsy to assess the growth of newly found lumps in her body.  Lets pray for the peace that surpasses all understanding to fill her life & those around her as we lift her up before the throne of our Father! We serve a mighty God & believe that "with God, all things are possible" (Mark 10:27).
• Radical Jesus Summer Camp (Six78 and HSM) - Everything comes together well and the students have an encounter with God that will last the rest of their lives.
• Scholarship money for camp – We want students to go, but there is a cost involved.  So pray that we have enough money to send all the students that need help financially to go.
•  Pray for Bill Talbert as he teaches Wednesday and Sean Fryer as he teaches this weekend in Six78

Answered Prayers:

•      Extra scholarship money came in to camp!  There was a student we were going to have to say no to, but someone paid for a full scholarship that we were able to bless this student with.  Keep praying that more comes in!
• This past weekend, over 50 students stood up during service asking God to give them faith like David had.

A Fresh Start Week 2

"This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night,..." – Joshua 1:8

Giraffes, deer, cow, and sheep- what do these animals have in common?   These animals belong to a group of mammals that chew their cud. This process, called rumination, involves chewing food, regurgitating, and then chewing it again. Though gross to humans, rumination allows an animal to get the most nutrients out of their food.

The word "meditate" is closely related to ruminate. Meditate means to think about or ponder over and over. In Joshua 1:8, God gives Joshua the formula for success: "This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night,...". In the New Testament, believers are commanded to saturate their lives with God's Word (Col 3:16, 1 Pet 2:2).

So what have you been "chewing" on lately ? Is it the latest movie, Heat game, or celebrity gossip ? Our prayer is that you would use this season to meditate on his Word. In doing so, you will find the favor of the Lord & great success.

Prayer Requests:

• Our volunteer Pam Camacho - she has had stage 4 cancer and went in for a biopsy to assess the growth of newly found lumps in her body.  Lets pray for the peace that surpasses all understanding to fill her life & those around her as we lift her up before the throne of our Father! We serve a mighty God & believe that "with God, all things are possible" (Mark 10:27).
• Radical Jesus Summer Camp (Six78 and HSM) - Everything comes together well and the students have an encounter with God that will last the rest of their lives.
• Scholarship money for camp – We want students to go, but there is a cost involved.  So pray that we have enough money to send all the students that need help financially to go.
• Vision and direction for Six78 Leadership – We don’t want to be set in our ways, we want to do what God is calling us to do.  Pray we hear and listen to His voice.
•  Pray for Joseph Morgan as he teaches Wednesday and Sean Fryer as he teaches this weekend in Six78

A Fresh Start

“And when He had fasted forty days and forty nights…” – Matthew 4:2

If you fast forward to Matthew 4:12, you will see that right after these forty days and forty nights of fasting, Jesus began His Galilean ministry.  As we enter this next season in Six78, our hope and prayer is to come together as The Church to fast and pray for this ministry, this new season for all incoming 6^th graders, the next year or two for the 7^th and 8^th graders, for summer camp, for various prayer requests from our students and many other things.

So find that small thing, whatever it is, that you can fast from.  Maybe it’s a meal a day, or that morning cup of Starbucks, social media, a certain kind of food, whatever it is, make that sacrifice.  1 Corinthians 9:27 says, “but I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified.”  Fasting is a discipline, but it’s something to better us and strengthen us.

And then, take time to pray for the prayer requests we send each week along with anything else the Lord leads you to pray about.  “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.” (Matthew 7:7).  We know God wants to bless us abundantly, but we have to do the simple thing in asking our requests.  He WILL answer our prayers!

We are excited for what The Lord will do in Six78 in the future and we already are praising and thanking Him for the good work He will do.  Please partner with us in “A Fresh Start” and be a huge part of what God’s doing here!

Prayer Requests:

• Radical Jesus Summer Camp (Six78 and HSM) - Everything comes together well and the students have an encounter with God that will last the rest of their lives.
• Scholarship money for camp – We want students to go, but there is a cost involved.  So pray that we have enough money to send all the students that need help financially to go.
• Vision and direction for Six78 Leadership – We don’t want to be set in our ways, we want to do what God is calling us to do.  Pray we hear and listen to His voice.
•  Pray for Sean Fryer as he teaches tonight and Pastor Fidel as he teaches this weekend in Six78

Rejoice!

"Rejoice in the Lord always.  Again I will say, rejoice!" - Philippians 4:4

"..as a cure for disagreements, the apostle says, 'Rejoice in the Lord always.' People who are very happy, especially those who are very happy in the Lord, are not apt either to give offense or to take offense. Their minds are so sweetly occupied with higher things, that they are not easily distracted by the little troubles which naturally arise among such imperfect creatures as we are. Joy in the Lord is the cure for all discord." - Spurgeon

    I don't think a lot needs to be said about this quote.  I can get so caught up in all the things of "life" and get offended or bothered or angry, etc.  If I truly put all my focus on God, "looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of my faith," I will be able to rejoice in all circumstances.  I want to be one of those people that others look at and wonder what's different, question why I'm happy all the time.
  
  And it really is that simple.  Rejoice!  We have reason to: "And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus." (Philippians 4:19).  He is all we need and we can rejoice in that.  So here's my challenge:  Rejoice!

-Sean Fryer