SHOCKWAVE
International weekend of prayer by youth for the persecuted church THIS WEEKEND! Young people all over the world will be gathering to pray.
Join us in praying and fasting for the persecuted church around the world this weekend, March 5-7, 2010.
Mission i6:8 will be participating again this year in this important event! Friday nite we will be in Trani, and Saturday we will be in Modugno. We are so blessed to have freedom in our faith but mmillions of people around the world do not have this privelege. Lets join together to pray for them.
For more info on the persecuted church visit: www.opendoorsusa.org
Walk by faith
Would I believe you when you would say
Your hand will guide my every way
Will I receive the words You say
Every moment of every day
Well I will walk by faith
Even when I cannot see it
Well because this broken road
Prepares Your will for me
Help me to win my endless fears
You’ve been so faithful for all my years
With the one breath You make me
Your grace covers all I do
Well I’m broken- but I still see Your face
Well You’ve spoken- pouring Your words of grace
I will walk by faith
Jeremy Camp \ Walk By Faith
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S3rP_3xAKi8
True Love- “Us Two”
Gianluca and I had the opportunity to speak again at the youth group’s month on “True Love”. This weekend we both participated in a “talk show” before the service- providing a time of question and answers for the youth that were there on hot topics. Then Gianluca preached during the main service on dating and relationships. It was a strong and powerful sermon and God really challenged several young people to make decisions about their lives and their relationships- glory to God!!!
http://www.upsidedownweb.it/?p=325
This month the youth group at the Modugno church will be running an ongoing program on “True Love”- relationships, sex, being single, etc. We are excited to be a part of it again this year. Our awesome guest, Lynne Ellis, will speaking at the session on being single this Saturday the 13. And on Saturday the 27 Gianluca and I will be leading and participating in the session on Relationships. We are hopeful and prayerful that God will continue to teach the young people of our church how to build healthy relationships- with Him, with themselves, with others, and with their future spouse. It is going to be good…
TRUE LOVE: “16This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers.”
Not of those who shrink back…
32Remember those earlier days after you had received the light, when you stood your ground in a great contest in the face of suffering. 33Sometimes you were publicly exposed to insult and persecution; at other times you stood side by side with those who were so treated. 34You sympathized with those in prison and joyfully accepted the confiscation of your property, because you knew that you yourselves had better and lasting possessions.35So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded. 36You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised. 37For in just a very little while, “He who is coming will come and will not delay. 38But my righteous one[f] will live by faith. And if he shrinks back, I will not be pleased with him.”[g] 39But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who believe and are saved.
January has been a month filled with many heartaches. We have been dedicating ourselves to many couples who are going through difficult times and are astounded by how many people around us who are suffering and going through difficult times. We feel honored to be in the middle of it all and to comfort those who are in pain. We are not of those who shrink back in the face of suffering, and we pray that each of the people we are counseling this month will not shrink back in the face of their suffering, but that they will persevere. We appreciate your prayers on our behalf and on behalf of those who are in need of the Lord.
Happy New Year!
I love the first day of the new year. It feels like a chance for a new start. . .
God could be described through the metaphor of the wind. You cannot see the wind, but you know that it is there. At times the wind blows very strongly, knocking things over, changing landscapes, and at other times the wind is so still you can barely feel it. There have been times in my life, like when in a crowded Italian subway, that it was hard to believe that the wind existed…you just could not feel it. There have been other times when the wind was so powerful that it shook the windows of my house, sent things flying across my yard, and broke our trees. You could not help but feel it. God is like that. Some days, even though I know He is there, I just don’t feel His presence. Other days, His presence is so strong in my life that I am overwhelmed. Today the wind was amazingly strong. It was nice to start a New Year like that. A sort of a promise of God’s presence in our lives and ministry.
So whether you started the New Year with a slight breeze, a hurricane, a wind storm, a strong gust or no wind at all, take peace in that God is always there. Even when we don’t feel him. And today, this first day of a new year, is a chance to start fresh….with the Lord, with our famlies, at work, with friends.
Happy New Year! May God bless you richly in this New Year to come.
Merry Christmas
Why do we celebrate Christmas?
We sing lyrics to these carols, without thinking about what we are saying.
O Come all ye faithful
O come, all ye faithful,
Joyful and triumphant,
O come ye, O come ye to Bethlehem;
Come and behold him,
Born the King of angels;
O come, let us adore him,
O come, let us adore him,
O Come, let us adore him, Christ the Lord.
Sing, choirs of angels,
Sing in exultation,
Sing, all ye citizens of heaven above;
Glory to God
In the highest; Refrain
Child, for us sinners
Yea, Lord, we greet thee,
Born this happy morning;
Jesus, to thee be glory given;
Word of the Father,
Now in flesh appearing;
Joy to the World!
Joy to the world! the Lord is come;
Let earth receive her King;
Let every heart prepare Him room,
and heaven and nature sing,
and heaven and nature sing,
and heaven, and heaven and nature sing.
Joy to the earth! the Savior reigns;
Let men their songs employ;
while fields and floods,
rocks, hills and plains
Repeat the sounding joy,
Repeat the sounding joy,
Repeat, repeat the sounding joy.
No more let sins and sorrows grow,
nor thorns infest the ground;
He comes to make His blessing flow
far as the curse is found,
far as the curse is found,
far as, far as the curse is found.
He rules the world with truth and grace,
and makes the nations prove
the glories of His righteousness,
and wonders of His love,
and wonders of His love,
and wonders, wonders of His love.
What Child is this?
What Child is this who, laid to rest
On Mary’s lap is sleeping?
Whom Angels greet with anthems sweet,
While shepherds watch are keeping?
This, this is Christ the King,
Whom shepherds guard and Angels sing;
Haste, haste, to bring Him laud,
The Babe, the Son of Mary.
What Child is this who, laid to rest
On Mary’s lap is sleeping?
Whom Angels greet with anthems sweet,
The silent Word is pleading.
Nails, spear shall pierce Him through,
The cross be borne for me, for you.
Hail, hail the Word made flesh,
The Babe, the Son of Mary.
Why lies He in such mean estate,
Where ox and ass are feeding?
Good Christians, fear, for sinners here
So bring Him incense, gold and myrrh,
Come peasant, king to own Him;
The King of kings salvation brings,
Let loving hearts enthrone Him.
Raise, raise a song on high,
The virgin sings her lullaby.
Joy, joy for Christ is born,
The Babe, the Son of Mary.
Remember what you are singing this year and think about why you are singing it. The King of kings salvation brings, let loving hearts enthrone him!
Merry Christmas from our family to yours!
Increasing in Number
Acts 6:1,7 “Now in these days when the disciples were increasing in number…And the word of God increased; and the number of the disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem and a great many of the priests were obedient to the faith.”
Acts 2:41 “Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day.“ Acts 2:40-42 (in Context)
Acts 2:47 “praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.”Acts 2:46-47 (in Context)
Acts 5:14 “Nevertheless, more and more men and women believed in the Lord and were added to their number.” Acts 5:13-15 (in Context)
It is interesting how easy it is to take for granted what God is doing around us. When countries go through huge revivals and thousands of people come to the Lord at once, everyone is amazed and praises the Lord (and rightly so). But when 1 person comes to the Lord one Sunday, 2 at a women’s service, 3 at an evangelistic event, 4 when they were invited by their friends, and 6 on another Sunday we tend to overlook these victories. Jesus says in Luke 15:7, “I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.” There will be great rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents! Even when one person comes to the Lord, heaven throws a party. Because every person is important to Jesus. We are so excited that God is “adding to our numbers daily”. Weekly people are coming to the Lord in the church through Sunday services, women’s meetings, youth services, evangelism, invitations by friends, and many other ways that the Lord continues to draw them to Him. God is good and we know that there is great rejoicing in heaven over each soul who has repented and has found the Lord (for example: two people came forward last Sunday and 5 came forward this Sunday to accept the Lord).
WE’VE MOVED!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Praise the Lord!
We moved into our new facility over the last couple weeks and Monday we had our first “unofficial” service in the new church facility! God is so good! We switched to one service a Sunday until we are able to fill the new, much larger facility- but the amazing thing is that it was already full on Sunday! We barely fit! There were people standing in the aisles and sitting along the sides of the room. We are so excited to what God has in store for this new chapter of the church and our ministry here!
We’ve moved! =)
Happy Thanksgiving!
We have so much to be thankful for this year….
We are most thankful for God’s faithfulness. He has been so faithful to us in so many different ways over this last year. He has provided in miraculous ways in many different situations and circumstances. He has taught us so much through both trials and triumphs. And He has opened doors that we never dreamed of.
We are also so thankful for each of you! Thank you so much to everyone who faithfully prays for us, who gives sacrificially, and who sustains us through phone calls, emails and visits. We appreciate you all so much! You are a huge part of the ministry here!