1) Bring in the items listed below and we’ll deliver them to a disaster relief agency that has access into Haiti
– drop items at our downtown office (21 Washington St) during business hours by Friday 1/22
– bring items to any weekend experience this Sunday 1/17 or next 1/24

2) Donate money to treeoflife missions and items most needed will be purchased and delivered to the disaster relief agency for delivery in Haiti
– make checks payable to treeoflife & send to 21 Washington St Monroe MI 48161
– give securely online right now here

Thanks in advance for showing the love of Christ to this devastated nation!

Bring in ONLY the items listed below please. HERE’S THE LIST:

Bottled Water, Canned Food and Other Non-Perishable Food Items

Over the counter medications including Neosporin and Children’s Tylenol

First Aid Kits

Personal Hygiene Items

Bagged Rice & Beans

Manual Can Openers

Diapers, Wipes & Baby Care Items

5 Gallon Buckets with Lids

Rubber Gloves & Masks

Paper Towels & Toilet Paper

Flashlights & Batteries

Large Trash Bags

Brooms, Dustpans, Mops, Mop Heads

Cots & New Blankets

Tents, Tarps, Ropes & Duct Tape

Bleach & Laundry detergent

Sponges, Scrubbing Pads, Cleaning Towels Spray, Liquid Cleaners (409, Pine Sol etc.)

**Please, no glass items or clothing

Ian Fawcett, Director of Casa Hogar Vida, was at Elevate this past weekend and had received some news just last week regarding a young lady to whom Casa Hogar Vida had just begun to reach out. Her husband infected her after visiting prostitutes and consequently her child was born with HIV too. After learning he was infected, her husband took his own life. Last week, the young lady took her life and that of her child by ingesting rat poison. Unfortunately, this is common among those who discover they’re infected with HIV/AIDS due to the social persecution and hopelessness they feel.

Then there’s Luce, who is infected with HIV and has a young son that isn’t. The church she attended at the time she was infected, brought her forward and began to treat her as if she was untouchable.  Now she is living in Casa Hogar Vida and serving others who are infected. She has a home, a purpose, she’s helping others and most importantly she knows Jesus.

It’s an incredible opportunity we have to help more stories turn out like Luce’s and less like the unfortunate cases mentioned above. That’s exactly why Casa Hogar Vida exists and why we’re building a home for a family affected by HIV/AIDS through The Big Give.

What we’re finding is The Big Give is more about responding to what God has already given to us through Jesus – than what we give to anyone.

Speaker: Adam Davis

Special Guests: Ian Fawcett & Steve Hutmacher

Next Steps:

• Read Genesis 12.2-4
• Discuss as a family how much to give, beyond your regular giving, toward the “Big Give” project.
• Interested in being on a missions trip to Honduras? Write “Honduras” on your 411 card to request more information.

207 people attended Elevate yesterday- I’m blown away with what God is doing after only 8 months.

Finally joined facebook and thanks for all the welcoming comments – most of my facebook updates will be from twitter- I’ll peek in on the conversations at facebook from time to time but email is still best way to reach me with a direct message.

Every 6 weeks or so Kristen and I have the staff and their families to our home for dinner on a Sunday afternoon- yesterday we had a great time- these families are INCREDIBLE people with an INSANE capacity and desire to serve Jesus and the people of the city- I am blessed to have them & Elevate is better because these families are here!

Eagles over Bears 24-20, maybe they will make the playoffs this season.

We’re doing 2 identical services the week of Christmas- December 23rd at 6p and Christmas Eve at 4p- make plans to attend and invite your friends and family too- special invite cards will be available Dec. 6th.

Elevate’s new website is ALMOST ready- be on the lookout as we’re upgrading everything on the new site!

Hearing loads of feedback from yesterday’s talk on Believing the Best of others- I’m just glad it messed with others the way it did me prepping for it!

Excited about Elevate’s Big Give campaign- we’re celebrating our 1st Christmas together as a church family by purchasing a home in Casa Hogar Vida village near Choluteca, Honduras for a family affected by HIV/AIDS.

Have an awesome Thanksgiving Holiday and remember that love always believes the best!

Service is the rent we pay to be living. It is the very purpose of life and not something you do in your spare time.

A lot of people are waiting for Martin Luther King or Mahatma Gandhi to come back — but they are gone. We are it. It is up to us. It is up to you.

It’s time for greatness — not for greed. It’s a time for idealism — not ideology. It is a time not just for compassionate words, but compassionate action.

This verse blows me away. God sees oppression going on in the world and He is shocked that no one is doing something about it. This means one of 2 things: people weren’t seeing the injustice (lack of awareness) or they simply saw it but did nothing about it (lack of courage, passion or sense of justice). Someone is weak and being taken advantage of and it infuriates God and He’s AMAZED that it doesn’t provoke other people to action. Don’t know about you, but that is not how I want to amaze God – well intentioned but sleep walking when it comes to justice.

So my questions are these:
What injustice am I blowing off that totally amazes God: hunger, homelessness, human trafficking, sexual slavery, racism, education deprivation,  office politics, something less subtle and closer to home?

Where are the weak, broken, the oppressed or those with no voice for whom I need to stand?

Am I unaware? Do I just not care? Am I overwhelmed with how to get started? Or is it just not convenient enough for me to get involved? Am I counting the cost?

Is God amazed at my paralysis?

Someone from a church in the Detroit area tracked me down via email this week and said, “We know that you are a newer church and personally I have already heard a lot of great things about you guys”.

Yesterday, author of the book Wild Goose Chase, Mark Batterson, mentioned Elevate in a blog post. Mark sent us a free case of books which we gave away at our Grand Opening. I emailed to say thanks and since then Mark emailed me to offer congratulations and then posted the following on his blog in response to the email I sent: “One of (the inspiring emails) is from a from a church plant that just launched last weekend with a Wild Goose Chase sermon series. They had 364 their first Sunday.”

More locally, look for our new billboard going north on Telegraph just past the Custer/Front St. intersection on the left side. We’re also mentioned on the marquee o f the River Raisin Centre going north on Monroe St.

What have you been hearing around town about Elevate?

Taking it further is all about taking the Sunday sermon beyond Sunday and letting you generate the content.  Share your thoughts, insights & Scriptures that correlate with this topic and let’s learn from each other.

Vital Connections

The only vital connection you don’t have to work on ends at Birth – 1^st connection is to mother via the umbilical cord – You receive life giving nutrients and energy via the cord that connects you to your mother

This connection happens naturally, you don’t have to work on being connected to your mother in the womb. When we are born and the cord is cut, we take our very first breath through our lungs and we begin the process of learning to connect with the environment & people around us.

To be vitally connected to others we must make this song our prayer – that God would give us his eyes, his love and his arms for the world around us.

Lets look at a few obstacles to connecting to others as well as what it will look like of we are connecting using God’s eyes, love and arms.

GIVE ME YOUR EYES…. So I can see everything that I have been missing.

Obstacle: TOO BUSY

Matthew 9.36 Jesus SAW the crowds and was moved with compassion

We see lot of people every day but do we really see them the way God does?

GIVE ME YOUR LOVE…for humanity.

Obstacle: INSECURITIES – afraid that if we extend our love to others it won’t be reciprocated.

Romans 12:10 Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other.

Genuine affection = loving others as if they were your FAMILY

Story of Russian Orphanage – embracing the kids, showing them love that they rarely get

GIVE ME YOUR ARMS… for the brokenhearted.

Obtacle: DON’T WANT TO GET THAT INVOLVED

Scripture background- the Lord was saying to the righteous people that when he was hungry they fed him, naked they clothed him, thirsty they gave him a drink and they replied, when did we do these things for you to which the Lord replied:

Matthew 25:40 I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these by brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!

What action do you need to take for someone hurting to feel the EMBRACE of the divine?

THE VITAL CONNECTIONS YOU MAKE TODAY COULD TRANSFORM SOMEONE’S TOMORROW.

Hebrews 10.24
John 15.12
Matthew 25.34-46
Song: Give Me Your Eyes – Brandon Heath

The latest form Russia:
Proposal to extend Russian presidential term to 6 years gains passes lower house
Upper house approves term extension 144-1

When Communism fell in the early 90’s, there was a great hunger for the spiritual an openness to the influence of other ways. A move of God swept Russia & Eastern Europe like never before with thousands & even millions of people making decisions for Christ. Most of the events where the Gospel was preached were supported or coordinated by Western ministries with Russian believers willing to work, but few in number. Besides, they had been cut off from the rest of the Christian world and hadn’t realized how much things had changed. Most had never known a time when you could share your faith openly or knew how to disciple others much less leadership principles.

So while one person could reach millions with the message of Jesus and even get thousands of salvation decisions at one time, it takes an army of people to disciple & lead those people. In effect, much of the fruit of that harvest didn’t remain. However, over those first few years, new leaders emerged ready to learn how to take their nation into a new era and prepare for the next time God moves in such a way.

This is where the leadership training of EQUIP comes in and where I feel my role plays a part. With leaders being trained in Russia, it creates a container for what God wants to continue doing there. Every Christian leader I spoke to in Russia, no matter the denomination or affiliation, feels as if once again there will be restrictions & possibly even persecution for the church there. Everyone of them also believes that an even greater move of God will occur in the midst of that trouble. And this time – armed with the lessons of the past and top notch leadership training – they’ll be ready and the fruit of the harvest will remain (even if Western missionaries can’t even get in!).

I’m honored that I was able to play a small role in what God is doing in Russia. We trained & certified 500+ leaders who will in turn train almost 15,000 others in the next few years. Laborers for the harvest that is to come and if you have prayed or supported our ministry in any way, you have a part in that too!