Psalm 118:5-6
5 In my anguish I cried to the LORD, and he answered by setting me free.
6 The LORD is with me; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?
A Stone...
I had to got to the doctor on Monday. I left ######town where I was getting an estimate done on my van and headed twards ####### on ###. I got off on the #######/#######town exit. I suddenly felt this strong pull twards the undeveloped ##### ###### of our church. I had time so I drove there. When I got there I felt a strong urge to get out of the car and walk around. So I got out of the car. It was warm and beautiful. I walked for awhile and felt the nudging to pray. So I prayed as I walked...
And I asked God what direction...what did he want on this piece of land...what did he want to do with it...what would meet his peoples needs...what should we build to glorify Him...
All of this is totally out of character for me.
Then I felt driven to my knees. So I got on my knees and contiued to pray. Then I felt kind of a shiver come through me and I felt led to get up. So as you can guess I got up...and I walked.
I walked twards the top of the field. I stopped talking and I started to listen. Along the way I grabbed a branch, just to pick it up, and a thorn stuck me deep in my middle finger, a drop of blood...I don't know if that meant anything so I continued to walk towards the top of the field.
I arrived at the top of the field. And I stood there. I looked around. And I listened...And I felt God speak to me..to my heart. This is what I believe he was saying...
Rehabilitation for the sick, healing for the hurting, Dicipleship. I saw an inpatient rehabilitation center Ministering to the whole needs of a person, Spiritual, phisical and psycological. Relief for the alcoholic, the drug addicted, the broken. All of which are a result of an unmet need of whole and complete relationship with Christ and healthy relationships of others. God has been in relationship with the Son and the Holy Spirit for all of time. We are made in his image. We are meant to be in relationship with Him and others. God has placed a hole inside of us that only he can fill. I belive he works in our relationship with others also. When God is not present in our lives and in our relationship with others is when peolpe use drugs to fill that hole, they get drunk to fill that hole, they have sex out of wedlock to fill that hole, they over eat to fill that hole, they earn as much money as they can to fill that hole, they go shopping to fill that hole, they gossip to fill that hole, they are co-dependent to fill that hole, they cut themself to fill that hole; EVERYONE has this hole in thier soul. People fill it differently. Jesus evangelized by healing. People brought their sick from everywhere. They found him in the woods. They crashed roofs. They ran to him. They begged him...
I don't believe he was saying replace the current plans but to include rehbilitation in them, inpatient, outpatient more than just drug and alcohol rehabilitation, total rehabilitation meeting many needs. A multi-faceted campus, ministering to the needs of the greater community around. Ministering to the needs of the community within. Ministering to the needs of the whole body.
Pointing people towards Jesus Christ so that together we become more and more like him.
Luke 10:27 He answered: " 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind'[
c]; and, 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'[
d]"
Ministering to the needs of:The parent who's child is lost in the cycle of addiction, who lies awake at night afraid to answer the phone.
People lost in the cycle of addiction with no hope in their life.
The alcoholic that will be driving under the influence today.
The family he might destroy by hitting them head on.
The doctor who delivers the babies with fetal alcohol syndrome, and/or addicted to drugs.
The child who is lost and is cutting themself.
The person that is in so much pain that they would rather die then live and will someday complete that misson.
The parent that has lost a child to suicide.
The girl on the corner that sells her body for drugs.
The baby born with AIDS because of sexual immorality, who doesn't have a choice.
The girl that might have an abortion because she is having sex outside of wedlock and is afraid and without hope.
The lost who do not know Christ.
And the list sadly continues.....For all the loved ones involved in these peoples lives.
For all the vitims.
For the addict, aka idolatrer, that will try to fill that hole with durgs, alcohol, sex, money, food, pain, material goods, gossip...ect for the first time.
Galations 6:1 Brothers, if someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore him gently. But watch yourself, or you also may be tempted. 2Carry each other's burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.
But the story does not end there...For the addict/idolotrer that will put God in his proper place in his/her life once and for all, giving up all the idols in his/her life.
For all the good that the delivered will do
All the talents unlocked
Did you feel the darkness tremble???For all the lives that the redeemed will touch
Reclaiming what satan has taken
Restoring lives
When all the saints join in one song...
For all the hope brought
For all the captives that can be set free
For all that will boldly stand for Christ
And all the streams flow as one river...For all the can be redeemed
For the kindom forcefully advancing
To wash away our brokeness...I feel what I expierienced that day was a stone from God, that I was intended to throw. So here it goes, I am thowing the stone into the pond, the only way it will cause a ripple is if the pond is not frozen...
You may forward this email as you feel led, to whomever, Hershey Free member or not. You may also tell them who I am, my bio, my story in its entirety with no reserve. Pastor #### and Pastor #### know me and my story best of all the staff.
I am aware that the plans for the South Campus are set, that there are models out on the table as for what we are building and the campaign is set to begin. I realize that the results aren't up to me. I am just a stone thrower...
-The preceding was an email I wrote concerning the development of a large piece of property that my church is looking to develop.
