W A L K I N G T O G E T H E R W I T H G O D JANUARY

Transcription

1 2010 the W A L K I N G T O G E T H E R W I T H G O D JANUARY EMMAUS community news Live@925: It s A Movement! WHO SAYS CHURCH FOLK DON T KNOW HOW TO CELEBRATE...SHO NUF! For the third year in a row, Emmaus celebrates the culmination of the year with Live@925. It was such a hairraising, toe-tapping, stand up and shout, multi-dimensional experience that all we can say is if you missed it..sorry for ya because it was spectacular. Reflecting on the highlights of 2009 was a sho nuf good time, including the battle of the DJ s Maurice Joshua and female phenom, Sundance. We also felt the fiery vocal spit-sations of holy hip hop artists, BreevEazie and JQwest. Even if you didn t understand all of their lyrics, you sure felt all of their love for God and his blessings. We also celebrated birthdays for December, including Ms. Jen and Psalmist Joyce Hurley. The Pastors didn t miss their opportunity for a good laugh either with a festive elf dance. HEY, I M BRINGING THE RUNNING MAN BACK, JUST WATCH! LIVE@925 PRESENTS... NO, THEY DIDN T!

2 A YEAR IN REVUE: HIGHLIGHTS: HAPPY BIRTHDAY PSALMIST JOYCE! BREEVEAZIE & JQWEST FREESTYLE WITH HELP FROM THE COMMUNITY... BATTLE OF THE DJS RESULTS IN A NEW UNDERGROUND MIX-TAPE REVOLUTION FEATURING PJK & PAB! MASTER OF CEREMONIES THE INFAMOUS IRA GETS CAUGHT IN THE SPIRIT.

3 Get Ready...Get Set...Get Fasting! Emmaus Exercises Its Spiritual Armor Beginning this January Emmaus is upping the ante for the New Year! Not a New Year s Resolution per se, but rather a new intention for living our lives out loud. In 2010 we are challenging one another to grow up as a Christian community and along with that comes a time for drastic measures. It is widely known in the fitness arena that muscles cannot grow and strengthen without first being tested beyond their limits. When a muscle is pushed to resistance overload, the muscles rip and tear, causing discomfort and can sometimes be flat out painful. This is normally what GOD HAS GIVEN EACH OF US A WONDERFUL PHYSICAL BODY THAT HE CALLS THE TEMPLE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT (1 COR. 6:19) you feel the morning after an intense workout session. Then something magical happens, as the body scurries to repair and rebuild those resilient muscle fibers, they begin to grow back even stronger (and more defined) than before.you soon realize that you are indeed stronger than you were before and can achieve much more as a result. The thing to note about this phenomenon is the struggle itself. By challenging yourself to move beyond your comfort zone, you realize that you now have skills, abilities and confidences you never even thought you were capable of. God has placed within every physical body both the systems and capacity to reproduce and heal itself. According to The Daniel Fast by Elmer Towns, Every normal person is born with internal mechanisms whereby the body reproduces and heals itself. When a person eats a proper diet, at a proper time, in the proper way, that person will have a healthy body if disease or other physical barriers to health are not present...a correct diet will make you healthy because you are what you eat. Just as we cannot grow in body if it is not tested, we also cannot grow in spirit if we remain unchallenged. But you still have to prepare in order to have a fighting chance so with that we are accepting the challenge of the Daniel Fast beginning Monday, January 11th. Join us by challenging yourself to this 10-day program in preparation for the Lent season. Progress reports are welcomed on the Emmaus Blog: WH AT I S T H E DANI E L FAS T? From Amazon.com: With an emphasis on a healthy, simple diet, The Daniel Fast is named after the prophet Daniel who participated in a partial fast for spiritual purposes. Daniel was taken captive into Babylon when he was 16 years old. The Babylonian king wanted the young prophet to help him administer his rule over the captive Jews and he wanted to Babylon-ize Daniel, to make the young man of God more like him. The first step the king took in his campaign was to provide a sumptuous feast to tempt Daniel food fit for a king basically fattening comfort foods. In response, the prophet refrained from the king s table, choosing instead to eat only vegetables and to drink only water. Daniel honored God over the king. Dr. Elmer Towns introduces readers to the spiritual, physical and mental basics of the Daniel Fast, coaching them through either a 10-day or 21day period of renewal, and he includes original Daniel Fast recipes created by executive chef John P. Perkins. Dr. Towns addresses practical questions, such as what to eat and when, as well as how to pray effectively. Readers will learn

4 What Is The Daniel Fast? When Is The Daniel Fast? Mon., January 11 th - Wed., January 20 th continued from page 4... how to encounter God during their fast, how to worship through self-discipline and how to pray for specific answers. They will also explore the role of weeping, repentance and spiritual warfare in their life of faith. Daniel is a model to God s people of someone who chooses spiritual nourishment over bodily satisfaction. In The Daniel Fast for Spiritual Breakthrough, God s people can learn to follow his example. Sample Menu for The Daniel Fast Breakfast: Oatmeal (not instant) w/ rice milk, Ezekiel Bread (no butter), Juice OR Grape Nuts OR Fruit Smoothie (with rice milk and fruits) Lunch: Salad w/ fruit, veggies and nuts (no croutons or cheese) OR Peanut Butter on rice cakes, fresh fruit and water Dinner: Homemade veggie chili w/ rice cakes OR Tofu, brown rice, sauteed spinach or veggies OR Bean soup THE MIGHTY MEDIA TEAM All hands on deck! So much goes into each and every Gathering behind the scenes. Kudos to the Media Team for running a smooth ship and delivering top quality productions to support our mission and message. Al-Jalil Simmons shares the story of his road to Emmaus with the Live@925 audience. Mechelle Torian also shares a testimony of her road leading to Emmaus through our Missions trip. Our awesome media team steps up each and every Sunday (and every gathering in between) to make our experiences multidimensional in true Emmaus fashion. Upcoming Events Take a look at what s happening here at Emmaus and in our community... 1/1 Pastor J s B-Day 1/8 Mr. T s B-Day 1/11 Daniel Fast Begins 1/11 Club 925 1/19 Daniel Fast Ends New Format for Club 925 Begins January 11 th... Mondays - Jr. High Tuesdays - Starts at 6:30 p.m.

5 JANUARY 2010 Birthday JANUARY EPIC CALENDAR c Bereavements & Prayer Requests The following members need your prayers and kindness: Member, Shekinah Lawrence on the passing of her sister, JANUARY 3 FASTING JANUARY 10 PRAYER JANUARY 17 BIBLE STUDY JANUARY 24 GIVING JANUARY 31 WORSHIP Notify us of your prayer requests and concerns at the office: (708) Or send your notices and prayer requests to: pray@theemmauscommunity. org Ms. Lisa Latonya McCullum Condolences may be sent to the Lawrence family at: 1759 Linden Road Homewood, IL Member, Ron Cain is experiencing significant health challenges. Please continue to pray for his recovery.

6 J A N U A R Y E D I T I O N HAPPY NEW YEAR! The object of a New Year is not that we should have a new year. It is that we should have a new soul. G. K. Chesterton To remove your name from our mailing list, send an to: emmaus@theemmauscommunity.org OR you may call the office at (708) the EMMAUS community MacArthur Drive Chicago Heights, IL Joe Orr Rd 205th St Western Ave N W E S 207th St MacArthur Dr EMMAUS Route 30 Lincoln Hwy First & Last Name 4321 First Street Anytown, State ZIP