FIRST LOVED TO LOVE: God s Love Up Close and Personal

Transcription

1 Weekend Options FIRST LOVED TO LOVE: God s Love Up Close and Personal First Loved Ministries Invites You to an introductory Workshop, Saturday Seminar, 2-day Weekend, or 3-day Retreat that provide various ways to taste how to experience God s love more deeply personally and tangibly. You ll experience God loving you through intimate worship and His Word spoken to you as love language.

2 Dear Pastor, Thank you so much for taking a moment to let me share with you what not only rescued and renewed my walk with the Lord personally, but also made life and ministry with him so much more joyful and rewarding. Twenty-seven years ago, the Lord spoke 1 John 4:19 directly to my heart: Mark, you love because I Hirst love you. He continued, Come to me who is love (1 John 4:8, 16) and let me love you -irst and then you will love. He reinforced the need to be loved Hirst through his new command: As I have loved you, so you must love one another (John 13:34; 15:12). Imagine for a moment that you are standing beside me and your spouse (or best friend) is standing beside you. I turn to you and ask: Pastor, would you please love your spouse (or best friend) as I, Mark Fee have loved you. What would you do? Nothing! You would be unable to love your spouse as I have loved you unable to heed the command until you experienced love from me Hirst in a tangible way. Then, and only then, would you be able to love as I have loved you. Likewise, only by experiencing Jesus loving us Hirst can we love as he has loved us. Initially, these words were so radical to me because they were so different from what I was practicing. I read the Bible daily to be taught, rebuked, corrected and trained not to be loved by him. Next, I offered up requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving to him but rarely if ever expected him to talk to me, especially to love me. Finally I would repent for the ways I had failed to measure up, sins of omission or commission, and then go into the world, determined to try harder and to do better. It s as if the new command was: As you read in the Bible how I loved Israel and the disciples so you must try to love. FLM s passion is to train people to experience God s love more deeply and remove barriers from receiving and sharing his love. Our First Loved Workshop can be inserted with a pre-existing program, such as a men s or women s retreat, leadership conference, targeted program, etc. This is a 2- to 3-hour program teaching the basics of The New Way of Loving and a simple introduction to one of the practices. Our Saturday Seminar is a place to come and experience the Father / Jesus loving them with words through the Bible and the Spirit, as discovered in intimate worship, teaching, alone time, and small group time. And our 2-day Weekend is an extended event, taking place Friday evening AND Saturday, similar to the Saturday Workshop but with additional group time and practice as well as interaction with trained coaches. If you have questions or would like to set up a meeting time (either in person, via phone or video conference), I welcome the opportunity to do so. For His glory and our joy, Rev. Mark Gordon Fee, president FLM, PO Box 1128, Middleton, MA info@firstlovedministries.org

3 First Loved Ministries Mark Gordon Fee SUMMARY OF THE FIRST LOVED TO LOVE LIFESTYLE Many of us have had the experience of attending a service or a seminar in which our hearts were filled with a profound sense of God s presence and power. We left the meeting with a joy-filled, overflowing heart! These dramatic explosions of grace really happen from time to time. God is full of surprises. But miracles still seem to be the exception rather than the rule. Many of the stories Jesus told regarding our personal spiritual growth were farming stories. Jesus often communicated that the message of his kingdom is like seed. We grow in our walk with God as we approach life like farmers planting, watering, weeding, and waiting day by day. Jesus also gave a new command: As I have loved you, so you must love one another. We have to experience Jesus, (God), love us first in order to love as he has loved us. The First Loved to Love Lifestyle is an invitation to begin pouring the water of God s love, Jesus love, on our heart s soil, day by day, until we begin to feel and experience his loving kindness toward us. 1. Invite God to speak to you personally from Scripture texts that provide timeless revelations of his heart. Sample: Zephaniah 3:17: The LORD your God is with you. He is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing. Personalize & Memorize: I am the LORD your God and I am with you. I am mighty to save you, (Your name). I take great delight in you. I will quiet you with My love and I rejoice over you (Your name), with singing. Meditate: Speak this personalized Scripture text to yourself, right out loud with passion. Speak it again and again, until the words like water begin to soften your heart soil. Invite a friend to speak these personalized words over you. Don t stop meditating (i.e., marinating your soul) until you feel God s heart toward you through the very words of Scripture. When time permits, write out the verse using synonyms and antonyms to help his truth penetrate deeper into your heart. And listen to the Spirit to give further words of encouragement. Synonym/Antonym Sample: (Your name), I am the LORD, Yahweh, your God. I am always with you, my child. I am never detached or distant. I am here as a warrior to fight for you and to deliver you through the pressures you re enduring. Do not for a moment allow yourself to think that I don t care about you. The truth is I adore you; I delight in the relationship we share. I am eager to console you with my love, my kindness, and my affection. In fact, as I listen to you, I celebrate your life and your faith in me with a mighty, exuberant shout! firstlovedministries.org 1

4 First Loved Ministries Mark Gordon Fee Imitate: Share the verse with someone else to pour God s love into their hearts. Be led of the Spirit to share any additional words of comfort and encouragement. 2. Keep your eyes and ears open for daily God Sightings: loving human interactions that provide windows on God s tender love for you. Give Thanks for the joy you feel as someone loves you, as you love someone else, or as you witness others showing love. We really do experience God s presence and joy in the loving presence of other Christians. (1Ths. 3:9 How can we thank God enough for you in return for all the joy we have in the presence of our God because of you? ) Imagine God in you or the other person loving you that way and then hearing him say to you, If you or they can love to that measure on a human level, try to imagine how much more I, your Heavenly Father, love you with a perfect, eternal love! (Mt. 7:11 If you, then, though you are imperfect know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more do I, your Father in heaven, give good gifts to you who ask me!). Meditate on these comparisons and illustrations of God s love for you. Write them down in your journal as God invited his OT people to write down his promises and instruction on their doorposts (Deuteronomy 6:6, 9). loving human interactions that provide windows on God s tender love for you. - GOD SIGHTINGS Imitate: Whatever you ve seen or heard, learned or received, put it into practice (Phil. 4:9). 3. Decide not to come to church (or any gathering of Christians) empty handed as a lukewarm observer. Sing, give, speak and serve with your whole heart (1Pt. 4:10 11). Prepare your gifts in advance of Sunday morning. Remember, when you bring your gifts, God also distributes other gifts of the Spirit so that when a group of Christians gather, each one giving more than he or she takes, Scripture describes this experience as a love feast (Jude 12). Remind yourself that every gathering is an opportunity to be loved by God and to share his love with others. For many Christians, church is little more than a private experience in a public setting. Make your church experience from where you sit to who you greet, from what you give to how you serve all about expressing and experiencing God s love with others. 4. Finally, join a small group. We need to be in safe, committed relationships in order to process the barriers that may surface in us that may prevent us from receiving and sharing God s love. We have all had many experiences of being unloved by life and people or being unloving to God, others or ourselves. Sharing and praying with others can help to heal and remove these barriers. firstlovedministries.org 2

5 ABOUT MARK FEE Mark Gordon Fee, president and founder of First Loved Ministries, is an engaging speaker and teacher known for his warm personality, his fun and passionate teaching style, and his gifted ability to make Scripture come alive. A dynamic worship leader and songwriter, Mark has also been playing piano, singing, and writing for most of his life. He excels in drawing worshipers into a deep and intimate connection with the Lord through a dynamic flow of hymns, choruses, and Scripture. Mark received a BA in Christian Education with a minor in music performance from Wheaton College, Wheaton, IL. He continued his education at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary in Hamilton, MA, where he earned his Master of Divinity degree. He is presently engaged in a doctoral degree in Discipleship from Talbot School of Theology. Mark is the son of Dr. Gordon Fee, a highly-esteemed Biblical scholar who s written numerous commentaries and whose insights and teachings have profoundly influenced Mark s ministry. From , Mark served as the senior pastor of the Vineyard Metronorth church in Melrose, Ma. During his tenure he developed several programs to help his people to personally and tangibly experience God s love and to begin to remove the various relational, emotional and mental barriers that interfered with that experience. In 2006, he founded First Loved Ministries in order to share these programs with the church at large. He also produced a music CD entitled Rejoice Over You that invites the listener to hear God s words of love spoken and sung to them. Mark and his wife Robin have five adult children and live in Danvers, MA. PLACES WHERE MARK HAS MINISTERED WITH FIRST LOVED MINISTRIES: Abundant Life Christian Center (Wilmington, MA), Advent Christian Church of Haverhill (MA), All Saints Angelican Church (Amesbury, MA), Awakening Church (Dover, NH), Beaches Vineyard (Atlantic Beach, FL), Bethany Church (Greenland, NH), Bethlehem Community Church (Delmare, NY), Boston Chinese Evangelical Church (Newtonville, MA), Calvary Chapel (Chelmsford, MA), Calvin College (Grand Rapids, MI), Central Congregational Church (Derry, NH), Christian Life Church (Elliott, ME), Christ the Redeemer Anglican Church (Danvers, MA), City Light Church (Northfield, MN), Coila Church (NY), Coys House (Cheshire, CT), Danvers Church of the Nazarene (MA), East Auburn Baptist Church (ME), Evergreen Covenant Church (Sanford, ME), First Baptist Church (West Springfield, MA), First Church of Wethersfield (CT), First Congregational Church (Wallingford, VT), Forestdale Community Church (Malden, MA), Gateway Christian Fellowship (West Haven, CT), Grace River (Claremont, NH), Green Mountain Christian Center (Bennington, VT), Heritage Christian Church (East Falmouth, MA), House of Hope (Lynn, MA), Lakeshore Vineyard Church (Holland, MI), Metro Maryland Youth for Christ (Baltimore, MD), Montavilla Baptist Church (Portland, OR), New Canaan Society (New Canaan, CT), New Hope Chapel (Plymouth, MA), Oasis Church (Windsor, CT), Portsmouth Christian Acadamy (Dover, NH), Redemption Rock (South Chatham, MA), Roadside Chapel Assemblies of God (Rutland, VT), Seacoast Community Church (Portsmouth, NH), Southside Vineyard Christian Church (Wyoming, MI), Spanish Evangelical (Lawrence, MA), Stanwich Congregational (Greenwich, CT), State Street Church (Portsmouth, NH), St. Mary s Anunciation (Danvers, MA), The Mill Church (Millbury, MA), The Vineyard Church of North Grand Rapids (MI), Trinity Church (Greenwich, CT), University Chapel (Vancouver, CANADA), VidaNet Discipleship School (San Jose, COSTA RICA), Vineyard Christian Church in Hopkinton (MA), Vineyard Metro North (Saugus, MA), Vision New England (Danvers, MA), Voluntown Baptist Church (CT), West Congregational Church (Haverhill, MA), Woodman s Conference (Essex, MA).

6 FIRST LOVED TO LOVE LIFESTYLE ~ TESTIMONIALS ~ "...solid, Biblically-guided teaching, with heartfelt personal stories and very practical wisdom, to provide each participant with a very 'real' understanding of one of the most important realities of the Christ-following experience - God deeply, personally, and passionately loves His children. Rev. Keith Tolley, Lead Pastor, Greenfield Alliance Church, Greenfield, Massachusetts (former president of Vision New England) I really felt the love here [on the weekend]. I feel/believe this is just what I needed to realize what my soul is thirsting for the love of Jesus. I definitely needed this and would love to do more [weekends] like this for spiritual enlightenment connecting with Jesus. Chloe (age 18), Connecticut Nothing has impacted my life and walk with God more than First Loved Ministries. It has changed how I understand God s love for me in a dramatic way and has deepened my walk and relationship with God. I feel more secure in His love for me, and am now more free to love others better in the same way I experience God loving me. My love and gratitude to the Lord has greatly increased as well. Overall, it is this ministry that has most affected and grown my 43-year walk with the Lord. And that s amazing! Janet L, Massachusetts I think the First Loved conference is something that every Christian should attend... the material presented deals with the number one issue people struggle with, namely, After all my sin and failure, does God still accept me? That seed doubt that enters our minds is the very thing that hamstrings our fruitfulness in the kingdom of God and stymies our spiritual growth. I especially liked the exercise of applying a passage of Scripture to our individual lives and making it real. Thank you for an experience that transforms, not just informs. Tom Peers, Senior Pastor, State Street Church, Portsmouth, New Hampshire Thank you for your incredible Team of Prayer Ministers...you really blessed us this weekend. The First Loved to Love teaching is AMAZING. Everyone was filled with the Holy Spirit and transformed. Thank you for reminding us how very much we are loved by the King of Kings. You are a blessing to this world and I pray that MORE people will come and be blessed by this mighty teaching. Karen and Peter, Maine [God s] words came alive in a way I had never experienced before. They were not just words on a page but a real conversation between God and me. In fact, I had read those words many times before, but I had never heard them in the depths of my soul. Perhaps for the first time in my life I actually felt God's Love and experiencing it opened my eyes and heart to want to share that love with my husband and children in a more intentional way than ever before. At long last I felt as though a burden had been lifted, that the relentless struggle of the last three years since Hurricane Sandy turned our lives upside down was over. God is with us and has brought us through the fire. I could not wait to get home and tell my family how much I love them. Linda B, Connecticut

7 1. OPTIONS FIRST LOVED Options & Guidelines Host Church Options & Guidelines Workshop This is a 2.5- to 3-hour program teaching the basics of A New Way of Loving and a simple introduction to one of the practices. It can be inserted with a pre-existing program, such as a men s or women s retreat, leadership conference, targeted program, etc. Saturday Seminar This is a longer program to come and taste, to experience God s love in a deep and personal way so that your soul is satisfied and singing with joy. Lay leaders assist with groups. 2-day Weekend Seminar This is an extended event, taking place Friday evening AND all day Saturday, similar to the Saturday Workshop but with additional group time and practice as well as interaction with trained coaches. All three of the main practices in the teaching are covered. 3-day Weekend Retreat After attending a First Loved workshop or Saturday seminar, there is often a desire from our participants to go deeper. These 3-day retreats provide an immersive experience bathed in God s love, quieting all life s distractions in order to practice being loved and loving as in a safe and Spirit-filled environment. Schedules for each option are included on the last three pages of this packet. 2. COST We ask that the church cover the cost for food and workbook materials Typically these add up to $20-30 per person ($15 for the workbook and $5-15 for food depending on the number of meals). It is at the discretion of the church whether to charge a fee for participants or for the church to cover these expenses on their own. Love Offering Our goal is to serve and to bless you and your church family. We have discerned a call from God to offer this experience freely and trust that He will provide in ways immeasurably more than all we can ask or imagine (Ephesians 3:20). That being said, this is our livelihood and we have very real costs associated with our ministry work. Instead of exacting a charge, we invite people to give to support the mission of First Loved Ministries in response to their experience from the weekend. We ask the church Pastor/Host to take a love offering at the end of the workshop. We also prayerfully invite the church to consider an offering as led by the Holy Spirit separate from the participants love offering, something the church might do to help supplement giving by the people. Travel Expenses If driving over 25 miles one way, or by plane, we ask that the church assist us with the cost of fuel or airfare for Mark and one other staff member. 3. REGISTRATION, GROUPS & GROUP LEADERS Registration Upon our arrival, please provide a small rectangular table and chair for us to use for registration and materials. Please provide participant names and contact info prior to the event. Groups Our Executive Administrator will arrange the groups. He will contact the church ahead of time to get additional information regarding each participant (if available). FLM! PO Box 1128! Middleton MA 01949! !info@firstlovedministries.org

8 Host Church Options & Guidelines (continued) FIRST LOVED Options & Guidelines Group Leaders During the program there will be group time. For Saturday Seminars it is important for your church leaders and small group leaders to be involved. They will be called upon to coach (facilitate) a group. Our Executive Administrator will pre-arrange a time for us to meet with all your leaders who will be involved sometime during the week before the workshop. Basic training and a summary of expectations will be provided. The coach will also have the opportunity to participate in the group activity, but we have found having someone with leadership skills coach helps the group stay on track. Trained coaches are provided for the Weekend Seminar and Retreat options. 4. AUDIO & MEDIA NEEDS* A headset or lapel microphone for Mark during the teaching sessions. A piano acoustic or electric for worship. If acoustic, please ensure that it is in tune. A microphone on a boom stand for Mark at the piano and another vocal microphone on boom stand. Ability to display MS PowerPoint for worship and presentation. Provide a sound/video technician for the day, or provide someone to review AV setup with our staff. * If you are unable to meet the audio and/or media needs, please contact us to make other arrangements. 5. MISCELLANEOUS Rooms Please have breakout rooms with chairs set up prior to the start of the weekend, based on the number of participants (1 coach plus 3-4 participants per group/room). It is important to have a separate space for all to gather during worship and teaching as we will need to periodically return to the main meeting area after group time. If you absolutely need to use the main meeting area for one of the groups, please provide another space for people to gather after groups. Food Meals should be provided for the whole group (participants and FLM staff) due to time constraints. Tissues Boxes of tissues are recommended for the breakout rooms and light snacks / water is suggested for arrival and break times. Housing For Weekend Seminars (Friday/Saturday), overnight accommodations need to be provided for our trained coaches (if coaches are traveling form more than 25 miles away). This can be at a hotel or with church families that are willing to sponsor a coach for the weekend. Retreats If you are interested in scheduling a weekend overnight retreat at a particular location, please contact us to discuss details. Location Contact Please also provide contact information ( and cell phone) for all those who will be primary points of contact prior to and during the weekend to our Executive Administrator, Peter Vantine at peterv@firstlovedministries.org Please don t hesitate to or call for more information. THANK YOU & GOD BLESS YOU! FLM! PO Box 1128! Middleton MA 01949! !info@firstlovedministries.org

9 FIRST LOVED Saturday Seminar Saturday Seminar Format This seminar is designed for 20+ participants and involves your church s lay leaders to help facilitate groups. FLM coaches will meet with your leaders prior to the seminar. This particular format is for first-time participants. A follow-up weekend and or retreat are available for those who have attended this seminar. 8:00 AM Participants Arrive / Registration 8:30 AM Worship 8:50 AM Welcome 9:00 AM SESSION 1: A New Way of Loving! 10:15 AM Alone Time (choose a verse) 10:30 AM Group Time (getting to know one another) 12:00 PM Lunch 12:45 PM Music (Song from Mark s CD Rejoice Over You) 1:00 PM Next Steps, Love Offering 1:30 PM SESSION 2: Love Verses: God (Father, Son, Spirit) Loves Us Through His Word(s) 2:45 PM Alone Time (Synonym/Antonym Meditation Exercise) 3:30 PM Group Time (Synonym/Antonym Meditation Exercise) 5:00 PM Depart FLM! PO Box 1128! Middleton, MA 01949! !info@firstlovedministries.org

10 FIRST LOVED Weekend Seminar Weekend Seminar Format This seminar is designed for a max of 20 participants. This particular format is for first-time participants or those who have attended a First Loved Saturday Seminar. FRIDAY 6:30 PM Participants Arrive / Registration 7:00 PM Worship 7:30 PM Welcome 7:45 PM SESSION 1: A New Way of Loving! 8:45 PM Groups (getting to know one another) SATURDAY 8:30 AM Worship 9:00 AM SESSION 2: Love Verses: God (Father, Son, Spirit) Loves Us Through His Word(s) 10:15 AM Alone time (Synonym/Antonym Meditation Exercise) 11:00 AM Group time (Synonym/Antonym Meditation Exercise) 12:30 PM Lunch 1:30 PM Music (Song from Mark s CD Rejoice Over You), Next Steps, Love Offering 2:00 PM SESSION 3: Overcoming the Measuring Stick Mentality (The Conditional Mindset) 3:30 PM Alone Time (Measuring Stick Exercise) 4:00 PM Group Time (Measuring Stick Exercise) 5:30 PM Dinner 6:30 PM SESSION 4: God Sightings: God (Father, Son, Spirit Loves Us Through Our Loving Interactions 7:30 PM Alone Time (God Sighting Exercise) 8:00 PM Group Time (God Sighting Exercise) 9:30 PM Depart FLM! PO Box 1128! Middleton, MA 01949! !info@firstlovedministries.org

11 FRIDAY: FIRST LOVED Weekend Retreat Weekend Retreat Format This retreat is designed for participants, depending on the retreat facility. This particular weekend format is for those who have attended a First Loved Saturday Seminar or Weekend Seminar. A follow-up program entitled Getting Along will be available for those who have attended this retreat. 6:30 PM Registration / Meet & Greet 7:00 PM Worship 7:30 PM SESSION 1: A New Way of Loving! 8:45 PM Group Time (Getting to Know One Another) 10:00 PM Free Time SATURDAY: 7:30 AM Breakfast 8:30 AM Worship 9:00 AM SESSION 2: Love Verses: God (Father, Son, Spirit) Loves Us Through His Word(s) 10:15 AM Alone Time (Synonym/Antonym Meditation Exercise) 11:00 AM Group Time (Synonym/Antonym Meditation Exercise) 12:30 PM Lunch 1:30 PM CD song 1:45 PM SESSION 3: Overcoming the Measuring Stick Mentality (The Conditional Mindset) 3:15 PM Alone Time (Measuring Stick Exercise) 3:45 PM Group Time (Measuring Stick Exercise) 5:00 PM Free Time / Prayer 6:00 PM Dinner 7:00 PM The Next Step FLM Overview 8:00 PM Free time SUNDAY: 7:30 AM Breakfast 8:30 AM Worship 9:00 AM SESSION 4: God Sightings: God (Father, Son, Spirit) Loves Us Through Our Loving Interactions 10:15 AM Alone Time (God Sightings Exercise) 11:00 AM Group Time (God Sightings Exercise) 12:30 PM Lunch / Testimonies 2:00 PM Departure FLM! 22 Vineyard Street! Danvers MA 01923! !info@firstlovedministries.org