In the past two days two of our friends at NLC have moved from the street back to homes or hometowns. On one hand it is so exciting to know that they are no longer on the street and without a familiar place to lay their head at night, but at the same time it would have been nice to say good-bye. Maybe it goes deeper than that? Could it be that when we live and love as Jesus lived and loved our relationships move from being superficially connected to intimately and supernaturally intertwined?

I can’t explain why I feel the way I do, but I feel some sadness and discouragement. I like to see people succeed and grow and I guess the truth is it feels good to witness the full metamorphosis. A truth that I am realizing (certainly don’t like) is that when you dig into true community and relationships breakdown or end it really hurts. The quick solution would be to not invest in community. The way of Jesus is to invest even more in community and the people God brings into our lives.

It must have been really hard for Jesus to know that he had three years with the men that he would invest the greatest amount of time in- and that he would be leaving. Humanly speaking he wouldn’t see the results or the transformation that was to follow. I’m sure he was sad and discouraged too. I let go because I have to, I have no control over the Good-bye, but I continue to pray for and press into Kingdom community.

Good-bye my friends… may God richly bless your next steps.

Ryan

Let me start off this morning by saying that if you missed our time of worship and prayer last night in the Theatre- I am sorry that you missed it. No sarcasm or right jab intended. It was an absolutely beautiful time of worship before the Lord and sweet time of prayer. Did mountains move and skies fall? I don’t know. Did family members get healed immediately? Again I don’t know.

What I do know is that God was there and he moved among us by His Spirit! We sang, we prayed, we laid hands on one another- it was all about God and him being lifted up and worshipped. At one point during our time I knelt down on my knees to pray over the leg of one of our NLC family members. As I was at his feet, touching them and praying over him I was instantly taken to the time when Mary burst into the room with an expensive jar of perfume and did the unthinkable- she broke it and poured it over the feet of her Savior. She then began to wipe Jesus’ feet with her hair. HUMILITY all over the room! She unveiled herself before Jesus and everyone else in the room, it wasn’t a show- it was worship. As I was on my knees praying, crying out for healing I realized that while I started on my knees pleading I ended my time just worshiping.

Being in the presence of God and people who are seeking his face changes things. It becomes less about what I need God to do, and more about just wanting more of him. The place of prayer is a place of seeking more of God. The longer I prayed the more I was willing to just wait on him. No agenda, no sense of time or expectation of having everything now. As we worshipped I came to realize in an even deeper way the reality and truth of eternity. My waiting 10 years for something to be realized by God through prayer is only moments in God’s timing. As I prayed and sought God- as my worship deepened and He became my agenda my willingness to wait and trust grew.

I don’t know what is going on in your life right now. It may be that you are going through one of the roughest times you could imagine. Can I make a suggestion…. get down on you knees…. pour out your heart to him…. soak in his presence and let him love on you!

Learning,

Pastor Ryan

Check out the Praying Together Page for updated prayer items.

There is absolutely nothing like being able to celebrate good news with someone who receives it. I was on the phone with one of our NLC family members who received long awaited good news tonight. I almost lost it when he told me! We’ve been waiting for and pursuing this for a few years now, and it finally came. The interesting thing about good news is that it removes hopelessness. His entire tone and personality changed from hearing the good news. He left doom and gloom and experienced relief and peace for the first time in a long time!

This experience reminds me that we have the best news ever! The GOSPEL is the story of our being saved and set free from a hopeless situation. It is the story of our restoration, redemption and renewal. The good news of Jesus changes everything for someone who will listen, and then believe. The GOSPEL is my story, it is your story and our mission must be to see it become the story of our neighbors, friends, and family members who haven’t heard it yet.

Take some time with me right now to pray for several people who have yet to hear and believe that Jesus changes everything!

Celebrating,

Pastor Ryan

For those of you who have been following my daily (almost daily) blogs, yesterday was… well…a tough day to say the least! This morning I had another one of our NLC family members come in to let me know that her boyfriend (a new NLC friend too!) was picked up on a bench warrant. I’m frustrated, but not as worked up as yesterday.

If you struggle to know why prayer is absolutely essential you need to spend a day with us in the Church Office. The “Hub” as we are now calling it- seems to be an emergency room. NLC’s vision is to be a family living out the acceptance, healing and hope of Jesus each and every day. Well it is happening for a number of us! My question is whether or not it is happening in your life? Be honest. Are you living out the acceptance of Jesus? Are you taking every opportunity possible to pray for healing? Are you sharing the hope that you have in Jesus?

We’ve become a culture of Christians that are relying on traditions of the past and “church” structures to do the work for us. God doesn’t use programs- he uses people! It is not about methodology (it can help), but more importantly it is about our depth of relationship with Jesus.

I wonder what Jesus felt as he spent time with prostitutes, homeless men and women, addicts, and watched some of them continue to spin their wheels and walk away? I bet that is what caused him to weep. I know that he got angry with the religious bench boys- but I think he cried about the ones who were so broken that they couldn’t stand on their own.

I love Jesus so much! I want to love just like him!

Growing in love today,

Ryan

As I sit here at my table this morning- drinking a helpful cup of Starbucks Coffee- I am frustrated to the core. To be honest I’m really ticked off. Last night I saw three of my struggling friends cuffed and taken away for public drunkenness. This morning I listened as another struggled with lying voices and mental confusion. And I just finished talking with another friend who believes that suicide would be “easier” and who does not see nor want to break the generational curse that looms over his head.

I’m frustrated because I feel like I can do nothing. I share the love of Jesus, I love through action the best I can, and as I am able I try to help financially with their needs.

Love is tough, to say the least!

I want transformation now! I don’t want to wait- and right now feel like it is taking all I can to not explode.

God did not promise that it would be easy. In fact he said that we would have to pick up and carry our cross daily. I honestly thought that it was a figure of speech, not the burden that it actually is!

But in the midst of my tantrum I hear the still small voice of God saying “Ryan, I am with you. I see their hurt too. I love them even more than you do. And while you don’t understand it- I do. Continue to walk with me, stay close to me and I will restore your heart and renew your joy. Persevere in prayer and the breakthroughs will come.”

I say- THANKS GOD.

Ryan

So we’re one week in to our 21 days of lunch time prayer and fasting. So far we’ve been averaging at least 5 prayers at the Theatre— and I know that there are a bunch of people praying during their lunch hour at work. I am sensing more now than ever that God is calling his people to “DESPERATION PRAYER.” Being desperate is counter-cultural in a big way! No one wants to be desperate. I remember growing up people being made fun of for being desperate for love, relationship and popularity.

Desperation for the believer is what life is all about. If God doesn’t show up, if He doesn’t intervene we’re in big trouble. I am desperate for him. I need him and so do you. Our community doesn’t know it—but they desperately need him if hope and healing are to be had. So that’s why we’re praying— because we are desperate! Sometimes my desperate meter is running low- other times its hitting red. My hearts desire is that it is always in the red. I pray that yours is too.

I also want to let you in on some of the things that we’ve been agreeing on over the lunch hour as we are praying….

1. The Spirit to come among us and stir up the church.
2. Hunger pangs for prayer. Let me explain…. just like we experience hunger pangs when we are hungry I want to experience physical hunger pains for prayer!
3. God would renew hearts of gratitude, compassion, love, and joy in his churchy.
4. Strongholds of: alcohol, drugs, prescription drugs, smoking, pornography, homosexuality, racism would be broken.
5. Generational curse of poverty.
6. Yoke of slavery to sin would be broken in the church.
7. Unity and oneness in the church.
8. SALVATION and opportunities to share the gospel.

Pretty awesome stuff!!

Ryan

I’ve been at the Leadership Summit in Lancaster the past two days. Willow Creek hosts this event each year and has locations all across the Nation and around the world.

I am so blessed this year… well I’m always blessed by this conference, but for what I believe is the first time in many years I am coming away being affirmed and re-affirmed in the direction we’re going.

Rather than me writing a bunch of thoughts today let me ask of you one thing…. PRAY! Pray that God will continue to download into each of us his calling, vision, passion, love, acceptance…. that He would establish his kingdom in our lives and that as we live in out in relationship with one another and the folks around us deeper healing will happen.

Wrecked….

Ryan

So like I said yesterday- I’m hanging out in the book of Joel. One of the things I love about Joel- he’s only mentioned one other time in the bible (Acts 2), his father is unknown and the date of his writing is difficult to figure out. He’s an ordinary person just like the rest of us. He listens really well though. God used him to speak to His people at a time when they were being invaded and had lost all hope. His prophetic words brought life to a people who were “living dead”.

I want God to use me like that. I want to be a good listener. If the people in our community need to be challenged or warned I pray that I am able to listen well enough to be used by God to share His message. I want to be a prophetic voice in a time of great confusion and lostness. I want to clearly articulate and demonstrate the deep love of God to the people that God places in my path each and every day. Where are you at in this?

My problem is that I have a fear of looking foolish. I believe that we’ve been given everything we need in order to see victory and triumph, but I don’t want to look foolish. I believe that it will be as we pursue holiness, prayer, cultivate lives that produce the fruit of the Spirit, and walk in the power of the Holy Spirit that we will see community wide transformation.

I think that the destruction that was happening because of the locusts and drought stirred in Joel a desperation to do something about it. The enemy is invading and the more I see of the destruction in my community the more desperate I become, and the less fearful of looking foolish I am. I pray that God gives me (us) clear vision of what is really happening around us in these last days. I pray that it will stir in us such a desperation for God that nothing would prevent us from seeking after Him with all our hearts!

Digging my heels in,

Ryan

I’ve been sitting in and reading the Book of Joel the past couple weeks. Can you imagine having all of the crops, plants, fields completely destroyed by insects? Imagine having a drought so bad that rivers and creeks dry up and wild fires destroy whatever the locusts didn’t? I’ve never experienced anything like it. We’ve had some dry times, but nothing that has affected all areas of my life.

Joel makes it clear that their was no food, no water, no more wine, nothing for the temple sacrifice…. things were pretty bad- desperate actually. Joel sees it, but the people around him don’t! He has to remind the drunks that once the last drop of wine is gone- it’s really all gone! There are no new grapes- the vines are gone. People were not seeing the extend of the invasion. Even if they were seeing it and feeling it- they weren’t doing what was needed to deal with it.

I wonder sometimes if I’ve got it too good. Do I see the extent of the invasion of the kingdom of darkness in the community around me? Do I see the damage that is being inflicted by the swarms of demons and followers of Satan in the lives of my neighbors and friends?

Joel’s prophetic call for you and for me is to FAST and CRY OUT to the Lord. God is the only one who could intervene and bring restoration and healing. All of the joy of mankind had withered away…

I’ve been in the church long enough that I’ve exhausted all of the ways of man. I’ve tried it my way, tried relying on my strengths and the strengths of others to bring about change and transformation- it isn’t working. We’ve got to fast and pray and seek his face.

I certainly don’t claim to have it all figured out- I don’t think Joel did either. He was desperate for God and for healing- that is where I am too. So I’ll wage war on the invaders through prayer and fasting and see what happens. The excitement is in knowing that the journey will most definitely take me closer to Jesus, and into seeing the power of the Holy Spirit released in our community.

Waging war,

Ryan

This morning a small group of us went back to Project Share to put the exterior drywall on the shell that we built last week. Today (August 1) is my birthday. My 36th and final birthday to be exact. I will be 36 for the rest of my life.

I could have slept in this morning, had Maureen make me breakfast in bed and just relaxed, but I did something much better with my birthday morning. I served! I don’t say this to brag at all. I am actually processing this myself as I type.

I was talking to my dad this morning and as we were talking he said “each birthday is a bonus- actually each new day is a bonus.” He’s right! God has not guarenteed any of us more than the moment we are in right now. So for me to be able to serve Him this morning by helping my community is an absolutely perfect gift. He’s given me the strength, ability, know how and passion for doing this kind of stuff- and I love Him for it. I love seeing him at work in the lives of those who are marginalized and forgotten. I love seeing provision come to those who do not have. I love seeing people who once were lost found. I love the gift that he gave me this morning.

Thanks Jesus for the opportunity to walk and work with you this morning,

Ryan