I have been asked many times through out the years why I have given myself to working with teenagers. I have always had a pretty impressive list to share that confirms my calling. I now have one more reason!
I passed the teenage audio test! There are actually frequencies that most people over the age of 25 are unable to hear, and I am happy to report ... I can!
Created by Train Horns
This is the first year in many that I have not participated in the 30 Hour Famine. It is a movement that I so believe in, and am thrilled to see the students I leave behind continue to embrace. If you know a student participating this year, give. Your participation through your giving will have a profound effect on many.
If there is one thing I have learned through World Vision's 30 Hour Famine, it's that we as God's Church, particularly in America, need to realize that God desires, and expects, us to responds to the needs of the world. For it is in fact the purest form of worship. When asked what worship is, the average American church goer will answer, singing. Singing is only but one very small element of worship. Bigger than singing, is responding to the cry of the needy, the suffering, and the broken in our world (James 1:27, Matthew 25:31-49, Romans 12:1).
I so appreciate what Hillsong United will be releasing this year. Were All in This Together, a feature-length documentary, will illustrate the inseparable union of worship and justice - aimed at inspiring people to see injustice, think creatively and act in response.
Watch this teaser and let it move you closer into the heart of God.
May we never forget ... we are in this together.
For more see i-heart.org.
God is a God of surprises, and a God of blessing. I often stand amazed at how He works in my life. There have been a few occasions in my life though in which God has really taken it up a notch and just completely blown me away, by the way He demonstrates His love and care for me. Here and here are examples of two such occasions. Today He did it again!
After enjoying the blessing of a great conversation over coffee with my friend Steve, I came into the office and read my email. In doing so, I opened an email that absolutely left me astounded and speechless. What follows is an email that was sent to the general email address for our church from a lady I have never met, and who lives thousands of miles from me.
I woke up this morning after having a dream that I couldn't shake. The name Brian and a last name that I couldn't quite make out yet appeared on the hat of a young man with a beard and mustache. As I was waking the last name started to become clearer to me. I thought maybe it was someone from my church that the Lord wanted me to pray for, but there is no one from our church by that name. The heaviness of my heart was so great that I decided to google the name Brian Oberly or Eberly, the last name still wasn't perfectly clear.
When I clicked on the site and saw a man standing with his arms wide open looking to heaven, I was compelled to read on.I only had to read a few sentences and I knew in my heart that this had to be Him. Clearly it wasn't Brian wearing the hat in my dream but the young man that was, is someone that we are supposed to pray for as well as Brian.
In my dream the young man with the beard was very torn about a separation that was taking place in his life, it seemed to be a marriage but I wasn't sure. After reading the site I was very certain that these are people that we are to be praying for.
I am writing to you to let you know that God loves you so much that he gave someone half way across the country a dream to pray for you and the people in your life. And as I read about you leaving and watched the video my heart was so burdened, that I cried. Just know that we are praying for you.
Blessings
Today concluded nearly 11 years of ministry at Grace Point. We were honored this afternoon with a wonderful time of appreciation and love over a great lunch. What a blast it was reminiscing over all the years of great ministry. What a wonderful community of people to serve with; truly family.
Good friend and long time partner in ministry, Aaron Geist, produced this great video looking back over the years.
As we move forward, we now look forward. We look forward to what God has in store for us next, and are anxious for this next chapter in our lives to unfold. Stay tuned!
Letting go of what I hold so dear, has never been an easy thing for me. Yesterday my departure from Grace Point Community Church was announced. It was difficult, and it was painful. To leave a community of people that you have shared life with and love so much, is a task that without God to lean on, would seem unbearable. It for me is a step of faith and a step of trust.
It is one thing to teach, preach, and sing about living a life of faith. It's another matter when God asks of you to step forward and and walk in it. As I feel God prying my fingers from all that I hold so close to my heart, I find myself asking why, but in the process, know that He holds the answer. I appreciate the words of Oswald Chambers, "Faith never knows where it is being led, but it loves and knows the One Who is leading." I love my God, and in this process desire to know Him more than ever before.
As I now let go of the familiar, the things I love and hold dear, I must learn to let go of my pain and my fear as I venture into uncharted territory. God has never let me down. God has always surprised me with His amazing blessings and opportunities. I know He will do it once again.
Jeremy Camp's "Letting Go" is a song that resonates loudly with me right now.
To my family at Grace Point, know that it has been nothing but a pleasure and honor to share life and ministry with you. You are loved and close to my heart, and always will be.
Copyright © 2013 | brianeberly.com
.png){kind=icon}
