Intercession

We've started examining spiritual gifts at The Foundry. We started with intercession because the corps has a good deal of strong intercessors. Its an amazing gift, and we were fortunate enough to have Stephanie teaching on it. Stephanie is a powerful intercessor that has been specifically focusing on that area of her giftings for a while now, and over the last week has had further teaching by the Spirit on how to pray. She highlighted a few areas, such as believing that God is able to do things, and also that He wants to do things. We also had some open discussion where we tossed around some of the things we've been learning. It was a good time, one that was fruitful.

Reassessing the Situation

After spending some time in prayer before the Foundry, we spent the remainder of the time taking a look at who we are, and why we meet together. First and foremost, we're there to worship God. We are very clear on that. And so far, that's been fantastic. We experience His presence every week. Beyond that, we are here for community. We firmly believe that community is the way we are supposed to live. Now, actually living that out can get messy, but we see throughout the Bible that its how God set it up. And it really is a better way to live. To engage in the lives of others instead of being lonely, to seek to meet the needs of others instead of hording for ourselves, it really is freeing. We're working towards being a place where people can be comfortable sharing who they really are, and being met with love.

We were challenged this week to move outside of ourselves and our comfort zones... to go out, meet people where they are, love them, and bring them in to community. It is a good, and right word. Its a big challenge, but its who we are called to be. The Foundry was not created to be a place where a few could worship in a way they feel comfortable, but for community. Its who we are as part of The Salvation Army. So lets live it out.

Prayer

We've started a new thing at the Foundry. If you show up at 5pm, instead of 7pm, you get to pray the Bible with us! Yesterday was the innagural PTB walk around the chapel for the Foundry, and almost immediately we could see that God blesses this. I guess there is something to praying His words back to Him! We had visions of what God wanted to use the Foundry for, and some of the obstacles we face, and then prayed about those as well. Seriously, come check it out. Its worth the extra time.

When we got started with worship at 7pm, we could already feel God's presence in the room. We were few in number, but it was a solid time of worshipping the King of Kings! We then spent some time praying for the transitions that the Bangor corps is going through. We prayed blessings for the Burrs as they take their new appointments in Rhode Island. Then we spent a bit of time praying for the corps, soldiers, and programs, as this change is taking place. Some powerful words spoken there, for sure. And then finally, we prayed for our new leaders, the Lyles. That their transition would be smooth and strong, that they would come in with boldness for the Lord, and that He would be their covering. And since its always good to end with some worship, that's what we did. So we praise God for how He has worked through the Burrs in Bangor, and we anxiously await what He will do through the Lyles as well.

Missing

We've hit a bit of a slump in attendance over the last few weeks. We pressed on, despite being a few, and wound up having a pretty powerful time with God. Not really what I had planned, but certainly what God had in mind for the night. In the middle of trying to press on, Doug had a word about the people missing from the community. So we spent some time praying about what we need to do, repenting for lack of effort, and asking for energy and favor to bring people in that really need the encounter with God. We realized that God has been faithful, every single week, to show up and move in power. There is no lack of His presence at the Foundry! So really, we're missing out by not showing up, and not encouraging others to show up. So if you are someone who should be there, and we've not really pursued you, we're sorry about that! And we'll be picking you up, or doing whatever it takes to get you there for this Sunday!

After we felt some release in the prayer time (well, release for the moment, its an ongoing battle) we spent some time talking about the body, and the gifts each of us have been given. Its amazing to see how God brings people together to learn from each other, and even brings people with complementary gifts to work together for others. God has something planned for this time, and its got a unique opportunity, to really be a blank slate where we can just allow God to move. We got to see a glimpse of that this past Sunday, and we're excited for more.

good food

Have you ever seen one of those movies (you know like, the after-school specials, or a lifetime one) where there is this dysfunctional family? Like, the young adult daughter who has been really rebellious, and the teenage son who has been out partying and failing classes? The picture I had Sunday morning was of the dinner at the end of the movie. The one with the whole family sitting around, and everything is forgiven. Sure, it took a whole 2 hours of plot to get the family at the table, but eventually, they all came home, sat down, and realized they were loved. And the past had been forgiven. Its a cheesy picture, but the kingdom of God is sort of like that, right? The banquet table is used throughout scripture as a metaphor for the kingdom, and its a pretty good one. And in Luke 14, Jesus talks about it. A king issues an invitation, letting people know they are invited to this party. And a bunch of people accept it. Then on the day of the party, another invitation goes out, just letting people know when the party would start (I guess it would be hard to time out dinner when you are cooking over a fire, instead of a microwave). A ton of people decided at that point they couldn't go. And the excuses they give are really lame. Who, in ancient Israel, bought land without looking at it first? Wouldn't have happened. So the king is really insulted, and has his servants go out and invite the homeless and beggars, and people of lower social standing. Great parable.

Ok, so I know we're really like the beggars and homeless, people who weren't worthy of the invitation, but got it anyway, but I was thinking that some of us, if we know Jesus, might also be a bit like the group that got the first invitation. We've accepted. We know Him, and we receive His forgiveness and grace. But how often are we turning down the second invitation, to just come and sit with Him, and share a meal? Spend some time in His presence? I know we get busy. And forgetful. And sometimes, just don't feel like it. But those are pretty lame excuses to not share a meal with the King.

This week, accept the invitation to sit at the banquet table, and enjoy His presence. Know that He loves you with the love of a Father. Be blessed. Let Him pour your cup to overflowing.

why are you here?

For a few weeks now, some of us have been focused on that question. Why do we do the things we do? Why do we go to church? Is it for family expectations, to see friends, because its expected? Or because we really just want to worship? In 1 Kings 19, Elijah had a meeting with God in a cave. God asked him one question two times. Seemed pretty important, I'd guess. "Why are you here?"

I've been thinking about the connection between that question, and our expectations. We expect things from the people we have solid relationships with. They will show up when they say they will. They will treat me with respect, and in love. They will speak to me honestly. Jesus talks a little bit about this in Matthew 7:9-11. If you ask your dad for some bread, is he going to give you a stone? Would he give you a snake instead of the fish you asked for? (paraphrased terribly by me.) I think sometimes we get distracted by those other reasons to go to church... the friends and family, or just out of a sense of duty, because we don't really expect God to be there. Maybe we've felt disappointed by people in the church, and so we've lowered our expectations. But God doesn't disappoint! He does meet with us when we seek Him. He does answer our prayers when we pray (you can check out Jeremiah 29:12 about that one. And a bunch of other places as well). And He has things to say to you. New, fresh things. So why are you here?

listening prayer and tacos

Two weeks ago we had a really small crowd, which gave us an opportunity to do some listening prayer for each other. Pretty simple, but powerful.

This past weekend, we had a small fellowship night. Community is one of the main purposes of The Foundry, and personally, one of my favorite things to do in community is eat together. So we did. Nick and I decided to share one of our favorite meals with the group, tacos. Nothing super fancy, but it did the trick. People had a chance to relax and get to know each other a little better. For instance, I make my salsa a little too hot. I wasn't complaining though, I'll enjoy the leftovers for a while. :)

breaking chains

I've been a follower of Jesus for a long time, but something that didn't really click for me for years was the connection between confession and freedom. Pretty odd, since those go hand in hand, but I just really didn't get it. There was something about confession that seemed so down and hard, and it didn't really gel with my idea of freedom. But after some digging in the Word, I realized I was wrong. Shocker, I know. They do go hand in hand. Because confession and repentance breaks the chains of sin! And furthermore, if I confess, say, to another person, then I no longer care about hiding my sin, because I've already told people! Its good stuff. So we gave it a try. And handed out some broken chain links to symbolize what happened in the spirit. I can't speak for anyone else, but I for one felt some serious freedom.

Names

Have you ever stopped to think about the names you have? Not your given name or your last name, but the names you pick up from friends, family, maybe even society? Some of them are pretty ugly names. And most of them hurt. And I think our tendancy is to walk around with those names, allowing them to define who we are. We may not even be aware of it. Just thinking for a few minutes can bring up some pretty painful names I've been given. Failure. Lazy. Ugly. Worthless. Unlovable. What is important to realize is that those names don't define me. They aren't my identity. My indentity is in Christ! It is Him who gives me my worth. And trades those names for the ones He gives me. Check out the first few verses of Isaiah 61 for some amazing examples of how He does this with the broken. Beauty for ashes. Gladness for mourning. He restores us and renews us. And can take away those names that have been given to us.

This week we spent some time sharing about ourselves. It wasn't easy. But it was pretty powerful. We shared those old names, the hurtful ones. And then as a body, we prayed for new names. The challenge is in receiving those names, putting down the ashes and putting on the beauty.

Presence

Have you ever stopped to just rest for a moment? Have you felt your heart still racing while you are trying to rest? Or your mind going in a thousand different directions, thinking about the next step, when you know you should be sitting still? Its really tough to find actual rest. Finding it and going directly into the presence of God can be even more complicated. But after learning last week about being able to go right into His presence because of the blood of Jesus, we decided to give it a try. It was fruitful. A lot of us really encountered Jesus in a new or fresh way. Its amazing what God can do when you just spend time with Him. Worship was freeing after that.

Easter

God showed up again! Got to LOVE it when He does that.

So Easter. Forgiveness. Atonement for sins. The final sacrifice. Incredible stuff. We talked about the Day of Atonement, and the ritual sacrifice made on that day, year after year. And how you couldn't just go into the presence of God, because you'd die. And how in Hebrews 10, it clears all of that up. By what Jesus did on the cross. You should check it out. Compare Leviticus 16 with Hebrews 10, and you'll see some amazing things that God did. What we really focused on was forgiveness. And how we can now enter the Most Holy place, since we have been cleansed by the blood of the Lamb. Beautiful stuff. And we really did it. People encountered God. Walked right up into His presence, and experienced forgiveness. And love. And grace.

If you are in the area, you should join us next week!

Encouragement

Sunday's message was about encouragement, and the kind of community we are praying for at The Foundry.

I've known a few people that really have the gift of encouragement, and one thing is for sure. People LOVE to be around them. They just build you up, and its great to spend time with them, because you are going to walk away feeling pretty good! They aren't fake about it, and after some time being encouraged, you realize that they were speaking on God's behalf about you. Its really cool.

One thing I noticed a few years back was that these same people are also ones that can correct you. And you take it. If other people tried to say the same things, you'd scoff, and get upset, and possibly walk away from the relationship. But not with these guys. I really believe its because you know that they love you. And since they spend so much time encouraging you, you don't feel like they are always just negative. You can see a little more clearly. And so you take the correction. Its good stuff. And the kind of community I'm dreaming of.

My vision for The Foundry is that people can come as they are, and be loved. And be real. No more hiding behind this perfect, but incredibly false life. Since we aren't shooting each other first, hopefully people will feel more free to open up about who they really are, and the things they struggle with. Because that's when you start to find freedom and healing. No more hiding. But I think its going to start with encouragement. So that's what we did. We broke up into small groups, and prayed for specific ways to encourage each other. And then we spoke up about it. And you could see how it affected people. It was beautiful.

Beginnings

This past Sunday night was the first meeting of The Foundry. I guess i can take credit with the naming of this new community. well, maybe for throwing the idea out there, we voted on it.

It is my hope for this meeting/community/worship gathering will indeed be a Foundry.

found·ry /ˈfaʊndri/
–noun, plural -ries.
1. an establishment for producing castings in molten metal.
2. the act or process of founding

I like definition # 2 (the process of founding) it gives us a 2 fold meaning.

found-ing
-noun
1. the act of starting something for the first time; introducing something new
2. To melt (metal) and pour into a mold.

This is something new and fresh for the Bangor Corps and for most of us attending. The goal isn't just to start something new though. The goal is to be melted, and molded, and through that process purified. As a result of us being molded and purified we're able to then accomplish the purpose God has for us. It's a great process because it's cyclical, in that once we're molded and have accomplished our purpose for a time we can be re-melted and molded again into something different.

It's my prayer that we'll all continue to grow and be melted and molded and purified over and over again.

May God Bless The Foundry.