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| Faith and Doubt |
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| Faith and Doubt
Stepping out in faith is easier than walking in faith. Oh the initial struggle of whether God is telling a person to do something that will take an act or step of faith may be a difficult decision to make. Recognizing God's voice and then being willing to follow through on what Holy Spirit is directing, even prompting you to do is not easy for everyone. Faith takes courage and strength, yet it can be faith as small as a mustard seed which brings one to that leap or step of faith required to be obedient.
Once the step of faith takes place, walking out the decision brings many avenues of doubt |
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| The Fractionalizing of the Church |
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| How to keep the family from fractionalizing about our “takes” or the stream we are in? Well, that’s the key to avoiding church splits where part of the congregation goes one direction and another part goes another. It’s a problem the “Church” has had since the beginning. That’s our human nature needing to be right, rather than being willing to disagree agreeably.
It’s strange and funny how our intellectual view of God and our logic dictate that we have to have our theology correct to be secure. If someone disagrees with our theology or doctrine, then we have to find a way to prove them wrong and be right. A source of great consternation for me because theology and doctrine are human made and not God made |
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| The Tactic of Guilt |
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| I was reading a newsletter the other day that prompted me to ask "Why do we Christians make each other to feel like we are “bad Christians” if we choose other commitments over .. . . . Be it a prayer meeting, a worship service, or something else." I believe in taking responsibility for what we say we will do, but sometimes I grow tired of the guilt that the enemy uses, often through each other (and sadly through myself in the past) to “motivate” people to do what we want someone to do. If God convicts and brings guilt it is because we are guilty, but when people motivate by guilt, it is because we do not understand God.
John 3:16 is a verse most people have heard and many know. Yet John 3:17 is not as well known |
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| How the WA Statewide Gatherings Came Into Being |
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| In the Spring of 2007 while flying home from a Conference in Nashville, TN the Lord began speaking to me about how He wants to take the State of Washington for His Kingdom. He told me that He has not taken it before so this will not be a retaking of land, but a new taking of land.
After getting home the Lord had me pull out a map of the state and Holy Spirit divided it into 12 regions where He said He had apostles and prophets already located in each region. He was calling Bonnie and me to go from region to region calling out the apostolic and prophetic people to rise up into their callings. Many were hiding from the titles of Apostle and Prophet, others were hiding due to hurt inflicted on them for their calling |
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| I Have A Vision |
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| I HAVE A VISION
From the first night the airplane wheels touched down at SeaTac International Airport years ago God gave me a vision for Village Chapel, our community, our state and the type of ministry He was calling us to for His Kingdom. It was different than anything I had ever read about, but God rarely does the same thing twice. That is probably because as similar as we are as people, He has made us so very different. It involved people, lots of people, who would be touched by Holy Spirit and asked to change their lives, the way they were doing things and to some extent what they thought the future held for them. The vision involved shaping a ministry that would call people to an intimate relationship with the God of the universe and specifically to His Father’s Heart |
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| Another Unique Christmas |
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| It is never the same is it? Each Christmas Season comes and goes and is just a little, or even a lot different than the previous ones. Last year for example, we were buried in snow around here right through our White Christmas day. I know, I know it was nothing compared to North Pole, Alaska, but for us it was a lot of snow that didn’t seem to want to go away. Even the young people who had been praying for enough snow to close the schools were surprised by the answer to their prayers. I even heard some saying they were getting tired of the snow. Imagine that, children and youth tired of the snow?
This year it’s been cold, but finally the NW rain has returned. What does the next week and a half hold for us? Will God break into our lives in some way this year |
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| Moving to becoming a Five Equipping Gifts Congregation |
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| Here's a letter I wrote to a friend. Hopefully it will help others.
We have been teaching on the Five Equipping Gifts for 2-3 years at Village Chapel in preparation for moving from a traditional pastor led congregation to a Five Equipping Gifts Congregation. I’m not sure where your congregation is at, but I know that there needs to be some teaching in preparation as the congregation needs to understand what these five gifts are, how they function and what role they would play within the congregation.
It’s my view that Elders are the overseers of the congregation from the New Testament, and some of the Elders will be from the Five Equipping gifts – but not necessarily all of the Elders. Not every congregation will have an Apostle, a Prophet, an Evangelist, a Pastor, or a Teacher |
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| God is moving, lives are being changed |
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| God is moving, lives are being changed and we should be both excited and telling everyone about His miraculous power. Let me give you just one example.
One of our Village Chapel family is back in town after moving to Texas. God has provided him with a job in our area. We thank God for all He has been doing in his life. Think about him as a MIRACLE! When he came to us several months ago the doctors did not give him hope of returning to work due to the effects of drug use in his life. He would often come into our sanctuary and become distracted by the swirling ceiling fans, standing and just staring at them as they circled overhead. Yet God is great. He is the restorer of hope and even a mind that could not stay focused |
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| The Summer of Fire |
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| Yesterday was an amazing day as we worshiped and experienced the move of God at Village Chapel. We were praying for Holy Spirit to move and touch our lives before our Worship Celebration started. After we sang and expressed our love of God through music our men shared from their experiences River Rafting the week before. Then Jenny Pillo, a licensed and ordained minister shared with us from her experiences in Tanzania during the end of May and first part of June. She saw people healed, people delivered from demons, as well as other signs, wonders and miracles. What a great testimony of Holy Spirit’s power at work.
When she finished we invited anyone who wanted her to pray for and minister to them to come forward |
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| A Storm Is Coming to DC |
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| A Storm Is Coming to DC
Written by Russ Snyder
Wednesday, 25 March 2009
March 18, 2009 – A word from the Lord received by Russell Snyder
A Storm is Coming to Washington DC
I am bringing a storm to Washington DC – it will not blow through town as some like to say – but it will be a whirlwind that will uncover relationships that are bad. It will bounce from one party to another – political as well as social – uncovering what has been hidden. What is evil and has continued to do damage to society.
It will be 13 months of wreckage – people’s lives that have been hiding in darkness will be revealed. Certain reporters, certain news agencies will be affected. Newsmen will be jailed, stories will leak out |
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| Emotions Really Do Affect Us |
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| Emotions Really Do Affect Us
Written by Russ Snyder
Saturday, 10 January 2009
In the last half century, emotions have risen in importance to become one of our chief cultural values. The simple phrase – “How does that make you feel?” is one of the greatest examples of this rise in emotional awareness.
Many people are living in depression or despair today. Depression and despair are emotions that are a condition of one’s heart. Another example of run away emotions is seen by how many people are being referred to anger management classes because they have allowed their anger to take over in their lives. Anger management doesn’t overcome the anger, it just manages it. God wants us to be able to overcome our emotions so we no longer are controlled by them |
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| What Are You Expecting |
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| What are you expecting?
Written by Russ Snyder
Wednesday, 25 February 2009
Pastor Norm Willis was at Village Chapel a week ago, he spoke to us about Expectations. What am I expecting? What am I expecting God will be doing in my life, in our ministry? It seems that unless we expect God to move, we may just miss what He is doing. I can hear about God moving, watch what Holy Spirit is doing - yet if I don't believe He is going to impact me - even if He does I will miss it.
The other day at Starbucks while sitting around a table with several friends Jim Ford said "He knows what he believes, but he doesn't believe what he knows." You see, that's the problem with most of us, we have little expectations of what God is going to do, and really don't believe what we think we believe |
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| Being Devoted to Each Other |
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| Being Devoted to Each Other
Written by Russ Snyder
Monday, 09 March 2009
Rom 12:10 says to be devoted to one another in brotherly love – devoted in this passage means to lovingly love the person. It contains 2 Greek words, the second is about loving practically, loving consistently; it is the unspectacular, down to earth sense of belonging. How do you do it? You change the way you think about others. Keep supporting others even when they disappoint you. You tell yourself they love you – even when they don’t display it. You watch for the signs they love you in practical ways.
Dale Ebel pastors Rolling Hills Community Church and it was Dale who officiated at Bonnie and my wedding. Here are some thoughts I’ve developed out of what Dale shared about the Greek word “storge” |
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| God Bless You as You Follow After Jesus |
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| God Bless You as You Follow After Jesus
Written by Russ Snyder
Tuesday, 17 March 2009
With everything else going on in our nation and the world, we are in a time when we have the opportunity to come together as the Church of Jesus Christ. We see such fragmentation in our world system. Whether you are buying toner for a printer, spark plugs for a car, or applying for a degree at several colleges or universities - every thing seems to be unique and different. While celebrating our diversity is the cry of our day, it just seems life could be simpler if the printer cartridge for every printer was the same, if every car could use the same spark plugs, or if all colleges and universities were required to have the same prerequisites and classes when pursuing a degree |
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| Are We Ready To Sustain This Move of God in Our State |
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| Are We Ready To Sustain This Move of God in Our State
Written by Russ Snyder
Monday, 09 March 2009
This is a quote from an msnbc online article from yesterday.
More Americans say they have no religion
Study finds percentage of Christians in the nation has declined
updated 9:32 p.m. PT, Sun., March. 8, 2009
“A wide-ranging study on American religious life found that the Roman Catholic population has been shifting out of the Northeast to the Southwest, the percentage of Christians in the nation has declined and more people say they have no religion at all. Fifteen percent of respondents said they had no religion, an increase from 14.2 percent in 2001 and 8.2 percent in 1990, according to the American Religious Identification Survey |
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| The Rewards of Wisdom |
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| The Rewards of Wisdom
Written by Bonnie
Wednesday, 04 March 2009
Proverbs 3
I can’t seem to get past verses 3-8 for long.
Verse 3 encourages me to wear kindness and truth like a necklace. What a beautiful necklace! A necklace of kindness would draw your eye to it. Like beautiful gems that attract you to the craftsmanship it took to make the necklace. It speaks to time and attention to detail. The one viewing the necklace has to slow down to gaze at it and is then drawn to realize that it took a wise person to create it. It is a necklace that anyone can wear. It isn’t beyond reach of your pocket book like a diamond necklace may be. Someone gazing at a necklace of kindness being worn is also drawn to the one wearing it |
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| The Unassailable Wall |
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| The Unassailable Wall
Written by Bonnie
Wednesday, 04 March 2009
The Unassailable Wall
I wanted to share with you something the Lord has revealed to me to pray. It comes from Isaiah 25:12 and Isaiah 26: 3-6. Actually I was reading both chapters 25 and 26 for context and there are many other good verses there but.... the revelation came from those specific verses.
The word "unassailable" stood out. In addition the Lord has been teaching me more about how to focus my mind on Him in daily life. This has been quite cool! Anyway, this led to looking up the word unassailable. It means,"That cannot be disproved or contested successfully. Resistant to attack; impregnable."
Do you know how amazing it is to pray for what seems to be unassailable in your life |
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| Hedge of Protection |
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| Hedge of Protection
Written by Bonnie
Wednesday, 03 June 2009
Job 1:6-12
While driving through the countryside in beautiful central England, I was taken in by the many hedges being used to keep sheep in their pasture. The hedges or rock walls are used instead of fencing and also work as an attractive landscape picture for the eye.
The Spirit of the Lord began to speak to me about those hedges. The hedges are multi-purposeful. They provide a functional boundary, protection, and attractive, environmental friendly landscape for people.
As I viewed the hedge of shrubbery it was clear to the sheep it was a protective boundary that they didn’t try to cross but served as strong as any fencing to them |
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