MANKATO 7 - Where do we go from here?
Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful. And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching. Hebrews 10:23-25
A personal message to the Mankato 7 - WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE?...
A personal message to the Mankato 7 - WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE?...
please read my post on the reoccurring patterns of Shemitah I think when you look at the dates and the meanings for the numbers of those dates you will see a pattern that the Holy Ghost was giving us even back in the winter. that message should encourage you.
We have done well...
we have waited patiently,
we have asked the Lord what to do with all of these changes.
I don't think anyone harbors any bad feelings, we just miss a core fellowship time each week. Praying together, allows us to know each other according to the Spirit and helps dim the knowing each other according to the flesh.
I have come to appreciate the gifts of God and wisdom in each of you during the last four years. It is fair to say that you are among my closest friends.
For that reason, I would like to offer my house for prayer one night per week, until we can find something else more permanent. I need to clear out my family room over the next couple of weeks or so. I think that space will accommodate up to about 12 persons. Let me know what you think, I don't want to lose the prophetic edge the Lord has honed in us the last few years. I long for the fellowship of the saints we have experienced. How about you?
Does Thursday night work for all of you or do you want to try another night? Please let me know. We are coming into the Holiday Season and it will be more difficult to get things started up again, with Thanksgiving 11-27 on a Thursday. Should we shoot for next Thursday 11-13-2014 or hold off until after the holidays?
Some of you have been meeting weekly for prayer for six years!
In the four years since I have joined this merry band of prophetic intercessors, we have worshiped God together, we have sung along with worship CDs, we have sung new songs unto the Lord, we have received prophetic words for each other, we have shared our weaknesses, and we have prayed for one another. We have encouraged one another to press in, to fight harder, to go higher in God, and to go lower in self.
We have learned to walk in the presence of our God together and to listen to His instructions.
In August 2013, we took a big step forward to obey the Lord, to do something outside our comfort zone. And with all of our hearts, we wanted to share this with our congregational family at Covenant Family, letting them come to a place to experience what God was calling us to do. But there was no avenue found with which to share with our brothers and sisters. There was no vehicle to share the vision and the calling that we felt we were to walk out over the next few weeks and months. So, of course, we walked that out in isolation, even while we were participating in the midst of the congregation of a relational church family.
The fall and winter of 2013 forged a new sense of purpose among us. As we walked it out in obedience, literally walking for a distance with the Dakota men and women on their ride of remembrance. Several of these things were brand new steps for this group of men. And again we wanted to share this new purpose with our friends and the family at Covenant Family.
August 2014 we were anticipating making another concerted effort toward intercessory prayer for the 40 days leading up to Rosh Hashanah (the head of the year.)
We discovered later on that some nation-wide ministries were also calling for the same 40 days of prayer this year, for instance, Lou Engle with the Call, set up concerted prayer in Berkeley, on October 4, to reverse the curse at ground zero for the rebellion of the sixties that swept the nation.
In the four years since I have joined this merry band of prophetic intercessors, we have worshiped God together, we have sung along with worship CDs, we have sung new songs unto the Lord, we have received prophetic words for each other, we have shared our weaknesses, and we have prayed for one another. We have encouraged one another to press in, to fight harder, to go higher in God, and to go lower in self.
We have learned to walk in the presence of our God together and to listen to His instructions.
In August 2013, we took a big step forward to obey the Lord, to do something outside our comfort zone. And with all of our hearts, we wanted to share this with our congregational family at Covenant Family, letting them come to a place to experience what God was calling us to do. But there was no avenue found with which to share with our brothers and sisters. There was no vehicle to share the vision and the calling that we felt we were to walk out over the next few weeks and months. So, of course, we walked that out in isolation, even while we were participating in the midst of the congregation of a relational church family.
The fall and winter of 2013 forged a new sense of purpose among us. As we walked it out in obedience, literally walking for a distance with the Dakota men and women on their ride of remembrance. Several of these things were brand new steps for this group of men. And again we wanted to share this new purpose with our friends and the family at Covenant Family.
August 2014 we were anticipating making another concerted effort toward intercessory prayer for the 40 days leading up to Rosh Hashanah (the head of the year.)
We discovered later on that some nation-wide ministries were also calling for the same 40 days of prayer this year, for instance, Lou Engle with the Call, set up concerted prayer in Berkeley, on October 4, to reverse the curse at ground zero for the rebellion of the sixties that swept the nation.
When our Thursday night prayer group ended abruptly in the second week of August 2014, we all felt the loss. The question was, what do we do now? What about those who are called as intercessors? What do they do now?
Seven days went by and many of us found ourselves at the Potter's House of Prayer and upon our arrival, we found a few of our brothers already there. Guests who were en route, from out of town to our meeting, were confused when the CFC building was dark and locked. However, once they learned of our meetings being canceled, they joined us at the Potter's House of Prayer (PHOP) to pray with us there.
But the Potter's House of Prayer (PHOP) was not quite the right home for us, even though it was good to meet with others who pray, there was good worship in the harp and bowl style and it was good to sit under the presence and pray kind of like our soaking times. However the structure at PHOP was not fluid; they maintain a structure of 20 minutes with a person leading worship, followed by 20 minutes of a person praying from the podium upfront. As a visitor, you can sit and pray silently, and you can sing along with the worship, and pray along with the person praying.
After the meeting time ended, we asked permission to use their lobby area for some personal prayer, which they graciously allowed, but it was a little like have a family gathering in a public restaurant, it was not the same atmosphere as you enjoy at home. But we were thankful for a place to meet with our guests.
But the Potter's House of Prayer (PHOP) was not quite the right home for us, even though it was good to meet with others who pray, there was good worship in the harp and bowl style and it was good to sit under the presence and pray kind of like our soaking times. However the structure at PHOP was not fluid; they maintain a structure of 20 minutes with a person leading worship, followed by 20 minutes of a person praying from the podium upfront. As a visitor, you can sit and pray silently, and you can sing along with the worship, and pray along with the person praying.
After the meeting time ended, we asked permission to use their lobby area for some personal prayer, which they graciously allowed, but it was a little like have a family gathering in a public restaurant, it was not the same atmosphere as you enjoy at home. But we were thankful for a place to meet with our guests.
Tomorrow is November 6th it has been three months (90 days) since we met together to pray. I don't know about you, but I am more likely to be diligent to enter into intercession, worship, or anything of the Spirit when there are brothers there to encourage me to press in. I am feeling the sharp edge of what we had, beginning to grow duller with each passing week.
The two conferences I attended in October helped to keep that edge honed, but now they are over and I cannot go to another conference every week to get recharged and keep that edge sharp. Conferences are like feasts they fill your stomach to capacity but long term health cannot be sustained by occasional feast days, either in the natural or the Spirit, rather a consistent rhythm, of gathering together is most beneficial
As the last twelve weeks rolled by, some did this and some did that but I think we all missed the company of our brothers. I believe it is fair to say that the cumulative amount of prayer has decreased over the last several weeks and corporate prayer as a group has been almost nil. I have invited different ones over to my house for a bonfire fellowship time or for a cup of coffee and conversation. Undoubtedly some of those meetings have turned to short times of prayer...
The two conferences I attended in October helped to keep that edge honed, but now they are over and I cannot go to another conference every week to get recharged and keep that edge sharp. Conferences are like feasts they fill your stomach to capacity but long term health cannot be sustained by occasional feast days, either in the natural or the Spirit, rather a consistent rhythm, of gathering together is most beneficial
As the last twelve weeks rolled by, some did this and some did that but I think we all missed the company of our brothers. I believe it is fair to say that the cumulative amount of prayer has decreased over the last several weeks and corporate prayer as a group has been almost nil. I have invited different ones over to my house for a bonfire fellowship time or for a cup of coffee and conversation. Undoubtedly some of those meetings have turned to short times of prayer...
We have done well...
we have waited patiently,
we have asked the Lord what to do with all of these changes.
I don't think anyone harbors any bad feelings, we just miss a core fellowship time each week. Praying together, allows us to know each other according to the Spirit and helps dim the knowing each other according to the flesh.
I have come to appreciate the gifts of God and wisdom in each of you during the last four years. It is fair to say that you are among my closest friends.
For that reason, I would like to offer my house for prayer one night per week, until we can find something else more permanent. I need to clear out my family room over the next couple of weeks or so. I think that space will accommodate up to about 12 persons. Let me know what you think, I don't want to lose the prophetic edge the Lord has honed in us the last few years. I long for the fellowship of the saints we have experienced. How about you?
Does Thursday night work for all of you or do you want to try another night? Please let me know. We are coming into the Holiday Season and it will be more difficult to get things started up again, with Thanksgiving 11-27 on a Thursday. Should we shoot for next Thursday 11-13-2014 or hold off until after the holidays?
Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful. And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching. Hebrews 10:23-25
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