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Happy New Year - Reflections - Praise -
Perseverance - ? - Chasing Daylight
Greetings in Christ! I pray you are getting our first newsletter of the year because you are in support and involved with our ministry. In supporting SEND, you are in support of the Great Commission. We are equipping disciples who make disciples! What an honor and privilege to be serving our Lord through this work. I ask that you continue on this adventure with us into 2012. Christianity is not a "spectator sport." We want you "in" our game because what we are doing, what we are witnessing with our students, has been nothing short of amazing for His glory and Kingdom! Can we get an AMEN?!
During our Christmas break, it was a great time to rest and reflect. So much happened in 2011! After our launch in September, we felt like we were shot out of a cannon! We went 110 miles per hour into our teaching, process, worship, Bible readings, prayer life, and mission out in the world. Being a pioneering ministry, we had no idea what to expect. By the time the new year came upon us, we had a moment to catch our breath, and we looked back and smiled. We then thanked the Lord for a successful first half of SEND. SEND works! Both Kent and I are beyond excited and can honestly say this experience has "far exceeded any expectations!" Living full-time as a Christian in a process like this is not boring. It is exciting, fulfilling, fun, and adventurous. As we head into the second half of our journey, this is what is pouring out of our young adults: "You're here to be light, bringing out the God-colors in the world. God is not a secret to be kept. We're going public with this, as public as a city on a hill" (Matthew 5:14). Let us all be light-bearers!
For our January review, we have many highlights. We did mission all over northeast Indiana: downtown Kendallville, Trine University in Angola, Shipshewana, and all over Fort  Wayne and Auburn. As always, our teachers were off the charts. Special thanks to Pastor Tom S., Pastor Dennis A., Dr. Bob S., Chris E., Dr. Rupert L., Travis W., Dr. Kent H., Jason A., Paul and Suzie R., and Brent C. Worship this month has been incredible! New Hope Christian Center (SEND's home church) - we thank you! We also attended additional worship services at First Assembly of God in Kendallville, Winter Jam 2012, New Ground Coffee in Fort Wayne, and Harvest Community in Kendallville. No, we don't just go to church once a week! LOL. We love to worship our Lord!
Now that we are into 2012, I also want to ask you a question: Do you know one young adult who could benefit from a 10-month immersion process like SEND? Please pray about one young adult you might know. Change their life forever and fulfill the Great Commission. We have already started recruiting for this fall's unit. Please put them in contact with me via e-mail, joshua@churchdoctor.org, or call me at our Church Doctor offices: 800.626.8515. If someone you know is searching, if they are looking for direction, if God is using you to help and guide them, then please tell them about SEND! Let them know:
-YOU will discover what God wants for you.
-YOU will be equipped to do what God calls you to do.
-YOU are informed as a valuable member of a church.
-YOU can be further trained to be a SEND leader in a
SEND-ready church.
Until next month, we hope to hear from you. We also hope to see you out in the world as we are doing mission and worship. May your upcoming 2012 be blessed and may all your hopes, dreams, goals, and divine moments be fulfilled. As we start off the year, let us be inspired by a word from Pastor Erwin Raphael McManus from his book Seizing Your Divine Moment (Chasing Daylight): "In your moment of truth what will you choose? Will you choose the wilderness or the adventure? Have you confused the blessing of God with wealth, comfort, and security? Have you considered that God's greatest gift to you is that He calls you to be a pioneer, explorer, and even creator? There are things God does for you and things that God waits for you to do. The journey begins when you choose. Stop wasting daylight. Choose a life of meaningful adventure. When you do, you will live in the epicenter of God's activity."
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