Repurposed

More Than A Story

2012-02-08T13:12:00.000-08:00

Here is an excerpt from the back cover of our new book, "The Gospel Of The Kingdom for Kids!"

"Teaching our children about the story of life is the greatest gift we can give them. Every child deserves to know who they are, why they are here, and where they are going. Every child needs to know the heart of their Heavenly Father who loves them and is able to guide them through all of life's journey. Every parent needs to find their own way of helping ground their children in this truth so they can flourish. This book is the way that I have talked to my own children about the greatest story of all- The story of our Father's Heart and His amazing children. I hope this book is a resource that inspires you to talk with your children about God and helps you as you lead them in their life's journey."

Loneliness of Creative Realms turned to Celebration.

2011-12-11T16:54:00.000-08:00

This morning at our 9 o'clock gathering as I looked out at the young people across our altar, I began to feel something from the Spirit. This generation that is beginning to unfold in the church right now, our young adults and 20 somethings...there is so much creativity there. I began to speak this word over our young adults this morning and just wanted to put it into writing to those who needed to come back and reference it to get further encouragement. I believe that this generation that is coming forth is wired so differently. They think differently about life, see the world differently, and have so many tools and mediums available to them for expression of these thoughts and ideas that were not available in the past or accepted in religious settings. I just felt the affirming presence of God on the lives and hearts of his children this morning in such a special way. The reason I felt God's affirming presence is because I began to feel the loneliness that is present in a generation of young people in the church right now. Loneliness because they feel different from the families that they grew up in. Not because their families or churches don't support the creativity on their life but, because their families or churches just don't relate to it. And I believe that God is helping these young people find each other, and find their tribe, because we all need people we feel like we can relate to. This is a generation that is expressing their creativity through technology, media, and the arts like never before. I just want to encourage the young people of Northeast Assembly that your Daddy God loves you just the way you are. Keep contending for your creative expression b/c it is an expression of your Heavenly Father. Some of our young people feel different because your gifts and calling don't look like anyone else in your family. There's not anyone else in your family who's a computer whiz like you are, there's no one else in your family who's a painter like you are, there's no one else in your family who sings like you do, there's no one else in your family who cares about the broken and the hurting like you do. And sometimes the loneliness comes from the fact that you look at your family and you realize that you are different. You are made unique. But, you don't have to be afraid because you are a reflection of your Daddy God. And every time you release an idea, a thought, a painting, a song, a cry of your heart, you are releasing His heart and His voice to this world. So be unique, stand out, invest your heart, because it makes your Daddy God proud that you are like Him.
There is such a wave of creative revelation that is being released in heavenly realms in the church right now and the young people are catching the wave. This loneliness is about to break and turn to pure joy as the church receives a new means of revelation and begins to celebrate a new generation and a new expression of His love. The lost are coming home and the lonely are being set in families. A tribe that comes from every tribe and nation. It's time for God's sons and daughters to come home. The tide is turning and religion is breaking. Celebration is coming!!! So lift your head up and let your heart sing. It's not time to give up! I'm so excited for what God is doing at Northeast to encourage the hearts of our young people. I can't wait to see what He is going to do at our upcoming conference....don't miss "The Pursuit." Sign up soon. We're going to go and get empowered and see our church and families changed, so don't miss it. Stay connected & Much love to all of you!!!
Pastor Kirsten.

Aligning with Heaven- part 3

2011-11-29T07:37:00.000-08:00

Gen 18: 12 & 15, "He had a dream, and behold, a ladder was set on theearth with its top reaching to heaven ; and behold, the angels of God were ascending and descending on it. And behold, the LORD stood above it and said,..."Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land ; for I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you."
God has promised His empowering presence with us to keep us until our assignment is complete and all His promises are fulfilled. This is the prophetic role of the believer. That we carry His presence with us into every circumstance while we function in our assignment here on earth. He promised us His presence to help us complete our earthly mission (Matt 28:20, "I will be with you always, even to the end of the age [until your mission is complete].") Jesus poured His Spirit out onto the church in Acts 2, and He has been pouring out His blessing for over 2,000 years....until our work is done. He has given us divine empowerment to complete our task.
So what does this prophetic power look like? Because in Acts 2, Peter quoted from Joel 2:28, that "this is that" which was spoken by the prophet Joel. An outpouring of the Holy Spirit that would result in dreams and visions on men and women and that they would all prophesy. So we can clearly see that a marker, the clear evidence, of the Holy Spirit being resident in the believer is that you can prophecy. The problem is that we don't really have a clear definition of what it is to prophecy or we set the bar so high that we don't even try. So, let me give you a quick definition: Prophecy is seeing and hearing from God. Period that's it. On the day of Pentecost there was a supernatural sight (fire) and a supernatural sound (wind). Everyone who has a relationship of with Jesus Christ has the privilege to hear His voice and see or sense His voice in our hearts. And when we release what we see, sense, or hear in our hearts into lives, circumstances, and atmospheres, things change. So don't be afraid. Just try. Prophecy is not spooky or so supernatural that only special people can do it. It is the most natural thing for children to hear their Father's voice and then repeat what He says. This is your empowerment to complete your assignment. And when His presence is released through you, you cannot fail.

Aligning with Heaven- part 2

2011-11-19T08:21:00.000-08:00

Heb. 2:14, 17- "Inasmuch then as the children (all of us) have partaken of flesh and blood (have a real body in real time), He Himself (Jesus) likewise shared in the same (became a real person in real time), that through death He (Jesus) might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil...Therefore, in all things (that pertain to our human condition mentally, emotionally, and physically) He had to be made like His brethren, that He might be a merciful and faithful High Priest (representative) in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation (complete and total covering and annulment) for the sins of the people. "
There is a principle involved in walking in your destiny and in your life purpose. You become like the ones you are called to save. Jesus was our perfect example of this. Jesus was made totally and completely like us so that He could save us. Jesus took on a human body, a real family, and a questioning mind. He had sleepless nights and stiff muscles, family conflict, and limited finances. He had friends he walked with every day and friends who died. He went to weddings and funerals and laughed and cried at both. He experience the joy of life and the pain of death in the realm of time, so that you and I could experience the total triumph of His eternal victory.
He set the example for how we are to walk this earth. We are incarnated, made like the realm we are meant to redeem.
So I have one point. If you want to know what or who you are called to in this life, just think about where you have come from. You show me where your pain is, and I will show you your purpose. You show me your greatest point of struggle and I will show you your calling. We are all made like the ones we are called to in this life. Why? Because it's about integrity. We are living in a day where the message and the messenger have to be one. If you want people to believe the words you are saying you must be able to say it with your life, and with your story.
Jesus did it. He became like us in every way, so that we could be like Him. And He works the same way in us. We are born into the realm we are called to rescue. The time and place of your birth is no accident. Sometimes we spend so much time running from the thing we are meant to rescue. We have a high priest (Jesus) who did not run from the cross He was called to bear because He knew the greatest joy that was set before Him on the other side of this great sacrifice. If you and I will "take up our cross" stop running from our pain and our past and simply stand still so God can heal us, there is a great joy to be found. A joy of knowing who you are, why you are here, and existing in the heart of Love that was with you all along.

Transition is a good thing!

2011-11-16T08:48:00.001-08:00

A great word on transition and aligning by Doug Addison.
Transition and Time of Refreshing
Enjoy!

11-11-11

2011-11-11T09:22:00.000-08:00

So a quick word about today. Some are asking is it significant? Does 11-11-11 really mean anything or is this a day best left to psychics, scientists, numerologists, and horror movies. Not a chance. Jesus claims everything. He set the world in motion and knew before the world began that today would be. He created Nov. 11, 2011. This is the day He made so what does He say about it?
Let's start with scripture and see what scripture says about the number 11. In scripture the number 11 is consistent with circumstances including transition and chaos (quite the opposite of it's counterpart, the number 1 which is significant of beginnings and setting things in order- ie: first day of creation.) We see 11 disciples after Jesus' death. A time when the disciples were running and hiding in upper rooms and felt very much disintegrated from their solid 12 and in a time of chaos concerning the kingdom they had expected. Deut 1:2 also stated that it was only an 11 days journey from Mt. Horeb to the promised Land (one I might add b/c of their disobedience took forty years-yup, some of us take the long way). But, with just these two examples you can see how the number 11 in scripture is significant of coming out of one thing and into another. It is the disintigration of one system, govenment, or order and the beginning of another. Just as the disciples as 11 were on the cusp of becoming a new government, and a new kingdom and just like God's people in Kadesh Barnea stood on the cusp of a new land, I believe on this Nov. 11, 2011 God is once again positioning His people to step into His Kingdom in it's fullness. Don't be afraid of transition. Don't be afraid of chaos. When God is in it, it is always followed by something good.
So firstly, we must not be afraid of transition and chaos. In God's system it is followed by very good things.
Secondly, we should see transition for what it is... a time of alignment with His purposes. A great example of this is transition labor. I know about it because as a mother I've done it twice...with no meds...yeah, I'm hard core, I know (smile.) When a mother is giving birth there are several phases of labor. Contractions start mild and spaced 15 or more minutes apart. But, you know your getting close to delivery when at the end of active labor the contractions begin to be very intense and spaced one upon another upon another. During this time, labor is very difficult for the mother, and you can even feel like your whole body is going to come undone. This stage of labor is in some cases accompanied by body shakes, vomiting, chills and all kinds of great side affects. It's true, and all the fellas who have seen their wives go through this say amen. But all of this happens to the mother because of what is happening with the baby. During transition labor is actually when the baby is aligning itself in the birth canal, positioning itself to be born.
So you can look at the world today and wonder why all this shaking is going on, but it is just evidence that something amazing is coming. Jesus likened the end of the age of the law (Matt 24:8) to labor pains. It was within this context of great shaking, labor, and transition that His Church was born. And here we are once again at the end of the Church age going through yet another transition. This should give us so much hope, to know that His kingdom in all it's fullness is this close.
So, on this Nov 11, 2011, it is a good time to ask ourselves a couple questions: If God is trying to align this earth with His purposes and literally we are seeing the laboring process (Rom. 8:22-24): What can I do to participate in the process? If God is birthing His kingdom in the earth, what is He birthing in my life? What do I need to let go of? What do I need to reach for? What is He calling me to do and be? And what do I need to do to align my life with what He is speaking to my heart? It is a time to be very sensitive to what is happening inside of your heart, because it is there that God speaks, conceives, prepares and births us into our Destiny.

Aligning with Heaven

2011-11-09T12:14:00.000-08:00

Our November series at Northeast will be "Aligning with Heaven: stepping into your heavenly call and changing earth." The whole point of the series is to encourage us to align ourselves with our original design. Did you know that every life has an original design and an original purpose? It's not something you have to search for it's something that is already in you, on you, and over you. (Is 60:2- "But the Lord will arise over you, And His glory will be seen upon you.") We all have an open heaven over our lives that we steward. When Jesus rose from the dead and went into the heavens, he left an opening through which He poured out his Spirit (Acts 2:33, "Therefore being exalted to the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, He poured out this which you now see and hear.") God has been pouring His Spirit out on all mankind since this day. Imagine a deluge of His grace, in the form of waterfalls, rain, oil, or anything else good you can imagine. My 4 year old would see open heaven as perpetual chocolate raining on his life. Hey grace comes in many forms, but just so you know, open heavens and God's Spirit being poured out is a very personal thing. It exists over every life of every person on the planet. There is a grace available, a heavenly place, an open heaven available for every person on this planet to walk in. We gain access to this place by simply saying yes.
Jacob became aware of the open heaven over his life in Gen 28. He woke up and called it the "house of God" and under this open heaven He poured out oil. Friends, I am a house and you are a house for the glory of God and His presence. And our Savior Jesus Christ has poured our His Spirit onto our lives (just like oil) and into our hearts to empower us for earth change, cultural transformation, and healing people groups, and broken lives. You can step right into heaven and have your feet planted firmly on earth. In fact that's always the way it was intended to be. It's time to align ourselves with God's grace for our lives, so we can become everything we were created to be.