stockbridge boiler room

prayer stories from friends around the world

Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous deeds among all peoples. (Psalm 96:3)

The Stockbridge Boiler Room is part of a larger movement of boiler rooms and prayer communities coordinated by 24-7 Prayer.  One of the things that's most encouraging to us is to connect with other communities, to share stories and to learn from each other.  A great resource that's being spearheaded by friends in England is a collection of short digital stories that tell about how other communities are living out prayer, discipleship, creativity, mission, justice and hospitality, much like you've read about here at Stockbridge over the past week.  

If you want to be encouraged by how your connection to the Stockbridge Boiler Room is linked to a larger movement of God's Kingdom across the globe go to 24-7 Prayer Shorts for a wonderful collection of testimonies. 

May His marvelous deeds strengthen you.

::tony::

what God can do during an internship at the Boiler Room: final in a series on daily intern life

We wanted to tell this series of stories to testify to how God has provided us with friends with whom we can do Kingdom work.  Jenn and I have made pouring into these disciples one of our central priorities and this brings us great joy and challenge.  We humbly want to be spiritual parents for these emerging apostolic servants.  It is our prayer that they will be sent from the Boiler Room to engage in Spirit-led discipleship and mission.  

Another way to understand what God can do during the days of an internship is to listen to an intern's story.  Watch Brad Klaver's testimony about his experience with God and prayer.  Friend of the Boiler Room, Phil Palacios filmed, edited and produced this 6 minute story and we praise God for his skills.

::tony::

NEWS FLASH: making room for pilgrims

We're hosting pilgrims from the Boiler Room in Madison and a 24-7 Prayer Community in Tulsa this weekend.  We're very excited.

In order to maintain some sense of rhythm, the Stockbridge Boiler Room is going to take Sabbath on Thursday of this week.  We will not have community prayer Thursday at 6a or simple church at 7p.  The Boiler Room house will not be open for hospitality on Thursday.  We will resume 6a prayer on Friday, hospitality hours at 9a  and we will have simple church again on Thursday November 6 at 7p.

::tony::

new: sixth in a series on daily intern life

He who was seated on the throne said, "I am making everything new!" (Revelation 21:5)

I'm not creative.

This is a common response in the discussion of creativity as one of the Boiler Room practices.  At Stockbridge, we want to expand the stereotyped definition of creativity from a beret-topped hyper-caffineated person in black sequestered in a tragically hip loft to a community celebrating God's work of art, His Kingdom moving forward.  

Chip providing a moment of horsey-rides is a creative move toward joy and celebration.  Emma Goldman said, "If there won't be dancing at the revolution, I'm not coming."  We believe this life of following Jesus should be fun and life affirming.   

Throughout the week this practice of creativity bubbles up.  Like Brooke's Loaded Baked Potato soup,it appears in the meals we create as well as the combinations of friends that are linked by these Love Feasts.  Who would have thought to gather Jon the banker and Jamin the high schooler?  

Brooke's efforts, along with the rest of the interns, provide the setting for these creative combinations. And a sense of play permeates these celebrations.  Jamin is now known as "The Parsley Artist" thanks to his efforts at garnishing soup for individuals. (He really does have a way with seasoning!)

At the Boiler Room, interns throughout the week are writing in blogs, painting, photographing, designing websites, digitally filming, sewing bags from discarded clothing, networking with Kingdom groups around the city (social artists!) and even composing music at the myspace site for The Mikes. 

We believe this practice for the interns and for all of us will help us pay attention to (Maxine Greene, the philosopher calls it "attending to") God's movement as well as help us engage with God's Kingdom breaking out in new ways all around us.  

May we attend to all the ways that God is making things new and may we join with Him in the Kingdom work that He is unfolding.  

::tony::

justly: fifth in a series on daily intern life

And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God. (Micah 6:8)

By planting the Stockbridge Boiler Room in our neighborhood, our ministry is inclined toward neighbors with great needs and great challenges by a range of demographic measures.   While we minister to friends from around the city through prayer, discipleship and hospitality, we have daily opportunities to engage in works of justice by virtue of where we live. 

We are learning that justice can involve speaking up for the voiceless, getting access to resources and support, mentoring and believing in someone as they work to improve their circumstances, protecting those who can't protect themselves and challenging the community to assess and rearrange priorities.  For the interns, this involves them in multiple activities for justice. 

Justice means the community helping Don Inderlied get to Mission Bible Training Center in order for God to free him from his addiction;  it meant Chip matching the resources available at Crossroads to the needs of street friends in the midst of a cold winter last year;  it meant multiple friends of the Boiler Room figuring out connections for employment opportunities;  and most recently it meant Sarah Jayne responding to a need that Steve Medawis told us about;  Paulie, a frequent visitor to the Love Feast, needed a wheelchair. 

Sarah Jayne, with the help of Missy Vanklompenberg, figured out that Ambucs might be an organization that could provide Paulie with a wheelchair.  With extensive research and phone time, Sarah Jayne secured one for Paulie and built up a new connection with a wonderful organization committed to helping others in need.  Paulie will pick up his new wheelchair on Wednesday at our next Love Feast. 

Justice can be a complicated concept to identify and to live out.  A great deal of hype can surround it (rightly so, at times).  But at times, with the guidance of the Holy Spirit, some simple perseverance and an ability to poke around—acting justly can become a practice that happens daily, simply and humbly.  No big rally needed.  No soaring movie soundtrack necessary—just the step, step, step of following our just Lord. 

May we do what He requires of us.

::tony::

there before me: fourth in a series on daily intern life

 I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice he judges and makes war.  His eyes are like blazing fire, and on his head are many crowns. He has a name written on him that no one knows but he himself. He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and his name is the Word of God. The armies of heaven were following him, riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen, white and clean.  (Revelation 19:  11-14)

The practice of mission is a fourth dimension of daily intern life.  24-7 Prayer explains that "a Boiler Room is committed to the sharing the gospel by being a missional community existing for the incarnation of the gospel amongst the poor and the lost both locally and cross-culturally.  To act as well as to pray."  Mission takes so many different forms in the daily life of interns from Brooke's photo-prayer walking to Sarah Jayne's Grass for kids to Chip's porch-time to Danmike and Chelsea's trip to South Africa.  

One recent and inspiring instance of mission was Sarah Renee's trip down to Family Pantry, the local store of ill-repute.  But her trip was not as a consumer.  She was following the rider who is called Faithful and True, whose name is the Word of God.  She followed Jesus down there to practice her guitar and worship in the parking lot.   She joined the Kingdom battle, singing, playing and waiting on the coming Kingdom of heaven—pouring out worship at His feet.  In mustard seed ways, she brought beauty and testimony to a dry and weary place.

 

For an hour this past week, Sarah Renee was on mission.  She found the battlefield with the hosts of heaven.  

Not a bad way to spend part of one's week.

May we all see His white horse and follow.

::tony::

french braid: third in a series on daily intern life

Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from the will of your Father. And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So don't be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows. (Matthew 10:29-31)

When we realize the Gospel truth that we are worth more than many sparrows, we can do lovely things like provide hospitality.  We can show the stranger that we value them.  In addition to prayer and discipleship, another central practice for the Boiler Room is hospitality. Throughout their days, interns spend their time and attention on others-pilgrims who have come from Lansing to see the Boiler Room, a neighbor who cut himself fixing his roof, children who want to shoot hoops.  They are learning to make themselves available.   Chelsea has been learning about how God is her rest in the midst of classes, teaching and interning.  Like each of us, she tries to remember "Don't be afraid" amidst sometimes daunting busyness.  And the times when Chelsea finds truly finds His rest, she is able to answer His call to hospitality.  On Wednesday, one of our friends from the street, Jules, came by.  And Chelsea—by God's grace—was able to see God's beauty in the time she spent with Jules.  She wrote this poem on her blog about the experience.  ----Jules

there is something wonderful about getting your hands into someones hair.

I dunno what it is, but I love it.

especially today

when Jules stopped by for a the love feast

and a haircut

and then some hairspray

after a french braid

she put some makeup on her face before dinner

and told me that she's getting better, she hopes to be better soon

and she has gotten better

I remember her hobbling down the alley last year

barely able to breathe

hunchback

clutching somebodies arm because her legs barely worked

without the support

(such a picture of the way we really are

I have discovered

it is harder to breathe without someone

or people beside me

helping my legs have hope and my lungs have air

to keep going)

and today she arrived on her own

thinning hair

beautiful face

she still has hope.

(and there is a reason)

Chelsea Gentry

----

Simple acts like braiding hair reveal the Kingdom of God.  As the interns make their way through the week, they open themselves to these simple acts and allow God to work through multiple mustard seed moments.  And I believe through this time they are coming to understand more about of the will of our Father.

May we remember that God numbers our hair.  

::tony::

follow: second in a series on daily intern life

 Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ. (1 Cor 11:1)

In addition to prayer, learning through discipleship is one of the central practices for the Boiler Room interns.  

Jenn and I are discipled by Bruce and Sue who have shepherded intentional Christian communities.  In turn, Jenn disciples Sarah Renee, Brooke, Sarah Jayne and Chelsea; and I disciple Danmike and Chip.  We meet weekly to discuss what they're learning about God, what they're realizing about their identity in Christ, and what missional calls God is putting into their lives.  

As a part of the discipleship chain, we've started d groups (as in discipleship groups) that focus on accountability, reading large chunks of Scripture and praying missionally.  We are in the process of multiplying these groups in order to call the interns to experience what it's like to be the initiator of one of these d groups.  Brooke is meeting regularly with high school students connected with The Other Way.   Danmike has called two friends to meet and explore what it might mean to follow Christ in less "safe" ways.  Chip has called two friends to meet weekly.  Sarah Renee is facilitating a small group particularly focused on people who are in the midst of healing from past wounds. Sarah Jayne has started to disciple children in the neighborhood with an eye toward connecting them with simple church on Thursday nights.  

And as the interns begin to disciple others, Jenn and I are available to pour into other disciples.  With d groups multiplying, we have prayed about other friends of the Boiler Room and have been led to establish new discipling relationships. 

During the week, disciples learn from doing something with their rabbi.  Jenn and Chelsea are looking to practice concrete weekly outreach to six neighbors over the course of two months.  Jenn shared with Chelsea about how our first year in the neighborhood  was spent befriending one family.  And God moved through that one relationship. Chelsea listened to her rabbi and thought that made sense especially with an opportunity to do it with someone else like Jenn.  

As we prayer walk, I try to model what I've been learning about intercession for the neighborhood as well as interactions with neighbors.  Chip has taken off on this and has made prayer walking and inviting to the Love Feast one of his weekly tasks.  Danmike has found a preference for late night prayer walking.

Discipleship clearly has a dimension of learning and we call interns to spend regular time in study.  Interns will study Scripture based on their d groups and individual study plans.  Sometimes getting a spiffy new Bible will prompt new types of study (Danmike!).  We also study specific topics like healing, hospitality and most currently simple church.  Convening for book groups once every six weeks provides us with an opportunity to learn together about topics related to the practices of a Boiler Room.  

A final part of the discipling time that I've found is time spent noticing and sharing observations.  For example, Sarah Renee and Brooke have a gift toward praying for healing and deliverance in the course of community prayer. Part of this past week was spent praying and discussing how we might make space for this in our community.   With Danmike's passion toward worship, I've been nudging him (another discipleship practice) toward imagining how he can use worship to disciple others and to be a missional activity as in something like open air worship.  

Sometimes views of discipleship are distorted to think it's a prideful placing of one on a pedestal.  On the contrary, we find that we're simply calling others to run hard with us after Jesus.  And we find that we are trying more and more to make the foolishness of our lives transparent to our disciples in order that they might see all of the challenges and joys found in this life.  Others might view discipleship as simply pouring all of my knowledge into an empty vessel.  This puts too much pressure on the rabbi and in turn doesn't recognize the Kingdom of God inside of the disciple.  What we've found is that discipleship is about doing, opening one's life up, reflecting, noticing, nudging and asking questions.  It's hard work;  but it seems wise to us as a way for us all to spend a chunk of our days.

God's provided this brilliant and simple practice of discipleship and we praise Him for it.  It's slow;  it's small scale but we believe that our God is the God of the mustard seed.  As we follow His example and call others to follow us as we follow Him, we believe that will be how the Kingdom of God breaks out in our neighborhood and in Grand Rapids.  

May we all make disciples who make disciples.  

::tony:: 

firstfruit: first in a series on daily intern life

So the LORD brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm, with great terror and with miraculous signs and wonders. He brought us to this place and gave us this land, a land flowing with milk and honey; and now I bring the firstfruits of the soil that you, O LORD, have given me.  (Deuteronomy 26:8-10)

In telling the story of God's provision, we would be remiss if we didn't testify about the wonderful friends that God has brought to the Boiler Room to seek the Kingdom.  We have friends who come from all around the city.  But there are six brothers and sisters who have covenanted to live and journey with us for a season seeking to love God, love our neighbor and love the world through bringing the Gospel.  We wanted to share about the provision of these folks in the life of this community.  Download InternProgram.doc

This first glimpse into the life of interns at the Boiler Room starts in the prayer room at 6a.  You'll find our community gathered, many in blankets for prayer.  Others join as well.  We have friends from the Gold Avenue Community praying with us weekly in the morning.  We also had some pilgrims from Western Seminary commute in from the lakeshore.

But this vision for starting and ending our day together in prayer came from our time this summer of listening to what God might be calling us to in the practice of prayer (one of six Boiler Room practices)  As we shared the impressions that God had been putting on our hearts, we found a very clear theme.  It started with this impression of God wanting more of our hearts, our firstfruits and raising the bar of intimacy with the Father.  A number of people had images of sunrise.  And as we tried to discern, it seemed wise to us to seek God as a community in the mornings.  

Given the nature of the firstfruit of waking up, time is often spent in silent meditation, sometimes with a verse from Scripture to meditate upon, other times upcoming days are dedicated to the Lord, confession and repentance from the previous day are laid before Him.  And sometimes people even fall asleep.  

Still the obedience of this community to the call that the Lord placed in our lives, is a provision.  I realize it takes a great deal of discipline to adjust one's life around prayer.  But these interns are seeking to obey. 

Given that our kids are not yet up,  Jenn goes to morning prayer while I wait to welcome our kids downstairs.  I heat up oatmeal.  I feed the dog.  I sip some coffee and read in the book of Luke.  And I'm blessed;  blessed to see that prayer room light on, faithful and shining in the darkness, blessed to think about disciples seeking to love God with more of their hearts, blessed to think that the firstfruits of our time are being offered up.  

May we all learn more about offering up our firstfruits to the One who brought us out of Egypt.

::tony::

I can work with that . . .

"Lord, don't trouble yourself, for I do not deserve to have you come under my roof.  That is why I did not even consider myself worthy to come to you. But say the word, and my servant will be healed.  For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, 'Go,' and he goes; and that one, 'Come,' and he comes. I say to my servant, 'Do this,' and he does it." (Luke 7:6-8)

At simple church Thursday night our neighbors Tim and Gracie came by along with a couple of friends from outside the neighborhood and we were all taken by the speech of the centurion.  We had just finished the Sermon on the Plain (Luke's version of the Sermon on the Mount).  And Jesus takes everyone on a field trip to Capernaum. As our community learns more about Jesus as the ultimate teacher, we were pretty sure that He knew there was a illustration to the faith He was teaching about in His sermon.  

The centurion taught us so much.  Based on his status, he could probably have said, "You know, I kinda of a big deal around here," but he started with "Lord;"  Jesus recognized in His authority.  He then recognizes his unworthiness. He believes in Jesus' heart for people so he asks for healing for his servant.  And he ends with the recognition of the authority and the sovereignty of God.  

The Holy Spirit moved through Danmike and offered us the handle for taking this faith of the centurion and applying it to our lives.  DM said, "Sometimes when I'm talking with God and I'm trying to be honest about who I am and how I'm messing up. I get this sense sometime that He's saying back to me, 'I can work with that.'"

God says to the crinkled rainspouts in our neighborhood, "I can work with that.  I can pour out my blessings through you."

God says to us as a community, "I can work with you in all your mess."

God says to each of us with mustard seed faith.  "I can work with that.  Just watch me."  

And together as we study His word, we can help each other to remember, "He can work that.  Remember."

Remember.

::tony::