stockbridge boiler room

daddy's voice

A new release by Chelsea and her disciple.  

Download Daddy's voice - Cheli

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National Gathering registration is up on line

Register now and let us know you're coming.

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community intensive

If you and your friends have been dreaming together about starting a prayer community consider this invitation.

Download Communityintensivefinal

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two or three

For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them. (Matthew 18:20)

We'll be gathering all the simple churches this Thursday from 7-9p in the prayer garage for a time of worship, storytelling and teaching on simple churches.  All interested folks are encouraged to come.  

Check out this teaching by Floyd McClung on leaders.  It meshes nicely with some thinking that we've been doing about multiplying simple churches.  

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arrived

For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.  (1 Corinthians 1:18)

I have just gotten off the phone with Mission Bible, a Christian rehabilitation facility.  Dave Laforest has arrived safely as of Monday morning, April 20.  As the Boiler Room celebrates God's movement through Love Feasts, multiplying simple churches, disciples making disciples, new prayer communities in search of guidance and studying Scripture;  we continue to love our neighbors—basketball kids, friends on the street, multigenerational families one and all.  And we continue to be amazed at God's power in our lives.  

If some of you recall, we began a focused season of prayer for Dave on March 6 on this same blog.  On that day Chelsea said, "I think we need to start praying for Dave, everyday.  I think God wants to heal and deliver him and I think He wants us to pray for Dave." 

And on this April day, Dave is answering Jesus when He tells him to take up his mat and walk by getting up off the Greyhound bus and walking into the community of the Mission Bible Training Center where he will engage in mornings of studying Scripture, afternoons of working and discipleship and evenings of fellowship and more study;  where he will open himself up to the healing power and salvation of God.

  

Looking at Dave even on February 25 in the entry "when you reap" I might have even admitted that the message of the cross seemed like foolishness in the case of Dave.  He was a mess.  Going further back in my memory, I can remember him frustrating Brad last summer as he would stroll through the Boiler Room uninvited and slurring.  

But something kept drawing Dave back.   He came to dinner freshly shaved and ready to do dishes in September(Sept 6).  Later on September 22, Dave looked over the wrecked car which spoke volumes of a friend's relapse.  And he was genuinely struck by the consequences. 

"Tone.  I can't keep doing this.  I gotta get out."

We talked about whether he wanted to get well.  We talked about options.  And we waited for Dave to take the next step.  Danmike spent large amounts of time with Mr. Laforest.  And we waited.  

Until the Spirit led us all to begin a season of "praying our guts out for Dave."  I must admit, my guts weren't often spilled.  But I suppose God works with even half-hearted intercessors.  Perhaps the rest of the interns were more faithful than me.  

Now he's beginning the next part of his journey.  And we eagerly await the story of the saving power of the Cross working in Dave's life.  We know the battle is still on.  We've seen friends fall and we've seen friends get up once again.   If we've learned nothing else, we have learned of His faithfulness.  

Dave would appreciate encouragement via mail.  You can reach him at 

Dave Laforest

Mission Bible Training Center

121 Groulx Ln

Gaastra, MI 49927

May this message be shared.

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only

"We have here only five loaves of bread and two fish," they answered.  (Matthew 14:16)

The Lord multiplies whatever we bring to Him.  This much is clear to me. 

As we closed our week of prayer with an Easter Vigil from 10p-12a, Brooke's friend Sarah W prophesied over her with  these words of multiplying loaves and fish.  As our group of thirty people affirmed that prayer, there was a clear sense that our God is a God of multiplication—even when we bring paltry offerings—in fact especially when we bring paltry offerings.  

God brought forth many of the women that Brooke has discipled in this season of internship.  And they prayed for her on that Easter Vigil night in beautiful and honoring ways.  Through her simple churches and obedient discipleship, Brooke has raised up women of God who know Him, who have been healed by Him, who have been sent by Him.  God has multiplied the loaves and fishes that she brought to Him.  

Our simple churches have begun to multiply and meet with other neighbors.   Andre came over and had coffee. We're going to meet every Thursday.  Shane wants to come over and grill out this weekend.  The fields are white with grain.  

And on this just past glorious Easter morning, the Stockbridge community had eight friends baptized (that I saw just at the 9a service-one I heard about at the 11a service).  God is raising up disciples who make the public declaration that "I have died and my life is now hid with Christ."  We give glory to God.  And we taste and see that the Lord is good.  

He multiplies as we abide in Him.  He grows the fruit as we abide in Him.  

We only have to bring ourselves to Him.  

Only.  

May the multiplication of the Lord's people run throughout Grand Rapids.

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lift you up

 Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.  Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.  Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.  (James 4:  7-10)

It was an odd day.  Good Fridays are often hard to get a handle on.  Probably rightly so.  Coming to the end of a week of our community devoting itself to prayer creates a sense of winding down.  A hard night with kids not sleeping depleted us as well.  Wrestling with the goodness of the cross making a way for us to enter in mixed in with the sacrifice of Jesus was tiring.   

I found myself blue and restless for most of the day.  Unable to do much beyond watching the kids while Jenn worked, taking care of some correspondence, visiting with a couple people and straightening, I found myself unable to shake the gloom.  Having signed up for a middle of the night prayer slot, I felt the droop of another night with less sleep.  I went into the week thinking about fasting from sleep as a way to prepare myself for the weekend.  But now in reality, I simply wanted to sleep in (which hasn't happened so far in 11 years of kids). 

The idea of resting continually in God's presence was in my mind, but my heart was not convinced.  

I went to bed and woke up with a sneezing attack at 1a.  Unable to fall asleep again, I went back to C. Baxter Kruger's The Undoing of Adam.  Reading his view, that the Trinity was not taken by surprise by Good Friday. They knew this was part of the process to bring us into their circle of fellowship.    And my head started to get a little more of a handle on the Good of Good Friday.  

But I was still frustrated by my sleeplessness.  In my A.D.D. reading habits, I went to the book of James because I remember a friend telling me his simple church was reading it.   Thumbing to chapter four, I experienced the power of His word as I let His Scripture speak to my reality.  

Submit myself to God.  In the middle of a sleepless night, keeping one's prayer appointment with God doesn't seem sensical.  But I did.  

Resisting the Devil seemed unclear.  But this made me wonder about what the Accuser was doing to deceive me in my tired state.  It made me think that sleeping, in this case, might not be the move of wisdom.  

Come near to God.  So I did.  I kept my appointment with God.  And it wasn't any time of blinding revelation.  I read a little more of Kruger.  I talked to God about what I was reading.  I listened to Crowder singing "We Win."

And I felt the Devil flee from me.  

Humbling myself, I acknowledged that I brought nothing to this week.  It has been and always is the Holy Spirit, all week, moving people toward repentance, convicting people about baptism on Sunday, opening up doors for the Kingdom of God to enter in, planting dreams of prayer communities.  

And so God provides His word at just the right moment, for a double minded sinner like me.  And I bless His name as I wait for Sunday to come.  And the song still echoes, "we have already won."

May we all place ourselves in the hands of the one who will lift us up.

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to the last

He loved them to the last.  (John 13:1)

I found this translation of verse 1 in the footnotes for the story of His foot washing.  The favored version says something about the full extent of His love.  I gotta say, "loving them to the last" beats the pants off "full extent."  

So many times, I come out of that prayer garage ready to love.  So often, I fail with the first person that I meet. Most of the time, I fail because I love me and my schedule or my ambition or my image of myself more.   

Thursday night at community prayer, I watched as each of us present washed one other person's feet as an act of worship and obedience. Following our Rabbi, we were tender and respectful.  I know my feet embarass me.  Yet I was honored in this and saw glimpses of how I might passionately value others in the least glamorous of service. May we serve with a passion, like the passionate foot washers.  Lord have mercy on my half hearted attempts.  

During our discussion of Shane Claiborne's The Irresistible Revolution, Charla pointed us to a quote from Mother Theresa who nudged Shane to engage in "small acts with great love" rather than engaging in grandiose schemes. Charla went on to share how she tried to make a cup of French press coffee with great love for Dave, even when he's out of his right mind.  Rather than throwing on the French Vanilla Maxwell House that's been in the cupboard for at least two months, she ground beans and boiled water and poured into the Bodum and pressed Dave a cup of coffee with great love.  

Let us follow our Rabbi in these coming days.  Let us love to the last;  that the world might know that Jesus Christ is Lord.  

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through all generations

For the LORD is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.  (Psalm 100:5)

Sometimes, life needs to unfold for a bit before we can actually see the enduring faithfulness of the Lord.  Last May, Marie left the Boiler Room and left her pursuit of God and being a wife and mother.  We heard occasional updates and stories of her going "away for a minute."  And as the Lord brought others into our lives, we heard five months ago that Marie had hit bottom.  

We heard nothing more until she came back to the Love Feast with her husband, Sean.  It quickly became clear that God's faithfulness continues.  The story of Marie reading nightly to her daughter, Kissewa from a Bible that she got from the Boiler Room was beautiful.  The reconciliation with  Sean was an encouragement.  Their connection to a church in Muskegon was lovely.  But most of all, in coming back to bless her faithful and departing friend Brooke, she blessed us all. 

Keep praying for Marie, that she may stay rooted in the enduring love of our Lord.     

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smell and hear that the Lord is good

But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ and through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of him. (2 Cor 2:14)

Walking across the alley, I hear muffled sounds of Michael composing new songs to the Lord in the prayer garage.  Isaiah 40 and thoughts of the King fill his notebook as melodies pour out into the crisp April night.  Two and a half years ago,  Jenn and I looked down one morning at the now prayer garage from our bedroom window.  We saw an out building uniquely positioned on the edge of darkness and oppression.  On September 4, 2007, we were dreaming on this blog about Cecelia trespassing on grace into this garage that we had a dream about.  

This garage that is filled with Michael's knowledge of the King;  this garage that is filled with the fragrance of lilies newly opened;  this garage that around 5:30a was surrounded by the songs of birds;  this garage and it's fragrant proclamation is a joy and I give thanks to God.  

The aroma of the lilies is subtle and transforming.  Each time the heater kicks on, this scent of life circulates.  As I pass by in pacing prayer, I am reminded of Him who is making all things new;  of Him who brings life and life abundant;  of Him whom has swallowed up Death in His victory.  I forget the Easter lily until I smell it once more and at then I know Him in a way that long winter cannot bury.  

May we all follow Christ in triumphal procession out the garage and down the alley the way of Holiness.  

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