DWELL Missional Church of Burlington, Vermont - A Vermont Church Seeking to be missional in all areas of life.

Posted by: Nick Hoag | January 17, 2010 | Leave a Comment(0)

As many of you know, our friends at Divine Ministries Orphanage in Haiti are located in the city of Port Au Prince. We knew they were effected by the earthquake but we did not know to what extent. Today, God has answered our prayers. We received notice that not one of the family, staff, or children in Daniel Jean's care was killed or injured. Here was Zach's response:

I am weeping as I write this, and I must give thanks. God, you are astounding in your redemptive grace - light in darkness, light in darkness, light in darkness. We believe you will preserve this family - Lord help our unbelief. "Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever." Amen.

God's goodness to Daniel and his children in the midst of this horrific tragedy gives us hope that He is still working and moving and faithful even though the situation seems so bleak. Seemingly negative things that have been happening at the orphange recently (such as not being able to acquire a house adjacent to their home) now can be seen as the gracious hand of God as that house was flattened. We are taking a special offering at Dwell tomorrow night so please be praying about how you can help.

Here are some additional on the ground prayer requests from Daniel:

1) Daniel says to just stay in prayer.  EVERYONE he meets is on their knees, confessing Christ Jesus as Lord, repenting, and coming to know Jesus as their Savior.  This is a Revival that is unimaginable, happening in the most unexpected and undesired circumstances.  When humbled and "ruined" to this level, it seems that no one is left unwilling to recognize their own need for someone to rescue them!

2) Pray for basic necessities: There is no food and water.  Everyone is desperate... but as Daniel's Faith of Christ has taught us over and over, he simply said over the phone "I am believing God for everything we need, and I am already thanking Him for providing it."  He adds to that "I believe God to keep us safe, and Jesus saves us.  Not one of my kids is lost!"

3) Shelter and Safety: they are living out on the street unprotected against the desperate and despairing all around, have no home, no possessions, and are in a situation worse than a war zone.

4) The injured: perhaps more pressing than the dead in the streets are the injured.  He mentioned some with ghastly injuries that are in torment now, with no one to re-set bones, bandage open wounds, even apply an antibacterial ointment let alone pain killers for severe injures (many crushed arms and legs- or even lost).  They have NOTHING.  We prophesied an outbreak of the Spirit's gift of healing, that miracles would abound as human capacity dwindles to zero.

5) The dead: they are everywhere.  There is immediate grief all around them, shock, horror, and stench.  Their is no capacity now to bury the dead.  Daniel said "I never even imagined I would see this with my eyes.  So many people cry out... they have lost their wife or kids."  It is beyond description.

6) Sickness: Pray against the outbreak of sickness from these bodies, injuries, lack of nutrition, and most of all the lack of water.  This has the potential to claim more lives than the earthquake.  Lord, send intervention before more are lost!

Let us join hands in prayer for this situation and believe that God is at work as He has already proven He is. Thank-you Jesus.

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Posted by: Nick Hoag | January 12, 2010 | Leave a Comment(0)

When I woke up this morning I had a feeling of dis-belief. I kept thinking about how amazing our community is and how awe-struck I am at the goodness of God. I love you all and hope these pictures from our recent gathering on 01/10/10 (taken by Dweller Redmond Deck) will encourage you to think on the unique and important part that you play in this amazing community called Dwell.

"..from whom the whole body, being fitted and held together by what every joint supplies, according to the proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love." Ephesians 4:16

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Posted by: Zach Hoag | January 11, 2010 | Leave a Comment(0)

I realize there's been a blog shortage of late, so here are excerpts from the writings of two other dwellers, Jim Hoag and Trevor Rushford. Both are bits about community, and both are about what community might mean for us in 2010:

First, Jim Hoag:

Part of true Christian vision, especially in this coming year, is to see Christ-transformed people transformed into a people, and so transform the world. Many evangelicals have missed that middle term. For some reason much of the the church was not seen as a foretaste of a new society; but rather as a club for the new individual. Yet we were made for relationships where, as believers, we could welcome the "whosoever" and become deeply engaged and shaped by a loving, social reality called the church. Here would be the entering wedge of the Kingdom of God into larger society.

I no longer want to see people choosing to go it alone, choosing a worldly, cavalier "freedom" that masquerades as liberty but actually isolates them from the full provision of God's grace. Instead, this year, I see a group of people gathering to encourage each other in the common task of seeing God's kingdom embodied and embedded in their work, in their families, in their towns, in their recreation; in the "midst". This gathering is ekklesia; it is biblical community, a foretaste of the new heaven and new earth. By grace this community accepts people where they are but by that very same grace, encourages them not to remain as they are. (Without getting too complicated, this evolves as people are identified in community and realize who they are in that context). And this is powerful because its power is centered on living out the Gospel. It will be relevant to its world because it lives the life of the kingdom in the world, not apart from it. Let 2010 bear witness to the growth, increase, influence and impact of true, genuine, biblical community.

And Trevor:

2010 and my main focus: A Relational Community - Not just a community.

I want to focus on a relational community where I actually care about my neighbors and not just have them. I want to be more involved with everyone in my life. I want them to see me for me for the first time in my life. Sure, they've seen the broken and messed up me for so long, that the real me maybe a bit of a shock to them. With this new found love for God and Jesus, it scares some people in different ways and it even scares me. I mean, I hated religion and God up to about a year ago and hear I am professing my undying love for him. I'm worlds apart from myself already and it's overwhelming.

So what and how am I going to obtain my goals for 2010? I have set out a clear blue print of what I want to do this year and all the events I have planned out and I left time for the unplanned, the spontaneous events that will most certainly come up. There are no real guidelines per say on what I'm trying to accomplish, I guess I just want relational stories, memorable stories, and a kinship with my fellow brothers and sisters. And why wouldn't I want that? That's what Jesus wanted and achieved on an enormous level, and that's a part of what his legacy has been all along.

I have always had a lot of people in my life and some real strong relationships along the way and they were the real deal. I want to achieve these relationships through Jesus now. With out having to knock down my walls to get through to someone else's walls.

Happy new year, everyone.

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