What a Great Church!

Hi Friends.    Just an update.... I've been living in Edmonton for over three years and Alberta for four years.  God put me in a really great church.     For a while I wondered because we didn't have a pastor and we would get different speakers but the worship was great so I stuck it out.

Now we have Pastor Chris and Nicki Mathias from the States.  The new name is The Summit Edmonton.   It's been such a blessing because they  believe in training up the believers and have a ministry team.   Not only is it a protection from burnout for them but it's such great training for the body!

On top of that, Pastor Nicki is starting a school of music ministry for kids and people of all ages that want to learn how to play or sing or both!   They'll be able to learn an instrument,  learn how to be on a worship team and how to sing a new song to the Lord!  How amazing is that?   I am so thrilled for the  people of our congregation! 

Finally, we have a very anointed evangelist that goes out regularly to  share at the malls and other places.   I tried to connect with him once but it didn't work out.  Think I'll have to try again.

All in all, the Lord has been restoring my hope.  I know I need the body.   I'm just one soldier in this army and I'm thrilled to bear witness with what God is doing!

God has promised to turn my scars into trophies and I'm seeing it happen before my eyes!   The church is just one part, but so important to me! Hallelujah!

Here's the link to the facebook page where we have live services!

https://www.facebook.com/TheSummitEdmonton/

Have a great day with Him!
Blessings and hugs,

Brenda Gale

Trends

I am noticing a trend these days.    Many dear people who have gone on holidays  have come back under attack instead of refreshed.  This should not be so!

I wouldn't have put it together if it hadn't been happening so consistently.   People getting hurt, accidents,  disappointments coming back, weariness about the work load, frustration that things aren't changing fast enough...  it's been a real onslaught!

So.... better late than never let's claim God's promises for our friends and families.

Thank you Lord that our friends and families get refreshed when they go on holidays.  Let them come back pumped up with the good things You want to do at church.  Lord, help us all to remember the good things that are happening at our churches and not the things that irritate us. Ignite passion in our hearts for all you want to do.  Help us to keep our hearts clean and to extend mercy, grace and forgiveness to others.   Help us to communicate effectively and give us wisdom about what to do and how much to do.  Thank you Lord that because we love your word, nothing can cause us to stumble or take offense.  Thank You Lord for healing every person that has been hurt in any way.   Help us Lord to not become weary in our outreach because we know this is Your work and your kingdom. Amen!

On the good side 6 un-churched people asked Jesus into their hearts in the last few weeks and many have been healed of all kinds of back problems and arthritis. 
 
Bless you!
Brenda Gale Thompson

p.s.   Let's claim refreshing because, "He who refreshes others will himself be refreshed!" (ref. Prov. 11:25)

Complaining Trend

Someone I know was having a rough couple of weeks and they were talking to me.    I prayed for them and later that day another person was having a hard time with someone in leadership, so I encouraged them and we prayed for healing and restoration.

The next day I was helping someone out and they had a list of complaints a mile long about church and problems there.   I couldn't help but notice a trend there.

 I asked the Lord what his take was on all these legitimate complaints.  You know what he said? He said, "Your leaders are works in progress just like you are.  Don't expect perfection from them until you are perfect yourself."

Contrary to popular belief,  God is working on them just like he is working on us..... but the area he's working on might not be the area that bugs you the most. 

I too have had my share of trouble with persons in leadership, surprise, surprise.  I wouldn't be human if it weren't so.   The Lord has opened my eyes to see the bigger picture and to see the damage that can be done to a church by disappointment and offense.

The Problem is.... there are only so many churches to go to and if you leave offended at one you're enlisting in God's 'wilderness wandering game'.  No thank you.  Been there before and I want to move on to the next level.

I am not by any means saying that our church has it all together.  On the contrary, I can see some gaping holes and areas that need improvement.

So I am going to share some wise words a couple of my mentors shared with me years ago.

The First is never leave a church with offense in your heart.  Always ask God to heal  you up first and try to leave on good standing, not the superficial, "Thanks,  I'm called out. Good bye."   This will help you grow in Christ. If you can't leave the way you want because of situations outside your control, then pursue healing in the new church you go to.

Second, when a leader starts claiming he/she's something great etc. and it rubs you the wrong way, pause and think about it.  Is the person saying this to excuse a character flaw or are they attempting to, 'call those things that be not as though they were?" Usually if it rubs you the wrong way it's because you have had their flaws cause you personal pain.  It's time to seek the Lord and find the balance in your life.  God, family, work then church is the way most ministry leaders advise people to prioritize your lives.

I remember something a leader said when one of his helpers quit his job and stated he was going to go preach the gospel for a living.  This person said to themselves, "Why this guy can't preach himself out of a garbage can! He'll be out of money in a month!"  Holy Spirit quickly spoke up to this man, "Then help him!"   That quieted this leader.  So many other people were quick to tell the would be preacher that he would never make it and that he better go back to his regular job but this leader would not join in their criticism or judgement. Time marched on and the would be preacher did become successful, praise God!

Are you wondering who the leader was?   Kenneth Copeland! And the would be preacher was Jerry Savelle! What a loss it would be to the body of Christ without Jerry Savelle's Ministry!  He has helped countless people around the globe get a handle on the basics of faith--myself included!

So when I hear a leader claiming great titles I remember that story and I figure I can be on the helping side which is Holy Spirit, or I can be on the devil's side which is criticizing and judging.  No thank you.  I am Not going there.  Yes, the attacks are real and yes sometimes leaders get puffed up.  God's able to correct them without my help... I know that now.

I encourage  you to give all your expectations of what leadership should and should not be over to the Lord daily.  That's what I am learning to do.  As I look at God in praise and worship it gets easier and easier to do this.  Let's pray...

Lord we need your help to love people through the unlovely situations we face daily.  Let your love and peace we shed abroad  in our hearts.  Give us your hope that you are able to change us and the situations around us.  We ask for joy and humor in our daily journey with you. Bind us all together in your love and thank you for unity of spirit in our churches.  Thank You for helping us look past our hurts to the beauty you are creating in the people around us and in us.  Thank You Lord for time with you and for transforming our hearts so we want to spend more time with you every day. Amen!

Bless you!
Big hugs,
Brenda Gale Thompson

Another Strategy to Break Through!

If there are times when you don't know what to do to get a break through, keep reading.

You probably have done all the regular things you know to do; like pleading the blood of Jesus over you and repenting of any sin you are aware of.  If you still don't hear anything, then may I suggest that you 'offer yourself a living sacrifice' to him? (ref. Rom. 12:1-2)

Let me explain...  When there's a cloud around me and it's hard to hear, I picture myself climbing on a huge alter and laying down.  Then I give my ideas, my mindsets, my interpretations of visions, all my past experiences etc. to  the Lord.  Sometimes this takes a while.  Then I ask Holy Spirit to bring to my remembrance anything that is getting in the way of our relationship.  He's so faithful to show me!  Hallelujah!  He wants this for us. 

God always shows up when there's a sacrifice on the alter--always!   He's no respecter of persons either.  What he's done for me He'll do for you.

This is another key that God has helped me use to get corporate break through at church.  It usually only takes one person to visit heaven and if they decree that everyone gets touched by heaven then they will.   There is so much power in our words.

When I claim Holy Spirit's presence around me he shows up!  When I don't claim it.... he sometimes doesn't. When I release the glory that's inside of me people get touched wherever I am.

Therefore I want to encourage you to use your words on purpose. Say what you want to see out loud and expect Heaven to move in.  Truly we have not because we ask not!

I bless you with more of His presence today and more of his boldness. Amen!
Big hugs,
Brenda Gale Thompson

Cords That Can't Be Broken

I'm reminded of an old song, "Bind us together Lord, Bind us together Lord, with cords that cannot be broken...  Here's the link to the song

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=emCaGJfM0gs

I know but I know that God wants to do greater things in our church but we need helpers to come along side and make the work load easier.  Even Moses needed help!  His father-in-law came and told him what he was doing was not good!  "You and these people who come to you will only wear yourselves out. The work is too heavy for you; you cannot handle it alone" (ref. Ex. 18:14-24)

Moses obeyed and selected capable people and trained them so they could deal with the majority of the issues. They would report back any exceptional cases that they wanted him to handle.

So there needs to be a selection process, a training and mentoring process and then ongoing communication to make sure things keep running smoothly.

Every church will work this process out differently so the best thing to do is pray.

"Lord, we want camaraderie in our church groups. Bind us together with cords that can't be broken! Help us to esteem one another better than ourselves. Remind us Lord of the benefits of buying into a greater vision than just ourselves!"

"Lord, get us past surface greetings to real relationships! Show us how to get together in smaller groups where we can grow together and have good fellowship. Open up new lines of communication and feed back in our churches so everyone feels valued and important.  In Jesus' name we ask.  Amen!"

I bless you spiritually, mentally, emotionally, physically, relationally and financially.

Big hugs,

Brenda Gale Thompson

The Streets Are His Too!

The Cry Ottawa, 2011

God is good all the time! I want to declare that the streets are his too!

I heard about a preacher that invites people to his healing meetings so they can get healed and I think that's a wonderful thing to do.  He says that the faith of the other believers and the atmosphere in the meeting really helps the people, to start to believe, that healing is possible for themselves.

That's a good thought.  I want to be led by God all the time.  I used to invite people to services a lot. Now,  many times I find myself moving out and blessing and praying for people right where they are, whether it be the mall, grocery store etc. Then I follow up with an invitation to a healing service.

You see, my touch or prayer might be the only time they have felt the presence and power of God.  Also, they might not come to a church service because of all the connotations associated with it.  I know, but I know that when I bless a person they are receiving healing virtue and his presence.

So I guess we just need to be led by His love. When His love compels you to do something, however small, that's what we call compassion and that's God.  When He moves you to bless or pray for someone, we should always try to obey because that's how we bring God's kingdom to the earth.

If all of us would do this, we would see such a change in the atmosphere around our towns that people would come near us and get touched by  the power and presence of God. We would see whole towns blanketed by the glory of God.

That is so exciting to me.  It makes such a difference if a few believers are praying or praising over an area.  It prepares the atmosphere for signs and wonders.  I saw that at the Cry.  It was so easy to give out destiny words there. I prayed for people after we left and it was still easy, because I had a friend praying for me as I stepped out with encouraging words.

Then later when I visited a lady and my friend wasn't present with me, I started to cough when I tried to share a destiny word.  I knew that was an attack.  So I prayed my way through it, delivered the word and went on my way.

It's important to have prayer backup every day.  I try to get a friend to agree with me for God encounters, before I go out and I ask  them to pray in tongues as the Lord leads while I am out sharing. It really does help!


So,  my thought for the day is that the streets belong to God too and we can pray for people wherever Holy Spirit leads.  Just  get some prayer covering, follow Holy Spirit's lead and signs and wonders will follow your sharing, wherever you go. (ref. Mark 16:20) I declare that we are seizing the opportunities to make a difference for the Lord. Amen!

Have a great day with Him!
Big hugs,
Brenda Gale

Hospitality

Hospitality is a big part of my life.  I really enjoy having friends over and I regularly help at church functions.  You can usually find me in the kitchen or serving food.

As our churches grow I am finding that volunteering is one of the ways to better get to know people.  It's hard to build relationships when we meet,  have church then take off right away.  I am finding that to build trust I have to build relationships first.  I can't expect trust where there is no relationship happening.  As I know a person better, I feel I can trust them more and more.

I had a couple of nice chats with a few ladies in the kitchen yesterday and it just confirmed that I am in the right place.  I bring my ministry gifts wherever I go.  I can give an encouraging word wherever I am.

I remember a time when the wife of our guest speaker came into the kitchen and helped us do the dishes after pot luck.  We tried to tell her that we would do it, but she wanted to stay and help.  She was such a blessing and we got to ask her questions about ministry and the adventures she had been on.

She really encouraged my daughter to go to bible college.  She made quite an impact on us.  So many people want to be served, and yet this great lady was helping us clean up.

I never forgot it.  I try to lead by example too.

My pastors are great servants.  Many times I have seen them working behind the scenes or helping with the food while others are blissfully unaware of what's going on.  Somehow we get it all worked out and people get to eat and everybody is happy.   It's a joy that stretches us at times!

Anyhow,  that's my thought for the day.  Blessed are the volunteers, because God is rewarding them!  We can never out give God and as we are faithful in the little things He will add to us the bigger things.

"Thank You Lord that we are growing in favor with you and with people.  Thank You Lord that Your light is shining brightly through us!  Thank You Lord for using us today.  May we always be available to give an encouraging word or a empathetic ear to those around us.  Thank You Lord for anointing all the work of our hands. I decree more creativity and blessings flowing through our hands from now on. Amen!"

Bless you more than before, in Jesus' name!
Big hugs,
Brenda Gale Thompson

P.S. "If anyone wants to be first, he must be the very last, and the servant of all." (Mark 9:35)