Defeating the Monster Within part two

WHAT KIND OF MONSTER WOULD DO THIS? THE SAME KIND THAT LIVES IN YOU AND ME. Get a cup of coffee or a Mountain Dew, we’ll be a while on this one.


The monster within has two goals: 1. to consume our potential, to take what we could have been and destroy it, and 2. to hurt the heart of God. You see the monster within originated with the ultimate monster: Satan himself.

Satan is referred to in the Bible as:

- a liar and the father of lies
- the adversary
- the accuser
- and a roaring lion that roams about seeking who he may devour

How does Satan “devour” a person? Well, in a way he does it through our own appetites.
Weird, huh?

Galatians 5:19-21 tells us how the monster within behaves and gives us an indicator of what he feeds on, it says:

The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; [20] idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions [21] and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.

Satan is a good detective.

He knows our tendencies. He knows our weaknesses. He knows the hell bait that will work best to stir up our monster within.

For example- my grandfathers and my father were substance abusers and a bit on the lawless side to say the least. The devil (AKA:Satan) saw this and took notes. When little big-headed Mark was born into the world, Satan already had a strategy for feeding my monster. He knew I would likely have a bent toward the wrong crowd just like my dad. He knew I’d be very susceptible to peer pressure. The snare was set.


One of my earliest memories was when I was like three. Little Jimmy and me lived next door to each other and our mom’s would hook us up for chill time once in a while. I only remember two things about Jimmy: 1. He had a sandbox, which was righteous for a three year old, and 2. The way he bled when I hit him the head with a toy, metal Greyhound bus. I didn’t get to chill with 'Jimmy Sandbox' anymore.

Three years old and I’m already committing felonious assault!

It gets worse.

I was like five years old and in kindergarten when I went on my first crime spree. James Hickey was my partner in crime. Mrs. Hyman was the sweet old gal next door. She was sweet alright, just not smart enough to lock her front door. It was only 1968 and the world had yet to experience my diabolic capabilities. How could she have known?

We walked up on the porch and peered through the screen door. I can’t really remember how it all unfolded; I just remember the awesome rush we were getting every time the brick made contact with her sterling silver tea pot. What the heck were we doing? Why were we doing it? I don’t know, but it was wrong and we wuz lovin’ it, until we got caught. Believe it or not, I think the thing that hurt most was knowing that Mrs. Hyman would never trust me again. Gimme a break lady! I was only five!!!

Darn! Already a thief and a destroyer at five!

This was great information for Satan. He could see the traits I had inherited. He knew what to feed my monster within.

Although, I was raised in a strict Freewill Baptist School and I was surrounded by decent kids whose parents were willing and able to cough up the bingos for private school, still, the seeds of wickedness were there.

By the time I was twelve I’d watched alcohol and violence rip our family apart and kill my granddad. So, me and my best friend Floyd made a pact: we would never use drugs, alcohol or nicotine. Then I met Bobby.

Bobby was the coolest of the cool. He could beat everybody up and date all the girls at one time; plus his mom and pop owned the neighborhood pinball shop and his older brothers were already established criminals. He was the unanimous king-pin of our adolescent underworld.

Knowing Bobby and being known by him was more important than grades, parents and even Floyd; and, Bobby always had monster food.

My monster within had a serious bent toward stealing, fighting and breaking rules. Good ol’ Bob had a menu that gratified all of the above.

It started with a cigarette in the seventh grade. I thought it was disgusting, but the monster within thought it was cool. It took a while but I got the knack of it; within three years, it was a two pack a day ball and chain.

I don’t know what horse urine tastes like but Budweiser must have the recipe. At fourteen I got my first taste in the form of a Bud Tall Boy. I had tasted it once before, when my dad put it in my baby bottle. I don’t remember that incident but I hope I puked on him. Regardless, the monster was pleased with the flavor, and again, the monster thought it was cool. By sixteen I was drinking a fifth of Jack Daniels every weekend.

Then there was the ‘spirit of ’76,’...1976. I walked into Bobby’s bedroom where the crowd had gathered and there he sat with what looked like a pile of dried crepe myrtle leaves and flowers in his lap. This was my first exposure to pot. Man, I’d heard all about this stuff and now here I was: just me and some pot hanging out together with the fellas. Bobby, being the great monster chef that he was, offered me a hit. Seeing this stuff was cool enough for me; but, I wasn’t quite ready to ingest it yet. I’d heard all the stories about what drugs could do. I thought if I took a puff I might think I was bald eagle and go jump off the high school or something. I mean this was it—the drugs I’d heard so much about, and my buddy Bobby actually had some of his own. How cool is that? But then again, how scary.

Bobby, being the wonderful host he was, proceeded to pack a joint into a little device called a “power hitter.” With the power hitter he could send billows of smoke into the air with a gentle squeeze. My other great friends and associates knew how much I really needed this medication so in their great love and concern they held me down while buddy Bob filled my face with smoke. Luckily, men have crotches and so I was able to free myself. All that to say, part of me knew I needed to get away from these guys...but the monster loved it.

At fourteen I actually inhaled for the first time. It scared the crap out of me. I got cotton mouth and really paranoid. Yet the monster demanded more. By the time I was sixteen I was smokin’ everyday and selling pot in order to finance my own habit. The monster wasn’t satisfied. No, he was hungry for LSD, cocaine, speed, more, more, more.

At nineteen-the monster was firmly in control. He had managed to sprout into quite the addict. If not for the prayers of people like my mom and Granny he would have consumed the remainder of my days and sent me to hell for not giving God a chance.

There I was, nineteen and a full blown Galatians 5:19-21 kinda guy. I was totally trapped, the monster was in control.

Then it hit me, the words I’d learned in that old Baptist school:

2 Cor. 5:17
Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.

Yes! HOPE went off in my heart like a redneck shootin’ a hand-painted shotgun.

More scriptures came to mind, like:

John 3:16-17
"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. [17] For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.

John 14:6
Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

“There’s a way out!,” I thought. “This is what those crazy Christian people mean about being saved!”

Yes, I needed to be saved. Saved from the monster within, the sinful side of me that had turned me into a burnt out, alcoholic, fornicator.

On November 23, 1982 I came home drunk, again. My girlfriend wasn’t pleased, again. Her threats had come to an end; she was moving out. With slurred speech and drunken swagger I pulled her into the bedroom and we knelt beside our bed. I told her pray something like this:

Dear Lord, I am a sinner. I have disobeyed you. I know you sent your Son Jesus to save me. I know He died on the cross for my disobedience and He rose again to prove He is the Son of God and He is able to live in and through me. Save me. Save us. We commit our lives to you. In Jesus name amen.

We’ve been married twenty-three years. God cleaned up our minds by giving us the power to say ‘no’ to monstrous appetites. His word proved true and indeed, we became “new creatures.” We became creatures who follow a different kind of diet:

John 6:35
Then Jesus declared, "I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty.

As we consumed Christ by reading the Bible and built our faith by listening to the Word of God being preached, our ability to fight off the monster grew. We realized that God had given us weapons, secrets and keys to defeating the sin nature and the Evil One. We’re by no means done with fighting of course. As a matter of fact we’ll be fighting the monster within until Jesus comes or we go. But the cool thing is: Jesus promises to never leave or forsake us. He’ll be there with us as long as we invite him to the fight.

WARNING:
Even after inviting Jesus into our life we can still fall to the monster within. He can still rob us of our potential. As was the case in the murder victim mentioned at the beginning of this saga. You see, Jesus requires us to have a daily, 24-7-365 walk with Him. He calls Himself the “bread of life” and the “living water” for a reason. We can’t live long without bread or water. Spiritually, we won’t live long without feeding the spirit within.

The Bible says:

Galatians 5:16
So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature.

Galatians 5:25
Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.

Once a person invites Christ into the battle, he or she is “born again.” Those are the words of Jesus Himself in John 3:3.

John 3:3 says:
In reply Jesus declared, "I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again."

John 3:5-8
Jesus answered, "I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit. [6] Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. [7] You should not be surprised at my saying, 'You must be born again.'

Born of water means- born to your birth mother. Born of the Spirit means asking God to forgive you. It means, accepting what Christ did on the cross, believing that He rose again and that He will live in and through you. It’s beyond human explanation really. We’ll never figure that one out with our cranial blob. The point is, God draws us and if we’ll surrender, He’ll bring the miracle.

So, once you’ve become a Christian the goal is to WALK with God, to keep in step with the inner voice that prompts you to make right choices. You know, the one you used to ignore in favor of feeding the monster. Now, if we’ll feed our spirit on “bread” and “water” we’ll have the strength to do what we knew was right all along. That’s “keeping in step with the HIS Spirit.”

Falling out step with God is going to happen. We will stumble. But check this out:

Psalm 103:8-13
The Lord is compassionate and gracious,
slow to anger, abounding in love.
[9] He will not always accuse,
nor will he harbor his anger forever;
[10] he does not treat us as our sins deserve
or repay us according to our iniquities.
[11] For as high as the heavens are above the earth,
so great is his love for those who fear him;
[12] as far as the east is from the west,
so far has he removed our transgressions from us.
[13] As a father has compassion on his children,
so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him;

He’ll pick you up. He’ll wait for you to catch up. Just get back in step!

The bottom line:

1. Invite Christ to the battle-ask Him to forgive your sins (monstrous living)
2. Walk with Christ daily- by consuming His word- read it for yourself!
3. Starve the beast! Feed the Spirit!

Whatever the monster is craving- deny him the taste. Get away from people, places and things that stir up your appetite for wrong. Much of the music, movies and other entertainment in our world today is monster food. It’s hard to watch a sex scene and not lust. It’s hard to listen to some bands and not be angry and depressed about life. GET AWAY from NEGATIVE people, places and things. GET around HOPEFUL people, places and things. Paul put is this way:

Philip. 4:8 (MSG)
Summing it all up, friends, I'd say you'll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious—the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse.

JUST REMEMBER THIS:
You can’t take a pill and never be hungry again, neither can you say a magic prayer and make the monster go away. It’s a daily feeding that equips your spirit for the battle we are in. Yes, fighting sucks in a way, and I don’t really understand it all. But the fact is, the game is on and I know who wins in the end! So give me strength Lord Jesus to fight another day!

2 Cor. 2:14 says:
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.

Rev. 22:12 promises:
"Behold, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to everyone according to what he has done.


BE AT THE VERGE TONIGHT and WE’LL TURN YOU ON TO SOME WEAPONS FOR THE FIGHT!

DEFEATING THE MONSTER WITHIN (part one)

We found him in the high grass and marsh behind a low income housing development near Norfolk Naval Base. He wasn’t wearing a shirt or shoes and carried no identification. His upper torso was covered in abrasions with tiny bits of sand and gravel pressed into his stiffened flesh; tire tracks in the marsh left measurable impressions and lent credence to the assumption that the victim had either been thrown from or ran over by the vehicle that had left the tracks. Despite the obvious evidence the actual cause and manner of death was still unknown, as was the identity of the victim. The following day the medical examiner reported to us that what appeared to be a hole made by a piece of gravel was actually a fatal .22 caliber bullet wound. That same day the missing persons report came in and the victim was identified.

My forensic partner and I headed to the victim’s apartment in Virginia Beach to search for evidence. What we found was a man who had been consumed by the MONSTER WITHIN.

Trash, pornographic materials, beer cans and drug paraphernalia litter the floors, tables and countertops, yet under it all one could see the man had a respectable side. It was as if the he had lost control and went on a binge.

Evidence revealed the victim had been a manager at a local KFC and a choir director for fifth graders at a very prominent church in Norfolk. It was also apparent that he had grown up around a substance abuser and had struggled with substance abuse himself. Evidence obtained from his home answering machine indicated ties to Norfolk’s crack dealing underworld. On the night of his murder he had lost control and gone in search of crack cocaine in the Ocean View section of the city. It was at the front door of crack dealer’s hotel room that the victim was shot to death and robbed.

The MONSTER WITHIN had claimed yet another victim.


We’ve all got one you know: A MONSTER WITHIN. The Bible calls it our “flesh” or “sin-nature,” and even goes so far as to say we can be controlled by it:

Romans 8:8
Those controlled by the sinful nature cannot please God.

Bryan and Kathryn Harvey were well known in the Richmond area. He was a successful musician. She was the owner of a gift and toy shop.

Operative word: "was."

On New Year’s Day this year, Bryan, Kathryn and their two daughters Ruby (9) and Stella (4) were found in their burning home with their hands bound and their throats slit. What kind of monster would do such a thing?

The police arrested Ricky Gray and Ray Dandridge in Philadelphia; chances are, they’ll get the death penalty. Chalk up two more victims to the MONSTER WITHIN.

On Labor Day, 2005, Taylor Behl, a seventeen year old VCU student left her dorm at 10:30 in the evening. Police her found her a month later in a shallow grave behind a Mathews County barn. This week a Mathews Grand Jury indicted thirty- year old Benjamin Fawley on first degree murder charges. The MONSTER wins again.

Last November eighteen year old David Borden took his fourteen year old girlfriend Kara Borden on a weekend rendezvous. When Kara’s dad demanded an explanation, David showed up with bullets. Although he professed to be a Christian and even started his own youth Bible study, the MONSTER WITHIN won the day. David killed both of Kara’s parents and fled the state only to be arrested a short time later in Indiana. An article from Crimelibrary.com made the following assertion concerning David and Kara:

.... it's possible that one or both actually believed the Christian doctrines they were taught while yielding to the demands of physical connection so strong that more worldly concerns dominated.

Get that? They may have believed Christian doctrine, yet they yielded to worldly passions. Sounds like an unseen battle may have been raging.

These types of horror stories happen everywhere, every day.

A seemingly normal neighbor is determined to have six bodies in his basement. Everyone acts so surprised, “He was such a nice guy,” they say.

The sweet lady at church drowns her kids in a bathtub.

An old man gets upset at his church so he dumps arsenic in the coffee. Several parishioners die.

A well known international ministry comes tumbling down in front of the whole world because the great man of God behind it all couldn’t control the MONSTER WITHIN.

He was a Rhodes scholar, a lawyer, a governor, and he attained the highest ruling post in the human realm-President of the United States of America, yet we snicker when we hear his name. The MONSTER WITHIN devoured his legacy in a moment of uncontrolled lasciviousness.

You aren’t snickering are you?

You have one too, ya know?

A MONSTER WITHIN that craves wickedness.

The MONSTER surfaces early in life.


A toddler breaks grandma’s favorite vase in front of every one. But under interrogation she denies the charges- slowly turning her head left to right lying before she’s old enough to know what a lie is.

Monster seeds.

The ten year old knows its wrong but his eyes consume the pornography like a puppy lapping anti-freeze.

The monster grows.

The teenage sweetheart tosses the latest issue of Cosmopolitan on the bed and swallows another Prozac, confident that she’ll never measure up.

The monster roars.

The father of three crashes the minivan after a night of drinking away his stress. Who would have thought that first beer so many years ago would land him in the headlines and another driver in the grave?

The monster wins.

But does he have to? Do we have a choice?

Stay tuned for part two.

2006 VERGE SKI RETREAT

Dear Parents, Guardians & Skiers,

We have put together an exciting snow-ski package for Verge 68, Verge Youth and Verge Life. This is the same resort we used last year and everyone had a great time. A $50 non-refundable deposit is due by January 25. There can be NO exceptions to this deadline. The remaining balance will be due on February 15.

Here’s the details:

PRICES:
(includes lift ticket, equipment rental, two nights lodging & transportation-does not include snacks, drinks & meals- participants will need approximately $40 for food)

SKI $152 (add $12 for 2 hour tube session)
SNOWBOARD $170 (add $12 for 2 hour tube session)
TUBING ONLY $124 (1-10pm)

SCHEDULE:
Thursday
8:00 am depart lwc
2:00 pm arrive Flat Top, WV Days Inn

Friday
9:00am-10:00pm Skiing

Saturday
9:00 am Depart Flat Top
3:00 pm Return LWC

MORE INFORMATION WILL BE MADE AVAILABLE BEFORE DEPARTURE.

VERGE LIFE WILL HAVE AN EXTRA THREE DAYS ON THE $50 DEPOSIT--IT MUST BE TURNED IN BY SATURDAY JANUARY 28TH-----NO EXCEPTIONS.

Everything Breaks

When you lose something you can't replace

when you love some one but it goes to waste could it be worse?

Lights will guide you home And ignite your bones And I will try to fix you -Coldplay

Everything breaks. My brakes just broke.

My broken brakes are trying to break me.

Stuff just breaks.

My computer broke.
My truck is broke.
My van is broke.....again.

Stuff breaks.

People break too.

Like the time I broke my toe. Oh my gosh!!! That day I got a taste of what it must be like to have a baby. Seriously, my foot was in labor. A mammoth antique mirror slipped down the back of a dresser like the blade of a guillotine and sliced the pudgiest digit on my left foot.

I was wearing nylon sneakers.

The pain was immediate, acute and sustained, making a rapid crescendo to excruciating. It leveled out just above rage and slightly below fainting, and stayed there. It was kind of like spanking the thumb with a hammer or kicking the little toe on a coffee table in the midnight hour. The only difference was that the throb never ended.

Kendall swiftly fetched a pot of ice water and I plunged the wounded soldier in over his head. No hope. The pain only worsened.

Flashback.

I once kicked a bowling ball in the middle of a parking lot. We were kids, junior-highers. We both saw it in the distance and made a run for it. I was always thinner and faster than my best friend Mark. I won the race. I got the prize. I booted what we thought was a child’s kickball. Mark laughed. I cried. The giant marble rolled about six inches. The pain was immediate, acute and sustained; but, it did subside.

Back to the beheading of my big toe:

The pain didn’t stop.

I hate doctors, especially doctors from West Virginia. Okay, not as people, but as people who want to look under my hood. I guess I don’t like admitting my sickness; I don’t like giving up control; and, I don’t like rubber gloves. Still, I dressed the palpitating peanut in some gauze and carried him off to Doctor Bones .

The doc took an x-ray. The trooper was barely hanging on, almost amputated from the inside out. So, the doc scored me a space boot and said give it six or eight weeks.

I was due to start the police academy six weeks from the day of the break. About a week before the training began, I went to another doctor here in Virginia. He did more x-rays. The prognosis: I would never be able to bend my toe to 90 degrees again because the first doctor didn’t reset the bone.

I called the heavy hitter- Jeffery Halverson at once, I wanted to see if I could hoist a few bucks off the white coat who robbed me of my bendage. No luck. It seems that big toes aren’t worth going to court over, especially if they’re still attached.

Back to breaking people:

People do break. People do need healing.

I just watched Rob Bell’s nooma video Luggage. You guys that come out on Saturday night may get to see it too. He talks about the process of forgiveness and healing.

My toe had to go through a process to be healed; but because I went to a poor practitioner the healing wasn’t complete.

Another interesting point is that when people break-- they get weird.

When I squashed the meaty nugget that day my kids were present and I refrained from spouting off many of the colorful words I learned in public school. However, I did shout it from the house tops! I think I spoke in tongues. Man, it hurt!

When people get hurt they get weird. Some cry. Some kill. Some call 1-900-CRA-POLA.
The point is, we all get broke but if we turn anywhere other than Jesus for ultimate healing we can expect malpractice.

I will always fall short of filling the void- for my wife, my kids, my flock—His flock. You see, only Jesus can reach down deep inside and reset the brokenness that life deals each one of us.

As we start a new year, my encouragement is that you make a decision to live lighter, to live better, in the words of Pastor Steve Kelly- to “do life well!”; in the words of our own pastor—to “discover life!” In the words of Jesus, “I have come that you may have life and to the full.” John 10:10.

Make me a promise and I’ll make you one:

Promise me that before this year gets under way: you’ll admit your sickness, give up control and trust Him with your fractures.

My end of the deal?.....no rubber gloves.



Jesus said in Luke 4:18-19:
The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, [19] To preach the acceptable year of the Lord.

JUST THE NEWS 01-08-06

VERGE LIFE VISION/STRATEGY MEETING 010806

1 Tim. 5:17
The elders who direct the affairs of the church well are worthy of double honor, especially those whose work is preaching and teaching.

Let me begin by first expressing great appreciation toward those who have labored so diligently to launch the Verge Life and Verge 68 while at the same time helping to maintain momentum in the Verge Youth.

There are those among us who live and breath ministry along with carrying a full-time secular career. These are they that have expressed a call and a desire to one day enter full-time ministry. In our Verge world we refer to them as co-pastors and I ask you to hold them in great honor for the love they demonstrate to you each week. Here they are in alphabetical order lest I incite a fight over who gets to be last:

John & Sarah Bundy- John functions as our head usher and staff comedian. Sarah works with Verge Kidz and co-leads the Crave Life Cafe’

Jason & Myra Hess have recently relocated to our church after youth pastoring full-time in Madison, NC and Mesa, AZ. They will be engaging in a variety of ministries after settling in.

Joe Little leads Verge 68, drums for LWC’s main band and the Verge Life band. He also leads the Verge media and does whatever else I ask him to.

Daniel & Jannifer McKee have been designated as our New People pastors. They assist in hospitality, altar work and follow-up on guests.

Eddie & Angela Romero-Eddie is the leader of AUDIO Impact- youth and young adult worship teams. Angela co-leads the Crave Life Cafe’.

Billy Wayne & Sheila Simmons- Billy is in charge of hospitality at Verge Life. Sheila co-leads the Crave Life Cafe’. Sheila is a Redskin fan. Billy is a Cowboy fan. Sheila is a Christian. Billy...well...you do the math.

SUPPORT STAFF:

Anthony Forrest has recently come on as part-time intern. He is exploring his call and working along side Joe Little with the Verge media ministry and Verge 68.

Kendall Mason is co-leading AUDIO Impact for youth along side Eddie Romero.

Sam & Laura Lussier are still honorary members of our leadership. Believe it or not Sam stills serves as tech support and even pulled off a last minute countdown video for Freakfest along with his brother Matt. Laura still serves as a long distance member of our creative team.

MAJOR ITEMS FROM THE MEETING:

VERGE LIFE PROMO DVD
The first edition is complete and we will be duplicating this week!

VERGE ONE SERVICE & VERGE LIFE SUNDAY-
January 28 & 29th. Let's make this weekend a blowout!

FINE ARTS FESTIVAL- ULTIMATE ICON
After meeting with key students and discussing the matter with our leaders we have decided to take this year off from the district Fine Arts Festival. We have maximized this trip for the past four years and interest seems almost non-existent.

After discussing how our energies may be better spent this year we have begun the planning of a contest to be hosted by the Verge in mid-May.

The ULTIMATE ICON will be a localized fine arts opportunity involving the categories of band, solo artist, photography and perhaps video. Other categories may be added as we develop this concept.

Our two most recent Battle of the Bands have been very effective at impacting our local art scene and bringing new people out to the Verge. The ULTIMATE ICON will be an opportunity to do the same while also encouraging students to develop their God-given talents. Pray for us as we undertake this mammoth endeavor!

VERGE KIDZ-CHILDCARE
It has been rumored that we only have teenagers watching the kids in a very unorganized environment on Saturday nights. This was indeed the case early on. Currently, however, my wife oversees Verge Kidz. Every week she brings a well planned kids service designed to amplify the lesson in the main Verge Life service. This is a tremendous opportunity to help out----to sacrifice a little more of you to gain a little more of Christ. I dare you to move!

Pastor Mark’s Comments:

MOMENTUM:
We discussed the need for leadership to all be moving in the same direction as our senior pastor and his staff in order to maintain momentum. Pastor's goal this year is MULTIPLICATION in every ministry!

GOALS:
Leaders were challenged to SEE THE DIFFERENCE, BE THE DIFFERENCE by evaluating their own ministry and asking these two questions:
1. How can my ministry be done better?
2. How have I grown my ministry thus far?


VERGE YOUTH-
Jannifer brought out the need to train and equip youth to take bigger roles spiritually on Wednesday nights. Look forward to discipleship opportunities aimed at meeting that need.



THE VERGE LIFE I SEE: (from the heart of Pastor Mark)

I see the Verge as an echo of our Senior Pastor’s vision.

I see the Verge as a place where multitudes of un-churched and de-churched can find or rediscover their walk with Jesus.

I see the Verge as a place where the atmosphere is charged with belonging, where people are the priority.

I see the Verge as a place where attention is given to every detail, where mediocrity is not tolerated and excellence is our constant aim.

I see a Verge that’s always growing, always changing it’s methods but never comprising in its message.

I see the Verge as a place of ultimate unity and accountability where gossip is never acceptable and judgment belongs to God alone.

I see the Verge as a ministry of action- meeting the needs of others
at home and abroad.

I see the Verge being led by radical New Testament risk-takers, empowered by prayer and equipped with wisdom to seize the day!

I see the Verge as a place where the multitudes are saved, where Jesus Christ is the center of all we do, and the miraculous is expected.

I see a Verge that looks like anything but church as usual.

I see the Verge reaching into every college campus in our region and every corner of our community.

I see a Verge that trusts the power of the Holy Spirit to sanctify believers.

I see a Verge that still believes God inhabits the praises of His people.

I see the Verge as a place of multiplication-where preachers and ministries are born, empowered and given opportunity to flex.

I see a Verge where the truth of God’s Word is constantly pursued.

I see the Verge as a culturally relevant miracle in the making.


Prayer Requests:
Jannifer McKee -healing
Curtis Kinser-grandmother-healing
Redskins-playoff game aganist the Seahawks

KEEPIN' THE BEAT

Once again I was jabbering with someone about the current state of their offspring. As you well know, my job puts me in constant communication with humans and particularly their spawn.

It seems that yet another of our flock has gone astray. Well, maybe I’m going too easy on’em. More than likely, they made a prodigal decision and willingly walked into the jaws of sin for a spell. Now, they’re covered in fang marks with Satan saliva dripping all over their reputation.

STOP!!!!

.....trying to figure out who I’m writing about. It could be you! This type of thing is practically an everyday occurrence for full time shepherds. I’ve got a bite mark or two on my own hide. Hmmm. Actually, it’s a wonder I’ve got any hide left after all my toying with sin. But that’s not the point.

The point is: we all fall out of sync with God’s will. Whether we get offended and stomp away in a huff or we slide down the slippery slope of temptation and into the pit of regret; we all lose step.

Galatians 5:25 says:
Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.

So how do we put the rhythm back into a song that seems to have lost the beat? How do we get synchronized with God again?

How about this picture:

She walked in the door with guilt on her breath.

The slander she’d spoken had left gaping wounds in the pastor’s reputation. She was angry. She had every right to be. He had betrayed her trust. No one would have known about the indiscretion had the so-called “man of God “ kept his mouth shut. But apparently, jackasses still speak.

The piper began his weekly charade: three choruses and a hymn, always the same, so predictable. “Why do I even keep coming back to this place,” she wondered, still stinging from the perceived duplicity. She knew it was wrong to have said all the things she said to all the people she’d said it to. But the pastor should have known better.

She stood there stiff for a while; but, by the time the second song made its crescendo into the chorus she felt obliged to put on some kind of show: so, she raised her hands half mast and began to lip the lyrics, “Lord, I give you my heart, I give you my soul.....”

Suddenly, she began to feel the weight of the dagger in her hand and taste of saltwater on her palate. Her hands lifted slightly higher and her eyes closed as the words became a whisper, “Every breath that I take, every moment I’m awake, Lord have your way in me....” Fresh water began to flow.

She felt her heart loosen it’s grip on the offense.

The dagger fell powerlessly to the floor.

Her ears were hearing the words before she even spoke them, “Forgive me.”

The trickle became a rushing river.

“This is my desire, to honor you,” she sang tearfully in full voice, hands stretched heavenward.

It felt like a cloak, wrapping her from left to right, holding her, tending to her wounds, convincing her that she’d been forgiven. “Could this be righteousness?,” she thought. But wait, I don’t deserve this. I’ve been anything but right! I deserve a garment of guilt, shame and condemnation.”

It seemed so real. “Could Jesus be speaking to me?” she wondered.

“Worship me my child. There is much power in surrender. No one has been betrayed as I have been betrayed, Yet, I surrendered and now the hills melt like wax in my presence. How is it any wonder that your sin and pain would do the same when you surrender?”

Okay, I know you’re looking for closure--- like: What was her name? How did things turn out for the pastor? Did anybody find the knife on the floor? Again, that’s not the point.

The point is that worship invites surrender; surrender trumps anger, guilt and shame.

Moral of the story:
When you fail or falter—get your butt into a high powered worship service and give God a chance to melt your heart! Keep the beat!

HAPPY NEW YEAR FROM THE VERGE!!!!

Freakfest 2006: The Ultimate Rock Show--what an awesome night!!!

Five bands. Lights. Cameras. Action. Flashes. Booms. Junk food.Friends. Games.........WORSHIP!!!

The coolest thing about the night was that over a dozen people made commitments to the Lord---the ULTIMATE ROCK!!!

I hope you've made a decision to chase God like never before in 2006. Build your life on JESUS because....HE'S THE ROCK THAT NEVER ROLLS AWAY!!!!


Luke 13:24 MSG....JESUS SAID:
.....Put your mind on your life with God. The way to life—to God!—is vigorous and requires your total attention.

BAND REVIEW

ZION’S TRIUMPH
Mark Zang & Company ripped it up again with familiar favorite that the crowd seems to be memorizing without the use of a CD yet. I can’t help but mention the vocals of Kendall Mason were the highlight of the performance (of course that’s because she’s my daughter).

HINDSIGHT
Schuyler Burton’s voice just keeps getting stronger and stronger. Freakfest is the best I’ve heard so far. Noved Snilloc scored a new Ibanez for Christmas and thus did shred on it for us. Brian Briggs brought the goods as usual. One of the band’s biggest strengths is the backbone bass and drums of Jesse Thompson and James Little (AKA: Jessica and Jim).

IDIOT PARADE (formerly known as SUPERFLY TNT, AKA: IDIOT PATROL)
It’s hard to believe guys with this much talent could be so fun and humble about it. Seriously, these boys have got skills! They actually pulled off Carol of the Bells by the Tran-Siberian Orchestra....AND THERE 10th GRADERS! Way to go guys. Love the original song that makes everyone bob up and down!

KATABATIC X
Who knew Louie could sing? This is their second gig and it’s obvious they’re building quite a fan bass. Ya gotta give it to these guys for just goin’ for it. They’ve had very little time to pull it off but they did it! I fully expect a stellar performance at the next Battle of the Bands in March.

SPEEDLIMIT 25
Welcome to the Verge guys! I’d never heard of SL25 until just a couple of weeks before the gig. It was great to meet a new band! Young, ambitious and talented, SL25 is on the
way to becoming a serious contender. We hope to have them back for the next Battle of the Bands!

SPECIAL THANKS:

5am Productions- for pulling off a last minute countdown video XXXOOO.

Fire by Bob- Bob & Dylan Hahn for comin’ down from WV to pull off the pyro.

PRO MUSIC & SOUND, WINTER SOUND & OF COURSE WALMART

All of the awesome workers – many who worked from 9:00am to 2:00 am!

VERGE YOUTH CHURCH- SEE YA WEDNESDAY- GUEST SPEAKER: Sarah Briggs