Norridge Prayer & Praise Night NEW LIFE!
Monday, December 31, 2007
The Norridge Corps is hosting a Prayer & Praise Night NEW LIFE! this Friday, January 4th at 7pm. It will be a night of fellowship, prayer, praise and teaching.
This meeting is going to include a bunch of cool elements such as I’ll Fight Day testimonies, prayer, a powerful message about promises and worship led by The Singing Company. It is also the first P&PN of 2008!
Here’s what you should bring:
-Your Friends. NEW LIFE! is perfect for them!
-Your Bibles.
-A focused attitude of worship.
Here’s what you should know:
-There are going to be some very important announcements about upcoming events that you will not want to miss.
For directions to the Norridge Corps (8354 W Foster Ave. Norridge, IL 60706-3032) please click here.
Are you going to attend? RSVP with our Facebook event.
See you there?
Grace,
Eric Himes
Posted By: Eric at 12:43 PM : Link : 0 Comments
Merry Christmas!
Monday, December 24, 2007
Posted By: Eric at 10:41 AM : Link : 1 Comments
You Are Free
Thursday, December 20, 2007
Acts 16:25-40
25 Around midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening. 26 Suddenly, there was a massive earthquake, and the prison was shaken to its foundations. All the doors immediately flew open, and the chains of every prisoner fell off! 27 The jailer woke up to see the prison doors wide open. He assumed the prisoners had escaped, so he drew his sword to kill himself. 28 But Paul shouted to him, “Stop! Don’t kill yourself! We are all here!”
29 The jailer called for lights and ran to the dungeon and fell down trembling before Paul and Silas. 30 Then he brought them out and asked, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”
31 They replied, “Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved, along with everyone in your household.” 32 And they shared the word of the Lord with him and with all who lived in his household. 33 Even at that hour of the night, the jailer cared for them and washed their wounds. Then he and everyone in his household were immediately baptized. 34 He brought them into his house and set a meal before them, and he and his entire household rejoiced because they all believed in God.
35 The next morning the city officials sent the police to tell the jailer, “Let those men go!” 36 So the jailer told Paul, “The city officials have said you and Silas are free to leave. Go in peace.”
37 But Paul replied, “They have publicly beaten us without a trial and put us in prison—and we are Roman citizens. So now they want us to leave secretly? Certainly not! Let them come themselves to release us!”
38 When the police reported this, the city officials were alarmed to learn that Paul and Silas were Roman citizens. 39 So they came to the jail and apologized to them. Then they brought them out and begged them to leave the city. 40 When Paul and Silas left the prison, they returned to the home of Lydia. There they met with the believers and encouraged them once more. Then they left town.
* * *
After being stripped, beaten with wooden rods, falsely accused, imprisoned and locked in the deepest part a dungeon, Paul and Silas took Psalm 150:6—Let everything that lives sing praises to the Lord! Praise the Lord!—to heart by praying and praising the Lord late into the night. Their faith and devotion were constantly challenged and they were in prison for their beliefs. This did not stop their ministry. “Around midnight, Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening” (v. 25).
Every Christmas The Salvation Army is allowed to visit Cook County Jail. We share the Gospel, play Christmas music and pass out small presents to the inmates. As we enter each cellblock, the card games, showers, conversation and the muffled sounds of a television, fade away. We all sing Silent Night and a beautiful transformation occurs; the jail cell becomes a sanctuary and tough men become vulnerable worshipers. You could measure this ministry’s success by seeing the tears in the men’s eyes, and the brief glimpses of joy on their faces. We are allowed one day a year to see these men. We pray with them, we remember them.
God is good. So good that His children want to worship Him, even in the worst circumstances. Worshiping the Lord brings freedom. Paul and Silas were free before their chains fell off and the doors flew open. That’s why the other prisoners listened to their worship and why the guard begged them to tell him how he might be saved. As you worship the Lord remember the freedom that he brings.
Posted By: Eric at 9:22 AM : Link : 0 Comments
The Mercy Seat Sessions
Tuesday, December 18, 2007
Dear Friends of The Singing Company,
It is with great pleasure that I announce that The Singing Company has just been approved to record another full length album (tentatively entitled "The Mercy Seat Sessions"). We are going to record the first week of January and will release the album at this years' Youth Congress.
We are very excited about the albums content, which centers on the Mercy Seat and follows the themes of Salvation, Consecration, New Life and Mission/Service. We hope it will not be just a recording but an experience for all who hear it.
We have 13 tracks of new arrangements of old songs and completely new material. They include:
Save Now
Jesus, I Come
Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus
Behold The Lamb
Abide With Me
Grace
Christ Is All
New Psalm
I Know My Sins Are Washed Away
I Am Made In The Image Of God
Wake Up, O Sleeper
Rescue The Perishing
Your Kingdom Come
Please keep us in your prayers as we arrange, record and put together this album. Stay tuned to http://thesingingcompany.com for updates about this album.
Grace,
Eric Himes
The Singing Company
Posted By: Eric at 9:02 PM : Link : 0 Comments
When Demons Tell the Truth
Wednesday, December 12, 2007
Acts 16:16-24
16 One day as we were going down to the place of prayer, we met a demon-possessed slave girl. She was a fortune-teller who earned a lot of money for her masters. 17 She followed Paul and the rest of us, shouting, “These men are servants of the Most High God, and they have come to tell you how to be saved.”
18 This went on day after day until Paul got so exasperated that he turned and said to the demon within her, “I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her.” And instantly it left her.
19 Her masters’ hopes of wealth were now shattered, so they grabbed Paul and Silas and dragged them before the authorities at the marketplace. 20 “The whole city is in an uproar because of these Jews!” they shouted to the city officials. 21 “They are teaching customs that are illegal for us Romans to practice.”
22 A mob quickly formed against Paul and Silas, and the city officials ordered them stripped and beaten with wooden rods. 23 They were severely beaten, and then they were thrown into prison. The jailer was ordered to make sure they didn’t escape. 24 So the jailer put them into the inner dungeon and clamped their feet in the stocks.
As we learned in last week’s lesson, each step of Paul and Silas’ path to Macedonia contained ministry. In Acts 16:13-15 this ministry led them to Lydia, a “worshiper of God” (v. 14) who opened her heart and was baptized. In verses 16-24, they come across a more sinister and unpleasant audience, but one that resulted in the same outcome as Lydia, a woman who was freed from sin.
Today’s scripture passage contains a story about spiritual warfare. In this instance a demon possessed slave girl and her masters began a series of events that led to the imprisonment of Paul and Silas. In the process the girl, who was a slave both physically and spiritually, was freed from the evil that inhabited her. Satan was willing to “sacrifice” this demon so that he could incite a mob against Paul and Silas and put them in jail. “She followed along behind us shouting, ‘These men are servants of the Most High God, and they have come to tell you how to be saved’” (v. 17). God is completely sovereign to the point that even the demons know the truth. But Satan is so evil that he would use this truth against God’s apostles.
Isn’t it odd that we live in a society that is increasingly more tolerant to cults, false teaching and any other religion, but has become more prejudiced towards Christianity? It shouldn’t be. This passage demonstrates Philippi’s tolerance for fortune-tellers and the demon-possessed but hatred, to the point of physical punishment and imprisonment, of those who were followers of Jesus Christ. Satan, the great deceiver, is constantly at work, trying to enslave anyone he can. We must not underestimate just how deceptive Satan can be, attempting to poison the minds of an entire generation. We must be willing to stand up for what we believe in even though it may cost us our freedom.
Posted By: Eric at 1:03 PM : Link : 0 Comments
I’ll Fight Day (Tomorrow)
Friday, December 07, 2007
I’ll Fight Day is tomorrow, Saturday, December 8th
It’s going to be awesome.
Are you in?
Forward to the Fight!
Posted By: Eric at 11:23 AM : Link : 0 Comments
2007 Chicago Public School Assemblies
Thursday, December 06, 2007
On Monday and Tuesday of this week, 25 Salvationists (mostly CFOT Cadets and DHQ Employees) broke into five teams and went to 26 Chicago Public Schools to perform Christmas assemblies. We talked to over 6000 children about how people all over the world celebrate the “Spirit of Christmas”. We had a lot of fun and sang X-mas songs about fictitious reindeer, snowmen and an old man who knows when you are awake, pouting, crying or asleep. We also had puppets and gave each child some school supplies.
Each year we take part in this “ministry of presence” and God continues to bless these efforts and open unique doors for The Salvation Army in these communities. As constricting as it is not being permitted to share the REAL reason for Christmas, I have no doubt that God honored our efforts.
One of the more memorable moments happened after we finished our presentation and were packing up when a few classes waited in the auditorium and wanted to sing us a song. We were all very blessed and surprised to hear them sing a spontaneous rendition of Sandi Patti's Christmas classic "The Gift Goes On". How interesting is it that a group of public school children started singing and telling us about the real reason for Christmas (especially through the ancient work of Sandi Patti?!)? You can watch two clips of this unique moment below.
Part 1
Part 2
Posted By: Eric at 11:08 AM : Link : 0 Comments
Wait!
Wednesday, December 05, 2007
Acts 16: 6-15
6 Next Paul and Silas traveled through the area of Phrygia and Galatia, because the Holy Spirit had prevented them from preaching the word in the province of Asia at that time. 7 Then coming to the borders of Mysia, they headed north for the province of Bithynia, but again the Spirit of Jesus did not allow them to go there. 8 So instead, they went on through Mysia to the seaport of Troas.
9 That night Paul had a vision: A man from Macedonia in northern Greece was standing there, pleading with him, “Come over to Macedonia and help us!” 10 So we decided to leave for Macedonia at once, having concluded that God was calling us to preach the Good News there.
11 We boarded a boat at Troas and sailed straight across to the island of Samothrace, and the next day we landed at Neapolis. 12 From there we reached Philippi, a major city of that district of Macedonia and a Roman colony. And we stayed there several days.
13 On the Sabbath we went a little way outside the city to a riverbank, where we thought people would be meeting for prayer, and we sat down to speak with some women who had gathered there. 14 One of them was Lydia from Thyatira, a merchant of expensive purple cloth, who worshiped God. As she listened to us, the Lord opened her heart, and she accepted what Paul was saying. 15 She was baptized along with other members of her household, and she asked us to be her guests. “If you agree that I am a true believer in the Lord,” she said, “come and stay at my home.” And she urged us until we agreed.
In today’s passage of scripture we witness Paul and Silas follow a three-step process in following the Lord: pray and wait for direction, receive direction, enjoy the process of following the directions. Let’s address the third step of this equation.
First, notice how patient these men were as they waited on the Lord for direction; the Holy Spirit told them not to enter Asia, the Spirit of Jesus did not let them enter Bithynia, so they didn’t. They never forced the issue or traveled where they weren’t supposed to go.
Finally, as these men waited for direction, Paul had a vision that inspired them to travel to Macedonia. They left immediately. It would have been easy for these missionaries to rush by every person and community on their path so that they could get to Macedonia as soon as possible. But that didn’t happen because every step in their journey was ministry.
Verses 11-15 describe an encounter with Lydia that brought unexpected blessings on their journey. Notice how Paul and Silas went out of their way and followed the Lord’s leading: “On the Sabbath we went a little way outside the city to a riverbank, where we thought people would be meeting for prayer, and we sat down to speak with some women who had gathered there.” (v.13). No vision told Paul or Silas to go to this riverbank and the Holy Spirit or the Spirit of Jesus weren’t telling these men not to go (as in verses 6-7). So why did they go?
Whether you are getting your drivers’ license, competing in sports or graduating from school, beware of the temptation to see things through tunnel vision. It’s easy to get caught up in trying to accomplish something that you don’t enjoy the process of learning how to be a safe driver, how to be a good teammate or gain knowledge. Be sure to wait on the Lord’s direction and enjoy every step of faithfulness.
Posted By: Eric at 11:11 AM : Link : 0 Comments
I'll Fight Day 2007 (4 Days Away!!!)
Tuesday, December 04, 2007
I’ll Fight Day 2007 is ONLY 4 DAYS AWAY and will take place on Saturday, December 8th throughout the Division. Last year 12 corps and over 150 teens from the Metropolitan Division participated in I’ll Fight Day and we hope to get more involved this year.
Here’s some things you should know:
-For the complete collection of I’ll Fight Day Resources, click here.
-Get your I’ll Fight Day plan figured out right away. Get together with your Corps group and make sure you are all on the same page and are prepared for the big day.
-Take digital pictures of the event and send them to me. They will be used in an upcoming Central Connection article and will be featured at the I’ll Fight Day victory celebration at the January 4th Prayer & Praise Night NEW LIFE! at the Norridge Corps. If you want your picture to be featured in the upcoming Central Connections article, you must have the photo consent form signed (see your Corps Officer/Youth Leader for the form).
It’s going to be awesome.
Are you in? RSVP here.
Need some inspiration? Check out what the Templo Laramie Corps did for last year’s I’ll Fight Day…
Posted By: Eric at 11:39 AM : Link : 0 Comments
