Saturday, October 4, 2008

What's Happening Now

Tomorrow is a very important day in the life of CITN...tomorrow is the E.A.C.H. BLAST!

Who is "EVERYONE"?

Why is it so important that EVERYONE becomes involved with the vision of this house?

Why is ATTENDING the services ITB so important?

Why is CONTRIBUTING so important, especially in the current financial climate?

Why is HELPING so important, and how can you help?



And don't forget the Sacrament Service tomorrow night!!!


AND BE SURE TO MAKE YOUR PLANS TO BE AT THE GPF INTERFAITH SERVICE THIS COMING TUESDAY NIGHT, OCTOBER 7!!!

21 comments:

Anonymous said...

I'll be at all of it! Can't wait!

Anonymous said...

Good morning Bishop!
Definitely looking forward to tomorrow!

Bishop, I believe this may be a word for you or maybe a confirmation, you be the judge, and I pray that it blesses others.

Late last night I was reading and praying, looking at a Psalm when my eyes glanced to the very top of the opposite page and it said...

His tent is in SALEM,
His dwelling place is in Zion.
There He shatters the bow's flaming arrows, the shield, the sword, and the weapons of war.
(Psalm 76:2,3)

Bishop, you had mentioned that you had talked with a Muslim aquaintance who said that he was giving directions to his Muslim brothers to get off the exit SALEM ROAD, Salem meaning "PEACE"...take a right onto IRIS drive to come to CITN to see Christ.

It's interesting that the GLOBAL PEACE FESTIVAL is happening here off of Salem...a path of peace that leads others to see a VISION of the Christ...that God inhabits this TENT at Salem Road and SHATTERS THE WEAPONS OF RELIGIOUS INTOLERANCE!

When peace is established through the laying down of our religious weapons, fear is destroyed, love is exalted, we rub elbows in the Spirit, and the Spirit tells us of the Prince of Peace-Jesus Christ!

Father, may Your Spirit be poured out like rain, like manna from heaven. Help us to diligently keep the UNITY OF THE SPIRIT with the PEACE that binds us...for Christ Jesus is our PEACE, who tears down the dividing walls...that as Christ proclaimed the good news of peace to all, may we do the same. Thank you for Your awesome grace!-in Jesus' name, amen.

The Cloud of Unknowing said...

The increasingly cosmic and social dimension of contemplation is stressed in Privy Counseling where this work is described as a development from"bodiliness" to "ghostliness"; and I have translated these words as the Pauline "flesh" and "spirit." For Paul, of course, flesh is not the sensual, Platonic flesh; it is not the instinctual part of man. Rather does it mean man rooted in this world; and when Paul uses it in a pejorative sense, it means man seeing only this world and blind to anything beyond it. On the other hand , the spiritual man is the man open to the universe and under the influence of the Spirit. Hence growth in contemplation, a growth toward spirit, is a development toward cosmic consciousness so that the contemplative puts on the mind of the cosmic Christ and offers himself to the Father for the salvation of the human race.

Pamela said...

Amen Karl. I will be there Sun, Tues, Wed. I know Bishop said if we had to choose come Tuesday, over Tues or Wed. But, I do not see a choice. By trying to put God first in my life (yes I am human and this is a work in progress) I do not see choices but opportunities to be blessed and to bless others. There is a reason for this not to be streamed on Sunday and Tuesday and it is because if you are not there you are either not ready to receive the entire vision that God is placing on our church and the vision he has for this community and the world or this is not a priority in your life. If you are not there you will be missing out on the biggest blessing that God is bestowing on us. He has chosen us to be on the TEAM, we get to play, we are not the ones that are going to be on the sidelines and wish that they had been there from the beginning. It is never too late with God, but don't you want to be there from the beginning??? Years from now, I get to say when I am traveling and telling others what God has done in my life and the life of others that I was there to witness and experience the miracles.

Choose this to be a priority in your life. I plan my days and weeks accordingly, because right now, God has me in Alpharetta and I do not have the luxury of living 5 minutes from CITN.

I love you all, see you ITB! Pamela T.

linda said...

Can't wait to be ITB tomorrow!

Anonymous said...

I'm with Karl on this one!

There is much more to geographical names in relation to the heavenly dimension than is presently understood.

CITN is located in a triangle of Salem, Old Salem and Iris.

The view is peacful from past to present.

peace,

JB

Son of Zadok said...

God is the simplest of all.

"Love one another, as I love you"

John 15:12

Unknown said...

Why.
My fave question!
And yet I find myself in a very quiet place right now.
Ditto, Larry. "I love you, Lord" song fills my days.

P. Avery said...

U-team, Charles sends his regards and hopes that our journey home was good.

Teezy313 said...

ARRRGH!! Being in college is fun but it's not fun when you have to miss so much back at church!

Hope tomorrow is a BLAST as well as Tuesday!

Peace, love, and blessings to all,
Teezy

Donald said...

Oh the joys of home ownership! As I discussed with Pastor Dennis recently on his blog, I have been casting out plumbing demons all week and believe that I have finally exorcised the last remaining ones.
It feels good to finally be able to sit back and relax and know that a major problem with the house has been solved. Yeah, I know there are people that do that stuff for a living, but I guess I'm stingy when it comes to things like that. Plus I learned some new stuff about plumbing.

Why is it so important that EVERYONE becomes involved with the vision of this house?
Unless everyone shares the same vision the services could be compared to a Chinese fire drill. I tried to be politically correct there, but finally came back to that saying. Apologies for any offenses. But the point is that everyone needs to be shooting at the same goal. True enough, some may be using a rifle, others a scatter gun, and yet others some other form of weaponry or tool. Styles may be different, but purposes must be unified.

Why is ATTENDING the services ITB so important?
I'm reminded of the story (and all of you have probably heard it before) about the man who had stopped attending church. The pastor of the church visited him on a cold day and the man had a nice fire burning in the fireplace. When asked, the man told the pastor that he couldn't find any benefits to attending church and that he could serve God just as good at home as he could at church. The pastor took the fire poke and moved one of the glowing embers away from the mass of embers that were located in the bottom of the fireplace. Soon the lone ember started cooling and turning dark while the other embers remained hot and glowing. In a little while the pastor took the now dark and cold ember and pushed it back into the fireplace with the other embers. It quickly turned red again like the other embers. The man understood the object lesson and told the pastor that he would see him next Sunday.

Why is CONTRIBUTING so important, especially in the current financial climate?
I've been listening to some of the supporters of the bailout package talking about how devastating it would be if the bill failed to pass. Looking at some of the fretful expressions on some of the faces of the Wall St. talking heads, you can almost hear them saying, "If this bailout package is not passed, no one will be able to buy or sell." When there is a lack of money it is so easy to see how much some people truly rely on it and how totally oblivious they are to the real source of provision.
When the crisis hit it seems that all the banks suddenly got very stingy with what they had.
That should not be the case with us who realize that money is not our source. If we cease to give due to the financial situation the country is in right now, we are in effect saying that God is only our source when things are going good.

Why is HELPING so important, and how can you help?
Well, just take a moment to imagine if no one EVER helped do anything. The church would come to a screaching halt almost immediately, regardless of how powerful God is. Even He couldn't (or wouldn't) have a church if nobody helped. Imagine how much trouble a human would face if he tried to do it all without any help.
From where I'm at right now, I can't do much to help physically, but I do tell others about the church and encourage them to tune in on Sunday mornings and check out the services.

Looking forward to tomorrow morning.

Erik said...

Hi Everyone,

Why ? Because we are a peculiar people who (along with other peculiars, as opposed to familiars) see ‘The Body’ and our individual bodies as parts of the same. Familiars seem not to distinguish the specialness of the peculiar, and pass on contributing, helping, attending, -- seeing little difference in doing so or not doing so. Peculiars on the other hand seem to see the inextricable tie between ‘The Body’ and each body. We believe that investing money, time, presence in ‘The Body’ has a direct correlation to the enjoyment of our individual body (spirit and natural), and all the attendant parts. Feed, engage, interact with ‘The Body’ and we do the same for our individual body.

Bishop, great pic of you on the Nile, especially with traditional type shirt. Back where it all began, and ‘begins’ again.

Although conventional thinking puts Eden in Tigris-Euphrates river valley (Iraq) , actually the Equator, Lake Victoria, head of the Nile is more Edenesque . Climate, lush vegetation and flowering plants, as well as wildlife (water, land and air). Adam would have a whole lot more to name there. Adam and Eve where more like the those at the head of The Nile than those at the Tigris – Euphrates, and very different from those along the Rhine or North Sea. Only if Davinci were African, what a different art world we would have. Alas, we work with what we got.

Sun 100508 service is all that we believe for and more. Expectations exceeded, and deposits by The Holy Spirit for future withdrawal plus interest. Enjoy, bask, take in the Son (Sun). The Nile flows from Eden to Egypt, where there is plenty. The years of famine have ended, All celebrate the harvest freely.

Anonymous said...

Dear Bishop

I Consider that I am part of everyone, and I promisse to that my part in everyone what everyone have to do.

Anonymous said...

Great picture of you Bishop. It looks professional. It captures the essence of freedon, love and understanding.

Why E.A.C.H ? Because it is our calling, our destiny.All of us, make up the vision. We have to do our part.Every one should make it a priority to be ITB,and do their part for the vision. If you cant be ITB there still is a part for every one. Get plugged in and watch the blessings flow.When you are plugged in to the right current there is power.

I will be ITB today and Tue ( I am taking off work on Wed so I can be there on Tue)becasue of the long drive, it will be way late when I get back home Tue night. I hope streaming is not blocked on Wed night becasue I have not missed a service yet, since moving. I look forward to hearing the after glow on Wed night.

Love to all from the North Georgia Mountains,
Debra M

Anonymous said...

...i love the butterly principle...and hope that it will encourage someone else as well!

Also, if you haven't seen the move 'Fireproof'..it is awesome! It was produced by a church in Albany Georgia as well as filmed in Albany. They also have a website...www.fireproofmymarriage.com.

Cool new picture Bishop! Blessings everyone!


The Butterfly Principle
by Os Hillman

"The Lord hardened the heart of Pharaoh king of Egypt, so that he pursued the Israelites, who were marching out boldly." Exodus 14:8
Overprotective parents do their children a great injustice. The caterpillar that lies inside the cocoon will never become the beautiful butterfly if someone cuts open the cocoon prematurely. It is the struggle itself that allows the butterfly to emerge as a strong, new creature of nature.

God understands how necessary this process is. That is why we are allowed to experience difficult, often life-changing events. He even orchestrates them-all for our benefit. What the Israelites thought was a cruel joke when Pharaoh sent troops to pursue them after they had been freed and penned against the shore of the Red Sea became the stage for the most publicized miracle of all time-the parting of the Red Sea. Generation after generation has heard this incredible story of deliverance. God puts us against the "Red Seas" in order to show His power in and through us. If we do not know God can deliver, then we can never learn to trust Him. Circumstances that go beyond our capabilities of solving them place us at God's complete mercy. This is how He likes it.

Do not fear the calamity that comes your way. If you are faithful to Him in the test, you will see God's power manifested like never before. Just as the Israelites were able to sing a song of deliverance, you too will have your own testimony of the Lord's faithfulness; and you will be able to recall it for others to build your faith and theirs.

LisaA said...

Glorious Sunday to all. I AM in agreement with all of the posts. Donald and Erik are right in the vision. How I would love to BITB. I plan a trip to GA to visit in person with all of you.
Bishop, you are such a perfect example. Your growth is evident and inspiring. Love the new picture. Peace Love & Light
Lisa

Anonymous said...

Bishop - I love the new picture - it embodies the Spirit of a Real Man experiencing the Real God in a Real World.

As P. Debye ministered a few weeks ago about carrying a full-term baby for 9 months and the pregnancy and birthing process that we have all undergone this year - I totally connected to that.

Today, during the service as she referred to today as being the culmination of a new birth at CITN, what came into my spirit was this: A full-term pregnancy is referred to as being 9 months but it is more specifically 40 weeks. And, you guessed it, today, October 5th is the 40th Sunday and this is the 40th week of the year of 2008. Clearly 40 has many biblical references and its symbolism is not lost as we birthed a new Church In The Now today!

The service that occurs here on Tuesday on the 7th day of this month at 7 pm during this 40th week of 2008 is divine order at its finest. God is in control and is moving and connecting people of faith all over the world to lead the entire Body of Christ toward and into total restoration of all things.

If you do not believe that God is ultimately in control of everything then why did a $700 billion congressional plan fail and in response the stock market fell 777 points which was 7% of its total value. God's signature is all over the current world situations. Surrender to His mighty power and allow Him to reveal to each of you exactly what you need to move forward in His Kingdom. We are all a piece of the divine puzzle. (I love the key chain we got today - such symbolism.)

I am blessed to live very close to CITN and am able to partake of the ITB experience constantly and I know that my being here is a Divine appointment. But, remember, all you out of towners - download the EACH Blast service or buy the DVD/CD on the CITN website - if you are a covenant member of this community, you won't want to miss seeing or hearing it.

Bishop Jim Swilley said...

Hey Anon @ 2:32, I'm going to re-post your comment...OK?

Anonymous said...

Bishop - you don't need my permission (which you know since you already did it) - but of course it is ok

tracy said...

Today was spectacular and awesome and great and new and energizing and....well you get the picture. It has been like that since the "family meeting" at Kids in the Now. David and I have re committed our time. When our finances took a hit we realized that we were only doing a part of what God called us to do and the financial thing made us take stock of what else we were doing in the church, which was not much at all. We had relationships in the church and were doing things and helping individuals, but nothing really organized in the body. Since the "family meeting" we volunteered with the Mix at Lighthouse Villages and it blessed our socks off. We also started with the Greeter Ministry last Sunday and through all of this we have realized what exactly it was that we were missing. So thanks for the kick in the pants that day to get us pointed in the right direction. I also realized the other day when I blogged about crossing over from unbelief into belief that it requires action in the meantime. The puzzle is getting fitly joined and starting to make sense! BTW cool pic-it doesn't even look real!

Anonymous said...

Hey Bishop,

This dates back to a Wednesday night Service a couple of weeks ago. Just can't seem to get this song out of my head since you mentioned it.

Dave Mason, We Just Disagree.
First link is a younger Dave Mason.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p8_FOQ7-P30
Second link is an older Dave Mason.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TCpQLZs2Eh8&feature=related

Love ya.
Ray