Can I make a suggestion? Mark your calendar next year for the second week in June and plan on being at the Chesapeake Vineyard for the 3rd annual Celebrate the School Year Sunday. It’s our opportunity to hear from our kids and get a taste for what they are learning in and around their schooling. Kidz 5 to 17 took part and what a joy it was! An original sonnet… Learning about place value… Life on one of the Jamestown ships… A first-class photo essay… A new song…. Walk Thru OT pantomime….

Kidz also brought academic treasures to share with the church family and placed them on the table. It is exciting to see the incredible creativity in our children.

The day culminated with our first-ever “Senior Homily.” A homily is a short, inspirational address on a moral or biblical topic. Emily Howerton set a high standard with an excellent homily on “Imago Dei” — understanding and pursuing God’s image in us. Great job, Emily! And thanks for blessing this Vineyard with your gifts!

We managed to record much of the celebration, picking up at the end of Grace’s photo show. The recording includes all of Emily’s homily, two original songs and much more. Listen here.

Sometimes I forget how awesome is the plan God has for us with prayer. Actually, it’s probably the other way around. Most of the time, I don’t even consider how awesome is the plan God has for us with prayer. In reading Anna’s email this morning - or was it last night? - I again came in touch with God’s warm breath of Love, encouraging and reminding us to pray.

Because of that, I ask you to please join Richard and me in praying for Bernice, Richard’s employee, co-worker and friend. Bernice has cancer and the doctor says she has 45 to 60 days. This schedules her death by the end of July, just before her 40th wedding anniversary in mid-August.

PLEASE pray for God’s redemptive, restorative miracles to heal her body, replace the devastated organs, everything that needs to be done to return her to full health and vitality. Please also pray for God to use all this to bring Benice and her family closer to Jesus than ever before. They are active members of their church.

John, Bernice’s husband has retired, so he is able to spend all his time with Bernice at home. They now have home hospice care to help out. Please pray for John, as this has been an exceedingly difficult time for him.

Thank you so much for caring and praying.
Nancy & Richard

http://chapmanchannel.typepad.com/inmemoryofmaria/2008/05/index.html

NASHVILLE, TN…5/21/08… At approximately 5pm on the afternoon of Wednesday May 21st, Maria Sue Chapman, 5 years old and the youngest daughter to Steven and Mary Beth Chapman was struck in the driveway of the Chapman home in Franklin, TN. Maria was rushed to Vanderbilt Childrens Hospital in Nashville, transported by LifeFlight, but died of her injuries there. Maria is one of the close knit family’s six children and one of their three adopted daughters.

Lets keep this family who has pioneered and warred for the sake of the Call in prayer.

Bill Emery was featured on WVEC this week. Go here to read the article. It’s easy to forget how many people and ministries our little Vineyard has helped to nurture over the years!

Listen to IHOP Jim Mayer’s message “Unpacking Revelation” by clicking here!

I want to offer some reflections from this past Sunday, from my vantage point. I wish each of you could have the opportunity to lead worship at our church. More importantly, to view what transpires on any given Sunday from that place. It’s really quite amazing. Even though I’ve been involved in the music for a number of years, just about every time we gather is a fresh, invigorating and somewhat exhausting experience. The unpredictiable nature of our Vineyard sure makes for some special times, but it also leave the worship team wondering if/when something is going to “happen.” We never quite plan enough or practice enough or rehearse enough to have any sense that what we are about to “do” will cause God to do something special. It’s more like we’re just there to set the table; to help create an environment.

And to have such mature, thoughtful, respectful and talented teens alongside is quite a privilege. The kidz are now quite accomplished. They are flexible, worshipful, humble, and team-oriented. And they really turn their hearts to the Lord in worship. What you probably can’t see is that at this point I’m following as much as I’m leading! I just about forgot how to play a couple of those songs so I basically looked around for help and Grace guided us on the drums. And a few times, I totally botched the transition from the chorus to the verse. We had a good chuckle and didn’t miss a beat.

Well, I’m just rambling. Thanks for listening!

Thanks to everyone for praying for Richard’s mom last Sunday!  The mass was  1.8 cm (had it been less than 1 cm, they would not have paid any attention to it), and the doctor had some trouble finding it at first.  Then she had trouble getting enough fluid to test.  Mom will get her results on May 14th, so we’ll know more then.  To me, it sounded like the mass was not as big as the scoping showed - I don’t know that this is so.  Anyway, I laid a hand over the area in her neck and prayed again for her complete healing, the the tissue would shrink away totally and the doctors would not be able to find it!  I felt the Lord’s power, so I am trusting that He is doing something more!  Please keep praying.

Nancy

OK, for the record, here is a post of how the Lord healed Joel Andre’s brother. What an amazing experience for everyone who was there when Joel first shared how his brother’s doctor had just told him he likely had cancer and then just one week later… no cancer! You can listen to the audio here and also read some thoughts I’ve journaled on my “perceiving” blog here.

As Oscar said, we need to recount what God has done. These are our stories of the Kingdom advancing in our midst. We are literally “seeing” the kingdom of God. Let’s not forget what He has done.

Wow, people must be praying!  Elena has been running fevers all week,
so they were going to admit her this week instead.  This morning the
doctor called to say that the hospital ward is overcrowded, so they may not
admit Elena at all now.  Instead, they are thinking they will put her on
really strong oral antibiotics for 21 days, and play it by ear.  Monday, we
have to go in as planned, ready to be admitted if there is room on the ward,
but sent home if it is crowded.  If that happens, then they will bring her
in every two weeks for a while to check her PFTs (pulmonary function
test).  Anyway, I just wanted to let you know that Elena may not be admitted
afterall now (yay!).  I will get back to you after Monday’s visit.
Thanks for your prayers and support.
With love,
Amelia

I’m reading John Eldredge’s book, “Waking the Dead“. You can’t read this book too quickly. You have to take it slowly and let God talk to you. You have to soak it up in His Presence. It is a warm and lovely book. It is not sappy or trite or a quick-fix book. It is encouraging and full of hope.

This is not a book about raising people from the dead. It is about letting yourself awaken from the “dead”, finding your whole heart, fully alive. It is worth the time and quietness needed to read it slowly.

Here is the ISBNumber: 978-0-7852-8829-9 (paperback). List price is $14.99. I got it on sale at Harvest Company for $10.99.

I’ve posted the audio from Sunday’s message, “Perceiving the Gospel.” Go here for the audio. You can also download a .pdf of the outline (see the icon on the player. Also, fyi, I’ve set up a special site to further develop this concept and posted some thoughts here: PowerOfPerceiving.com. Thanks for the opportunity! Would love to hear your feedback!