We Came....And We Celebrated

Psalm 134:1
Behold, bless the Lord, all you servants of the Lord, who by night worship in the house of the Lord!

5th anniversary .....
260 meetings......
Just another page in what God started 20 years ago....
We celebrated at VRC this past Saturday night.

Of course no celebration would be complete without some grub....so we grubbed it up real good. More pizza than you could shake a stick at. Something about a meal that causes people to be more social.
Part of what we do on Saturday night is to try and make those who come feel at home. A lot who come through our doors aren't very familiar with church. They may have visited one at some time, but they come with preconceived notions and concepts of what they think church is really like. So our goal is to offer a church that is somewhat non-traditional. Hear me on this! We are not a better way of doing church...we are simply a different way. Anywho! If We can get them to be comfortable, then they will let that religion/guard down. If that comes down, then we can speak truth and plant a "JESUS-SEED" inside them. The Holy Spirit will do the rest.

So, as John Wimber set the model for us here at
Vineyard ReCovery, we seek to be a culture
current fellowship. In other words, we want to reflect Jesus in a way that those who come can relate to. The music...the order of our service...(sometimes that order flies out the window as the Holy Spirit has something different He wants to do) is all part of the love we have for those who are either trapped in their addiction, or have found that new life and pathway to real peace.

Walking the food! Finding a seat. If you were in the room at this point Saturday night, you'd heard voices, laughter, and a lot of chewing. For some this is their first interaction in a social setting in a long time. It was a time for us to build connections with new people who were with us for the first time. A chance to demonstrate the love of God. To create a new view that truly said..."God love you, and so do we!" 
A good friend of mine made the statement that "God loves us just the way we are...but He loves us so much that He doesn't want to leave us in our current state." In other words, real relationship means growth and maturity. Maturity...the ability to make sound decisions.

We moved into our time of celebration through the music. Usually on our anniversary meetings, we do what we refer to as "Take-back" songs. Songs that everyone is familiar with. Songs that we grew up with. So since our band is what I call "Geezer-worship"...we go a few years back.

We brought the Beatles "Come Together".....Del Shannon's "Runaway"....."Ben E. King's "Stand By Me".....Eric Clapton's "Wonderful Night". All the songs had been re-written to present Christ and the message of the Gospel in way that was slightly different. I know that such music, especially in church may not be everyone's cup of tea, but I wish you could have been on the stage when we started. The faces of those present as the first song unwound...."Can They Do This! Can they play this kind of music in church? A group of people who did not know what worship is....worshiped.

One of the things I wanted to do Saturday night was to bring together a group of recovery leaders, to share what is happening with their meetings....to share what makes them unique in the recovery circle.

Another point I wanted to get across is that we are united...
We have a common call, and we are not in competition with each other. I am truly blessed to be a part of a group such as this. So I had Nick Johnson, Barry Hooks and Seth Barber come and share a bit about what God is doing in their meetings.

We opened the floor up for questions and comments and received several for the guys to answer. We also saw a lot of gratitude from those in the crowd who are working a program. I  know there are a lot out there who are dead set against the Twelve Step Program. But truth be known, you cannot truly work through those steps and not hit your head on the cross at some point.

So, we came together this last Saturday night to Celebrate what God has done. Now, here on this Monday morning, we move forward into what God is wanting to do. I have no clue what this day holds, but I know one who does.....

Maybe such a thought as that is why I must live my life "One Day At A Time".....

Thanks to everyone who made this celebration possible.....The core leaders of VRC. You guys are the best.

Thanks to Anthony Mintz for the photo's...
Hope you don't mind me using them.....
Leave you with a little song by Joe Walsh of the Eagles. His tribute to being sober for 18 years...
"One Day At A Time".
God on you...
mbb