During the 1990s, the radical islamic terrorist NCP regime in Khartoum launched a campaign of genocide and ethnic cleansing in the Nuba Mountains of the Republic of Sudan. The Nuba Mountains are home to Sudan’s largest Christian community. The genocide was targeted at three groups of people: 1. Black Africans, 2. Christians, 3. Supporters of the opposition party. To carry out the genocide, the NCP chose Ahmed Haroun, a man later indicted for war crimes in orchestrating the Darfur genocide.

More than 500,000 Nuba people lost their lives under Haroun’s oversight. Hundreds of churches were burned down. Most pastors who survived endured imprisonment and horrendous torture and persecution.

In 2011, the NCP ordered Ahmed Haroun to leave Darfur and head back to the Nuba Mountains to finish the job he started in the 1990s. In June, 2011, Haroun made his move. After sacking the capitol city of Kadugli, Haroun launched a campaign of terror from the skies. Bombers and fighter planes began indiscriminate air attacks on civilian targets.

Tens of thousands of Nuba residents fled to the mountains to hid in the rocks and caves– leaving fields to lie uncultivated.

Presently, there is a growing humanitarian crisis in the Nuba Mountains. The war has now spread to the neighboring Blue Nile State. A broadening war also means a broadening humanitarian crisis.

The international community has so far chosen to do next-to-nothing to check the genocidal policies of the NCP.

 That’s where you come in.

 Get active today to help the persecuted in Sudan. Together, we can Save the Nuba!

Visit www.savethenuba.com to learn more and sign the online petition!

How many of us climbed out of bed this morning and promptly put in our earplugs for a day without sound? Or wrapped our eyes with a blindfold for a fun-filled day with no sight? Or tied a hand behind our back for a left-hand-only-kind-of-day?

Few of us pause very often to consider the genius of human physiology and the beauty of all our various faculties seamlessly working together. But as soon as we consider a day (or even an hour!) without the use of something as small as our thumbs, we marvel at the diversity and design of all our wonderful parts.

Scripture makes clear that the community of Jesus is no different than our bodies. In fact, the Church itself is a body—the Body of Christ. Most famously, in 1 Corinthians 12, Christians are warned that envying the gifts of others would be as nonsensical as eyes longing to be feet.

God has uniquely gifted all Christians to serve Him through serving others.

Melissa Winter has been learning the depths of this truth through a course called OnPath. This one-on-one course with Dr. Ron Ervin provides guidance in biblically-based, critical reflection on one’s personal and professional life.

“It’s a course on how to figure out what God’s will for your life is,” explains Melissa. And she would enthusiastically recommend the course to “anybody who needs direction in their life—who needs a deeper understanding of how God has made them and what plans He may have for them in the future.”

With growing uncertainty about the future of our society, culture, and economy, the ranks of those needing fresh perspective on God’s purpose for their lives are likely to be growing.

Melissa decided to take the course during a “stale period” in her life after a friend recommended it to her. During that period she was wrestling with questions large and small, ranging from career and finances to uncertainty about the future and seemingly unanswered prayers. And beneath all of those questions crept the question about her worth before God and her value to others.

Through the counsel of “Dr. Ron,” however, she discovered answers in something greater than all her questions:

“The course really does help you focus on [God] and not you,” says Melissa. “I think this is probably a lot of people’s struggle—at least it’s mine: All I think about is me—and I think this course got me focused on Him and His will. Focusing on who He is and what He’s done takes that focus off of me.”

As she began focusing on the character of God, Melissa became more grounded in the fact that God truly loves her and more confident that He has gifted her to serve others in an absolutely indispensable way.

“I am unique, and He can use me.”

Melissa entered into OnPath asking dozens of questions about conflicted and confusing areas of her life. Yet with his biblical perspective, genuine care, and a good dose of humor, Dr. Ron helped her turn her gaze away from herself and toward others—to embrace her unique role in the Body and begin serving God through serving others. There and only there do we find secure and lasting joy, peace, and meaning—despite the insecure shifting sands in our world and in our hearts.

OnPath is a biblically-based life and work assessment course designed to provoke thinking and foster strategic renewal, personally and professionally. This class combines the application of scriptural principles, processes, and tools with prayer in a one-on-one setting. The cost of the course is $70 to cover the purchase of a workbook and required personality profiles.  By appointment only.

The number fifty in the Bible is a significant one. It represents the full measure of years. It does not indicate the end of life, but the end of physical labor. In the book of Numbers you find that those who are in physical service at the Tent of Meeting (because of its taxing physical labor) should be between thirty and fifty years old. After fifty, a priest becomes an elder statesman (Numbers 8:25-26).

Dr. Youssef leads the very first service of The Church of The Apostles in the Hallmark Room at the Waverly Hotel on May 10, 1987. Around 52 adults and children gathered together that Motherʼs Day to worship and celebrate communion.

The thought that fifty is the fullness of years is thrown in Jesus’ face in John chapter 8 when He says: “Abraham rejoiced at the thought of seeing my day.” They say to Him: “You are not yet fifty years old.” Of course they, like so many church folks today, fail to see that He is the divine Son of God. At fifty, a person is afforded the respect of eldership because of his or her wisdom of years and experience. But fifty is more than just a landmark. The number fifty carries great significance in Israel’s calendar.

God instructed Moses that the timing of the Feast of Weeks was to be exactly fifty days after the Sabbath from the first fruit, or the day of the wave offerings. In fact, the Greek word Penta, from which we get “Pentecost,” means “fifty.” But there is something more important about the number fifty. It is associated with liberation and being set free. That is why God established the fiftieth year as the year of Jubilee. Every seventh year is to be a Sabbath year—from which we get the word sabbatical—which many pastor friends of mine take after each seventh year of ministry. Many people, whenever I take my three-week summer vacation, ask me: “Did you enjoy your sabbatical?” I often resist the temptation of explaining what “sabbatical” really means. But in biblical times, the seventh year is a complete year of rest. During that year the land lies fallow. (Leviticus 25:4)

Dr. Youssef serves communion in the first sanctuary on the Northside Parkway building.

But after seven cycles of Sabbath years had passed, Israel was requested to observe a second Sabbath as a year of Jubilee. That year on the Day of Atonement a trumpet would blast. At that moment, all lands that were sold in the previous forty-nine years would return to their original owners. In addition, all servants or slaves who were employed or bought during those forty-nine years were completely set free. The idea was that the Jubilee year would occur once in a lifetime for every Israelite. In fact, the most significant aspect of the Jubilee year is the concept of freedom. This was supposed to remind the Israelites that both they and their land belonged to the Lord. They were both the Lord’s possessions. And it is God who takes back His people and His land in the year of Jubilee.

That brings me to something very important. The year of Jubilee for our church would be 2037. But since my greatest hope is that when that time rolls around, I will be in a glorified body in Heaven, we will celebrate our half-Jubilee on our 25th anniversary. For two years now I have been praying, spending time with the Lord, and sensing in my spirit through His leadership that we should do something symbolic for this mid-Jubilee year, namely, that all church members have the opportunity to renew their Membership Covenants on the day of the 25th Anniversary. Let us make our 25th Anniversary celebration truly an honor unto the Lord.

Bill Sandman, our Middle School Coordinator, talks a little about the weekend…

Our Winter Mission Project for 2012 took place over the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday weekend. We stayed at Rescue Atlanta, a day shelter and church that caters to the homeless community of Atlanta.  While there, we partnered with an organization called Samaritan’s Feet. On Saturday, we distributed almost 300 pairs of new shoes to the homeless clients of Rescue Atlanta. As a part of that distribution, our students were able to wash their feet before they fitted them with new shoes and socks.

It was really amazing how the STS students ministered to the homeless people.  Many of them prayed together, shared stories and shared the love of Jesus Christ. As I walked around the room changing buckets of warm soapy water, there were a few times that tears came to my eyes as I listened to teenagers praying with the shoe recipient or when a student’s eyes lit up as another homeless person was escorted to their foot washing station. It was a day that I will never forget and I know that the STS students who were there feel the same.

Each fall, the fifth and sixth grade students in STS look forward to Radiate Weekend. This is a special weekend designed for students to be able to come together in fellowship and be equipped, challenged, and refueled in their walks with the Lord. The weekend has a guest speaker, designated times of worship, and an evening where the students spend the night, separated by grade and gender, in the homes of our church families.

This year’s focus was the passage in John 14:6 where Jesus says, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” In a culture that says there are many ways to God, we want our students to be confident in knowing that there is only one way for salvation and that is through Jesus Christ and in Him alone! Our guest speaker, Chad Cannon, did a wonderful job leading our students in a deeper understanding of this passage and what this passage looks like in our daily lives.

Our worship team did a wonderful job in leading our students in worship and it was truly a joy to hear and see them sing to the Lord with passion.

Radiate weekend would not be possible without the gracious support of our fifth and sixth grade parents who open their homes for students to spend the night and also provide a breakfast the next morning. As a student ministry we are truly blessed to have so many parents who pray, serve, and support our students.

Here are some thoughts from one of this year’s host parents, Su Jackson:

It was such fun to have the fifth and sixth grade girls here for Radiate Weekend. Although most of the activities were held at the church, we had 13 bouncing girls arrive on Friday evening to spend the evening with us. There were lots of giggles as they played ping pong, foosball, board games, and even karaoke! Although the girls didn’t all know each other when the evening started, they got along great! They even all slept in the same room! Anna Witt organized the girls and stayed with them so all we really did was provide a place to stay and some breakfast in the morning. One of the girls at breakfast said, “We should all do this again!” It’s so important for the kids to be able to get to know each other better in addition to Sunday mornings.

We are so thankful to the STS team for investing in the lives of our children. It is so important for the kids to discuss the important things in life with someone who cares for them—especially what God’s plan is for them. As you can see in the picture, it was a great time of fellowship for all!

They came into the Crown small group with addictive behaviors, abandoned goals, strained family relationships, and crumbling finances. They left 10 weeks later with tangible changes in behavior, new energy for their goals, and new hope for their future, family relationships, and finances.

What do you know about the Crown Financial Ministries small groups? Some think the course is just about giving more or starting to tithe. While becoming a more joyful and generous giver is a frequent outcome, giving is just a small portion of Crown’s message.

God wants us to live in alignment with His Word and will. We may give a portion of our money to God, and think we’re doing great if we give 10 percent. God does not want 10 percent of our money. He wants 100 percent of our obedience. God wants us to acknowledge that He owns everything that is “ours,” and we are the stewards, or managers, of the resources He has entrusted to us. He wants us to live our financial lives in accordance with His principles.

Crown has deepened our relationship with the Lord, putting our marriage on the same page. Our attitude about everything in our lives is fully trusted into God’s hands. It is the most exciting way to live, knowing God is in control and in His economy lie the true riches both here and in the hereafter. We thank God for having the privilege of receiving this study and then facilitating it. It is a major blessing in every class to see the hand of God move so tangibly through the Scriptures.

Ruth and Bill Swaim

Crown is about finances, but not just about finances. Jesus knew that surrendering to Him required surrendering worldly desires. That’s why more of Jesus’ parables were about money than any other topic. That’s why the Bible contains over 2,350 verses regarding money, possessions, and work. 

We have been personally blessed by the Crown ministry in so many ways. Our marriage has been strengthened through the study of God’s word and His financial principles. By applying them to our lives, over the years we were able to get out of massive debt and get our financial house in order, giving us greater peace of mind. Prayers with and by our class taught us that we need God and others in our lives to hold us accountable. The sound biblical foundation and memorization of the Scriptures continue to come to mind whenever we get in situations where we have to make financial and life choices. They guide us toward wise decisions. As a result, thankfully we live in God’s economy and have learned to depend and trust in Him for all He has lovingly provided us to manage to His glory.

Sheri and Allen Dresser 

Crown will teach you about budgeting, debt reduction, planning, and practical financial matters. Crown will give you the tools to assist you in goal-setting, planning, and communication in marriage. But Crown will also teach you higher lessons about understanding God’s Word, trusting God, changing attitudes toward money and possessions, and living in contentment with an eternal perspective. 

Apostles will offer the Crown small group starting in late January. You may register at www.apostles.org/ministries/congregational care/crown financial ministries. Come join us.

If you were not able to attend one of the training you may be interested in listening to the audio from one of the sessions and utilizing the materials below to conduct your own personal training session.

Someone once said that all great literature is one of two stories—a man goes on a journey or a stranger comes to town. The story is turned upside down either by someone going “out there” or by someone coming “in here.”

Brant Vincent describes his relationship with God as both of these stories—the divine “stranger” invading “in here” along with an invitation to an adventurous journey “out there.”

A native of Nashville, Brant grew up attending church faithfully—it was actually all quite routine. Predictable and ritualistic, he knew the pattern of “church-life” well. And it didn’t carry much deep significance for him.

Then the “Stranger” stepped into the dry, dusty town of religion.

Brant remembers that Sunday night in 1975 very well. At the age of sixteen, he sat under a cross in the sanctuary of his family’s church and experienced a profound and powerful realization of God’s love for him. In that mysterious moment, Brant says, “I knew that Jesus was real and that He loved me.”

The God-man—born in Bethlehem, crucified in Jerusalem, resurrected three days later to reign forever—invaded Brant’s life that night. He was (and is) fully known by this Stranger.

Old habits die hard, however. Jesus was no longer a stranger—Brant now knew His voice. But he continued to try to compartmentalize his life with Jesus to a particular time on Sunday. The rest of the hours of the week— “real” life—continued to seem rather distant from God. As Brant puts it, “When I graduated from high school I graduated from church. I wasn’t hostile to God or the church; it was just that He didn’t seem relevant in my life. What was relevant in my life was becoming a doctor.”

So Brant studied medicine and became highly specialized in the field of radiology—the interpretation of diagnostic images. While in medical school, he met and married his wife, Teresa. Freshly graduated and freshly married, the couple jumped state for Brant to practice residency.

He had gone from high school to Memphis State to East Tennessee University to the University of Kentucky. Years of life flashed with a single sentence.

And since Jesus was compartmentalized to Sundays, He didn’t seem very involved in any of this. It was clear to Brant that he needed to be steering and controlling his own life. He didn’t realize he was already on the journey of a lifetime with the “Stranger.”

Finally the Vincents settled in Springfield, just northwest of Nashville. There he developed a successful medical practice and fulfilled a childhood dream by purchasing a 90-acre farm—complete with a John Deere tractor.

“Running the practice and the other details of life was all difficult,” Brant says, “but I had it all under tight control. Or so I thought.” Eventually the pressure and stress of his “successful” life of self-reliance led to major depression.

During this same period of time, Brant and Teresa began teaching a Sunday school class at their local church. In preparation for lessons that he was teaching, Brant began studying regularly the work of R.C. Sproul—drawn by Sproul’s intellectual and logical approach. He began hearing the Gospel, the wonderful news of a Creator who loves His creation enough to enter into it and to bear its curse—the loving King who dies in the place of His rebellious subjects.

He remembers another day in October of 1999, when he was baptized in the creek on his family farm. This is the day he began trusting Jesus in earnest with his entire life.

Brant began to realize who exactly this Stranger was who had invaded his life.

“Now having given my life to Him, I no longer have to try to be in control of everything,” says Brant, “God is in control. I know that the Lord has a plan for my life, a plan for good, no matter what the circumstances. I have peace.”

The journey with the divine Stranger, however, is full of tests and trials that He uses to recreate us—and this involves detoxing us of our self-reliance. Brant began trusting Jesus in earnest—and got fired! He and his entire medical group’s contract with their hospital was not renewed because of disagreements with the hospital administrator.

What followed was a season of particular trust that the Stranger was in control and that the Stranger would not abandon him during this journey—even though he had to sell his John Deere.

Looking back, Brant recognizes the hand of God bringing him and his family to Atlanta, providing a wonderful school for his children, and wonderful provision and jobs for his family.

The Vincents formally joined The Church of The Apostles around six months ago—but they have been involved much longer than that. Brant and Teresa and their two children have been attending The Church of The Apostles for over four years now.

Brant still leans on Proverbs 3:5-6 which says, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make your path straight.”

Brant knows that he will not be abandoned by Jesus and that his journey is just the beginning of life everlasting, where he will eventually know the Stranger, even as he himself is already fully known. (1 Cor 13:12)

Although it’s hard to imagine, Christmas really does come in July at Apostles—that’s usually when we begin praying for the details of the annual Christmas Tea. If I have learned anything from Belinda Stone in the Women’s Ministry, it’s that prayer is the foundation of all great moves of God, and all great women’s events!

Not one detail goes uncovered in the list of things to pray for, from lighting and sound, to parking lot peace and sentimental centerpieces. Each member of the church staff, from speaker to singers, as well as the servant-volunteers, is prayed for by name. But, that’s just the beginning, because the real intercession is done during and after each endeavor. In my six years at Apostles, I have personally witnessed every single chair of every event being prayed over, literally, by the women’s prayer team. This group prays for specific people to be placed strategically at each table and for ministry to take place in every direction, from beginning to end. This past December, not only was I an intercessor for such specific prayers, but I was also a recipient of them as well.

For years people have told me, as a single woman, the Women’s Ministry is not somewhere I should serve. They would say, “Why don’t you serve in _______________ (fill in the blank here with the area of church service you imagine the most single guys to be found in). You’ll never meet anyone being with so many other women!” Well, that was a good theory until December 2010—and last time I checked, serving Jesus was not about meeting others or meeting my needs, it was only about meeting His needs and His good pleasure!

Allow me to make this disclaimer: although the “happily ever after” ending did not result here, like in the fairy tales, what was made crystal clear is that the God who made time stand still, needs no time at all to make His will come to pass. The story He wrote through my 120 seconds of sharing a personal testimony during the introduction of our speaker, could not have been scripted by any man, even if he had 120 years to do it.

Our guest for the tea, Jackie Kendall, just happened to be one of my life-long mentors. Because of the personal connection, I was asked to pick her up from the airport; it was the only excuse I needed to grab our favorite salads and appetizers from Houston’s and head south! Prayer #1 answered that Tuesday (not counting the fact I got to eat one of my favorite meals) was that Jackie literally had a narrow, 45-minute window to make it into Atlanta, due to tornado warnings. She departed Orlando, where she had already been speaking at an event with Pro Athletes Outreach just inside that window. Maybe Prayer #1 answered should be that PAO agreed to share her time with us that week during their event—how many ministries do you know that would allow that to happen? God bless PAO, otherwise, we would not have even had her there, and my 120 seconds of seeing God’s sovereignty would never have happened the way it did.

As I drove to the airport hotel, Belinda called me saying she had a strong urging that I should introduce Jackie that night. Of course this was an easy task, as I had known her and taught her material for nearly 25 years on the college campuses where I coached. Her book Lady in Waiting was not just a Bible study for me, but now, still single at 41, it had become a way of life. The real reason we were celebrating at the tea, however, was the message of forgiveness found in the birth of the baby boy Jesus, who became the Man of Salvation. His story was the reason for her latest treasure called Free Yourself to Love. Jesus’ gift of grace to us was the focus of her talk, as she would encourage us to learn to forgive deeply, in order to truly love.

It was such a blessing because Belinda had heard how Jackie had given away over 1800 copies of her book to the pastors’ wives at the Southern Baptist Convention, where she had previously given the message. We prayed and asked God to do the same for our tea. He did. What number prayer answered am I on now?

Anyway, as I said, introducing Jackie was easy for me. It included a brief blurb about her books, her ministry, and her impact on my life. It took a total of 180 seconds. (Feel free to listen to her message in the archives and you can time it yourself, because I did just that.) You see, during this “chance” encounter God’s grace was poured out richly on my life during the 120 seconds of my testimony.

Because of her first book, I shared a short story of how for a quarter of a century, I had successfully avoided “Bozos” and was still waiting on my “Boaz”—her book being based on the story of Ruth. That line, of course, got a roaring laugh from the crowd, while at one table, unbeknownst to me, a lady was leaning over to her sister-in-law saying, “I wonder if our brother is her Boaz?”

We were there that night because Jackie had been my “faculty advisor” in gaining my PhD, I told the crowd. They were impressed. With two degrees from Georgia Tech, I decided it was time to pursue a higher degree—only my PhD was in FORGIVENESS, and not from an institution. It was an eternal degree; it was the message we were there to hear: how only Jesus can free us from sin, and thus truly free us to love. It was such a blessing knowing the book I held in my hand, Free Yourself to Love, was was going to be given to over 600 woman there that night, because someone else had paid the price for it, just like Jesus. What a story!

After the message, the real intercession begins at a women’s event, and such was the case here. When I left ahead of Belinda’s prayer, to man Jackie’s table, I was met in the hallway by a young lady who was balling her eyes out and being held up by her friend who had brought her. “Is there any way we can talk to Jackie” Of course! That’s why we were there, and as she briefly shared her story, I knew another prayer had been answered. “My life story is almost exactly like Jackie’s!” Her story was also one which required deep, deep levels of forgiveness and healing; that night she had begun her journey toward freedom in Christ! What number prayer am I on now? I lost count. Too many had already come to pass—even down to the detail that my life-long mentor was actually here at Apostles ministering. Little did I know how these stories would continue to impact my life at church. In fact, time after time, others would see me and say, “Aren’t you the lady that introduced Jackie?” and they would begin to share their testimonies from that night and her book.

If I could write all the details about my particular tale birthed from that evening, you really wouldn’t believe it. One week after the tea I got a call at work, “Theresa? I think I know who your Boaz is…” Remember the lady sitting at the table who whispered that to her sister? Well, the long and short of my story is that out of my introduction of a speaker at the women’s tea, who barely made it to Atlanta, who PAO shared that week, whose first book had taught me to wait on Boaz, whose latest book had taught me how to love freely by forgiving deeply, allowed me to cross paths with a man I dated seriously and who will make an amazing Boaz for someone one day. And although the fairy tale ending did not happen for me, I will tell you God can use 120 seconds to shape His will instantly, and that prayer really does matter.

Just ask Ruth. She made a choice to follow Naomi, and serve the Lord, not chase a man. The story, as told in Ruth 1:6-18, well, it takes about 120 seconds to read. You decide.

“I think of a hero as someone who understands the degree of responsibility that comes with his freedom.”

Although Bob Dylan probably didn’t have Scripture in mind when he said this, he actually gives slight echoes of the apostle Paul:

“You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love” (Gal 5:13).

The life, death, and resurrection of Jesus has set us free and given us enormous and incredible freedom. Freedom that comes with responsibility to serve God by serving others. Fifteen-year-old Sloane Schuler recently returned from a mission trip to Nicaragua with dozens of other high school students where they did exactly that.

Sloane and the group stayed in a city called Chinandega, and every day they ventured out on bumpy dirt roads to serve the rural communities. The students’ days were filled with a variety of ministries at different sites ranging from intense manual labor, teaching Vacation Bible Schools, and visiting the most needy and forgotten.

Regardless of background or personality, once there the students functioned together as the body of Christ. “I’ve been on sports teams and things like that before,” reflected Sloane, “but it amazed me how nowhere else will you find complete strangers coming together for one purpose.”

There was often a language barrier on the work sites, but the trip’s coordination with Atlanta based Amigos for Christ allowed Sloane an opportunity to work closely with a Nicaraguan man named Oswaldo who spoke English well. When Oswaldo would translate, Sloane could tell the humble farmers he served how much of a privilege it was to be around them. And when they didn’t have a translator, Sloane and his group would dig trenches in the village to help lay pipes for clean drinking water—their sweat and labor spoke loud and clear.

Likewise, the group did not need to be fluent in Spanish to comprehend the staggering poverty that pervades much of Nicaragua. One moment that stands out in their memory was visiting a dump where an entire village had been relocated from a natural disaster. They watched people run after trucks for bits of scraps of metal and rummage around in trash for scraps of food. These dehumanizing conditions know no language barrier.

These pitiful conditions make the Nicaraguan people’s joyful spirit even more remarkable. “Some of the people down there are the most joyous people I think I’ve met in my life,” said Sloane. “I feel they’ve kind of rubbed off on me a little . . . you know I’m not like super gracious or anything but it’s kind of made me think it’s awesome to be alive for Christ.”

And although these profound experiences opened Sloane’s eyes while he was on the ground, he warns about how easy it is for all of us to slide into comfortable indifference. Weeks after returning from Nicaragua, he traveled to Kentucky for another mission trip and realized how quickly he had forgotten the lessons of Nicaragua and just returned to his “little life in America.”

May none of us be content with little lives of complacent comfort. May we all take Sloane’s words to heart and live grand lives of self-giving love with our freedom.