Welcome to The Journey!
You have reached “The Journey in East Central Minnesota!”. The Journey is a missional, organic fellowship that networks with other communities sharing a common vision as Jesus’ followers – to:
Know God ~ Love People ~ Don’t Give Up!
A Witness of the Living Jesus Christ – December 31, 2011
In digging into the Book of Acts we couldn’t help but notice that the reason Jesus gave for sending the Holy Spirit in Power was to make disciples into “WITNESSES”. Witnesses of what? …of the fact that Jesus is alive, and transforming our lives.
So we asked ourselves one evening in December, as the year was coming to an end, “What in your life proves that Jesus is alive and that He still saves us?” We filled three pages of flip chart pads with one-line answers. Then we put these on the wall at our New Years Eve party and invited others to “Write it on the Wall”. At the end of the evening there were 41 ways people had listed how they knew Jesus was showing up in their lives. Here are the things they said:
- The perfect job in the middle of a recession
- A house for my family on one income
- Healing in my life
- Acceptance of suffering, endurance
- I am honoring my elders
- Deliverance and freedom
- I am able to enjoy life, Bible reading and prayer
- Kids accepting parents influence as adults
- Personal growth in self-esteem: negative mind-set gone!
- My co-worker says: “You always seem happy; I would never know you have hard times in your life”
- Peace
- He gave me a relationship with my sisters after 25 years
- Set free from fear of guys
- Covering bills and needs despite a less than adequate job (messy)
- “Random” encounter with The Journey (and Jesus) gave me a new ‘family”
- Encouraging test messages just when I needed them
- Surviving a car accident
- One year of sobriety
- Healed relationships
- A job promotion and influence at work
- Finding a co-worker to do spiritual warfare with
- Patience
- I asked and received
- The chance to start over – forgiveness and freedom from negative thoughts
- Seeing He is with me, holding my hand
- Health, sobriety, family, and a job
- Teaching me to be thankful in all things
- When Satan attacks my mind and emotions the Lord keeps reminding me He is still with me and loves me, though I’m weak
- He is helping me to see myself as He sees me
- “He has gave me the talint in drumming”
- God gave me a new grandson, born 12-28-11! His name is Mason Nichols
- He is teaching me how to rest and receive His grace!
- He gave me the grace to turn my business over to Him by hiring a bookkeeper
- My faith in Jesus (God) is stronger than ever. I know the Holy Spirit has me 100%!
- My new adopted, loving family in Christ!
- Relationships amended by God’s grace!
- My wonderful family – a chance to start over!
- He has taught me to believe in myself!
- He has also blessed me with my beautiful son Jayden
- He taught me that Jesus is Lord. JESUS ROCKS!
- He is very patiently teaching me how to trust Him more fully
We meet weekly in our homes and in discipling triads, and monthly at larger Gatherings and leadership growth meetings.Our “rhythms” go something like this:
1. Personal “Follower-ship” – Jesus’ model of making followers is a process; it has seasons to it:
We identify a few simple things that we think God wants us to make a part of our day, or our week, as His “camping spot”, and we chart a path to make a habit of them. We also look to our…
2. Triads (weekly discipling groups of three, or so), for accountability in our growth. We share our daily rhythms and struggles, agree together on what God is saying about us, and remind each other that we are not alone. We are going from being watchers, to being partners with God (2Peter 1:4). We value and recognize relationships as “hot spots” for spiritual growth.
3. Home Churches – Meeting weekly in one another’s homes around a meal, worship, the Word, and ministry to one another. Our home groups are multiplying as new start-up teams are formed within existing groups.
4. Mission & Gathering – Once a month all the House Churches share a meal together with open worship, teaching on the Vision, and personal sharing of what we have seen God doing in us and around us. We also look for ways to serve the community each month.
5. Learning New Leadership – We are a part of the “Mission-link”* network and take part in monthly workshop to grow in our discipleship and “organic” leadership = learning to allow the “Christ in you” (the “Head”) to lead through all members of the body…like a starfish, See, “The Starfish and the Spider”, by Brafman & Beckstrom). *The Mission-link blogsite can be seen at www.mission-link.org
Where are we headed with this? We are building a movement around the simple model of Jesus’ instruction to “make disciples”; We are holding our relationships as the center of the movement; they are the “treasure and the measure”, of what we Jesus is building. John 13:35 As it is written:
“Stand by the ways and see, and ask for the ancient paths where the good way is, and walk in it; and you will find rest for your souls.” Jeremiah 6:16
See more pics of The Journey at
http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2010/12/08/home-church/