I hope you all have had a great week and that you treated your Valentine well on Monday. To say our week has been hectic, would be an understatement. Just a couple weeks ago we learned we had to move and we’ve been sort of scrambling to find something near our current home. Thankfully, we found a place to call home and we’ve been packing and moving things little by little this week…so fun.
For those fasting…stay encouraged and please stay prayerful. We launch our 2nd service on the 27th of February and it is our prayer that God will use the people in this church to be a big part of His plan to reach this city. In addition, we are talking with numerous organizations regarding projects that will impact the poorest neighborhoods in our city and help kids who need it the most. So, we need your prayers surrounding all the decisions that go into things like this.
See you this weekend.
Brian
Posted in day|twelve church.
By Brian
– February 18, 2011
bad pun…
But we did want to post a quick note on the fast today.
If you have read through Daniel and looked at the Daniel fast materials, you’ll see that Daniel mentions a 10 day and a 21 day fast. (Daniel 1 and Daniel 10) In the 10 day fast it says specifically that Daniel ate vegetables and drank only water. A quick study of the Hebrew word translated “vegetables” in this text shows that vegetables almost certainly includes: “sown things,” like fruits and grains. What Daniel was doing here was not defiling himself with meat offered to idols and to the very strong wine of the Babylonian king. To do so would have violated the Mosaic Law that Daniel was under. Daniel was telling the king…my God is enough.
Many people have asked me: can we only drink water? Well, I suppose if Daniel had a juicer, he would have had OJ so I think any fruit or veggie juice is obviously fine. What about decaf tea and coffee or things like soy milk? You’ll get a variety of responses here but I think the main thing to note is that the diet should be stripped of any meat and anything that is not grown, which also means nothing processed can be added to your fruit, veggies, grains, etc. Soy milk (if it is all natural) is probably fine since it is derived from a veggie, but, while caffeine naturally occurs in a grown product (teas and coffees) it is universally accepted that caffeine is out when it comes to this fast. ;( boo!
Here’s another link to some resources on the subject.
happy headache!
Posted in church, day|twelve church, following Jesus.
By Brian
– February 9, 2011
It was great seeing so many of you on Super Bowl Sunday as we began our short 3-week series with a look at what the Bible says about success and power. The stories of Joseph and Namaan taught me a lot this past week and I hope they spoke to you as well. In case you missed it, you can find the talk HERE which not only allows you to play the audio but also lets you subscribe to our podcast on iTunes.
This weekend we also challenged everyone to take part in a 21-day Daniel fast with us from now until February 27th. I’ve already heard that several of you are in and I am excited to hear how your faith grows during this season of prayer and fasting. There is a great bible reading plan available as well as many resources for recipes, etc. As a church, we appreciate your prayers for our upcoming “launch/relaunch” on February 27th.
If there are things we can pray for in your life, please let us know!
Posted in following Jesus.
Tagged with church, day|twelve church, fasting, Jesus.
By Brian
– February 7, 2011
Because God always seems to turn the world upside down (e.g., the first shall be last; if you want to find your life, lose it), I thought we should follow suit this Sunday after the “Big Game.” Nothing says “excess” like the Super Bowl and with this year’s game in “the Big D,” the excess will be on display like never before on the $40,000,000 scoreboard. Millions of eyes will be glued to the $3M, 30-second commercials while feasting on beer and Doritos (definitely an American tradition). So, what better way to follow that up than with a 21-day fast!
When the clock strikes midnight on Monday morning, I am challenging everyone who calls poiema and day|twelve church home to spend the next 21-days taking part in a fast. I know not everyone will be able to do it, but I am encouraging all of you to pray about taking part in our Daniel Fast in the 21 days leading up to the “relaunch” on February 27th!
This site has some great resources (like recipes, etc.) if you’d like to take part in the full 21 day fast that is named after Daniel (Daniel 1 and Daniel 10), who refused the king’s food ate a diet of fruits, veggies and water. If you cannot take part in the full 21 days, consider doing a 10 day fast or a 24-hour complete (water only) fast or fasting from something that you’d normally do everyday so that you can spend that time praying and focusing your thoughts on God. Regardless, of whether you fast for 21 days, you can definitely follow this 21 day Bible reading plan with us. I’ve written posts on fasting in the past and I hope those might provide some help to you as well.
We will be posting more thoughts as we progress but we’d love to hear if you are joining in so please comment to this post and let us know. Finally, here are some ideas for prayer:
1. that God would soften hearts and draw more to himself;
2. that we would be a community that would invite others to experience the joy of Jesus;
3. that God would use us to serve those in need and defend the defenseless;
4. pray for the people in your lives who need to know the love of Jesus.
We pray you join us on this 21-day journey….
Posted in church, following Jesus.
Tagged with fasting, God, Jesus.
By Brian
– February 3, 2011
The words “community” and “mission” may appear on a “values” list for most churches but few churches rarely talk about them as directly related to each other. However, a close look at the early church shows these two ideas are not mutually exclusive but truly cannot exist without the other. This week we will be taking a look at Acts 2 and 3 (the end of Acts 2 and the beginning of Acts 3) to discover a pattern for the church to follow as it seeks to impact the city around it. Hope we see you there.
In case you missed it, last week we talked about the Bible’s definition of “church” and just how God intends for His church to be used…God’s plan for the church makes it clear that a healthy church is essential to taking Jesus Christ to our cities.
Posted in church, culture, day|twelve church.
Tagged with downtown phoenix, downtown phoenix church, Jesus.
By Brian
– January 27, 2011
It was awesome seeing many of you this weekend, in spite of the obstacle course that the PF Chang’s Rock-n-Roll Marathon created. I hope you were encouraged by Jonathan’s example (found in 1 Samuel 14) to trust God, regardless of the odds. Like Jonathan, I pray that our church will be one that goes when God calls us to go. Remember, the mission of the church is simple and clear: to make disciples of all the nations. The language is a little different for each individual church, but our mission is timeless and will never change. In carrying out that mission, we will be a church that trusts God and moves in faith with Him as we love and serve this city.
Next week we will be studying Ephesians 3:10-13 and Ephesians 4:11-16 as we look closer at God’s eternal plan and design for the church. As we will learn, each of us has a role to play in the church and when we step into our God-given role, then the church can be a true reflection of Christ in the culture. Can’t wait to see all that God has for us when we study this together. Until then 3, 2, 1…. bungee! (If you have no idea what I’m talking about make sure you listen to the message from 01|16|11 HERE. See you next week. – Brian
Posted in church, day|twelve church.
Tagged with day|twelve church, downtown phoenix, downtown phoenix church.
By Brian
– January 17, 2011
Hey church…hope you are all doing well. Gina and I just returned (1/12/11) from a 3-day trip last night. We were blessed by another church and our church planting organization with a retreat in Miami Beach. Each year they gather the pastors and their wives for a time of training and relaxation and this year the destination was Miami, which makes a lot of sense since all but 2 of the pastors live in the Northeast. It was tough suffering on the beach for a couple of days, but we were up for the task! To top it all off, we came back to 70 and sunny…not much to complain about there.
I cannot tell you how excited I am about all God is doing in our midst. Last Friday, we had hundreds of people come to our first friday event at the day|twelve gallery space downtown. (I know that Mike Olbinski and others blogged about the event.) The art and music were amazing and the conversations and connections made were tremendously encouraging. It was so cool to see our church interacting with our city in this way. On Saturday, we hosted a concert at the central location and, while I couldn’t attend, Brian Whitman told me that Ascend the Hill did an incredible job leading people in worship. Finally, on Sunday, I had a great time as we worshiped together and talked about a vision for our great city. It is so cool to see how God is going to continue to use us to take the message of Jesus into all of our neighborhoods.
This week we will be using the story of Jonathan found in 1 Samuel 14:1-15 to take a closer look at our mission, vision and values. There is tons to learn from that passage of Scripture so I hope to see all of you there this week as we worship together and continue to seek God’s will for this church and our role in this city.
Brian
Posted in church, culture.
Tagged with city, day twelve, day12 church, phoenix, poiema church.
By Brian
– January 13, 2011
About five years ago, Poiema Church was started by a group of people with a vision to reach the central PHX corridor; and, over these past five years, they’ve done just that. Growing from just a handful of people to about 100 people on any given Sunday, this church has been home to many, offering a place of worship, healing and mission for those in the city. The church’s impact has been great.
Fast forward to September of this year (2010) … the Senior Pastor of Poiema, John Mitchell, felt God calling him and his family to a new season of ministry. Because John and I knew each other, I meet with John shortly after he announced his decision to Poiema. After a few conversations, we began to discuss what it might look like for day|twelve and Poiema to join forces. The visions of both churches were so common that all parties agreed that it was God who was orchestrating this partnership. After many meetings with key leaders on both sides, we felt there was only one decision that could be made. So, on December 19th, day|twelve church and Poiema Church formally announced that we will become one church with one common vision! God has clearly spoken that this was His plan and we couldn’t be more excited….and, this is JUST the beginning of something new that God is doing in Phoenix. Our impact can be greater, faster, but by no means are we “there.” Again, we are just starting!
Can’t wait to see you all and share more but until then, you can visit these videos for a little more detail!
Posted in church, church leadership, day|twelve church, following Jesus.
Tagged with day twelve, day12, poiema church.
By Brian
– December 19, 2010
Since starting day|twelve earlier this year, I’ve been blown away by the talent that God has assembled around this place. I’m constantly wondering how we have been so blessed with some amazingly gifted people. For some time now, I’ve wanted to introduce you to some of them. My only fear in doing this post is leaving someone out, or somehow sending a message that I am trying to “elevate” anyone over another because, while some talents may be more visible than others, it is clear to me that each person in the church has been given gifts to make a difference in the world and bring God more glory. Some do so in a powerful way that is very visible, others do so just as powerfully “behind the scenes.” That being said, here’s a brief introduction to a few of the people who call day|twelve home …
Sarah of www.sirenmag.com… Sara is a journalist who is using her gifts to create this on-line magazine to speak to women’s issues in culture and the church.
Alex of www.avestyles.com … Alex’s is passionate about fashion design and desires to make an impact in a field that typically doesn’t see much of a Christian influence.
Mike of www.mikeolbinskiphotography.com captures large spaces unlike anyone I’ve seen. He is gaining quite the reputation for his brilliant images.
Chairth of cnorvellephotography.com tells stories through the faces of children like few others. Her heart for children, especially those in developing countries bleeds through her photos.
I hope you take a minute to check out the unique gifts that each has. I’m looking forward to doing posts like this from time to time to tell the stories of those here at day|twelve and how God is using people to tell His story through the gifts He has graciously given.
Posted in culture, day|twelve church.
Tagged with art, day|twevle, downtown phoenix, siren mag.
By Brian
– December 13, 2010
In this update, brian kruckenberg talks about the impact of First Friday, a special Christmas Eve service and more.
Posted in culture, day|twelve church.
Tagged with Christmas Eve, day|twelve church, downtown phoenix.
By Brian
– December 10, 2010
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