Tory Farina

Fasting and Prayer Wednesday

I was a freshman in college and was asked to come down to Florida for a national prayer and fasting event. I was flattered to attend and was going to be praying with my dad at the event. There in the back room of the event I meet a man who challenged me to be a person who doesn't just pray but to be a person of prayer and fast. The difference is that one is an event... the other is a lifestyle. Bill Bright was the man who challenged me. Here are some of his thoughts on prayer and fasting.

http://www.billbright.com/howtofast/

If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land. 2 Chronicles 7:14

I am at the office with some great worship music playing. My heart is crying out to God... I am in prayer for the amazing things that god wants to do...

• In my life- I am so in need of you God. Teach me to be a better father, lover, boss, friend and worshiper. I submit my life again to you God. Help me to make decisions not in self perseverance mode but in Your Kingdom first mode. Show me how I can be more submitted to you. Take away anything that distracts from my being close to you. I love you deeply. I thank you that you have given me so many blessings. It is always baffling that I get to do what I love, in a town I love, with the people I love.  Thank you God for your amazing Providence. Thank you for your spirit. Give me wisdom, as I need it more today than I ever have.
• In my family- God thank you for the blessing of this little Girl. Give Elizabeth and I the abilities to lead her into a better future. Your will be done in our family. Show us how to spend our resources well. How to manage what you give and provide. May your presence always be found in our family. Build us strong in your presence and compassionate towards those who do not know you. God give me wisdom to challenge my family into the family that you have created us to be.
• In my Church- God Pour your spirit on this church. May we be your hands and feet in the community. May you be made famous because we are so passionate about what you do. Build our volunteers and help them to see and be passionate about the vision of High Point and building your kingdom. May we be the most welcoming place in the Twin Cities. Heal the sick... Raise the spiritually dead... Break the chains of sickness, addiction and demonic interference. May we as a church "Live our Potential" in and for you. Help this mailer to reach people who are prepared to reserve it. Bring in visitors. Help our connection groups to be the best they can be where we develop our faith together and sharpen one another. Keep us focused on you.
• In my community- I am praying for four people in my neighborhood who I want God to become known in there life... And that they would come to church on the Sunday when I invite them. Raise the level of your presence and fame in this community. Holy Spirit have your way in our lives and in our homes. Break the strong holds in this city that keep us distracted from you. Open up an opening and interest to your presence.

God Lead us on in You. Thank you for challenging us in a deeper way. Amen!

I would love to hear your comments about what you prayed about or maybe what God spoke to you when you prayed. Live your Potential!

And your local FORECAST is...

Forecast...

Every night I hear a three not tune that tells me to pay attention and listen because i am about to find out what to expect outside tomorrow. It is great my favorite weather person gives me all the things i need to know about in a few minute time span. I then am able to tune out and get back to what I was doing before.

I sat at lunch today with a new team member Chad. He is a highly skilled sound technician and was a strong support to a youth ministry for a number of years in town. He is a youth major in college and has aspirations to be vitally involved in the work of the church. He said something to me today that made e think...

"I would love to know what is coming up next so that I can be prepared and think ahead. I am always thinking of great ideas about what you are talking about and cool things we could do as a church to reinforce the message while your talking."

So I says to myself... "Self, if Chad is asking this questions who else in the church is wanting to know whats coming up in order to partner with the future vision." I then heard three notes in my head that sounded very similar to the weather persons three notes.

Forecast! DUH! I have told you things are coming but I can forcast better what is on the horizan and give you more details...

check back more often and I will let you know what is coming up next!

Future AG Fallow up...

I told you a while back that I started a blog for the Future of the fellowship we are associated with. It was a smashing success. We hit it hard. Wrote what we had been feeling and found a whole group of like and not so like minded people who were ready to talk openly and honestly about some deep issues.

I discovered the power of a God Idea. He takes the small things and blows them up.

We have now been invited down to the AG national Headquarters to talk with the Superintendent. He wants to continue the conversation and we want to help make a difference. I was afraid and didn't think I could make a difference. Now I know that when I feel like that... I need to do it.

Comcastic!

I need you to pray!

A few weeks ago we got a call from Comcast asking us if we like to use there products. I said yes and gave a few reasons why we liked what they offer. They then asked if we could meet. At the meeting they wanted to know if we would be willing to be in a commercial representing our church and letting the world know we use comcast.

They called last week to schedule the video shoot. We will be talking about High Point Church for Comcast and our add will be put on cable TV's around the city, for free! WOW! God is good. I have wanted and been praying about ways we can cross market and get our name out without costing us big dollars.

Pray that...

• people will see this and the Holy Spirit will draw them to the theatre on Sunday.
• I will look and speak well. I need the Lord to help me with what to say.
• the camera crew, that they would capture us well and come away with a positive impression of Christ and his church.

We are passionate about making Christ known in this community. It is amazing that Comcast is going to help us do that for free.

When a Man loves a Woman

I am preaching this week about the character trait of Love. I am struck by the amazing story of love and redemption found in Hosea. The first three books tell a love story of a man who chased after his unfaithful wife. He fought through some of the most difficult moments a man, a husband and father could possible fight through. I dint want to ruin the story because it is a good one but this Sunday we will talk about what it means to truly love someone.

The lion is scary!

You are what you preach. I have been telling

High Point

lately to go after those God sized dreams in your life and to fallow the inner prompting of the Lord. I felt that I should be apart of God sized change in the Assemblies of God. They are our pastoral accountability and set the theological tone that we at

High Point

hold to.

There is a transition of leadership in three weeks and no one is creating an organized conversation. So Paul my BFF and I with a little encouragement of some mentors took the plunge. We went from talking about a great idea to implementing a great idea.

Hopefully www.futureAG.blogspot.com becomes something that we can look back on and say, "That was when things changed."

I spoke with my pastor Clarence St. John and he said... "You can’t just sit there!" So I raise my coffee mug high into the air and say, "Cheers to all who didn’t just sit there!"

Maybe it is time...

I love the way Erwin McManus says it in his book Unstoppable Force: “The center of God’s will is not a safe place but the most dangerous place in the world.” Then he makes a great distinction: “To live outside of God’s will puts us in danger; to live in his will makes us dangerous.”

Maybe it is time… to do something that scares you to death but if you don't do no one else will.

I am tossing around starting a web page that would be a dialog of the future of the AG. Who will lead and who will step up to vote and make a difference? If we as a young generation showed and voted we could have fresh leadership overnight. What Power we have as young leaders. But will we show? (I say that and feel guilty because i am about to have a baby then and my wife is needing me to stay home and take care of her.) But others will be there and could if they wanted to make a difference. So pray with me about this.

If nothing else at least it would be a place to rally who knows what could come out of it? The ideas exchanged the people reached and encouraged because we collaborated. I am working on the details so any help you can give let me know.

Re-framing our past...

I got an email this week from a lady in our church. It knocked my socks off. She said that this series we are in has been a huge influence on her spiritually. She told me that her past has been filled with a lot of hardships and until recently she didn't see any redeeming quality to it. As a result of our series Chase The Lion she said... "I am very grateful that while I was failing God, he never failed me..."

Wow what a statement!

God wants to re-frame your past. He wants to take your mistakes and your difficult times and spin them for His Glory. Thank you God that you work behind the scenes and even when we feel like a screw up you are right there lifting us up and helping us towards a better future.

Either memory overtakes imagination or Imagination over takes memory

Either memory overtakes imagination or Imagination over takes memory!

Think about that for a moment... It is why churches after 30 years of one leader are dying. It is why businesses lose market share. It is the essence of age. I think that if you're imagination is overtaking your memory then you are young no matter how old you are. I think if your imagination is overtaking memory you will be a success and you will live by faith and take risks and live LARGE.

God may I be captivated by your imagination and never live in the memorials of my past.

Lets imagine a better future where we are holding on for dear life wondering what is at the end of the rapids we are on. I love that quote!

Awsome to know that it works...

A healthy church works!

I just got done talking with a neighbor who told me he is bringing his workout buddy to church tomorrow. His name is Gio… He told me that the church was very welcoming and open and casual and he felt like he should bring Gio because Gio told him last week he was probably going to Hell for the things he had done. They chatted and Gio accepted the invitation to come to church tomorrow. I just so happen to be preaching on Bitterness and forgiveness and one of my main points is you have to receive forgiveness to truly give it…

Pray he receives tomorrow and I will pray for your service to be stocked with people like Gio.