Life Change Story - Isaac Lockman

To Those I Love,

Unapologetically, I want to do nothing other than build His kingdom. I am so humbled and thankful for the transformation that is happening week in and week out here at theTURN!

“Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye steadfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord.” - 1 Corinthians 15:58
This is the attitude we must develop, a rock-solid, immovable attitude about the task or project God has given us. One thing is certain: Satan will attempt to sidetrack you. As His ministers, we must be constant, stable, and dependable. This is where true fruitfulness is derived in the ministry. The longer we are consistent, the more life change takes place! Make the rock-solid decision that you will be a permanent fixture within your divine call until your task is completed with excellence, regardless of what it costs you!

This week’s LIFE CHANGE STORY highlights a student who is at Georgia Tech right now whose life has been TOTALLY transformed in the last few months. Isaac has connected with our UNION Small Group ministry as well and has recently felt a tug on his heart for ministry. What an amazing story!

Pastor Craig,

For your obedience to God, chains fell off in my life tonight that I didn't even know were there. This is all I have now and this is all I care about. I have put my faith in so many other things before, but God is the only Rock in this relative world.

Pastor Jeremy was praying for me and praying for the gift of teaching in my life and I have been a tutor for over five years, taught a class at Tech for 3.5 years, and I have always felt a strong passion for teaching. I graduate in December and am thinking about Free Chapel Leadership College. Is it focused on teachers, too?

Just want to let you know that I have been blessed through your obedience to God and I am so thankful for you and theTURN.

I remember going back to my research lab after coming to theTURN and a lot of the work is to research stuff on the micro and nano scale and I was just thinking: what if we searched after God with the same precise desire and I felt very convicted in my own life. I was in a very complacent and dangerous place before I came to theTURN and now all the relationships have been tried and my (ex) girlfriend is still in my life, but she is at such a different place than I am now and difficulties arise from that.

Anyways, I just wanted to share this thought with you about how God looks at the little things. I am sure you have come across a wet-weather stream or walked up to a creek bank when the water is low and stepped in mud up to your ankles. I was thinking about how when God parted the Red Sea and the people walked across dry land, how God didn't just part the sea on the macro-scale, but literally parsed molecules of water from the dry dirt. It was not like it was hard for Him to do, but He just wanted to make it easier to get to the other side.

His attention to detail amazes me and yet we still think he is a "poor-planner."

Thanks again for letting God speak through you.

If 2 Corinthians 5:17 is true and when a person is in Christ they are a new creation, then I was not in Christ until I started coming to theTURN. When I look back at my life and say where the time was when I went from darkness to light, it would be now.

I grew up in church services, around Christians, and even attended a Christian school. However, at best I only had a small understanding of God and certainly not a heart after Him or a passion for His will. I had been out of church for a year when I came to theTURN in June and heard Pastor Craig preach on the Upward Call. I will never forget the first song was "You Won't Relent" and the words struck me and I understood that even if I had given up on God that He would not give up on me. I raised my hands and worshipped God like I never had before. I had never raised my hands to worship God before coming to theTURN and never been in the habit of praying out loud, but in obedience I have found abundance. My arms would tire at first and I would struggle to find enough words to say to God, but now I have been able to worship God with strength that can only come from above and my pitiful prayer life has greatly increased with praises of His glory as I read and have a deeper relationship with God.

The reason I have changed is because not only did I have an encounter with God, but have been discipled through theTURN. God wants our whole lives and it takes discipline, but discipline will turn into delight after a season and then you realize your whole life is changed just because you committed to reading God's Word and praying. It doesn't take all day, half an hour a day can change your life. After Pastor Craig preached about the Acts 2 Vision for the church, I broke down more so than I ever have before in my life and God changed me and I just had this desire and hunger to move past my complacent relationship with God. I joined an ION (small group) that night and have been blessed for it. Through attending theTURN I have realized that Jesus is not an addition to our lives, but the Master over everything. Since, my life has changed and now I am reading through the Bible in one year plan as well as doing School of Discipleship.

I have waited too long to write this and have too much to say, but if you are waiting on yourself to be good enough for God or for the right timing to become involved in His community, then you will never do it. God doesn't want you to figure it all out He just wants you to trust in Him and every minute you hesitate being a part of a community for Christ is a minute you miss out on God's purpose for your life and the peace that comes from obeying Him.

Thanks again for letting God speak through you,
Isaac Lockman

This is what we are here for! Fruitfulness through changed lives!

Much love,
pcraig

LIFE CHANGE STORY - HEALED

Happy Monday!

One of my favorite times of the week – time to celebrate more LIFE CHANGE that God is hammering out each week here at theTURN!

This week I am sharing a bit of encouragement and excitement from Jessy Marie – God has used the people from the theTURN to minister to her life and I am thankful for that! We would not be able to do anything without their continued leadership and sacrifice. A life measured by their donation, not their duration!

This week’s LIFE CHANGE STORY highlights a student at theTURN and her experience with feeling called to this place!

I know you will have several people share their messages and share their life stories with you this next couple of days, but I feel the need to tell you my appreciation for you, your faith, and your gorgeous supportive family! I honestly don't know where I would be today without the Mercy and Grace God gave me the day I found him but I'm more than thankful for him choosing my path that he planned that lead me straight to Free Chapel and theTURN! Being part of this team is not taken lightly in my eyes! I see it as a privilege because I believe in your vision for this ministry and I hope to stay a part of that for as long as the Lord leads me; to which I see, He isn't changing plans for awhile. Lol! THANK YOU for being a strong and obedient pastor! I’ve changed so much since I’ve been here :) I'll never forget that Thursday night in June "91 days ago to be exact" when the Lord healed me of my depression that I hid so well...My life was forever changed! God had already healed me the day I accepted Him but I needed that leap of faith to move that storm or mountain from my life! Do you remember asking me and Alex one night in the arena, what was one thing we loved? And I remember Alex talking about baseball and all that and when you looked at me I had no answer. I said I was trying to figure that out! Well I have your answer now! Lol I love theTURN!! I love the people; I love the vision you have given us; I love being a support leader in my ION; I love seeing God move every night and I just love doing what I can to be a part! Bottom line... I LOVE SERVING and I'm blessed to that here @ Free Chapel! I hope this was a boost :) cause I know you need a lot of encouragement! Thank you again & I can't wait for more!

Jessy Marie

Celebrating His goodness!

pcraig

ALL NIGHT PRAYER - Friday Night!

I will make you a promise. God will move this coming Friday night. The question is: will you be there to be a part?

Prayer moves the heart of God. Prayer is becoming our steering wheel and less our spare tire. We are choosing to take God off the clean-up committee and put Him on the planning committee.

I want to invite you to join us this Friday night. Come at any time that you are able to. We will be at the north campus from 10pm until 6am - each hour will represent a new area and method of prayer. It will be a night forever etched in our hearts!

"One can believe intellectually in the efficacy of prayer and never do any praying." - Catherine Marshall

Don't let that be you this weekend!

Humbling ourselves in prayer!

pcraig

LIFE CHANGE STORY - An ION Leader's Perspective

Here at theTURN, we are committed to three things:

Today, I want to highlight part two of our vision:

theTURN is committed to a culture of community. True transformation takes place as we build relationships in settings that encourage transparency and openness. Our UNION small group ministry meets together every first and third Sunday nights of each month to provide that setting. Our small groups, called IONs, meet all across the greater Gainesville area and are gender specific to foster a more effective means to forge genuine relationship.

As you know I try to document the life change that God is being so faithful to provide week in and week out here at theTURN – I feel that if He is going to be so faithful to perform His work, I can at least formulate into words the type of change so that we can all celebrate His goodness together!

This week I am taking a little different route. Carlos Charry, one of our guy ION leaders, is coming to the discovery of just “why” God has chosen him to be a small group leader. I want you to read his words and you determine who is seeing more change in their life: the ones he is ministering to or he himself?

This week’s LIFE CHANGE STORY highlights an ION leader and his experience with his small group!

Pastor Craig,

I have to say that yesterday's meeting came second only to the experience that we had with Casey in the past before he went into No Longer Bound! It was a powerful night. Quick recap: we went to the mini-golf place right by Free Chapel main campus. We played a round of putt-putt and it was pretty fun. It was a great moment for bonding. After that, we entered into worship and prayer and jumped into the subject of discussion. However, instead of just regularly talking about prayer we were 'debating' about the importance of prayer in society, which was pretty healthy and gave me the opportunity to create self-questioning about our own prayer life. Suddenly, the whole environment changed when I asked the question that you (Ps. Craig) asked us before about that "If God were to answer all your prayers today from the last month, would anything in the world change or just your world change?”... all I heard in the room was a big "ouch!!" Then, I developed the idea of how prayer is not a petition list but an opportunity to worship God. Furthermore, prayer is a means for us to become intercessor for our brothers. At this point I challenged them to from now on, when praying, to worship God and to pray for others... based on what I called "the principle of the garden hose"...I know, I know, silly. But think about it. When you turn on the garden hose to water your plants the first element that gets wet is the hose, not the air, not the plants; in the same way, when we allow ourselves to be a medium of blessing to others (in prayer), we ourselves are blessed in the process. Selfless prayer.

This principle led to "the sharing of the vision for the ION" where I expressed my urgent necessity to become the support system, backbone, of one another in the ION because, I believe, that is the only way we can become effective in impacting our world. In other words, we cannot fulfill the great commission without fulfilling the great commandment first to love one another. I challenged them to the point of saying that, UNLESS they were willing to invest themselves in the ION 100% meaning selfless, brotherly, transparent, and wholeheartedly love towards each other in the ION that they had no business being part of it because I believe that what we are dealing with is a matter of life or death not simply religious-church like games. Bro... the response from my boys brought tears to my eyes. Listening how the ION has become a necessity for their very walk messed me up. All I heard as a summary was, "This is my family.. I belong here. And I need this..." It was amazing. However, God was not done yet (what a show -off). The true highlight of the night happened when one of the guys approached me after the meeting was over to talk to me individually. He started sharing how he suffered of chronic depression, low self-steem, and loneliness and that he has been seeing a psychologist because he used to cut himself (which he had the scars to show me). He was asking me to pray for him because his prayer had not been answered yet. Nevertheless, I refused... God put it on my heart (what seemed so obvious to some) which I shared with him that, we 'the ION' were the answer to his prayers and the solution to loneliness and depression. All of a sudden, something clicked for him, his eyes filled up with hope, life and wow.... I have no words to express the overwhelming feeling of knowing that we "the ION" in large are the answer to many peoples’ prayers. I wonder like Caleb how many people are crying desperately while praying in a room asking God to send somebody who cares for them, somebody that accepts them, loves them, and will not judge them. WE ARE THEIR ANSWER!!! WE ARE THEIR SOLUTION!!! If we just are willing to LOVE THEM.. I guess that now I truly understand my role as an ION leader.

Carlos Charry

Here is a pic of their putt-putt extravaganza from this past Sunday night!

Keepin’ on keepin’ on!
pcraig

My Helper - the Holy Spirit

We are excited! This next Thursday night we enter into a brand new series here at theTURN for the whole month of October. October is usually filled with superstition, bats, pumpkins, and the "supernatural." But here at theTURN this October, it is filled with the Ghost, the Holy Ghost that is!

"But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will show you what is to come." - John 16:13

I've been thinking lately, imagine all of the times each of us could have avoided wasting precious time and energy if we had only allowed the Holy Spirit to lead us. We may eventually get to the same point, but if we try to go at it alone, that usually means we will take twice as long to get there and the journey will be much harder. The Holy Spirit sees everything. He knows every nook and corner on the road of life we walk. If we reach out and take His hand, He will lead us on shortcuts that will save time, energy, and many tears.

The Holy Spirit wants to guide us through life. He wants to guide us as we walk into the future. The word "show" in verse 13 is the Greek word edegeo. It is the word for a guide who shows a traveler the safest course through an unknown country. This means Jesus sent His Holy Spirit to be our Guide! The Holy Spirit knows the way we should go. He knows how to avoid every trap and every attack; He knows the safest and the fastest route for us to take. When we are stepping into territory that is new to us, it is imperative that we let the Holy Spirit lead us, for He wants to show us the precise route to take so we can successfully reach that place God has put in our hearts. This is part of the Holy Spirit's ministry in our lives - to get us safely to our God-ordained point of destination.

Here is our series blurb:

Who is the Holy Spirit, and what exactly does He do? These are questions that countless believers struggle with answering. Most don’t realize the Holy Spirit is a person who thinks, feels and has desires. What’s more, the Holy Spirit is present to help you live the Christian life. He’s there to give comfort, empowerment, and be your advocate..He's My Helper! Join us all month as we clear up misconceptions about who He is and insightfully explain the person of the Holy Spirit.

You better be here every Thursday night in October - and never come ALONE!

Serving under the leadership of the Holy Spirit,

pcraig

Life Change Story - Haley Brannon

I am so thankful for the transformation that is happening week in and week out here at theTURN! I have felt such an urgency to love and pray more than I ever have before. “In Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything; the ONLY thing that counts if faith working through love (my emphasis added).” - Galatians 5:6

My friends, when it is all said and done, this is what living faith is all about. To put it simply, if your faith as a Christian is genuine, then other people will be able to see lived out in loving ways. Faith in Jesus Christ is not real until it is connected to how you live day to day. I see a faith that has been tested in the story below and now that faith is being worked out in love. Remember, a faith that has not been tested is a faith that cannot be trusted. Big faith requires big fights.

This week’s LIFE CHANGE STORY highlights a student who has been fighting week in and week out for a few years now and has finally surrendered a painful past. How many others do you know or minister to each week that are living right where she was?

Pastor Craig,

In November of 2008, my best friend lost her mother. Our lives were forever changed. It’s a reality we both deal with every day. She was fine. She was a vibrant, beautiful, and wonderful woman who had a smile that just made you gravitate to her. She was my spiritual counsel, my second mother, and a best friend. She seemed to be closer to God than any of us.

On the day she died, my mom made a phone call to tell her we were coming to see her. I had not seen her in about 3 months. She told my parents she didn’t want me to see her, but to remember her the way she was. I didn’t care, I needed to see her. On the way there, her daughter called and said, “Mom isn’t feeling well, maybe you should wait until tomorrow.” I said, “Okay, tell her I love her.” That was the last thing I heard. A little after 12 a.m. Sarah texted me. The text just read two words, two words that I can still see in my mind. Two words that make me regret not going to see her anyway. “Mom’s gone.” It felt like somebody punched me in the stomach. I hit the floor, I couldn’t move, and all I could say is “Why?!” I screamed it, over and over. I couldn’t control my body or my emotions. I felt helpless. I didn’t know why He would take her from us.

I’ve struggled with this for almost two years. It’s been a battle to get through a day without thinking, “I wish I could call Linda for advice on this one.” I was so angry. So mad at God that I didn’t want to raise my hands, or talk to Him or even listen to anything that brings glory to His name. I cried for no reason, but I learned to cover it with humor. I figured if I kept laughing, the pain and regret would subside.

At the leader meeting a few months back, Pastor Craig asked me what my weakness was; I said “I don’t push myself.” I couldn’t control my emotions when I said it; the truth is…I wasn’t pushing myself at all. I gave up. I gave up on the most important relationship in my life. I didn’t completely turn my back, but I was on the way there. Every time He tried to break me and show me His love, I gave up. I would be on the verge of surrender, and I wouldn’t push past that point. Every time I would get excited about going to Church, something came up. The enemy was coming at me from all directions.

I’ve been raised in church. Not only going to church, but serving in the church. I did it out of obligation and tradition. Not for God. I was increasingly overwhelmed and stressed, and I just didn’t want to be there anymore. I was doing it alone.

The day of the EMPOWER Leader meeting (Aug 21), I woke up feeling that same sense of obligation. I woke up fighting God, pushing Him away when all He wanted to do was comfort me. I fought Him, and my parents, all the way out the door, and the whole ride to the church. I fought Him all the way into the sanctuary. Pastor Craig was talking, and he said “if you’re doing this out of obligation, just don’t do it any more. Turn in your resignation.” It hit me like a ton of bricks. He was talking to me. I knew it; conviction invaded every part of my body.

In that seat, I felt that same sense of helplessness. I was sinking; sinking because of my own stupidity. I was trying to do life alone, and He just wouldn’t let me. I fought Him, but He didn’t give up. God never left no matter how hard I pushed Him away. He wouldn’t relent in His pursuit. He was waiting for me to make a choice.

I zoned out of every other speaker. When it came time for worship, something inside me changed. It was no longer a one sided love affair. I wanted Him. Brokenness hit me like I’ve never experienced before. For the first time in two years, I didn’t want to leave. I would have stayed there all day, just to feel Him that close…and to think that I fought Him all the way there.

I’m so thankful for theTURN; I can’t wait to get there on Thursdays. I love my church. The enemy can try, but if I have to walk over him I will to get to Free Chapel. He won’t win, and he won’t come that close again.

I don’t have to do life alone. I don’t have to always be the strong one. If I’m going through something I can talk to someone about it. It’s not an obligation; it’s a place where I can run after God. It’s a place of safety and friendship. Real friendship. I still don’t understand why Linda died. I don’t have to understand it; I just trust that He knows what He’s doing. If I’m feeling down, I talk to Him. His ways are not my ways, and I’m thankful they aren’t. I would have completely messed it up by now. Yeah, I still have my moments where I let me get in the way and I try to fight Him, but I’ve realized it’s so much easier to reach for His hand than to push Him away. It takes a lot of energy to run from someone who loves you like He does. You won’t win the spiritual foot race, and you won’t be successful at life without Him. It’s better to just give in.

He won’t relent, and neither will I. Pastor Franklin said He’s a motion sensitive God. Well I’m running after Him, and the most beautiful thing about it is He’s running towards me too. I talk to Him. I talk to Him all the way to school, and we talk about my day on the way home. I raise my hands out of surrender, not tradition. I dance around my house and just have a praise fest. I want to be with Him all the time.

He’s so good to me even when I’m so undeserving. I’m not going through this life alone. He’s holding my hand, and it feels great to just let Him have it all.

Romans 8:37-39
But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Haley Brannon

Much love,
pcraig

A Milemarker

Would you join me in praying for what I am believing to be one of the most profound weeks ever for the life of theblend, theNINE, and theTURN?

SOLUTION Conference is now 2 days away - and my spirit is infused. I feel that we as a team are ever so prepared for what God is about to do. Lives are about to be changed, purpose will be found, and redemption will be realized - all of which are miracles. We are so dependent upon the Lord and His Spirit to do only what He can do - that is His supernatural power at work in us.

Let's pray with more passion than we have before.

"The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much." - James 5:16

SOLUTION is upon us. And we were born for this time.

Much love,

pcraig