From My Perspective...

So yesterday began really early with serving in Cleveland...

Below is the place where a home used to stand - it was totally picked up by the tornado and thrown across the street. There was a mom, dad, and 15 month old in the house. When the tornado passed, the dad came crawling out with the 15 month old, only some scratches on the baby and dad had a broken leg. Mom? Untouched!

Below is what was left of the house when it landed across the street. If you look closely to the right behind the man in the white shirt there is a black xterra. That suv was parked over 100 yards away in another driveway!

Literal "golf ball" size hail fell outside when the tornadoes were ripping through.

Telephone pole that was snapped in half - hanging over the top of the road of Ella Lane.

Below is the home I worked at for the first 5-6 hours of the day. When I arrived at the home yesterday morning, a lady and husband were trapped in the basement (you can't see it). As I walked over to the side, they were both crawling out. When the tornado hit their home the night before, they said God turned the couch over on top of them to protect them from the falling bricks. "Craig, I could not get the couch turned over. It was too heavy and bricks were flying everywhere. One hit me hard in the leg, and I fell down to cover my head. Next thing I knew, the couch turned over on top of me and protected me."

Archer Lane off Dalton Pike. The tornado bounced around all down this street. One fatality in a home to my right when I took this picture. Total houses were picked up and thrown all the way down this street.

Lots of work to do, prayers to be prayed, hands to be held, clothing to be given, new homes to build, love to be given, care to be administered - but most of all - people to be given the Gospel! There is always hope.

pcraig

LIFE CHANGE STORY - Rachel Waters

God is so faithful to bring about transformation every week here at ELEVATION! It never ceases to amaze me what God does through His Church as we get out of the way and submit to the leadership of the Holy Spirit. I am a grateful pastor that is for sure. To be a part of a move of God is THE most humbling thing in all the world. I tell the Lord every day, "Lord make your people dependent upon you. Constantly allow students and leaders alike to be submitted to you Jesus and relying upon your Holy Spirit." Today, I share with you a work in progress. God is renewing a life named Rachel Waters. As you will see below, she is expressing honest frustration from her family but in the very next breath, follows it with unshakeable faith. Sounds a lot like Martha in John 11:21-22 huh?

"Now Martha said to Jesus,"Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died." (expressing honest frustration) "But even now I know that whatever you ask of God, God will give you." (faith follows in the same breath)

Trust me - Jesus can handle it. Be open with Him today. Here is her testimony:

______________________________________________

Hey Pastor Craig!


I have been coming to Elevation services the 
past few weeks with one of my dear friends, Caitlin Schrider. I want to 
thank you so much for what you are allowing God to do in Elevation. I
 wanted to give you a little testimony of what God is doing in my life 
through Elevation.


It has been a whirlwind of a couple of semesters. I feel like I've really
 been going through the wilderness. It's just one attack after another, it
 seems like. It's so frustrating because I feel like I'm taking one step
 forward and then getting knocked two steps back.

 Two weeks ago at Elevation, it was my second time coming, I had this 
huge feeling that the Lord was going to do something big that night...and 
boy did He ever! There was a time toward the end of the service and you
 came and prayed over me. The Lord used you in a huge way that night. He 
spoke to me and told me that I had allowed my joy to be quenched and that
 it needed to come back. He told me I needed to stop being responsible for
 other people's mistakes, He affirmed my calling to missions once again, 
and told me that I was good enough. When you spoke over me it was like you 
had gone through and read my mail before service. Everything that I was 
dealing with that night before service, the Lord answered in a crazy way.
 I walked out of service completely renewed and ready to go out and conquer 
the world, or so I thought.



Like I said earlier, once I take a step forward, I feel like I get knocked
 two steps back. Well, I got knocked back the Friday after that service.
Through a series of events with my family, my paternal grandparents and 
aunts and uncles called my Dad and basically told us that we were all 
horrible people, that we weren't worth anything, that we are useless, and 
that our family is never going to amount to anything. My grandfather said 
that he was through with my parents and my brother and I. This has been a
 huge hit to my family. We have all cried and cried and cried. Growing up 
in a small southern town, you never think that it would be your family to 
split up, but it's us. I'm trying to understand why, but there is no
 legitimate reason that I can see right now. 

I know that the Lord has a plan in all things but I'm having a hard time
 understanding why my own family wants nothing to do with us. I understand
 that sometimes you have to dust off your sandals and keep going. It's what 
I'm trying to do. Keeping the faith, maintaining my joy from Him, and
 trying not to focus on the things that make me weary but it's getting 
harder and harder.



I'm just trying to understand why the Lord would start breaking off
 chains, and breaking away the hardness of heart, and restoring joy one day
 and then two days later, my family gets destroyed.

 I know that out of the bad there has to be some good and honestly, I'm not 
half as broken and distraught about our family situation as my parents 
are.

I know that the Lord will remain faithful and that I'll have another
 testimony to tell one day, and I can't wait for that day.

 Thanks so much for your faithfulness and obedience to Him and allowing Him
 to work in a mighty way at Elevation. Thanks for allowing me to come be a
part of something amazing!



Blessings,


Rachel Waters

Would you join with me today in praying for this family? Rachel - we love you and call you family. Welcome to ELEVATION!

Ain't Nothin' Cheap About You

"But as many as received him, to them he gave power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name." - John 1:12

In thinking on the crucifixion of Christ today, I am reminded you have been given so much in Christ! You have no legitimate reason for failing because of the awesome things you've been given in Christ!

John 1:12 says. "But as many as received him, to them he gave power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name." This one scripture reveals that you received DIVINE POWER the day you became a child of God. The word "power" is the Greek word "exousia." It describes delegated authority or influence. Think of it - at that moment of decision, all the power, authority, and divine influence that is resident within the mighty name of Jesus Christ came to live on the inside of you! No wonder you couldn't sleep for days!

So rather than complain that you are weak and nothing special, it is time to start laying claim to the power of God inside of you.

The same explosive, dynamic, phenomenal authority and power that resides within Jesus has now been delegated to reside within you!

But wait, there is so much more. Ephesians 2:10 says, "For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them."

The first part of the verse says that you and I are God's workmanship. This comes from the Greek word "poiema," something that is artfully created. The Greek word poet, "poietes," comes from this same word. That means that on the day you got saved, God put forth His most powerful and creative effort to make you new. Once God was finished making you new, you became a masterpiece, skillfully and artfully created in Christ Jesus.

Don't you think it is time to stop moaning about how dumb, stupid, ugly, or untalented you "feel" compared to others? Those feelings are all lies. God has turned you into something spectacular through His Son's blood.

Adjust your thinking and talking to reflect who you really are!

There's nothing CHEAP about you at all!

pcraig

The Fear of the Lord

This past Wednesday night I preached on the "Fear of the Lord." In my 9 years as a follower of Christ, I have heard very few teachings on the fear of God. As difficult as the teaching was this week, our students received the implanted word with meekness. We must begin to behold the severity and goodness of our God. He is a balanced God! I shared the 5 benefits of fearing the Lord and the three ways we demonstrate the fear of the Lord in our lives. Below are message slides:

Have a great Easter weekend!

pcraig

Or Else You Will Be a Partaker...(Part 2)

Paul told Timothy that by not laying hands on people too quickly, he could avoid being a "...partaker of other men's sins..." The word "partaker" is the Greek word koinonia, which conveys the ideas of fellowship, interaction, or mutual participation.

You see when those in leadership discover that a person has serious character flaw after they have put that person into a high position too quickly, they are now involved in a mess, whether they like it or not! They have someone on their team who isn't a right "fit" for them, who has a different standard of excellence, or who has some problem. But because they moved too quickly and publicly promoted that person, they are stuck with having to make a difficult decision. They have become locked in a mess that they could have avoided simply by moving a little slower!

We all have glitches and flaws in our character. Not one of us is perfect. Fortunately, small flaws are correctable as long as we have receptive and teachable hearts. But if a person refuses to see his need for change and is close-hearted to suggestions made by those who love him, this is evidence of the most serious character flaw. From the outside, this person may look like he's just what we're looking for, but we must not forget to consider the deeper issues of the heart.

Many dreadful mistakes have been made through 2,000 years of Church history simply because people were placed into leadership positions too quickly. Had time been taken and had those people really been tested, it would have been clear that they were not spiritually prepared to lead. But as a result of hasty decisions and quick actions, multitudes of people have been mishandled and hurt by immature leadership.

Don't make that same mistake! Pray for your pastor today to make right decisions about people they promote into leadership positions in their church. They need your prayer support, so get behind them today with your prayers!

INTERACT WITH THE BLOG TODAY IN THE COMMENTS BELOW:

1) Have there been times when your desire to be promoted was delayed? In retrospect, can you see now that you wouldn't have been ready for the job if you had been promoted at that exact time? Does it make you thankful that you were put "on hold" just a little bit longer?

2) What do you need to be dealing with in your personal character right now to better prepare you for the next promotion that God has designed for your life (you can keep your username anonymous)?

pcraig

Hold Your Horses!

So God has been really stirring me in the last few weeks about the subject of maturity and testing for leaders in His Kingdom.

"Lay hands suddenly on no man, neither be partakers of other men's sins; keep thyself pure." - 1 Timothy 5:22

As we all know, people are very precious to God. They must be precious to us as well. But before we give people great power and authority in a church, they first need to really be tested and proven. The Lord is impressing upon me more and more the importance of those in leadership positions to know who individuals really are and how they will perform in various circumstances.

The Apostle Paul referred to this process in 1 Timothy 5:22. The word "suddenly" is the Greek word tachus and in this verse carries the idea of doing something quickly or hastily. The words "lay hands" are from the Greek word epitithimi, which means to place hands upon. In both OT and NT times, a "laying on of hands" ceremony was stamping that individual with a seal of approval. When a leader laid hands on a person, they were signifying that they believed in him, supported him, and desired to empower him for a certain task.

Paul is saying to us don't give your seal of approval to people too hastily. You see it's very possible for us as leaders while looking to fill roles quickly to lay hands on people too quickly - I am learning the hard way. I have students and leaders alike always asking and prodding me for the next opportunity to grow in leadership and authority, to preach a sermon, or to lead in a ministry. But I must not make a foolish mistake that will produce painful consequences for all.

If you feel God has chosen you, DO NOT get frustrated if you are held back for a while by those who are in authority over you. It is wise and right for them to really know you, to test you, and to be sure you are the right candidate for the task.

If God has REALLY chosen you, it won't hurt you or the call He has placed on your life to wait just a little longer. If anything, your divine call will be confirmed and reconfirmed again and again as you wait patiently for God's timing to be manifested.

Don't forget: If you have the talent and anointing for a more influential ministry but lack the maturity to handle it, God wisely holds you back until you're ready. Quite often, this "holding back" comes by way of your leader.

After all, nothing is more important in a church than the people the pastor chooses for its leadership.

pcraig

Learning His Love - Charity Thomas

Meet Charity - a faithful student of ELEVATION and a daughter of God in this generation! Charity has such a meekness about her that is infectious to all of those around her. Meredith and I have enjoyed getting to know her over the last few months as God is doing SUCH a healing work in her life. I will let you hear it from her:

______________________________________________

“Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry, or destitute, or in danger, or threatened with death? (As the Scriptures say, “For your sake we are killed every day; we are being slaughtered like sheep.”) No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us”.

-Romans 8:35-37

Elevation sure has changed my life, but the real reason my life has changed is not just because of church, not just because of good messages, or awesome youth leaders, but because of God’s love. When I was growing up my mom and dad had a lot of issues and I was in the midst of it all. My parents got a separation when I was 9. And my life has been an on-going battle since then between God's destiny for my life or giving into the bad circumstances that would ultimately determine my destiny.

In the last couple of months God has been pouring His love out on me and showing me the pain that I was carrying inside. I have come to realize that I can’t do anything without Him, regardless if I am on the mountain top or in the valley. In the past I believed that I couldn’t conquer the hardships that I came face to face with, and that God couldn’t hide me under the shadow of his wings during the hard times because It always seemed that I would get knocked down again. God showed me that I wasn’t trusting him with my life and destiny and that it was my choice to trust in Him or not. The reason why I felt defeated was because I was letting myself be defeated, I wasn’t taking a stand and sticking my foot in the mud and saying I wasn’t going to move; only go forward.

When you truly want to follow the leading of the Holy Spirit for your life you will always come to a wall of resistance and at that point you can either trust God and stand your ground or let go of your faith and be crushed by the test. The message about the leading of the Holy Spirit that we talked about this last week really showed me that you need to go through the wilderness before you can come out of wilderness that there is a purpose for everything that you go through. Elevation has opened my eyes to see God and His love clearly. It has taught and discipled me to know that Christianity is not about feeling but about faith; not about church going lukewarm half-hearted religion, but about a radical love relationship with the King of Kings and the Lord of lords.

”Despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us, and I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord”.

– Romans 8:37-39

Charity Thomas