Michigan Camp Meeting 2017

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Michigan Conference of Seventh-day Adventists

Balanced Living Bootcamp

Vicki Griffin

Evelyn Kissinger

Jerry Schiel

Balanced Living Bootcamp- Part 1

All right, Father in Heaven, how thankful we are to be in a place, in an environment, to be able to just gain warmth and strength from your Holy Spirit and from each other, to gain knowledge and wisdom.

And I just pray that during these classes, you would just help us and increase our hungering and thirsting after you, our love for souls, and that you would help us to learn what you would have us to learn so that we may go back and be a light in a dark place.

All right, so our purpose in Balanced Living Boot Camp is to bless you personally and professionally.

We want you to be able to go home every day motivated, inspired, and educated.

Because each 1 of those things alone is not enough.

We have to know what to do, know how to do it, and be motivated to want to do it.

And so each section that we are doing, we're dividing this class into 3 sections and they are watching me to make sure I finish my section on time so that I don't rob anybody of their time.

And we're starting 5 minutes late and I'm even going to try to cut myself of what I passionately would like to say so that we finish on time today.

So in section 1, my job, my job is to make this material purposeful.

God called me years and years ago, after being a runaway and a bulimic and an atheist and drugs and smoking and a wildlife, he called me to do this work.

He did not call me to do this work separately from the gospel.

Ellen White says that when we separate the gospel message from the health work, that the worst evil is the result.

And so the materials that I'm sharing with you are purposeful.

They are health education tools that you can use.

They are for you to use in your home or in your church or personally.

And I'm going to tell you just a little bit about those things.

Evidence section is making it practical, making it practical.

Information that we can't actually do is just discouraging.

Have you ever been to a seminar and you are given so much, you are downloaded so much information in your brain that it just makes you wanna go get a donut and forget the whole thing, right?

So we're not going to steamroll you with information.

Because we're trying to empower you so that you can go and humbly share what you know.

Because as you humbly share what you know, you will grow in grace and truth.

And the blessing will bounce back on you.

So Ellen White says that many would be willing to learn if they were just shown how.

But the third piece, which is so important and without this third piece, The rest of it becomes a crushing burden is how to make it personal.

We cannot separate our testing truths, the special truths for this time, from the message.

I'm not gonna tell somebody else what to do when I don't do it myself or know how to do it, and it's ridiculous.

That's why all of our stuff is called balanced.

Even if they're dying, can we still add value to a person's life?

Help them in that walk with Jesus in the valley of the shadow of death.

Jerry is going to show us God has gifted him with making it personal.

How many of you would like to have your home be a home of hope?

Because 1 of the worst things we can do is be so laser-focused on information and getting a message to people that we forget about the people.

Have you ever had that experience where you're trying to share with someone your trial and your burden and they're already thinking about what they're gonna say to you and you just feel like you're not heard.

And so Jerry has been called by God to do a special work of making this hit, touch the heart.

So we're interested in your head, we're interested in your heart, and we're interested in your home.

Does that sound like a reasonable use of your time during this?

Okay, so what I want to share with you is today's topic.

We're going to be, my part of this is we're going to be talking about the way out addiction and depression recovery keys.

Now you're going to be looking at this and you're going to go, wow, those are really nice images.

And so, we have 24 balanced living PowerPoints in a short and long version that are scripted and editable.

You can put them in other languages, you can edit them to your country.

So Jerry can go to Canada and put Canadian statistics in there.

And they have appeals and calls written into them so that you can use them, you can use them in your home or in a church setting or for a supper club there.

So this is what is brand new and that's what you're going to be experiencing in the first part of every 1 of these classes.

We also have, this is a picture, these are in Spanish, I couldn't find the English version but how cool is this, that there's a Spanish version available of all of this, amen?

Instead of the Spanish people having to get 1972 materials, this is brand new, beautiful that can be used by our Spanish speaking and Latin people.

These are the 24 presentations in a short and long version.

But we also divided the 24 topics into 3 sessions of 8 so that if you just want to get 8 topics and try it out, do a short series, fine.

And so those are going to be on the table in the back here.

I just wanted you to see a picture of this.

And then what is coming in August is all 24 of these balanced living topics we are producing, and it's in production right now, a 5 minute plug and play of each of the 24 topics, and they all go with the balanced living tracks so that you can do a ministry moment at church, Or you can do these in your home and use a tract as a discussion piece.

You can make your home a home of help and a home of hope for others.

It was the meat and drink of Jesus to bring hope and strength to all with whom he came in contact.

How many of you would love to be a home of hope in your neighborhood and in your community?

Okay, so even if Evelyn and I flub up once in a while in these things.

It's only 5 minutes and it was only a dollar.

So I don't know how you can do any better than that.

The other thing coming in August is a 10 session plug and play stop smoking program.

And it's in 3 segments, the same that we're doing here in this boot camp, and it has lots of interaction and discussion.

It's full of hope and full of God and full of practical things to do so that you can help in your community.

And addictions are skyrocketing all over Michigan and all over the United States.

So by August we're going to have a 10-session program.

It has session guides, handouts, simple and beautiful and powerful.

The next thing that we are going to have ready in August for you are 2 PowerPoints that I've produced for Unlock Revelation Evangelistic Series and it's called Victorious Christian Living Revelations Overcomers.

It's a four-part scripted PowerPoint and it's only going to be $9.95.

It just doesn't get any better than that.

It's beautifully scripted, it's editable, and it's on what topic?

So what are the 4 pieces from Revelation?

And this is an ideal program for your health programming as a transition into evangelism.

Balanced Living Bootcamp- Part 2

Father in heaven, I want to thank you so much for this group of people, for your love.

Father, the less we focus on ourselves and the more we focus on you, the more of your healing love comes into our lives, and we're just so grateful.

Prepare hearts, give me words, give Evelyn words, and give Jerry words.

So some of you are here for the first time.

What I said yesterday I will repeat, and that is this is a three-part seminar, and what our objective is in this seminar, Hi Peggy Lee, I see you there.

What our objective is in this seminar is for you to have sharing tools that are purposeful.

And when we have meetings that just have no particular purpose except to feel good, then we're not fulfilling God's purpose.

He has a message, He has a mission, He has seed that He has given us.

So we want your ministry to be purposeful.

We want for your ministry to be practical.

Evelyn is sharing how to make it practical.

But most importantly, I'm not going to say most importantly.

The delivery system is that it has to be personal because the ground has to be prepared for the good seed so that we are not sowing good seed on stony ground or thorny ground.

And so the Bible says in Ecclesiastes, I love this scripture, it says, in the morning, this is Ecclesiastes 11 verse 6, it says, in the morning sow your seed And in the evening do not withhold your hand, for you do not know what will prosper, either this or that, and I love the last line, or whether they both alike will be good.

I've heard the most amazing stories of incidental meetings, just a word dropped here, a piece of literature there, and years later you find out that this incredible sequence of events occurred just because we were available.

And most of Jesus' ministry took place when he was being interrupted.

Interruptions are divine moments, and when you have your literature with you and when you have that spirit of reaching out to others, God will make, create many divine appointments and we're told that light seekers will be brought by angels to light bearers.

So it says remove sorrow from your heart, put away evil from your flesh.

And so I hope that these meetings also are a blessing to you personally as well as professionally.

I'm gonna ask Peggy Lee to come on up for just a minute.

By the way, I just thought it'd be really great.

It's over on the table, and I brought some.

But to have the seed of God's Word in your heart is so important.

And I knew nothing, 0, about God or the Bible.

I became an atheist very young in life because of the doctrine of eternal torment.

I couldn't believe in a God like that and so my life went completely spinning out of control for many years.

So in my mind and in my heart I can't separate the truths of God's Word from the gospel.

To me, there isn't doctrine and then Jesus.

The truths about God, where he is so misunderstood because of these falsehoods.

And so this is so that we can overlearn really important truths that we're gonna have to know at the end of time.

So I'm going to put this over there and I'm going to put my Bible over there.

It's a Bible marking plan so that you can interact with your Bible, and I praise God for that.

So, sowing beside all waters, sowing in the morning, sowing in the evening.

Peggy Lee shared her testimony this morning.

Peggy, did you go through professional training in order to be able to hold, to do ministry?

What kind of training did you go through?

The food facade 1, which just dropped on me.

But for the Holy Spirit training first, right?

Well, they didn't have anyone to co-facilitate.

So they basically asked, said, well, hey, we need somebody.

Yeah, but you weren't supposed to be able to do that.

No, I was told in grade, when I was in elementary, I would not make it past grade 9.

Grade 9 was the last grade I would go to and in 1995 I walked across my stage in high school and got my grade 12 diploma.

And Peggy has held, yes, praise God, yes, let's give her an affirmation.

So the Lord really blessed and raised up this humble worker for God and she not only held a Foods for Thought program but also...

I took Depression No Way Out, Neil Knightley's program, and facilitated that program with my church, with another coordinator.

There was only 2 of us that were qualified to do it, so we held that program as well.

And 8 weeks to wellness, and 10 Bible study requests, and I don't think she's going to have to apologize when Jesus comes because whom he calls he equips, amen?

Thank you Peggy, thank you for sharing that.

I just am so thankful for the anointing of God on people, the call to serve.

It's not about how capable, but that doesn't mean that we shouldn't add value to our lives, our training.

It doesn't mean we just go out there and expect God to zap us with skill.

We've got to work and we've got to learn, amen?

Just because it's hard doesn't mean God isn't in it.

So today I want to just to talk to you for a very few moments about the battle.

And when Evelyn and I run obesity programs or diabetes programs or addiction programs or depression programs and by the way the materials that you see me do they're available there they're for you to use they're over here on the table it's Christmas in June everything is just about everything's half price so we want to get these evangelistic tools for soul winning into your hands in a winsome, balanced way.

God wants to give back everything that sin has broken and taken away, And I'm all in.

The brain that has an eating disorder or obesity or diabetes or some of these metabolic syndromes where everything has been hijacked, every system has been hijacked.

The brain of this person is fighting hard, but I believe we have to fight smart.

So we've identified 5 battle fronts for this war.

All right, I'm going to ask somebody to hit the panic button over there.

That really is the name of that thing, is the panic button.

So if somebody would turn the panic button for me and get the light out, I'd appreciate it.

So we're talking about from wanting to winning today for just a few minutes as we address the big picture.

Balanced Living Bootcamp- Part 3

Thank you for this time that we can have together.

You have said that the truth makes us free.

We thank you, Lord Jesus, that in blessing, we will be blessed and that our own diseased minds are healed as we reach out and bless others.

And I just thank you for that process, Father, that breaks up the selfishness of our own hearts.

And I pray that you would touch us today through your Holy Spirit as we each share, not only from our heads, but from our hearts and our experience.

You have a special purpose and plan and power for everyone in this room, and we thank you in Jesus' name, amen.

Well, when I first became a Christian, when I first gave my heart to God, I really thought that the troubles were over.

I was going to get, it was kind of like a bubble gum type of deal.

You give God everything and he's going to make everything easy for you, keep you safe at all times, and you're not going to have any more problems, right?

My husband used to call it ask it and grasp it.

But actually the truth is, is that the fruit of character, the fruit of victory grows under adversity and trial.

And so it's a hard lesson for us to learn.

Because Christ is omnipotent, he's powerful, he's the creator.

I know that heaven and hell are involved in the same circumstances to bring about different results.

And I want to be with the 1 that wants the good results.

I also know that he allows things that he hates to bring about things that he loves.

Some of the things that have happened in your life are hateful and they're wrong and they weren't even your fault.

The Bible says on top of that, we're ignorantly alienated from the life of God, we're not even attracted to Him.

God's love poured into us attracts us to Him.

So we are drawn to Him because of His love and because of our need.

It's His grace in us that creates that love.

In John chapter 16, I was sitting out just absorbing a little sunshine and just enjoying, just soaking in.

And when I read the scriptures, I asked God to just soak it into my DNA.

And Jesus was talking very frankly to the disciples and he was telling them that trouble was coming.

And in fact he said, I pray not that you be taken out of the world, but that you be kept from evil.

Whoa, I would like that to be prayed a little differently, but that was Jesus' prayer.

And so he says here to his disciples in John chapter 16, verse 32, he said, the hour is coming.

You're going to make a big mess of things.

Now experience is going to be your teacher.

And he says, yet I am not alone because the Father is with me.

So even in the face of rejection and abandonment and being misunderstood, his concern was still for his disciples.

Don't you want that kind of heart for God?

These things I have spoken to you that in me you might have, what?

In the world you will have tribulation, but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.

Peace I leave with you, my peace I give to you, not as the world gives, give I unto you.

Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.

Now I'm sure, I wanna know what this peace is and what the parts are, and that's what I'm gonna talk about today, God's peace plan.

Does that sound like a topic that would be of interest to you today?

I think that every human being, I hope I'm not the only 1, but all of us probably at 1 time or another have had the thought process, if only XYZ, then I would be happy.

If only I had the right boss, the best companion, if only my kids were XYZ, If only I was in this financial situation, then everything, then I would be happy.

Years and years ago, I worked with a guy that was super unfriendly, used to hurt my feelings.

He'd see me coming and he'd go, He didn't even try to hide.

I said, you know, Lord, if you would get this man out of my life, I could get on with my Christian growth.

Well, the Lord had to change me so that I could depend on His strength.

Another time I remember thinking, you know, if I found a lottery ticket in the parking lot that wouldn't be gambling, And I would give half to the church, and then I'd get carpet, and, you know, that would be good.

But the truth is that people who win lottery tickets, If you Google what actually happens to people that win lottery tickets, within 4 years they lose most of their money, murder, suicide rates go up, drug abuse, alcoholism in the whole family.

1 person said, my family, the people that I love have become vampires.

1 maid who had 2 jobs just to keep body and soul together said, I'd give anything to have never discovered, to have never won the lottery, and to have those 2 maid jobs back.

Yeah, so the Bible says, don't trust in uncertain riches.

So today we wanna look at God's peace plan.

And if somebody could get the light, push the panic button over there.

We're gonna take a look at God's peace plan.

We're going to take a look at God's peace plan.

I believe that there are Christians who really love God who don't have peace because they don't understand the parts of his plan.

And that's what we want to look at today in the time that I have remaining.

First of all, we have seen through some of our presentations, especially if you're going to the morning meetings, that we don't have a separate higher entity called a soul.

You are a soul, and your brain and body are the hardware of your soul.

Series

Balanced Living Bootcamp

Balanced Living Bootcamp- Part 2

Transcript

Parent Series

Parent Conference

Sponsor

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