Permanent Impact February 2009

. . . a newsletter to keep you up-to-date with Sculley family adventures in Russia and beyond

We're willing to go . . . are you willing to send us?

What's the latest?

Prayer, praise, and people
We're still in the throes of winter here, but often one of the family will comment, "Wow, it's so warm today - only -5!" It does seem really warm when the temps hover around freezing, and we're grateful for the mild winter here. Snow is so much fun, especially when we get to go sledding!

The Nizhny Vineyard soaking group continues to meet at our apartment on Friday evenings, with 30 to 40 adults and a pile of kids coming together to worship God and pray together each week (from over a dozen different churches). In our other cultures, our living room might only accommodate a dozen people, but Russians are easy-going when it comes to personal space (as anyone who has ridden a mashrutka bus can testify!) It's a huge blessing to host this meeting, and God never fails to show up ("Call to me and I will answer you . . ." Jeremiah 33:3). We often hear testimonies of healing, encouragement, and learning to hear God's voice. Sadly, few Russians have experienced healthy relationships with their earthly fathers, and it's a joy to see them receive more of their heavenly Father's unconditional love for them. It is a huge answer to prayer that so many a growing number of men are passionately seeking God. Many people from the group attended a recent "River" conference in town - in the slideshow below are some shots from one of the worship sessions.

We're delighted that Karen has begun teaching regular prayer seminars to a group of enthusiastic believers from a few local churches - we are so encouraged that God has opened this door of opportunity!

Seven core members of the soaking group stayed really late one Friday for a "night of prayer", well until 3am anyway :) The Lord blessed us with a powerful time of united prayer and an outpouring of Holy Spirit revelation, speaking very clearly to each one who came.

We've enjoyed lots of gatherings since our last newsletter - youth white elephant party, J's 15th birthday (bowling / pizza / sleepover / movie marathon), E's & K's 9th birthdays (Salon Sculley - gorgeous gowns, nail parlor, happy hair, fancy faces, lotion lounge, glamor shots), and sharing life with many dear friends!

P's univeristy studies are going well. One of his math instructors has figured out that he's already mastered the material, and now gives him tailored assignments (here's a story for our fellow math lovers - one day the homework for the rest of the class was to solve a system of simultaneous equations; P's assignment was to prove that there are an infinite number of primes LOL). In the slideshow below is a glimpse at a typical day at the Sculley Academy for the rest of the gang.

Karen continues to greatly enjoy her Russian studies, which includes many varied field trips (to schools, concerts, cultural events, and recently to a blini [pancake] masterclass in honor of the Russian celebration of Maselnitsa that precedes Lent).

Paul spoiled all of his sweethearts on Valentine's Day :) and we were blessed by the many goodies sent by dear friends in Atlanta that made this day very special for the whole family!

Here's this month's slide show:

Thanks for all your prayers, encouragement, and support! We love you and appreciate you!

Our contact information:
local U.S. number that will reach us in Russia: 678-389-9379
Russian apartment phone #: +7-910-432-81-77
facebook: Karen Sculley

snail mail: (print this out and stick it on the envelope)
RUSSIA
603093 Г. Нижний Новгопод
Ул. Родионова
Д. 180/1 Кв. 23
Sculley family

Financial Partnership Opportunities:

We'd like to offer you a variety of opportunities each month . . . let us know if you'd like to partner with us in any of these ways. THANK YOU for your support . . . it is a joy to walk this road together with you!
• Sculley Family support
o Our current support level is 90% of our financial needs through June 2009 - praise God!
• Resources for Russians
o We've acquired many great books in Russians to lend out to the believers who come to our home. Dozens of people are using the resources on our two-shelf library. Let us know if you'd like to contribute to supplying more resources to help Russian believers grow in faith.

We trust God to provide everything we need to do all that He wants us to do in and through us. If you would like to invest what God has given you in Kingdom activity, through financial partnership, here's how (all financial contributions are 100% tax deductible in the U.S.A., and are processed through the Atlanta Vineyard, our sending church to whom we are accountable):
• automated giving (automatic monthly deductions from your checking or savings account - click here for the form - be sure to write "Sculley - Russia" in the space under "recommended giving"). Once you print out and fill in the form, please mail it to the address indicated at the bottom of the form.
• online giving via PayPal (www.atlantavineyard.com — just mention “Sculley - Russia” on the online giving comment line)

Praise Reports:
• for many prayer mobilization opportunities. God is so faithful! Thanks for your prayers!
• that God has provided ample financial support for us, such that we're able to help 23 Nizhny Vineyard-ites attend the March 5th - 7th Russian Vineyard National Conference in Perm (17 hours by train east of Nizhny Novgorod). This annual conference will have an emphasis on evangelism in addition to its usual focus on equipping, envisioning, and encouragement. It's also a big family reunion as the 7 Vineyard churches in Russia are geographically very spread out, from St. Petersburg to Siberia (over 3500km apart).
• for the frequent opportunities God gives us to pour into the lives of young believers and emerging leaders in the body of Christ.

Please pray for us:
• for the prayer groups and prayer training that we're involved with, that God's plans would be accomplished
• for God's guidance and direction in everything.

We pray for you, too - please let us know your specific prayer requests. It's such a joy to pray for one another! We have all of our email and facebook friends' names written on our prayer wall in the kitchen.

Our vision:
• mobilize prayer
• promote unity in the body of Christ
• raise up leaders

We appreciate your prayers so much! Thank you!

“The share of the man who stayed with the supplies is to be the same as that of him who went down to the battle. All will share alike.” (1 Samuel 30:24)

In Russia with love,
Paul, Karen, P, J, M, C, E, & K Sculley
"every detail in our lives of love for God is worked into something good" (Romans 8:28, The Message)

join the cheer squad

“Encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today.” (Hebrews 3:13)

One of the simplest things we can do that fills one of the greatest needs in people’s lives is encouragement. It would surely be a rare occasion for someone to feel they’d received too much encouragement on any particular day. Encouragements can fade after a while, especially because there are ample discouragements coming at us that can counterbalance them. We need a fresh supply of encouragement every day.

Webster’s dictionary defines “encourage” as “to give courage to; to inspire with courage, spirit, or hope; to raise, or to increase, the confidence of; to animate; enhearten; to incite; to help forward.”

The Bible describes three main sources of encouragement – God Himself (Acts 9:31), Scripture (Romans 15:4), and fellow believers. We need all three to run well. We understand that in God we live and move and have our being, and that He has given us His Word to give us life. But there’s more – God has given us the responsibility and privilege of building one another up. Effective encouragement is basically one person calling another person’s attention to God and His Word. Other believers need your encouragement, and you need theirs. Marathons are hard! Some marathoners wear their names on their shirts, so other runners and onlookers can call out personalized encouragements. Encouragement can range from “God loves you!” to “well done!” to a well-placed prod (“you’re going the wrong way!”). Paul noted that we “can be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith” (Romans 1:12). The Amplified version says that “we are mutually dependent on one another” (Romans 12:5).

Encouragement is a key component that will enable us to finish our races well. Make it a habit to encourage someone each day – by cheering them on, you’ll be giving them courage and helping them forward. And thankfully receive the encouragements God sends your way!

enjoy the scenery

“The joy of the LORD is your strength” (Nehemiah 8:10)

I tend to agree with C. S. Lewis when he said, “I’m not sure God wants us to be happy.” But God does want us to be joyful – there’s a difference. Happiness often depends on happenings, circumstances, and feelings, but joy depends only on Jesus. Like Paul, we can learn to be content in any and every situation because we “can do everything through him who gives [us] strength.” (Philippians 4:13) It’s God’s joy that empowers us – He has a limitless supply from which we can draw every day, every moment.

Eugene Peterson’s update on Solomon’s wisdom encourages us to “make the most of what God gives, both the bounty and the capacity to enjoy it, accepting what's given and delighting in the work. It's God's gift! God deals out joy in the present, the now.” (Ecclesiastes 5:19 – 20). There are over two hundred references to joy in God’s word . . . “The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and I am helped. My heart leaps for joy and I will give thanks to him in song.” (Psalm 28:7) Veggie Tales has a catchy little song that summarizes this verse succinctly – “a thankful heart is a happy heart.” Joy also has a way of rubbing off on others. Mother Teresa said that joy is “a net of love by which you can catch souls.”

Wherever the journey takes us, we can enjoy the scenery as we go. No matter what today’s circumstances look like, there’s always something beautiful to admire, something to be thankful for, and something to look forward to! Enjoying the scenery is a choice, and a secure choice, because God’s tender compassions are new every morning; his stability and faithfulness are abundant (Lamentations 3:23).

prepare the right equipment

“May the God of peace . . . equip you with everything good for doing his will” (Hebrews 13:20 – 21)

Anything worth doing is worth doing well. We’ve all heard that, and it’s good advice that is worded like this in the book of Colossians – “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord.” In order to run well the race set before us, we need to prepare the right equipment. Running with the wrong equipment can result in needless injuries, lost opportunities, eroded confidence, dashed expectations, and frustrated plans.

So what kind of equipment do we need? God has given us some very special pieces of equipment that are available to every believer. They’re variously known as “spiritual practices”, “spiritual exercises”, or “spiritual disciplines.” Richard Foster provides a list of 12 spiritual disciplines in his classic work, “The Celebration of Discipline,” that believers have practiced over the centuries:

• Inward disciplines – meditation, prayer, fasting, study
• Outward disciplines – simplicity, solitude, submission, service
• Corporate disciplines – confession, worship, guidance, celebration

Each of these warrants indepth study and attention, but even brief consideration of each of these disciplines can prod us into action. Foster’s book opens with, “Superficiality is the curse of our age. The doctrine of instant satisfaction is a primary spiritual problem. The desperate need today is not for a greater number of intelligent people, or gifted people, but for deep people. The classic Disciplines of the spiritual life call us to move beyond surface living into the depths.” Doubtless, each of us practice some of these disciplines more than others, and it’s good to regularly consider each one because we all get into ruts.

The word “discipline” captures the idea that there is something we need to do in order to get the full benefit from this equipment that has been made available to us. We can grow in our ability to utilize to the fullest extent any piece of equipment (whether a paintbrush, camera, or spiritual discipline), with instruction and repeated use. Optimal physical health requires us to proactively pay attention to daily things like diet and exercise, instead of just reacting to problems when they crop up. Similarly, optimal spiritual health requires us to pay attention to regular practices, instead of relying only on mountaintop experiences with God. Spiritual disciplines help us to walk by faith and not by sight; spiritual disciplines help us to live more consistent and victorious lives; spiritual disciplines help us to be proactive, not reactive; spiritual disciplines fill up the wells from which we can draw. As we grow in our practice of the spiritual disciplines, we will be better equipped and ready for whatever terrain God sets before us.

get in shape

“Love your neighbor as yourself” (Matthew 22:39)

I don’t know if you’ve ever had this misunderstanding, but for many years when I read the words in this verse, I would reinterpret them in my brain as “Love your neighbor,” leaving off the last two key words, “as yourself.” Anagrams I encountered in my youth like “J-O-Y = Jesus – Others – You” only compounded my misunderstanding. I’ve come to realize over the years that while it sounds very noble and good to focus on loving others, it isn’t the full picture of what Jesus said to do. He instructed us to love others as ourselves, i.e. to love others in the same manner in which we love ourselves. The Message version puts it this way: “Love others as well as you love yourself.” If we are generous in loving ourselves, we will be able to love others generously. If we are stingy or neglectful in loving ourselves, we won’t be able to love others well. We can’t give what we don’t have.

That’s not to say that we should live narcissistic and conceited lives. That’s not love. Love is beautifully defined for us in 1 Corinthians 13, and has nothing to do with self-absorption, and everything to do with God’s nature. God is in His very essence – love.

One of the banes of our existence in the 21st century is our ability to artificially prop ourselves up for extended periods of time in order to cover over our neglectful ways of not loving ourselves properly. Not getting enough sleep? Drink more coffee! Too busy to spend much time with loved ones? Have quality time! Too many things on the schedule? Multitask! Can’t fit in a “quiet time”? Do it on the fly! Too rushed to prepare healthful meals? Take more vitamins! Sooner or later these things will catch up with us and we’ll find our wells depleted. Jesus promised believers that “streams of living water will flow from within” us. This living water is for us and for others. Let’s get in shape by loving ourselves well so that as we encounter others along our courses, we’ll have something to give them – God’s water of life.